For over three years, I told everyone who would listen that I was going to study abroad — a year-long, language and cultural immersion program in Germany, I would always say. Well, a little over three weeks ago, that claim became a reality. Hours upon hours of studying, planning, and prepping led me here: to Heidelberg.
Calling it beautiful would be an understatement.
I recently encountered the phrase “postcard perfect” in reference to the city, and I must confess that I find it to be a fitting description. Straddling the Neckar River, Heidelberg is surrounded by mountains and forests and overlooked by the ruins of a once-grand Renaissance palace. Cobblestone streets lined with bakeries, cafes, and ice cream shops weave through the Old Town. A steady stream of tourists and locals alike constantly occupies the length of Hauptstraße, while, just across the river, thousands of students flock to Germany’s oldest university.
Talk about a dream come true.
And it has been just that for me. I became fast friends with other students participating in the American Junior Year (AJY) in Heidelberg program with me and was welcomed warmly by my new German housemates. Within the program’s intensive language course, we have taken full advantage of using the city and its rich history as an active classroom. City tours, excursions to museums, a train ride up to the thrice-destroyed castle, and a hike to the Thingstätte (an open-air amphitheater originally built as part of a propaganda movement during the early stages of the Nazi regime) have not only highlighted the romanticism of the medieval and renaissance periods but also confronted and recognized the dark chapter of the city’s history as part of the Third Reich.
Of course, settling in has included a number of challenges, both big and small. Learning house rules, figuring out what products each grocery does and does not carry, and — of course — navigating daily life in a different language, just to name a few. However, my German language skills have already improved tremendously in just a few short weeks, and with only a couple more sessions left in our intensive preparatory course, it will soon be time for the start of the official university semester. No doubt that will bring its own set of challenges, but I could not be happier to finally be taking part in the program I always said I would, and I look forward to the year ahead.
