Hohenheim
The Books
My first course: Global Change Issues
First of all, U of I gave me a list of courses to choose from that I could take in Germany and it would count for credit when I return. I never thought it out much more than that and I selected my courses from the list I was given. Upon arriving, many people are asking me if I am getting my Masters right now. No I am not, but the classes I am enrolled in are Master's level courses for Hohenheim. As of now, this is a bit daunting, but I have to put my faith in the fact that U of I prepares its students well enough to handle this.
The picture to the left is of the University's homepage, declaring their rank as Number 1 in all of Germany for Agricultural Sciences. This is great because my major is technically Agricultural Economics.
The first class I am taking is called Global Change Issues. The course is taught in English and I have it everyday from 2 to 6pm. This is great, except for the fact that most of my friends are just waking up when I am getting out of class. What I already enjoy about the class is that there are students from all over the world in my class: three from the US, three from Germany, many from India, many from Nigeria, one from Australia, and one from Poland. Right of the bat, the professor stressed that a lot of the learning would be through communicating with our classmates about the differences in our countries. We will learn a lot about the world by talking to people from all ends of it and discovering which issues most closely impact them. The class is formatted so that for one week we will have lectures. I initially thought, wow a week of four hours of lecturing will be brutal. But, this course has a team of Professors that each lecture on their favorite topic, which is approximately a two hour topic, so that every day there are two Professors giving the lecture.
The first day of class, Dr. Fangmeier asked us if we think that Hurricane Sandy had any bearing on the results of the recent US presidential election. My favorite thing about being surrounded by mostly non-Americans is learning how the rest of the world perceives Americans. People around the world are truly invested in the things that happen all around us every day. I think we take this for granted. Although he redirected this topic to make the point that one natural event cannot prove or disprove that Global Warming. I thought that was really interesting that I was sitting in a German class room and had already talked more about the most recent presidential election than I had sitting in any classroom in Illinois. I will admit that sometimes I find myself saying, Hurricane in New Jersey? That must be because of Global Warming. Or, no snow this December? Global Warming. Well, Dr. Professor says that all scientists will agree that a single event in time can not prove or disprove anything. That event may have been planned to happen with or without the concept of Global Warming.
We have been doing some research on various topics like Carbon Sequestration and Energy Efficiency lately. I did not expect to find myself saying I am actually really enjoying the things I am learning in class. My topic to research is about the Climate Change Conferences and then my partner and I will have to teach the rest of the class. Learning about these huge conferences while in Europe is giving me a different perspective than I think I would have had if I learned about it at home or even in an economics course.
The goal of the conferences is to come up with an extension of the Kyoto Protocol, which was set to expire in 2012 and with that would virtually leave the world with no concrete plan to reduce emissions. The US never agreed to the Kyoto Protocol in the first place because it would harm the economy too greatly. Now, almost 15 years after the Kyoto Protocol, the US has still not confirmed any binding plan to reduce emissions. I really think that if I learned about this at home, I would be saying, well obviously we did not join a plan to spend billions of more dollars we do not have to help out other countries and reduce our own emisisons. Here, listening to people from small countries and developing countries, I think if the US cannot lead the path to reduce global emissions, then who else can? The EU already has stringent plans for reducing their CO2 output and has been following this since 1997. Granted, Germany is one of the only countries in the EU with a stable economy, but the US economy is not stable either. If the EU can be the world leaders in planning and acting on global climate change, there is no reason the US shouldn't be right there with them.
Fun Fact: There is an EU wide ban on incandescent light bulbs. This has saved them 5% of their domestic energy consumption! This tiny law may seem like no big deal, but in order to sustain just the stand-by power, the power your computer uses when its "sleeping", the EU requires two major power plants. Any bit helps!
I got my grades back two weeks after the course ended and I am proud to say I did well in the class!
The People
The native German people that I have met have taught me more about history than a classroom ever could. Reading about history does not resonate as strongly with me as hearing someone's personal experience with this history we learn about. Stuttgart was almost completely destroyed by WWII, which is why most of the buildings are 'new'. Yet 25 year old kids narrate the history of the towns for me as through their personal connection with the stories.
I came across a funny article called, 'How to be German' at http://venturevillage.eu/how-to-be-german-part-1, if you want to read some of the stereotypes about being German!
Before arriving in Germany, I was warned that the people here are "tough". I was mentally preparing to meet people like this. I think its a typical stereotype that the German people are cold and stand-offish. However, Anita explained the stereotype to me before I had the chance to see if this is how German people really are. She told me that German people typically do not go out of their way with random strangers and say things like "Oh hi, how are you? How was your day?". In America, I do find people having these short conversations in passing or with people we do not know very well, just to fill an awkward silence or to be polite. But to the Germans, they avoid these conversations that can be sort of "fake" so that when they do ask you these things, you know that they genuinely care.
Sometimes foreigners may find this rude or off-putting, but to them it is just honest. I definitely have found this to be true. At home I will ask people how they are and sometimes I don't even listen (Just being honest!), but Anita and her friends always ask me how things are going and I can tell they really want to know. The first time met some other German people, I thought they did not like me because I did not speak such great German but now I realize it is because they were genuinely getting to know me before they ask me a million questions! It is very refreshing to know that all of the people you meet genuinely like you and really care about how you are.
About the Mannerisms:
The one way I can spot an American out in public is because they drink straight from the bottle. One strange thing I have noticed is that most German people use a straw when drinking from a glass bottle. Glass bottles are very common: Coke, water, apple juice, etc. In all of the restauarants and bars I have been too, they serve bottled beverages, excluding beer, with a straw. When I see two people both not using a straw, I can guess they are probably American. One of my friends from India, who has already been here a full year, has noticed the same thing!
A very important thing I learned recently is that German people do not call BMW cars "beemers" and Porsche is pronounced Porsch-e. Not Porsch-ah, like I think my dad sometimes says. You pronounce the "eh" at the end of the word. I almost felt insulting when I told my friends we sometimes refers to BMWs as beemers because they have never heard of this before!
A strange thing that I learned this weekend is how the Germans count. I noticed my Grandpa counts like this also, (Hi Grandpa!) so it must be very German. If someone were to ask me to show on my fingers how many children were in my family, I would hold up my three fingers: pointer, middle, and the ring finger. German people start counting with their thumbs, as shown in the movie Inglorious Bastards. So they would hold up their thumb, pointer and middle finger! If you actually try to use that method of counting, it feels strange. Asking the bartender for two beers with your thumb and your pointer finger is a whole new world! The peace sign may become obsolete.
About Homeless People:
One very interesting thing I learned recently is how Germany deals with their unemployed and homeless people. After you lose a job or have been homeless for quite some time, the state gives you some money to live off of. However, every month you also must go into a center where the state offers you a range of any jobs. You are required to take one of the jobs offered to you, even if it is not appealing to you. This keeps a lot of homeless people off the streets and it also keeps more people employed. If a company is in need of hiring people, they can revert to this type of service. It is a win-win for the people of the state and for the economy of the state.
Even more interesting, I learned that there is a sort of "Homeless people mafia". This seems absolutely made up, but I promise it is true. So basically, this mafia works the same way as any old Mafia- which I'm not sure I even understand all the way, so bare with me on this explanation. The Homeless Mafia has rankings of homeless people within this organization; the leaders of this organization force the lower level people to be the ones to sit on the street and beg for money. These people can be German, but maybe it is more likely that they will have some unique feature. For example, making people in wheelchairs or women with young children beg for money may be more lucrative than having regular homeless people beg for money. These people are begging for money for the whole organization in exchange for protection and security. But, the cops are aware of this Mafia. So if they catch you begging for money they can have you arrested. If you are the homeless person chosen to beg for money and you tattle-tell on the rest of the mafia, then they will kill your family.
About German Perspective of Americans:
I have shared with you some of the questions that German people ask me. I love when people ask me things about America. I really think the movies created such a warped sense of how our reality is, it is cool to get the chance to show people we aren't all like the movies.
Recently, I get asked a lot if I own a gun. Since this is a growing issue in the US, I think its interesting that people over here are keeping tabs on the issue. Obviously, I don't own a gun and most of the people I know don't own a gun. But the perception is that SO MANY Americans own guns, and even if we think "no, not that many people own guns", this is in comparison to the fact that almost zero people own guns in Germany. So maybe a lot of Americans really do own guns? There is a TV show over here about Texas, and they ask me if Texas is really like the show. Do all Texans really have guns? I think the answer is more or less- yes, good or bad, it is relatively true. Its just interesting that over this issue there is such a big difference in German and American culture. In America, the issue over guns is about gun control, precautions and safety. In Germany, there is simply a no tolerance stance on guns. My German friends have explained that this is because they still try to be very sensitive about military issues since WWII and the Holocaust. People don't joke about guns at all. Paintball is also not allowed until you are 18, and even then no one is allowed to play with red colored paint.
About the Schools:
One of the first things I learned was about how the German education system works. They have just recently switched to the Bachelor's/Master's program like the US, but it is still slightly different than the US. Typically a person starts out with Kindergarten, which is actually a German word because Kinder means child, goes on to Primary school and then the best students go on the "gymnasium". The other students will go on to trade schools, similar to the US. The Gymnasium is from 5th grade through 10th grade. The best then go on to the Abitur, which is an additional three grades.
The Universities are the most interesting. Attending the University of Hohenheim for most German students is virtually free. Yes, free and college can exist in the same sentence. The professors at the Universities typically do not make much money teaching because they also have big time jobs for an external company. These companies pay them a substantial amount of money for their research and field knowledge. Now, students get a more applicable perspective on the things they learn in the class room because they know their professor has real-world experience of the information he or she teaches. As an added bonus, the students have great connections to huge companies where they may work when they are finished with the University. I think this is very smart!
I also learned that the Private School teachers here in Germany make significantly more money than in the Public Schools. When Anita and I discovered this, I thought it was so funny! I always remember my high school math teacher saying that her and her best friend went to the same grade school, high school and college. She taught at Marian Catholic and her best friend taught in a wealthy suburb. Needless to say, their paychecks were VERY different. In Germany, the private schools are more expensive to attend, so they have more money to pay the professors. These classes are smaller, since less people attend, and the professors are more hands on. These professors typically only work in the University so they may have more time to invest in the students.
So, this month is exam month for all of my German friends. I have learned there are some pros and cons to being a German student instead of an American one. In Germany, for each exam you take you are allowed to re-take it 2 more times, for a total of 3 tries. There are no penalties for retaking the test and the professor does not take an average. However, if you take the exam all 3 times and you still don't pass- you are expelled from the university. Even worse, you are no long allowed to study whatever exam you failed anywhere else in Germany. So, if you fail an economics exam three times you are no longer allowed to practice economics and you must pick a new topic to study. This makes sense to me. If you fail an accounting test three times, shouldn't you probably re-consider your career as an accountant? Its a very simple idea but it really could change things in the US work force.
About Greek Life:
I know, typical U of I student blogging about Greek life. In Champaign, Greek Life is a huge tradition and really is a great way to meet new people, branch out, and network. There are definitely the stereotypes associated with joining a sorority or fraternity, but it is up to you to play into that or not. That being said, my German friends have a COMPLETELY different outlook on Greek life. Apparently in Germany, the fraternities and sororities are very seclusive and have very stringent laws. It is not popular to join a sorority or fraternity, and they are not labeled by greek letters. As I understand it, the chapters here usually have religious affiliation with limited contact to the outside world. I also learned that students that join a sorority or fraternity have to pay very minimally to live in the house. At U of I, it is about the same price to live in the dorms. The catch is that in Germany, you have to pay your chapter dues for the rest of your life- as opposed to when you graduate college. The greek life in Germany is also not social by any means, so my friends thought it was amazing that we have social events with different fraternities.
About My Program:
To be honest, the hardest thing about going abroad was aligning expectations with reality. At U of I, pictures on facebook during spring semester are almost always flooded with Study Abroad pictures. Even in high school there was the occasional Album on my newsfeed of someone I knew going abroad. When I actually started planning my trip, I thought I would be going with other U of I kids or maybe other Americans- or at least that is what facebook told me. This wasn't the case. Once I got here, it took me at least two weeks to realize that my program was not the standard abroad program. I did not come with 8 other girls from my sorority and 10 other American students. I did not have orientation week and planned activities to meet people. I came by myself and had to integrate independently. It was terrifying. It was hard. That is, until I realized that if I did not just accept being on my own, I would waste my time wishing I did something different and ruin my own experience. Now that I have gotten past this culture shock, I could not be more happy I am doing this on my own.
The people that I met my first days here have made all of the difference. I really can't explain the feeling of being completely alone and having people you just met welcome you into their lives. I have learned so much about German culture from them. They are so genuine and caring, they have truly made Stuttgart feel like home- and its only been a month. I can't even imagine being here with other people from the US, because it is so interesting to be the only American out with 10 native Germans. We learn from each other. I am fascinated with German politics, history and mannerisms. I love hearing them talk about even the most simple things. I love when they help me speak German- trust me, this is not easy. Even more so, I love getting the opportunity to teach them about America. Their see the movies and hear the news, but reality is not always like that. It really is an awesome opportunity when I think about it and I would not go back and change my decision even if I could. So although it was a little hard for me at first, I am very happy now.
The travel advisors warn you before you leave that the first month is the hardest. It was really hard! Being away from home is not necessarily hard, but knowing that you are SO far removed from home is hard. If there is anything I can take away from this experience so far, it is to be nice. I can never quantify how thankful I am for meeting Anita and Tobi and their friends, but I can pay it forward. Someone else's daughter is studying abroad in the States and needs someone to help her out. It is pretty easy to ignore the really obvious tourists around campus or in the city, but I think I am a more obvious American than I realize and I love it when people help me out. Every time I go into Starbucks, I order in German and they respond in English. Maybe my German is really bad or maybe they can just tell?
I came across a funny article called, 'How to be German' at http://venturevillage.eu/how-to-be-german-part-1, if you want to read some of the stereotypes about being German!
Before arriving in Germany, I was warned that the people here are "tough". I was mentally preparing to meet people like this. I think its a typical stereotype that the German people are cold and stand-offish. However, Anita explained the stereotype to me before I had the chance to see if this is how German people really are. She told me that German people typically do not go out of their way with random strangers and say things like "Oh hi, how are you? How was your day?". In America, I do find people having these short conversations in passing or with people we do not know very well, just to fill an awkward silence or to be polite. But to the Germans, they avoid these conversations that can be sort of "fake" so that when they do ask you these things, you know that they genuinely care.
Sometimes foreigners may find this rude or off-putting, but to them it is just honest. I definitely have found this to be true. At home I will ask people how they are and sometimes I don't even listen (Just being honest!), but Anita and her friends always ask me how things are going and I can tell they really want to know. The first time met some other German people, I thought they did not like me because I did not speak such great German but now I realize it is because they were genuinely getting to know me before they ask me a million questions! It is very refreshing to know that all of the people you meet genuinely like you and really care about how you are.
About the Mannerisms:
The one way I can spot an American out in public is because they drink straight from the bottle. One strange thing I have noticed is that most German people use a straw when drinking from a glass bottle. Glass bottles are very common: Coke, water, apple juice, etc. In all of the restauarants and bars I have been too, they serve bottled beverages, excluding beer, with a straw. When I see two people both not using a straw, I can guess they are probably American. One of my friends from India, who has already been here a full year, has noticed the same thing!
A very important thing I learned recently is that German people do not call BMW cars "beemers" and Porsche is pronounced Porsch-e. Not Porsch-ah, like I think my dad sometimes says. You pronounce the "eh" at the end of the word. I almost felt insulting when I told my friends we sometimes refers to BMWs as beemers because they have never heard of this before!
A strange thing that I learned this weekend is how the Germans count. I noticed my Grandpa counts like this also, (Hi Grandpa!) so it must be very German. If someone were to ask me to show on my fingers how many children were in my family, I would hold up my three fingers: pointer, middle, and the ring finger. German people start counting with their thumbs, as shown in the movie Inglorious Bastards. So they would hold up their thumb, pointer and middle finger! If you actually try to use that method of counting, it feels strange. Asking the bartender for two beers with your thumb and your pointer finger is a whole new world! The peace sign may become obsolete.
About Homeless People:
One very interesting thing I learned recently is how Germany deals with their unemployed and homeless people. After you lose a job or have been homeless for quite some time, the state gives you some money to live off of. However, every month you also must go into a center where the state offers you a range of any jobs. You are required to take one of the jobs offered to you, even if it is not appealing to you. This keeps a lot of homeless people off the streets and it also keeps more people employed. If a company is in need of hiring people, they can revert to this type of service. It is a win-win for the people of the state and for the economy of the state.
Even more interesting, I learned that there is a sort of "Homeless people mafia". This seems absolutely made up, but I promise it is true. So basically, this mafia works the same way as any old Mafia- which I'm not sure I even understand all the way, so bare with me on this explanation. The Homeless Mafia has rankings of homeless people within this organization; the leaders of this organization force the lower level people to be the ones to sit on the street and beg for money. These people can be German, but maybe it is more likely that they will have some unique feature. For example, making people in wheelchairs or women with young children beg for money may be more lucrative than having regular homeless people beg for money. These people are begging for money for the whole organization in exchange for protection and security. But, the cops are aware of this Mafia. So if they catch you begging for money they can have you arrested. If you are the homeless person chosen to beg for money and you tattle-tell on the rest of the mafia, then they will kill your family.
About German Perspective of Americans:
I have shared with you some of the questions that German people ask me. I love when people ask me things about America. I really think the movies created such a warped sense of how our reality is, it is cool to get the chance to show people we aren't all like the movies.
Recently, I get asked a lot if I own a gun. Since this is a growing issue in the US, I think its interesting that people over here are keeping tabs on the issue. Obviously, I don't own a gun and most of the people I know don't own a gun. But the perception is that SO MANY Americans own guns, and even if we think "no, not that many people own guns", this is in comparison to the fact that almost zero people own guns in Germany. So maybe a lot of Americans really do own guns? There is a TV show over here about Texas, and they ask me if Texas is really like the show. Do all Texans really have guns? I think the answer is more or less- yes, good or bad, it is relatively true. Its just interesting that over this issue there is such a big difference in German and American culture. In America, the issue over guns is about gun control, precautions and safety. In Germany, there is simply a no tolerance stance on guns. My German friends have explained that this is because they still try to be very sensitive about military issues since WWII and the Holocaust. People don't joke about guns at all. Paintball is also not allowed until you are 18, and even then no one is allowed to play with red colored paint.
About the Schools:
One of the first things I learned was about how the German education system works. They have just recently switched to the Bachelor's/Master's program like the US, but it is still slightly different than the US. Typically a person starts out with Kindergarten, which is actually a German word because Kinder means child, goes on to Primary school and then the best students go on the "gymnasium". The other students will go on to trade schools, similar to the US. The Gymnasium is from 5th grade through 10th grade. The best then go on to the Abitur, which is an additional three grades.
The Universities are the most interesting. Attending the University of Hohenheim for most German students is virtually free. Yes, free and college can exist in the same sentence. The professors at the Universities typically do not make much money teaching because they also have big time jobs for an external company. These companies pay them a substantial amount of money for their research and field knowledge. Now, students get a more applicable perspective on the things they learn in the class room because they know their professor has real-world experience of the information he or she teaches. As an added bonus, the students have great connections to huge companies where they may work when they are finished with the University. I think this is very smart!
I also learned that the Private School teachers here in Germany make significantly more money than in the Public Schools. When Anita and I discovered this, I thought it was so funny! I always remember my high school math teacher saying that her and her best friend went to the same grade school, high school and college. She taught at Marian Catholic and her best friend taught in a wealthy suburb. Needless to say, their paychecks were VERY different. In Germany, the private schools are more expensive to attend, so they have more money to pay the professors. These classes are smaller, since less people attend, and the professors are more hands on. These professors typically only work in the University so they may have more time to invest in the students.
So, this month is exam month for all of my German friends. I have learned there are some pros and cons to being a German student instead of an American one. In Germany, for each exam you take you are allowed to re-take it 2 more times, for a total of 3 tries. There are no penalties for retaking the test and the professor does not take an average. However, if you take the exam all 3 times and you still don't pass- you are expelled from the university. Even worse, you are no long allowed to study whatever exam you failed anywhere else in Germany. So, if you fail an economics exam three times you are no longer allowed to practice economics and you must pick a new topic to study. This makes sense to me. If you fail an accounting test three times, shouldn't you probably re-consider your career as an accountant? Its a very simple idea but it really could change things in the US work force.
About Greek Life:
I know, typical U of I student blogging about Greek life. In Champaign, Greek Life is a huge tradition and really is a great way to meet new people, branch out, and network. There are definitely the stereotypes associated with joining a sorority or fraternity, but it is up to you to play into that or not. That being said, my German friends have a COMPLETELY different outlook on Greek life. Apparently in Germany, the fraternities and sororities are very seclusive and have very stringent laws. It is not popular to join a sorority or fraternity, and they are not labeled by greek letters. As I understand it, the chapters here usually have religious affiliation with limited contact to the outside world. I also learned that students that join a sorority or fraternity have to pay very minimally to live in the house. At U of I, it is about the same price to live in the dorms. The catch is that in Germany, you have to pay your chapter dues for the rest of your life- as opposed to when you graduate college. The greek life in Germany is also not social by any means, so my friends thought it was amazing that we have social events with different fraternities.
About My Program:
To be honest, the hardest thing about going abroad was aligning expectations with reality. At U of I, pictures on facebook during spring semester are almost always flooded with Study Abroad pictures. Even in high school there was the occasional Album on my newsfeed of someone I knew going abroad. When I actually started planning my trip, I thought I would be going with other U of I kids or maybe other Americans- or at least that is what facebook told me. This wasn't the case. Once I got here, it took me at least two weeks to realize that my program was not the standard abroad program. I did not come with 8 other girls from my sorority and 10 other American students. I did not have orientation week and planned activities to meet people. I came by myself and had to integrate independently. It was terrifying. It was hard. That is, until I realized that if I did not just accept being on my own, I would waste my time wishing I did something different and ruin my own experience. Now that I have gotten past this culture shock, I could not be more happy I am doing this on my own.
The people that I met my first days here have made all of the difference. I really can't explain the feeling of being completely alone and having people you just met welcome you into their lives. I have learned so much about German culture from them. They are so genuine and caring, they have truly made Stuttgart feel like home- and its only been a month. I can't even imagine being here with other people from the US, because it is so interesting to be the only American out with 10 native Germans. We learn from each other. I am fascinated with German politics, history and mannerisms. I love hearing them talk about even the most simple things. I love when they help me speak German- trust me, this is not easy. Even more so, I love getting the opportunity to teach them about America. Their see the movies and hear the news, but reality is not always like that. It really is an awesome opportunity when I think about it and I would not go back and change my decision even if I could. So although it was a little hard for me at first, I am very happy now.
The travel advisors warn you before you leave that the first month is the hardest. It was really hard! Being away from home is not necessarily hard, but knowing that you are SO far removed from home is hard. If there is anything I can take away from this experience so far, it is to be nice. I can never quantify how thankful I am for meeting Anita and Tobi and their friends, but I can pay it forward. Someone else's daughter is studying abroad in the States and needs someone to help her out. It is pretty easy to ignore the really obvious tourists around campus or in the city, but I think I am a more obvious American than I realize and I love it when people help me out. Every time I go into Starbucks, I order in German and they respond in English. Maybe my German is really bad or maybe they can just tell?