My Study Abroad

Study Abroad Reflection Essay

For my study abroad, I spent a total of almost a year, from September of 2024 until July of 2025, in the beautiful, medieval city of Bamberg, Germany in order to study Germanistik at Otto-Friedrich University. When I arrived in Bamberg at the very beginning of September of 2024, I was immediately thrust into the city's life as my roommate invited me to join him and his friends in an exciting first night at the Live-club, the heart of the city's night life for students. Soon after my arrival began the introductory meeting for all the students who were arriving from abroad. It was in this lecture hall that I met my friend Michael from Czechia. Together, along with some others who I met at this introductory meeting, we kicked off our friendship by going rock climbing at Blockhelden. Thereafter began my preparatory course which lasted for a period of roughly a month. Here I was placed into an intermediate German class for students at a B1 level based on the results of my German placement test. Through this introductory course I met my great friend Janek from Poland along with many other internationals. Through these friends I further built up a wide branching network of close connections including my great friends Kerem from Turkey, Kristof from Hungary, Nico from Spain, and my girlfriend Lara from Italy. With this intimate group I would create new memories on a daily basis, nourishing deep and vibrant connections which continue to this day.

The entire city of Bamberg itself is a UNESCO World Heritage site due to the city’s large amount of well preserved medieval buildings in the old center. Bamberg offers many stunning views such as Michaelsberg, where there is a beautiful viewpoint overlooking the city, and where the Michaelsberg Monastery is located. Other remarkable landmarks include the Neue Residenz, a large 17th century Baroque palace with a lovely rose garden, the Bamberger Dom, a grand 13th century cathedral, the Altenburg Castle, a historic castle located just outside the city which dates back to at least the 12th century, and St. Martinskirche, a 17th century catholic church located on Grüner Markt, directly in the city center. Though one of the sights which Bamberg is most well known for is the Altes Rathaus, this is Bamberg’s old town hall building which sits picturesquely on a tiny island in the middle of the Linker Regnitz river. This building is only reachable through the bridges, Untere Brücke and Obere Brücke, which connect the old city of Bamberg together. While living in Bamberg, I learnt about the local cuisine which includes dishes such as Schäuferla, a crispy pork shoulder, Bamberger Zwiebel, a hollowed out onion stuffed with spiced bacon, Blaue Zipfel, a kind of sour bratwurst, and Bamberger Hörnla a croissant-like pastry. I also experienced the local culture through walking the scenic car-free cobblestone streets, attending the local Weinachtsmarkts, and trying rauchbier, the city's specialty smoked beer sold from the over 600 year old Schlenkerla Tavern.

While studying at Otto-Friedrich University in Bamberg I had the ability to take many courses that greatly improved my German abilities. Among these opportunities are courses such as, Phonetic Sprachpraxis, where I trained my accent, Deutsch als Fremdsprache, where I studied new vocabulary and grammatical concepts, Stereotype and Mentality of Germans, where I was taught how to navigate unique cultural differences, and The Cultural City of Bamberg, where I learnt the history, landmarks, and traditions of the city. I was also able to continue improving my Russian through taking both Russian III and IV. While the courses I took at Otto-Friedrich University played a large role in improving my German, the single largest catalyst of my personal improvement was speaking German with friends. Although it is often more comfortable for internationals to speak English with each other, as many people are able to speak English more fluently, I began to focus on using German more in my second semester. Through daily practice in spoken German, accredited especially to talking with Lara, I was able to make significant progress in my spoken ability. When I entered Germany, I held a decent knowledge of German vocabulary; however I was unable to string words together in the fast paced environment of a real life conversation. I remember a difficult period of adaptation when I was invited for dinner with a local German family who insisted that we speak German. That evening I struggled to survive the conversation, but I left with a strong sense of inspiration to improve my German abilities. As I left Germany, I felt that I had really mastered this ability.

While in Germany I took advantage of the centralized location within Europe in order to travel all across, and even outside of, the continent. Together with my friends I travel to cities such as Prague, Bologna, Rome, Istanbul, Berlin, Ankara, Warsaw, Izmir and many more. I shared countless beautiful experiences with my friends such as in Hungary when we cooked Gulash together around a backyard campfire late into the night, drinking teas and coffees across Turkey and experiencing the student life of Ankara, Walking the battlegrounds of Gallipoli and Verdun, and taking many memorable hikes across Southern Germany. I am very grateful for the opportunities that I have had through studying abroad. This experience has left me with an album's worth of priceless, joyful memories to look back on, and through this time I have gained the personal skills necessary to position myself towards creating many more unforgettable moments ahead.

Photos From My Study Abroad