Arriving in Birmingham, which is about one hour of driving away from Tuscaloosa, I fortunately got picked up by members of the German House of the University of Alabama. In this semester, the German House was inhabited by eight Americans, seven Germans, and one Belgium. The goal of this "living-learning-community" is to get to know each other's culture and language by living together. One major advantage of this way of housing, which is directly on campus, was that we could right away get to know a lot of Americans and their friends. Our American housemates willingly take us with their cars to get groceries, to go a restaurant or any other place we need to go. I came here with three other German students of the VDAC. Arriving in this house, I went into my new room which was ready-furnished with a bed, a desktop, and a dresser. In the following days, we were kept busy with many classes for orientation. Because of the Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA-ship) that was arranged for us by the VDAC we will be teaching German, which was why we had to start with a few classes on teaching methods. Due to this GTA-ship, I get a salary of $1200 a months. However, living in the German House costs almost $900 a months. Additionally, the university charges one about $200 for enrolling into classes per semester.

The cafeteria serves only food by different franchise-companies like "Burger King" or "Chick Fil-A". Because of any missing subsidization for students, daily meals are hardly affordable. I usually went two to three times a week to "Burger King" where one could still get the cheapest meal for about $4,50. All in all, the money earned from the GTA-ship is not enough for all living expenses. 

To keep our GTA-ships we have to take two German classes per semester, which makes it reasonable to aim for a German Master's degree for which ten classes are needed. Classes usually take 2 ½ hours. However, due to a more relaxed way of working in class and a lower number of classes, the amount of work is about the same as in Germany. I took two classes for teaching methodology, "teaching methods" and ITAP (International Teaching Assistantship Program). Additionally, I took three German classes: "Selected Authors" gave an overview on German Literature from Lessing to Brecht, "The Holy Grail" was about Wolfram's of Eschenbach Parzival; my third class "Independent Studies" about Nietzsche had a special way of teaching which I found very interesting: At this university students can just go to professors and ask them if they would do "Independent Studies", where one meets the professor two or three times per semester individually to talk about the topic. After a lot of reading, two to three papers are handed in within the semester. I really liked the individualized style of teaching that I could choose the object of study I want to do research on.

The "scholarship" comprises a maximum of four semesters, in which we receive payment by the university. Having attended six classes we have earned enough credit hours to start teaching. Until then, we help professors grading papers, copying books, and offering tutoring hours for American students of German. In my first semester, I took five classes so that I will start teaching in my third semester. 

I am planning to finish my Master within three semesters. We can either write a Master's thesis, or do two classes. Because I have always wanted to write a longer paper, I decided to write a Master thesis. It is going to be about Lessing and Nietzsche. Due to a very good rate of professors to graduate students (four professors and ten graduate students), we have a very friendly and close relationship to our professors. One has the feeling that the professors really care about our education and our future.

Furthermore, as a master's student we have the feeling that one has already a certain scientific standing, because it is much easier to go and apply at conferences. In a few days, for instance, I will go to a conference in Philadelphia about the topic "clothing and identity in German literature". There, I will present my slightly modified paper for one of my classes from last semester about Parzival: "outer aesthetics in Parzival". Most of the travel expenses will probably get funded by the University of Alabama.

During the time of last semester, many friendships have developed in the German House. We often do things together. For example, last semester we had a soccer-team that played in an intramural soccer league - same is planned for next semester. In general, there are many opportunities to do sports here. A huge place to play soccer is only in a one-minute walking distance. The recreation-center is only in a walking distance of five minutes. Furthermore, the "German Club" of the university often invites many people for social events like a barbecue at the German House. In this way, we were able to get to know more American students. I should not forget the football-culture: At this university is one of the biggest and most successful college-football-teams of the USA. It won the national championship at the beginning of January, which was the reason why the starting of classes was delayed for three days. If it was home game day, everything was about football. Thousands of families came with their RV's, the library and the recreation-center closed, and the campus was filled with many football-fans.

In the summer, it was almost unbearable to stay outside, especially during noon time, because temperatures went up to about 40°C with extreme humidity. Therefore, one went into buildings all of which were usually strongly air-conditioned. In fall and winter, however, temperatures and the weather is really nice. The wind hardly ever blows, the sun often shines and due to its small distance to the equator it is very strong even in the winter. If I had to say what I will miss when I come home to Germany, it will definitely be the weather, interlibrary loans that are free of charge, the good opportunities for research, and the many possibilities to do sports.

Reinhard Müller

Arriving in the small town Oberlin in the middle of Ohioan nowhere, I was asked many times why I came. My answer, that I wanted to get to know the USA from an inside perspective, was always responded to with "Well, Oberlin is definitely not the USA".

Indeed, Oberlin reminds me very much of the small Gallian village offering resistance to the big Roman Empire in "Asterix & Obelix". From an American point of view, Oberlin is as liberal as can be, with its Program House for Feminist and Transgendered People, its gender neutral bathrooms and countless events for political discussion. I can get a glimpse of what the "real USA" must be like when Students tell me about how shocked they were arriving at Oberlin, meaning that I learn most of other people's culture shocks, and not my own one.

That's not to say that I did not experience a little culture shock myself, I did. I'm still not a hundred percent used to getting asked "How are you" twenty times a day, and I still notice myself thinking about how I really am to give the most adequate answer instead of just saying something quick or not answering at all, which seems to be perfectly socially acceptable at times. But as I said, my culture shock must be tiny compared to what's possible.

Oberlin's liberality is by far not the only thing interesting about my first semester here, though. As the German Language Teaching Assistant, I have to live in one of the many program houses, in German House. It's a house for students with some German speaking abilities and an interest in German culture. As I found out, this is the perfect place to be to fulfill my mission of cultural exchange and diminishing prejudices between Germans and Americans. As one of my duties as LTA I organize "German House Events" (which have been very much food-related as I notice looking back), in which cultural exchange thrives at its best. But also while just hanging out in the lounge watching TV there's always some cultural learning going on. I would have never thought that I could get so much out of my simply living in German House.

Also, German House hosts a German movie night every week, the movies of which I get to pick. It has been incredibly interesting to me to talk to people about the movies and find out what they like or don't like and why. Another part of my work as LTA is attending the German Table at the dining hall and talk to students of German in German. That way, I got to know a lot of people pretty fast, and I have to say that Oberlin is full of absolutely interesting personalities.

This first semester I took Philosophy and Neuropharmacology, the former of which the most exciting course I ever had, the latter definitely the most challenging. I very much like and appreciate the idea of a Liberal Arts College, in which you can study a variety of subjects and will definitely get a much broader education. So I decided to try and broaden my horizon myself, not taking any psychology courses, which is my major in back in Marburg. I'm very glad I had the possibility to discover my huge love for philosophy here, and plan on taking it home with me.

Between fall and spring semester, the month of January, called Winter Term, is the time for students to go after their personal interests. Every student has to conduct a "Winter Term Project" which can basically be anything a student wants to do, if that project plan is accepted by a faculty member. People then, in their liberal Oberlin spirit, do anything, from an internship to brewing their own beer, from baking a different bread every day to building a bicycle out of bamboo. Another possibility is to take part in one of the projects offered by the college, for example a language intensive course. This Winter Term, I taught the conversation part of a German beginners class. Since I have never taught a whole class of students (26 students in this case), this was a very new and also very rewarding experience for me. Seeing the advances the students make from day to day was just great.

But it was not only work and studying that made my stay here so valuable so far. I also had the possibility to do some travelling and see some of the probably more "real" USA. During fall break I went to visit New York City together with my sister and we discovered Manhattan together, which was an absolutely amazing experience. I hope I will have many more opportunities to see more of the country next semester.

I cannot thank the VDAC enough for making all this possible. I learned so much last semester and am sure to learn much more next semester, so this is definitely one of the most valuable life experiences for me.

Kathrin Tertel

Austin is a very liberal city, alternative, and famous for its live-music and its weirdness. "Keep Austin weird" is a motto that does justice to Austin's character; a motto that you find on walls, T-shirts and pamphlets on campus. The entire atmosphere of Austin makes my exchange year so much more special. Of course there were various things I had to get used to during my first months in Austin. First of all, there was the heat. I had never experienced anything like it. I was told that it has not been this dry in Texas in over 50 years. When I arrived in Austin, it had not rained in almost 70 days and thus set a world record. The first days I had to adjust to ice-cold rooms, offices and busses on the one hand and over 100°F outside on the other hand. The bus system is yet another thing I was - literally - lost with. (Once, a really nice sixty-year old man gave me a ride to the airport where I wanted to pick up a friend, after I had gotten on the wrong bus and gotten off in the middle of nowhere). I guess that I am spoiled because I am used to very well-thought-out public transportation systems of German large cities. To be honest, I was surprised that Austin had public transportation at all. Here in Austin the bus drivers do not announce every stop, and when you are new to the area and really have no clue as to where you are going, where you got on the bus and where you have to go off, then you are lost. Reading the timetables and the bus plans will not help: the busses are hardly ever on time and the route plans give only the route itself, without any relation to other streets or sights nearby. But like everybody else in Austin, are always willing to help and announce the stops just for you.

The university itself is like paradise. UT has everything. Campus is like a small town. The classes are so much fun and the teachers that I have had so far really make learning fun and easy. The students here are mostly very helpful, friendly and outgoing. There is always somebody to have lunch with or spend free time with. And on the weekends, football takes over the whole town. The UT Longhorns are one of the best football teams this season, and I went to see a game with a good friend in October. Of course the Longhorns won. If you don't mess with Texas, you certainly don't mess with the Longhorns this season.

Over the Thanksgiving Holiday, when every single one of my friends had either made plans to go home to spend the long weekend with their families, or to go on a road trip with other exchange students to explore the vast Texan outback, I seized the opportunity of being in the states and took a flight to Seattle to spend Thanksgiving with good friends that I consider my second family. It was a great opportunity so see them again, to spend valuable family- and quality time and to regain some power before the big finals. I am not saying that university in Germany is easier or less work than it is to study in Texas. But unlike in Germany, at UT the overall grade consists of several smaller assignments that have to be turned each week during the semester. It is a more consistent way of studying. For me it was fairly easy to adjust to learning in English. I am working on my Master's degree in American Studies in Germany, and consequently I am used to having classes in English. However, speaking it all day every day was a little challenging in the beginning, and even after a while, when speaking English became easier and my vocabulary steadily grew, homework and assignments made university a challenge.

The first semester is almost over now, and even though I still have a second one ahead of me, I can say already that the time I had so far is a great experience. A year in Texas not only adds to my resumé (UT does look great on paper!), but it also enriches my experiences, and the way I will look at Texas from now on. When I came here, I had to realize that I have lived with an awful lot of stereotypes - can you believe it: cowboys didn't even come from Texas but were introduced when Chicago centralized most of the meatpacking industry and the cattle had to be driven to Chicago! The classes I take and, above all, the great people I meet make this trip very special.

Thanks to the Federation of German-American Clubs for this great opportunity, and: YEAHAWW!

Jessica Schweke

The second semester was different right from the beginning than the first one: Several friends left, some to do an internship in Germany, some of the international students to go back home. That obviously set a different kind of atmosphere early on.

As turned out later, the effect of some international students leaving was that for some reason we remaining international students did not meet as often as we used to. That might have also been the case because we all found new friends. I, for example, found very good friends that I hung out with every weekend; other friends I met for lunch every other day, with one of the other German students I sometimes went shopping or had coffee. Although I would love to see all friendships last, I know that this is unfortunately impossible and that is not easy to deal with.

About six weeks before the end of the semester the snow started melting in Fargo/Moorhead - and we had had a lot of it. Actually so much that the Red River rose too high and we had a flood, even worse than the one from 1997, which had been supposed to have been a 100 year flood event. On several days, Concordia decided to cancel classes to send us sandbagging to help people build dikes around their houses so that they wouldn't lose them. Later that week, we had to evacuate and leave Concordia. My roommate was so nice to invite me to stay with her family.

Unfortunately, Fargo/Moorhead had snow again the following week. After two weeks without any classes we got back to Concordia where the flood was the topic that everyone talked about. Especially since another crest was expected but fortunately it was not as high as expected.

However, I was amazed by how ready Concordia students were to help people in need. Every student I talked to went sandbagging, some even many hours every day. I have the sad feeling that it wouldn't have happened in the same way in Germany. Also, the advantage of this kind of situation is that you find out who your real friends are and who thinks of you. Not only did my roommate invite me to come with her, but also several other friends, the mother of my roommate from last semester although she and her husband were leaving for Germany two days later, a friend in the Cities who I met at church when I stayed with above mentioned roommate and her family last semester. It feels good to know that there are people you can rely on.

When we came back, professors had to reschedule the remaining three and a half weeks of classes. Although all my professors were understanding of time pressure and work load and cancelled some of the assignments, the last weeks were extremely busy - for everyone: faculty and students. For me, the last week was also particularly stressful because I did not only have to study and finish the assignments but I also had to prepare to go back home. The actual issue with the latter was that I did not realize I was indeed going home until I actually was in Germany, so I did not feel the necessity to deal with packing as much as would have been helpful. Also, there was the good-bye to a lot of people that I care about approaching too quickly. Once more, I was lucky because a friend of mine invited me to stay with her the remaining three days before I flew home. It was good to at least start to realize that my time in America was coming to an end. However, I deeply hope that I will come back one day and see all the lovely people again - and maybe see some of them if and when they come to Europe.

Sina Hoevel, Bielefeld