A great benefit (and one of many) of the AJY in Heidelberg program is that it provides its students with a Deutschland-Ticket: a public transportation pass that provides unlimited access to regional public buses and trains in the whole of Germany (IC and ICE long-distance express trains are excluded). This means that localized travel is…

Before students participating in the AJY Heidelberg program arrive in Germany, we are given five housing options to choose from. While the most commonly-chosen option is a dormitory/apartment-style situation, two other Americans and I opted to live in a large house (called a Wohnheim in German) shared by 27 students. For us, this living situation…

I am familiar with the concept of culture shock and was always expecting to experience it while studying abroad. However, I have been surprised to discover that, in my experience, it often comes in smaller packages than I imagined it would. For the most part, daily life in Germany looks pretty similar to the US…

Though the German winter semester does not actually end until the beginning of February, classes are now on pause for holiday break. The house — typically buzzing with activity and occupied by 27 students — all but emptied out as my housemates returned home to spend time with their families. For me, this is the…

Winter draws closer each day, bringing with it not just cold temperatures but also Germany’s most popular and beloved holiday: Weihnachten! Here, the festive mood and decorations do not wait until December. Rather, they arrive a whole month early! This year, I celebrated Thanksgiving with a dinner hosted by the AJY (American Junior Year) in…

In my experience so far, the public transportation system in Germany has lived up to its reputation (though it is not always as punctual as it would like to claim). The system is extensive, (mostly) reliable, easy to navigate, and offers many options. A regional bus, tram, and/or train station is never far away and…

One of the most obvious differences between Germany and the US also happens to be one of the first I encountered: what to do with my trash. Turns out, it all depends on what each individual item of trash is. In my personal experience, the options in the US are most commonly single-stream recycling or…

Exactly one month after our arrival in Germany, we concluded the last day of our pre-semester intensive language course. Not only had I scored exceptionally well on the official German-language exam for higher education entry, but I now also had a week-and-a-half break before the start of the official university semester to look forward to….

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…