It’s the middle of January, and more than half of my exchange year at the University of Arizona is already over. Time was definitely flying by over the last five months, but I enjoyed every second of it.
Before I left Hamburg on the 4th of August last year, I had already heard so much about Tucson and the U of A. Thanks to previous exchange students from Germany and the two current exchange students from Tucson I’d met at the orientation seminar in Tübingen, I already had a pretty good idea of what awaited me over here, and I was more than ready to take on this big adventure.
And let me start this off by saying: Tucson is definitely something else — especially when you’ve spent more or less all of your life in Germany — because Tucson is a city in the middle of the Sonoran Desert in the south of Arizona, which meant over 40 degrees Celsius for the first 1½ months I stayed here (not so cool!), but also cacti literally everywhere (cool!). It’s so different from where I grew up, and I’m glad I decided to put down the U of A as my number-one pick for this exchange year, was accepted, and can now experience this life in a totally different world.
I started off this whole adventure by spending almost two days and an endless amount of money at all the Targets and Walmarts in Tucson to get settled in and make my dorm room cozy and homey. After that, two weeks of orientation meetings and events started, and I got more and more excited to finally start my first semester as a Wildcat.
Overall, the fall semester was filled with loads of adventures and new experiences.
I took two classes in special education — one in person, the other one online. Both taught me about different assessment and intervention methods and gave me an interesting insight into parts of the American educational system. Furthermore, I took a class in second-language teaching and acquisition — a mandatory class for me as a graduate teaching assistant at the German Department at the U of A. I enjoyed this class a lot, because we were such a diverse group of students from all over the world teaching different languages at the university — and getting a read into the research in second language teaching, having several discussions on different topics, and just sharing experiences in this class has been really great and interesting.
But as I’ve already mentioned, I was not only a student at the U of A, but also a graduate teaching assistant at the German Department. Therefore, I taught a German class for beginners two hours twice a week last semester. I was incredibly nervous going into the first class in August, since this was totally new territory to me, and even though I prepared well, I still wasn’t a hundred percent sure what to expect. But five minutes into my first class, I already realized I had a great group of students and I was certain that we were going to have a great and fun semester. This first impression was not wrong.
Besides all these new experiences at the university and slowly getting into the rhythm of my new student life over here, I also went on a couple of great adventures and trips.
Back at home, I don’t really ever go on hiking trips — it’s not that I don’t like them, it’s just that the northern part of Germany doesn’t offer that many great hiking spots. So one thing I was really excited about in coming to Tucson was going hiking. And let me tell you, Tucson is great for hiking. There is Tumamoc Hill, which is great for a short hike at the end of the day to see the sun set over Tucson; Sabino Canyon, a canyon with several hiking trails located in the Santa Catalina Mountains just north of Tucson; and Mount Lemmon, the perfect (hiking) attraction for a day trip away from the heat.
Besides going on little hiking trips on the weekends, I was able to do a lot of traveling. I went on road trips to San Diego and Vegas during the semester. Both included a seven-hour drive (which is nothing if you ask an American), but also a lot of fun exploring and being a tourist. Furthermore, I had the opportunity to attend a conference at the University of California, Berkeley at the beginning of December. I went there with a couple of my colleagues/friends from the German Department, and we had a fun as well as educational weekend. Over my winter break, I took two weeks to travel around the US. I went on a round trip to Chicago, Boston, and New York, taking some time off from the heat and exploring these beautiful cities while wearing around seven layers of clothing as it was getting colder and colder each day, but I enjoyed every second of it.
Overall, I’m so grateful for everything that’s been happening and that I was able to experience the last five months here in the US and especially in Tucson. I’ve met so many great people, had such a successful first semester at the U of A as a student and a TA, and was able to explore and travel around so much. I can’t wait to see what the new semester holds for me. Thank you, VDAC, for giving me this opportunity.
Part 2
I’m currently sitting on my couch back in my apartment in Hamburg, Germany. I’ve been back home for a couple of weeks already and am happy to say that I managed to meet up with all the people I missed dearly. Two questions came up over and over again: How was it? And why did you decide to do it? Two questions that are not easy to answer because they are so complex, but I’ll give it a try — hopefully one last time.
It was… well, where should I start?
It was educational. And I don’t necessarily mean with regard to gaining new knowledge in my field of study, but even more so about the day-to-day and college life in America and especially — as clichéd as this might sound — I learned a lot about myself.
It was hot and dry. Yes, this is also a cliché when talking about living in Tucson, Arizona, but it is true and it took me quite some time to adapt to the weather. I’m still not sure whether I actually liked the weather or not.
It was annoying at times. Especially when you just wanted a piece of bread but you were out of bread and the next grocery store is about 15 minutes by bike (well, no, thanks, not while it’s 40-something Celsius — excuse me, I meant 100-something Fahrenheit — outside) or 15 minutes on foot / by bus away from you and when you arrive there they only have sweet dark-ish “bread”.
It was fun. Which is what college life is all about at an American university — besides finals week, when everyone is stressed out, though even then they try to make it fun by giving free yoga sessions or free coffee all night. And it really was fun, especially university events such as tailgating and a football game on a Friday evening.
It was the experience of a lifetime — and here the answers to the two questions overlap. Why did you do it? Because I wanted to go on another adventure and experience something unique before I (finally or eventually) enter the workforce. How was it? It was the experience of a lifetime. And you know why?
Because this year gave me the best of both worlds. I was allowed to teach and therefore earn money and gain experience while doing what I love to do the most. I was also a student, and with the American university system being what it is, I almost felt like I was back in high school — which is something very positive in my case, because I loved going to high school.
Because this year made me appreciate the little (and not-so-little) things about Germany. I already hinted at it before: I missed the German grocery stores, not only because they have actual bread, but also because things are more favorable — you get good cheese for less than €5 and good chocolate for €1 — but also the German public transportation system, since I’m not the biggest fan of driving and enjoy getting around Hamburg on the subway (or buses, but only if I have to), I really missed this. Even though Tucson is trying really hard — I mean, it has a streetcar that is nicely air-conditioned, but it only runs a route of 3.9 miles from the campus to downtown, which I can easily bike (faster).
Because it gave me the opportunity to live a life totally different from home and meet new and amazing people. Not only was I able to wear my yoga pants whenever I wanted to without being looked at and judged for it; I also had the opportunity to fulfill my dream of living in an on-campus dorm and sharing an apartment with three other international students (luckily not the bed- nor the bathroom). And I met so many new amazing people who made this a home far away from home.
And because it made me fall in love with and appreciate my native language, to which I owe the fact that this wonderful, unique, and awesome year abroad will turn into two.
I started this last year by taking two classes in my field of study from back home and one in second-language acquisition. I enjoyed this one class a lot and enjoyed teaching German so much that I talked to the German Studies Department about options for staying longer. After a couple of good conversations, I decided to officially apply for the master’s program in German Studies in Literature, Culture and Pedagogy and was accepted. I can’t wait to spend another year with all those wonderful people, more football games, fake American bread, and my yoga pants at the University of Arizona in (the beautiful town of) Tucson.
This might not have actually been the original answer to why I decided to do it, because I can assure you I’ve never dreamed of this being the outcome of my study abroad, but I’m more than happy that this is my final answer.
Part 1
It’s the middle of January, and more than half of my exchange year at the University of Arizona is already over. Time was definitely flying by over the last five months, but I enjoyed every second of it.
Before I left Hamburg on the 4th of August last year, I had already heard so much about Tucson and the U of A. Thanks to previous exchange students from Germany and the two current exchange students from Tucson I’d met at the orientation seminar in Tübingen, I already had a pretty good idea of what awaited me over here, and I was more than ready to take on this big adventure.
And let me start this off by saying: Tucson is definitely something else — especially when you’ve spent more or less all of your life in Germany — because Tucson is a city in the middle of the Sonoran Desert in the south of Arizona, which meant over 40 degrees Celsius for the first 1½ months I stayed here (not so cool!), but also cacti literally everywhere (cool!). It’s so different from where I grew up, and I’m glad I decided to put down the U of A as my number-one pick for this exchange year, was accepted, and can now experience this life in a totally different world.
I started off this whole adventure by spending almost two days and an endless amount of money at all the Targets and Walmarts in Tucson to get settled in and make my dorm room cozy and homey. After that, two weeks of orientation meetings and events started, and I got more and more excited to finally start my first semester as a Wildcat.
Overall, the fall semester was filled with loads of adventures and new experiences.
I took two classes in special education — one in person, the other one online. Both taught me about different assessment and intervention methods and gave me an interesting insight into parts of the American educational system. Furthermore, I took a class in second-language teaching and acquisition — a mandatory class for me as a graduate teaching assistant at the German Department at the U of A. I enjoyed this class a lot, because we were such a diverse group of students from all over the world teaching different languages at the university — and getting a read into the research in second language teaching, having several discussions on different topics, and just sharing experiences in this class has been really great and interesting.
But as I’ve already mentioned, I was not only a student at the U of A, but also a graduate teaching assistant at the German Department. Therefore, I taught a German class for beginners two hours twice a week last semester. I was incredibly nervous going into the first class in August, since this was totally new territory to me, and even though I prepared well, I still wasn’t a hundred percent sure what to expect. But five minutes into my first class, I already realized I had a great group of students and I was certain that we were going to have a great and fun semester. This first impression was not wrong.
Besides all these new experiences at the university and slowly getting into the rhythm of my new student life over here, I also went on a couple of great adventures and trips.
Back at home, I don’t really ever go on hiking trips — it’s not that I don’t like them, it’s just that the northern part of Germany doesn’t offer that many great hiking spots. So one thing I was really excited about in coming to Tucson was going hiking. And let me tell you, Tucson is great for hiking. There is Tumamoc Hill, which is great for a short hike at the end of the day to see the sun set over Tucson; Sabino Canyon, a canyon with several hiking trails located in the Santa Catalina Mountains just north of Tucson; and Mount Lemmon, the perfect (hiking) attraction for a day trip away from the heat.
Besides going on little hiking trips on the weekends, I was able to do a lot of traveling. I went on road trips to San Diego and Vegas during the semester. Both included a seven-hour drive (which is nothing if you ask an American), but also a lot of fun exploring and being a tourist. Furthermore, I had the opportunity to attend a conference at the University of California, Berkeley at the beginning of December. I went there with a couple of my colleagues/friends from the German Department, and we had a fun as well as educational weekend. Over my winter break, I took two weeks to travel around the US. I went on a round trip to Chicago, Boston, and New York, taking some time off from the heat and exploring these beautiful cities while wearing around seven layers of clothing as it was getting colder and colder each day, but I enjoyed every second of it.
Overall, I’m so grateful for everything that’s been happening and that I was able to experience the last five months here in the US and especially in Tucson. I’ve met so many great people, had such a successful first semester at the U of A as a student and a TA, and was able to explore and travel around so much. I can’t wait to see what the new semester holds for me. Thank you, VDAC, for giving me this opportunity.
Part 2
I’m currently sitting on my couch back in my apartment in Hamburg, Germany. I’ve been back home for a couple of weeks already and am happy to say that I managed to meet up with all the people I missed dearly. Two questions came up over and over again: How was it? And why did you decide to do it? Two questions that are not easy to answer because they are so complex, but I’ll give it a try — hopefully one last time.
It was… well, where should I start?
It was educational. And I don’t necessarily mean with regard to gaining new knowledge in my field of study, but even more so about the day-to-day and college life in America and especially — as clichéd as this might sound — I learned a lot about myself.
It was hot and dry. Yes, this is also a cliché when talking about living in Tucson, Arizona, but it is true and it took me quite some time to adapt to the weather. I’m still not sure whether I actually liked the weather or not.
It was annoying at times. Especially when you just wanted a piece of bread but you were out of bread and the next grocery store is about 15 minutes by bike (well, no, thanks, not while it’s 40-something Celsius — excuse me, I meant 100-something Fahrenheit — outside) or 15 minutes on foot / by bus away from you and when you arrive there they only have sweet dark-ish “bread”.
It was fun. Which is what college life is all about at an American university — besides finals week, when everyone is stressed out, though even then they try to make it fun by giving free yoga sessions or free coffee all night. And it really was fun, especially university events such as tailgating and a football game on a Friday evening.
It was the experience of a lifetime — and here the answers to the two questions overlap. Why did you do it? Because I wanted to go on another adventure and experience something unique before I (finally or eventually) enter the workforce. How was it? It was the experience of a lifetime. And you know why?
Because this year gave me the best of both worlds. I was allowed to teach and therefore earn money and gain experience while doing what I love to do the most. I was also a student, and with the American university system being what it is, I almost felt like I was back in high school — which is something very positive in my case, because I loved going to high school.
Because this year made me appreciate the little (and not-so-little) things about Germany. I already hinted at it before: I missed the German grocery stores, not only because they have actual bread, but also because things are more favorable — you get good cheese for less than €5 and good chocolate for €1 — but also the German public transportation system, since I’m not the biggest fan of driving and enjoy getting around Hamburg on the subway (or buses, but only if I have to), I really missed this. Even though Tucson is trying really hard — I mean, it has a streetcar that is nicely air-conditioned, but it only runs a route of 3.9 miles from the campus to downtown, which I can easily bike (faster).
Because it gave me the opportunity to live a life totally different from home and meet new and amazing people. Not only was I able to wear my yoga pants whenever I wanted to without being looked at and judged for it; I also had the opportunity to fulfill my dream of living in an on-campus dorm and sharing an apartment with three other international students (luckily not the bed- nor the bathroom). And I met so many new amazing people who made this a home far away from home.
And because it made me fall in love with and appreciate my native language, to which I owe the fact that this wonderful, unique, and awesome year abroad will turn into two.
I started this last year by taking two classes in my field of study from back home and one in second-language acquisition. I enjoyed this one class a lot and enjoyed teaching German so much that I talked to the German Studies Department about options for staying longer. After a couple of good conversations, I decided to officially apply for the master’s program in German Studies in Literature, Culture and Pedagogy and was accepted. I can’t wait to spend another year with all those wonderful people, more football games, fake American bread, and my yoga pants at the University of Arizona in (the beautiful town of) Tucson.
This might not have actually been the original answer to why I decided to do it, because I can assure you I’ve never dreamed of this being the outcome of my study abroad, but I’m more than happy that this is my final answer.
Read more about Sina’s Life in Tucson at https://sinastucsonadventures.tumblr.com
Sina Colditz
Nominated by the German-American Women’s Club of Hamburg