One week ’til Berlin

My name is Brendan, and I am one week away from embarking on my one semester long study abroad program in Berlin, Germany. To say that I have no idea what to expect would be an understatement, as my only experience in a foreign country was travelling to Canada with my family when I was just 10 years old. That being said, I hope to learn and experience countless unforgettable people, places and things while studying and living in Germany’s capital for the next four months.

I am a Junior Information Systems major in the Smith School of Business at UMD. Although I am not taking any major classes while abroad, I am enrolled in multiple courses that I hope will benefit me in my post graduate endeavors. These classes include “European Business Cultures”, “Green Business: German Sustainable Entrepreneurship”, and “Energizing Europe: 21st Century Renewable and Fossil Transformations”. I hope to learn a lot about the progressive ways business is done in Germany and Europe in general, and plan on utilizing that information in my future career back in the states.

I would be lying if I said there weren’t some aspects of this upcoming journey that make me somewhat nervous, like being in a country that speaks a different language, or being thousands of miles away from everyone that I have ever known. But these reasons for worry are not on the top of my mind, as more than anything I am excited to be placed outside of my comfort zone and into a city that I have always dreamed of visiting. I am going to try to turn each of these perceived obstacles into obtainable goals, like turning strangers into friends, and finally using the years I have spent learning the German language in class in real life situations. I am incredible excited and optimistic about this once in a lifetime opportunity, and I will keep this blog updated throughout the semester with my experiences in Berlin and throughout all of Europe.