Year in Review Blog: Before

As the end of my first year in Germany approaches its inevitable conclusion, I reflect on my time here, the lessons I have learned and the person I have become. Many stories will get told for the first time, some existing stories will get a behind the scenes look. This series will last a week and by the end of the week, hopefully you will have a better view of what it is like to be a student abroad.

Episode 1: Before

I will never again experience life before coming to Germany. The invariable clock of time will not allow me to go back. Even if I could, I would be hard pressed to find a reason why I would want to. Before September 2013, I was less aware of other cultures, I could only speak one language, and I was less of a person that I am now. But time will do that, time will change a person, whether it be growing into a better person or shrinking into the recesses of one's inner being, hiding away from everything that the world has to offer.

I had plans on what this year was going to be like before I got here. But truthfully I didn’t have a clue about what to expect. Most of what I had seen of Europe had been from movies like Bourne Ultimatum. I remember questioning if what I was about to do was really for me. I second-guessed pretty much every aspect of it. This is a normal reaction to a major life change; it was after all the biggest step outside my comfort zone I had ever taken. Going to a country where I knew exactly two people and about seven words of the language wasn’t the easiest thing ever. But as soon as I was on the plane inside the European Union I knew that it would be the experience of a lifetime and that I would come back a completely different person.

Arriving at Denver International Airport was something that I have done so many times I can do (and probably have done) it in my sleep. We got to the airport with plenty of time, as per our custom, especially on international flights. I remember going to a frozen yogurt place in the airport and sitting around enjoying the last few hours of being in America. I don’t remember any of us saying a whole lot, I don’t remember what ice cream flavor I had, however anyone who has ever eaten frozen yogurt with me can probably make a good guess since it is always the same flavor, and I don’t remember what the man on the TV overhead was talking about. None of that mattered. I was enjoying the time with my family. It would be the last time that I could sit with them and eat for quite a while.

The flight to Iceland was memorable in that I slept the whole way. Almost all of the eight hours was spent sleeping. I remember waking up to see the sunrise over some icy landmass, but in the same way flashback scenes in movies flash for a few seconds never gaining full focus, so this image is ingrained into my head. However brief it was, it has stayed in my head thus far. As soon as I stepped foot into Iceland I felt I could understand Samwise Gamgee’s sentiment when he told Frodo “If I take one more step, it will be the farthest from home I have ever been.” I was now a long ways away from anything familiar. The language may as well have come from another planet making it fit with the uniquely beautiful alien landscape.

Coffee was a must because not only was it 6am local time, I also wanted to try coffee from as many countries as I could. Iceland made a good effort in the list of great kinds of coffee, and this was from inside the airport. The food was really quite delicious as well, at least the things I ate. Fortunately there wasn’t any whale in my meal. I don’t remember what I had, just that I was extremely pleased with both the flavor, and the price.

Water from Denver still remained in my water bottle. I sipped it slowly, but I also bought some local water. I wanted to keep my little reminder of home with me as long as I could. Even though it was city water instead of well water, it was wonderful to me. I look back on this now and laugh. I had more things from home besides the water that remained. The fifty-pound backpack on my back was a constant reminder of this.

The flight from Reykjavik to Copenhagen was short and I watched The Big Bang Theory on the nice Scandinavian Air TVs. I think I did the same from Copenhagen to Berlin. Seeing both a sunrise and a sunset in the same day on an airplane is a pretty big reminder of just how long a trip is. I was a little too disappointed by the fact that I was on the wrong side of the airplane to see the Berlin TV Tower, but my disappointment was fleeting because suddenly I was in a foreign city at almost 23:00 local time with no idea what my ride looked like or where I could find it. After wandering in the area of where my bags had come, I went outside where the taxis were and just sat down and waited. Eventually I did make it to Friedensau. (Spoiler alert) There I met two of my teachers, one of my classmates, and a student helper. I am sure my sleep addled brain made all kinds of sensible conversation. Fortunately our teachers are used to us not really making sense in several languages.

The next morning would start my first full day in Germany. I was ready. It was going to be a good year.

Sometimes the bliss of ignorance really helps make life better. Had I known how hard it would be to learn a new language, had I known the insecurity of the times when I didn’t know it and had to just figure something out, had I known the sacrifice my pride would make just to make it through a conversation with a child, the inner battle for coming here might have turned out differently. But had I not come here, I would have stayed in the same rut of ignorance, naivety, and complacency that I had been able to develop for twenty-one years before. Nothing can match the experiences I have had this year. It was the best life choice I have made to date. I have learned much more than German. I have learned about myself.