Before I set out for Berlin, I very much expected a summer of all fun and no studying. And while the all fun part is very much true, I have found this summer to be an extremely educating one. Because of the extended length of the program, studying abroad isn’t the usual abroad trip stuffed with sightseeing and must-dos, but a chance to experience life elsewhere. And in a way unlike internships or technical classes, it has turned into a profound learning experience.
Perhaps the most invaluable experience I have had this summer was getting to know many really awesome people (both from my familiar Northwestern and all across the globe) and getting exposed to foreign, unfamiliar ideas and values. As I advanced in college and got more and more focused in my area of study, my Northwestern experience had became somehow limited to my major and its students, so it was particularly awesome to take classes in a different and unfamiliar discipline, talk to very different students at Northwestern, and challenge my ideas and preconceptions about the world.
In the most tremendously fun way possible, I was brought out of my comfort zone and my world was expanded by these wonderful people on my trip to Berlin. And I believe that my love affair with unfamiliarity and new challenges is just beginning. That is something that I intend to bring with me back to Evanston to the new school year.
