Maggie (Without) Borders: My Year in Germany

I'm a person who's pretty in tune with their personal identity. I've been through dozens of hours of RA training and have read endless works from people both like and unlike me about what it means to identify as something and how those identities steer your existence. Before leaving for Germany, we had to do an activity where we wrote down all of our identities on a sheet of paper. The task was to name at least 6; I named 33. Up to this point, I'd taken a magnifying glass up to most of my identities: my race, my age, my body type and ability, my gender, my sexual orientation, my class, my relationship status--you name it. However, one thing I hadn't really been able to analyze before was my American identity; that single identity that has steered my perception of myself in society, my view of history, my understanding of the world... all because of where I was born and raised. I knew that my identity as an American ran deep. There's no escaping my clear, mid...

One of the things I was super excited to try in Germany was the food.  I love food (esp. bread and coffee). While most of what I've been eating has been sandwiches, I have been able to try some really great things just in my first two weeks. This post will basically just be pictures--enjoy! Up first: airplane food. Lufthansa keeps you pretty well fed. Of course, I got wine as soon as it was offered. We were also given breakfast and much-needed coffee.  ______ Schloss Waldhausen cafeteria food. The top two things: the bread and the spaetzle, which is basically little doughy egg noodles. Yummmmmmmmm. Also: note the glass bottle with the clear liquid. That's sparkling water. Nobody really drinks plain water, especially not tap water. _________ Bratwurst from a fast food stand 😍 ______ Various alcohol. Radler is a half beer/half lemonade mix, which makes it tolerable to non-beer drinkers like me. One of my favorite t...

I knew going in that one of the hardest parts of my year abroad would be experiencing hardships that are difficult enough to handle at home. I  knew that watching my family and my friends suffer from afar would be one of the most emotionally taxing and mentally trying things I had ever done. Let me start this particular post by saying, however, that the topic I'm addressing here is relatively minor compared to the tragedies that I could be experiencing, but I'm going to take it as a moment to assess what it's like to be sad and worried and in mourning from half a world away anyway. So. My dog's name is Taffy. Taffy is a distinctly medium-sized, tan-colored mutt with button ears and curly tail. Look at those ears. Not mine, Taffy's. Taffy is old. Really old. We're not sure exactly, but she's probably about sixteen years old. Come to mention it, her birthday was two days ago. Since she was adopted from the Humane Society, we weren't sure of her re...

Wow, so it's hard to believe that 1/52 of this adventure is already behind me. I know it doesn't seem like a lot, but every day has been filled with new sights and new experiences. We first arrived at our language school on July 26. We had a lovely orientation (with more food and coffee!!) and then were sent to our new homes. I went with one other PPPler in a taxi. It was really cool--the taxi driver only spoke German, and my friend only spoke English, which meant I had to translate a conversation within 2 hours of being in my new city. It was exhausting. I arrived at my host family's house and had to stay in my host sister's room for about 3 nights. There were still two other students from the language school living at the house, but they moved out the next Sunday. My host sister is in Mexico until mid-August, so it's not like I had to share a room. That first night was the first time I felt homesick. I had to fight the gut feeling that I had that kept tellin...

One thing people seem to doubt is the fact that I'm participating in this year abroad while in a committed relationship. For some, that may seem crazy. People say I'm going to experience a totally different country for a year, so how can I possibly dive into a new culture headfirst when I'm anchored so strongly to my life back in the US? How can my relationship be strong enough to spend a year apart with less and less frequent communication? Why would I do this when I'm in college and don't have to force myself into adulthood just yet? Those are fair questions for someone who isn't me, and who isn't in a relationship with Pat. I'm in Germany because I needed to experience it for myself, and I know that I will learn so much and be a better person for it. Pat supports my personal and intellectual growth, so he's incredibly happy for me and listens to me blab on about my new experiences. Our relationship is strong because we choose to make it strong. ...

I made it!! The flight was alright. We were flown economy class (of course) and it lasted almost eight hours, so of course it could’ve been more comfortable. However, Lufthansa started offering food and drinks basically as soon as we hit cruising altitude. I took the very first opportunity to have a glass of wine, and that was a very good choice. I was pleasantly surprised by my first transatlantic flight. Arrival was very strange. There was no sense that I was in a new place. Sure, the signs were in German, but there was an English translation available directly below. That didn’t sßeem odd to me—maybe it’s because it’s an international airport and also had signs in Chinese and various other languages. Once we got out of the airport, things were a little different. The first thing I noticed was the atmosphere. It’s currently summer, which, to Americans, means sunny skies, humidity, and endless heat. Frankfurt was a bit different. We arrived at 8am and it was very cloudy an...