#1 - Why Germany?

I am very excited to travel to Germany as this will be the first time I've been out of the country. My sister studied abroad while she was in school and couldn't say enough about how amazing the experience was, so I had I to follow her footsteps and go somewhere. Germany is very interesting to me as it is a place that I know very little about except from World War II history classes; I love history, but I want to expand my view on Germany and see it for what it is now and not what is was.

While attending the many study abroad presentations, Germany's stood out because of the gorgeous scenery with cathedrals, castles, churches, and more that was shown to us. I find architecture really fascinating and can't wait to see them and walk through some when we're there.

For instance, the Hohenzollern Castle (pictured above) was the royal home to the Hohenzollern family and was constructed in the 11th century. The spires, tall walls, and the secluded location of the castle on top of a mountain creates a breathtaking view and is totally opposite of the architecture in present-day Berlin buildings. The Berlin Central Station (picture below), contains many modern aspects such as the arch of glass windows, clean-lined design, and open layout. These are just two examples of how architecture can drastically vary, but both still be impressive in their own way. Being able to use the German transportation system will not only get me from activity to another on our itinerary, but it will also open my eyes to all the incredible cities and buildings around.

I will need to restrain myself from looking all around the whole time though as being in an entirely new place with a different language will definitely be the most difficult obstacle while I'm in Germany. However, I fully accept this challenge and plan to step out of my comfort zone; I'm not flying all the way to Germany to do the same things I would do here at home. I am interested in learning about the different culture and comparing it to ours back in the States. Values, traditions, and rules all vary from group to group and as a marketing and management major, I think it's important to recognize these and learn from them. I'll be looking at the way people value their sense of time and how they interact with one another, whether it's really personal or from afar and how hard people will try to sell something to you. The quality and pricing of products will also be a big factor as it is a big contributor for businesses here.

Overall, I look forward to learning about new culture, seeing new places, having fun with friends, making new ones, and representing North Central College in a positive way.

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