I have always been a pretty heard-headed and stubborn person, and I rarely change my goals once I’ve gotten them in my sights. That side of me was surprisingly turned upside down when it came time to apply for study abroad programs. If someone would have told me a year ago today that I would be leaving to study abroad in Germany for 4 months, I would’ve laughed them off. I had given next to no thought about studying in Germany and was positive that the only place I would be going was London.

Since I was little, I always knew that I wanted to study abroad, and I always knew where I would be studying abroad: London. I have always loved British culture and history, and London was always the place that I wanted to go, and the place where I still want to live one day. So how on earth did I get to Germany?

When I got to Penn State, I chose German as my language. I had never liked learning Spanish in high school, and learning French didn’t really appeal to me, but German seemed like a good fit. I have German ancestry, and Germany always seemed like a place interesting to visit, so I figured 3 quick semesters of German would fulfill a language requirement and give me a couple phrases in German to have under my belt.

I really enjoyed the German classes that I took, yet as the semesters went by and my study abroad deadlines grew closer I still wanted to go to London. However, the logical side of me couldn’t deny that studying abroad in a German speaking country would be practical, interesting, and vastly improve my language skills. My family continuously pushed me to look into studying in a German speaking country, as we had traveled to London the summer after I graduated high school, and they knew that deep down inside I would love to experience somewhere brand new. I looked into German cities with abroad programs, but found most to appear gray, graffiti-laden, and modern (sorry Berlin). So to compete with London, I chose Vienna, Austria as my secondary destination. Pretty and posh, it seemed like a good competitor. Yet I still yearned for the drizzly, foggy streets straight out of a Dickens novel, picnicking in Hyde Park on a spring day, and walking by Westminster Abbey on my way to class with Elton John or the Beatles playing in my earbuds. London was still the clear frontrunner.

As study abroad applications began to open and deadlines got closer, I decided to visit the study abroad office, making meetings with Whitney and Scott, the advisors for England and Germany/Austria/Switzerland, respectively. My first meeting with Whitney went so well that I told her she would definitely be hearing from me soon, and I felt like walking out without heading next door for my second appointment. When I met with Scott, I asked him to convince me to go to Vienna, to which he replied “Why would you want to go there?”. This was not the life changing argument I was hoping for. Instead, he gestured to a poster on his wall. “have you ever heard of Freiburg?”.

The poster showed quaint cottages, window boxes overflowing with flowers, lush green forests, and clear brooks running through the streets. Freiburg– which I had never heard of before– seemed pretty ideal. That night I sat on the computer for hours, telling my roommates in disbelief how perfect this place seemed, and how the programs to Freiburg offered me all that I could ever have asked for in a study abroad experience. After speaking with my academic advisor, it was clear that the Freiburg program would fit perfectly into my schedule.

Also during this decision time, I had begun research for what I hope will become my undergraduate thesis; looking at themes of eugenics and how they played out in propaganda and politics in the rise of the Third Reich in Nazi Germany. Freiburg just seemed ideal; perfect for my research, perfect for my personal interests in history and politics, and the European Union program even included a field trip to London! Unbelievably, my mind was changed. I was headed to Freiburg.

My study abroad decision making has been more back and forth than a rusty old roller coaster at the shore; a lot of back and forth, and a LOT of plans that turned out nothing like I had originally envisioned! My stubbornness has already been challenged by study abroad and I haven’t even left the country yet! I am looking forward to sharing my adventures with anyone reading, and extremely grateful to family, friends, and my abroad advisor Scott Runner for all the support they have given me within the past few months. For now, I’ll get back to packing and cuddling with my pups as much as I can before I have to go!

Location: Great Meadows, New Jersey