Ever since I saw what studying abroad meant to my sister Lea and how the VDAC student exchange in Central Michigan in 2014/15 had changed her life, I knew that I wanted to experience living in the United States for myself. Therefore, I always kept close to the Deutsch-Amerikanischer Freundeskreis Niederrhein and enjoyed the contact with US students that the club provided. In the summer of 2019, I decided to apply for the student exchange and began to collect all the necessary paperwork. Time passed and in February of 2020 I was accepted to the University of Delaware. While I was glad and relieved to receive my acceptance letter, the COVID-19 pandemic soon made it clear that I wouldn’t be able to go there in 2020. I was incredibly lucky and am still thankful that UD offered to postpone my studies and start in fall 2021.
The pandemic started to erode my sense of time, which made the months pass by quickly. Spring 2021 was around the corner, and it came with lots of prep work. I learned that Annika, a student from Kassel, would also be studying at UD on the VDAC exchange. We talked about our worries, problems, and insights. This was a great way to substitute for the seminars that previous VDAC students had benefited from, and this helped us to more calmly face all the challenges ahead of us.
We applied for our visas and got in touch with the new international coordinator in Delaware, and soon learned about the many things we had to take care of. From health insurance to housing and ultimately our choice of classes, there was much to decide before we could even think about booking a flight. I found it comforting to know that I was not alone with my problems and that Annika and I could help each other. Additionally, I noticed how every problem I solved and any decision I made got me closer to studying in the US and helped me to mature. Sooner than I expected, I found a house off campus that was looking for another roommate. With this taken care of, I turned to the visa application, which turned out to be a laborious, but doable, task. It showed me that the US is just as loaded with complicated paperwork as Germany, which took me by surprise.
On the 28th of August I flew to Washington, DC and took the Amtrak to Newark, Delaware, my home for the next 10 months. I was greeted by a wonderful late summer day, which would have been a great thing if I hadn’t been wearing my winter coat in order to save some space in my bag. When I got to my house, I started unpacking. Alone in my room, I suddenly realized what I had got myself into. I was overwhelmed by the thought that I would be living here for the next 10 months. All the excitement of the last few months turned into uncertainty and anxiety as to what to expect. Luckily, I had my roommates, who could see that I needed a helping hand. They helped me to shop for groceries, showed me the city as well as the university, and treated me as a friend. From then on, I grew more confident. I set up a bank account, walked around Newark, and learned about my new university. I also met up with Annika, who struggled just as much in the beginning, but also came back stronger. Even though it was an odd feeling to live alone in a foreign country, I could see what an incredible opportunity this was.
The beginning of my semester was very interesting, as it had been some time since I was a freshman at a university. Also, I mainly chose classes that were not typical of my studies in Germany. I attended classes in leadership, a sustainable food system, food science, personal health management, political communication, and most interestingly vegetables, in which I learned how to grow different vegetables, herbs, and specialty crops on a small and commercial scale. Compared to the classes I had in Germany, these were more focused on in-class communication, rather than an instructor talking the whole time. I like to compare the US and German university systems to animal farming, where the latter is focused on cheap and fast production of scholars, with a much more results-oriented approach, while the US university system aims to offer experiences, reflection, and well-being in the process of learning. As with animal farming, the biggest difference in the process is the cost, which is astronomically higher in the States than in Germany. Being able to experience this difference firsthand and learning from the much more professional and caring institutions is an incredible experience that shows me how much more we can professionalize our approach to teaching in Germany. The privileged option for me to take classes that relate to my usual curriculum has enabled me to gain a considered perspective on things like consumption in society and healthy approaches to one’s lifestyle. I believe this will help me as a teacher by allowing me to pass on my knowledge and use the perspective I’ve gained to apply alternative ideas to solving old problems.
Besides the higher education that I obtained here, I got to discover the state of Delaware and its surroundings. The beaches in particular were an unexpected highlight. When driving down to Lewes or Rehoboth Beach, I discovered nature that was reminiscent of the Mediterranean and walked through cities that made me feel like I was on vacation. I also admire the beautiful forests and green areas of this small state. Iron Hill Park, which is one of 17 state parks in Delaware and close to Newark, was a wonderful place to hike in the fall. Not only was it a wonderful sight with trees in many different colors and animals like deer and squirrels preparing for winter, it is also home to one of the biggest disc golf courses in the US. Sometimes it’s best to come with no set expectations and just be surprised at how beautiful and diverse something can be.
Luca Haverbeck
Nominated by the Deutsch-Amerikanischer Freundeskreis Niederrhein
Ever since I saw what studying abroad meant to my sister Lea and how the VDAC student exchange in Central Michigan in 2014/15 had changed her life, I knew that I wanted to experience living in the United States for myself. Therefore, I always kept close to the Deutsch-Amerikanischer Freundeskreis Niederrhein and enjoyed the contact with US students that the club provided. In the summer of 2019, I decided to apply for the student exchange and began to collect all the necessary paperwork. Time passed and in February of 2020 I was accepted to the University of Delaware. While I was glad and relieved to receive my acceptance letter, the COVID-19 pandemic soon made it clear that I wouldn’t be able to go there in 2020. I was incredibly lucky and am still thankful that UD offered to postpone my studies and start in fall 2021.
The pandemic started to erode my sense of time, which made the months pass by quickly. Spring 2021 was around the corner, and it came with lots of prep work. I learned that Annika, a student from Kassel, would also be studying at UD on the VDAC exchange. We talked about our worries, problems, and insights. This was a great way to substitute for the seminars that previous VDAC students had benefited from, and this helped us to more calmly face all the challenges ahead of us.
We applied for our visas and got in touch with the new international coordinator in Delaware, and soon learned about the many things we had to take care of. From health insurance to housing and ultimately our choice of classes, there was much to decide before we could even think about booking a flight. I found it comforting to know that I was not alone with my problems and that Annika and I could help each other. Additionally, I noticed how every problem I solved and any decision I made got me closer to studying in the US and helped me to mature. Sooner than I expected, I found a house off campus that was looking for another roommate. With this taken care of, I turned to the visa application, which turned out to be a laborious, but doable, task. It showed me that the US is just as loaded with complicated paperwork as Germany, which took me by surprise.
On the 28th of August I flew to Washington, DC and took the Amtrak to Newark, Delaware, my home for the next 10 months. I was greeted by a wonderful late summer day, which would have been a great thing if I hadn’t been wearing my winter coat in order to save some space in my bag. When I got to my house, I started unpacking. Alone in my room, I suddenly realized what I had got myself into. I was overwhelmed by the thought that I would be living here for the next 10 months. All the excitement of the last few months turned into uncertainty and anxiety as to what to expect. Luckily, I had my roommates, who could see that I needed a helping hand. They helped me to shop for groceries, showed me the city as well as the university, and treated me as a friend. From then on, I grew more confident. I set up a bank account, walked around Newark, and learned about my new university. I also met up with Annika, who struggled just as much in the beginning, but also came back stronger. Even though it was an odd feeling to live alone in a foreign country, I could see what an incredible opportunity this was.
The beginning of my semester was very interesting, as it had been some time since I was a freshman at a university. Also, I mainly chose classes that were not typical of my studies in Germany. I attended classes in leadership, a sustainable food system, food science, personal health management, political communication, and most interestingly vegetables, in which I learned how to grow different vegetables, herbs, and specialty crops on a small and commercial scale. Compared to the classes I had in Germany, these were more focused on in-class communication, rather than an instructor talking the whole time. I like to compare the US and German university systems to animal farming, where the latter is focused on cheap and fast production of scholars, with a much more results-oriented approach, while the US university system aims to offer experiences, reflection, and well-being in the process of learning. As with animal farming, the biggest difference in the process is the cost, which is astronomically higher in the States than in Germany. Being able to experience this difference firsthand and learning from the much more professional and caring institutions is an incredible experience that shows me how much more we can professionalize our approach to teaching in Germany. The privileged option for me to take classes that relate to my usual curriculum has enabled me to gain a considered perspective on things like consumption in society and healthy approaches to one’s lifestyle. I believe this will help me as a teacher by allowing me to pass on my knowledge and use the perspective I’ve gained to apply alternative ideas to solving old problems.
Besides the higher education that I obtained here, I got to discover the state of Delaware and its surroundings. The beaches in particular were an unexpected highlight. When driving down to Lewes or Rehoboth Beach, I discovered nature that was reminiscent of the Mediterranean and walked through cities that made me feel like I was on vacation. I also admire the beautiful forests and green areas of this small state. Iron Hill Park, which is one of 17 state parks in Delaware and close to Newark, was a wonderful place to hike in the fall. Not only was it a wonderful sight with trees in many different colors and animals like deer and squirrels preparing for winter, it is also home to one of the biggest disc golf courses in the US. Sometimes it’s best to come with no set expectations and just be surprised at how beautiful and diverse something can be.
Luca Haverbeck
Nominated by the Deutsch-Amerikanischer Freundeskreis Niederrhein