Studying in Hanover
I’ve never been further away from home than I am right now. Currently, I am sitting in my room in Hanover, Germany, drinking water, listening to German music, and studying. I am in my second month of a four month foreign exchange to Germany and it is nothing like I’ve ever experienced in my life.
I am double majoring in Math and German with a minor in Creative Writing at the University of Jamestown. As part of my German major requires, I decided to spend my exchange in the lovely city of Hanover. Hanover is in the northern half of Germany, more on the western side. The population of Hanover is 528,875 people as of 2012. Since I am from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, that has a population of roughly 3.28 million, I thought Hanover was going to be relatively small. It’s not. It’s not the people that make it seem big, it’s the city itself. Everything is so close together the smallest of streets seem full.
Every time someone has asked me what I am enjoying the most about Germany, I immediately say the food. It’s incredible how delicious it is over here. All the German ingredients are fresh. As far as I know there aren’t any preservatives in their food. There are so many flavors in even the simplest of foods. Germans love asparagus and spaghetti. And the spaghetti over here is so much better than in America.
Every week I like to take the train into the middle of the city, and lose myself. I walk around aimlessly looking at the sights, and find little restaurants. Trains and buses are very important modes of transportation here. I have not been in a car in Germany once, yet I’ve been able to get everywhere I want, even to a village to the south of Hanover. That’s another thing I enjoy about Germany, the transportation. The trains and buses are punctual, and expansive. Within a half hour I can be on the opposite side of the city.
Most people speak English, but it helps immensely to be able to speak German. I am thankful for the German program at UJ. Prof. Kate Stevenson has done an amazing job preparing me for my German trip. The German program at UJ has been amazing at helping me integrate into the German society. I rarely have to revert to English to talk in Germany.
There are so many sights to see in Hanover and in Germany. I hope I am able to see as much as I can. Germany is a beautiful country with delicious food. I’m glad I get to spend four months here, to better my German and explore a new part of the world.
