Well, I made it back. It's been a rather excellent summer with lots of new experiences and new places and new fun. However, now that it's over, this blog will likely have to end too. I'm afraid I just won't have the time and energy to post with any sort of regularity during the school year. So this is goodbye for now; hope you've enjoyed reading these posts, I'd still be happy to tell you more about what I did and saw and learned while I was there if you ask me. I'll leave you with the essay I wrote for the DAAD (They asked us to write about our experiences in Germany which they may use for further promoting the program.):
DAAD Essay
I would like to begin by expressing my gratitude to the DAAD RISE program team and to my advisor, Matthias Kropff for providing me this opportunity to experience a taste of Germany, especially German science and engineering. This past summer has been one of the most enjoyable and educational of my college career. The RISE program was the perfect match for my situation. While I really wanted to study abroad, the density of my schools curriculum makes it very challenging to take a semester off for such a program. RISE provided a way for me to get the experience of living and working at a German university, while staying on pace at my home university. While I am sure that there are many other opportunities available for students wishing to research in Germany, the RISE program provides a critical service by helping students to find these opportunities and providing the funding to make it affordable on a student's budget. Of course the success of the program depends significantly on the role of the German PhD students who handle much of the details like arranging housing and transportation. I am very grateful to Matthias for the time and planning that he put in to ensure that I would have a smooth transition.
My experience in Germany taught me significantly about the German culture and academic environment, as well as in my field of study. I appreciated the timeliness and efficiency of the German trains as well as the high quality of the food and I enjoyed the challenge learning the language. It was insightful to hear form my flatmates, co-workers and acquaintances their perspectives on German and world politics, to be introduced to new economic theories and new foods. I enjoyed getting to know my local baker in my morning visit for a "kutcher(brotchen) und käse(brotchen)" and I appreciated the ease with which one could travel by bike and on foot throughout the city and in the surrounding area. Overall, I grew to feel rather at home in Darmstadt, and found myself giving a friend who visited the same tour my advisor had given me when I had arrived.
In the office, I was grateful for the readiness with which my co-workers accepted me and was very impressed with their work ethic. I particularly appreciated the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the active areas of research in my field by editing the English in papers my coworkers were preparing for publication. Matthias gave me a great deal of freedom in directing my research and I was challenged to define the direction and significance of my work. I had expected that I would be mostly just completing tasks for my advisor, but Matthias gave me the opportunity (and challenge) of plotting the course of the research under his guidance from concept to experiment to paper. I gained a much deeper understanding of the day-to-day mechanics of research.
I also gained insight and grew in areas I hadn't anticipated. Living and traveling in Germany gave me new perspectives on my life and culture in the US and stretched me as I interacted with many new people in new places and new ways. While I learned much about Germany this summer I may have learned an equal amount about the my own culture by stepping out of it a little (though really, we have much in common) to see what I'd always just taken for granted. From the little differences, like drinking water with or without carbonation, to the bigger ones like the planning of cities, I now know another way to live. I have a greater understanding how the individual behaviors people have come together to form the different cultures and societies in Germany and the US.
I was also grew personally as I learned to get by (and thrive) in a place that was unfamiliar. As a typically quiet person, I had to practice meeting new people. While the obstacles, such as my poor German, made it challenging, I was encouraged by the friendliness of the people I met. In fact, being a foreigner gave me an extra bit of freedom not to worry about making mistakes, thus I found I had the confidence to step in to uncertain situations without worrying about the outcome. I also got a chance to connect with many other non-Germans who I likely would not have interacted with in the US, simply through the bond of our mutual unfamiliarity with the world around us.
And of course, on top of all the things I learned, I simply had fun. Germany is a beautiful country with such a diverse history. I enjoyed experiencing the architecture and museums in the big cities, as well as exploring the countryside within biking distance of my flat. I had enjoyable work, interesting and diverse company, and freedom to explore. While I don't know my plans following my undergraduate education for sure, I hope to return to Germany sometime in the not to distant future whether just to visit or to pursue further education or work. As a result of my time this summer, I'll always feel a bit more at home in Germany than before.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
London!
Hi all! This week I have pictures for you from London. A lot of pictures actually. I think the shutter happiness was a result of traveling by myself (not worrying about holding up the group), having an extra day (3 instead of 2) and the architecture in the city (amazing and varied, as you'll see). So without further ado, pictures:
In order to get the cheapest flights I had some pretty convoluted travel arrangements. I left my flat at 2am Saturday morning, traveled to the train station by bike, then caught a bus to drive out to the alternate airport that the budget airlines fly out of. I arrived in London via Stansted Airport, took a bus to Baker Street (as in 221b Baker St.) and bought a ticket for the tube for the next three days. The London tube system is huge!
I got very familiar with the tube over the course of my trip. London is too big to see without it. My first stop was Westminister, with Big Ben, the Abbey, etc.
The soveriegn's entrance to parliament:
Then I took a walk along the South Bank:
I like the irony of this next photo. Apparently Margaret Thatcher dissolved the Greater London Council back in the 1980's and so county hall is now an entertainment center:
Also outside county hall is the London eye, a tourist attraction letting you get an aerial view of the city:
The Tate Modern, housed in a former coal factory along the south bank:
The Tower Bridger (not the London bridge, that's one bridge over). I just happened to arrive at the right time to see the bridge while it was raised:
Former warehouses, now ultra-hip apartments and stores. The bridgeways used to be for transferring stuff from docks to warehouses further inland:
Tower of London, too big to really fit in a photo!
There were lots of interesting clocks around the city:
Buckingham Palace horse gate:
The crowds at the palace are ridiculous. Here you can see a gaggle of tourists going crazy over one of the guards at the gate:
View of the palace from the park:
The guards at St. James palace have it a little better I think:
I don't think I would fine a park that was this crowded very relaxing!
Old and new in Piccadilly Circus:
I just love the archetecture of London; it has so much character! This is a photo of one of the "mews" I could see out the window from my hostel:
The English are known for their public programmes; there were lots of sites of construction and reconstruction and renovation in the city. One thing I liked though was that all the sites had signs describing the project and why it was being undertaken and the measures the builder was taking to protect the environment and control noise and dust:
St.Paul's Cathedral:
A concession to my mom who is always wanting to take pictures with me in them; This way I got a piece of the history of the site but you can see me in the reflection:
The label cockney meant that you were born with in hearing of the bells of Mary-e-bow church. I can see how this was a lower class part of the city at one time, look at how narrow the "streets" are! You couldn't fully extend your arms accross the width of these streets at times:
The leadenhall market stands out from the buildings around it:
This is a very cool building in my opinion, the Swiss RE tower:
Lloyds of London building, with all the infrastructure on the outside:
Three layers of the city. That's the edge of Great St. Helen's (where Shakespeare worshiped) in the foreground, the ultra modern Swiss RE tower in the background and something in between:
The vastness of the bank of London building is similarly impossible to capture on film:
I thought this simbolized the power of the bank (at least at one point in time. The text reads: "The Bank made this way through the corner for the citizens of London":
While I generally find cities too crowded to be comfortable, I think I could probably put up with the crowds for the opportunity to live and work in buildings with so much character and history! I don't care much for the newer and more suburbian parts of the city, but if I could live and work in these older quarters where the old streets meet the new towers, I would be tempted.
The view from the pedestrian bridge looking towards St. Paul's:
A highlight of my trip was seeing a performance of Shakespeare's "Love's Labors Lost" at the reconstructed globe theatre. It's only 5£ for a standing ticket, (about a third the price of the cheapest tickets anywhere else!) and you're right there in the middle of the play experiencing it roughly the way most Londoner's would have centuries ago. The show was quite good; a pretty outrageous comedy if you're not familiar with it (I wasn't).
Hyde Park was a little calmer than St. James Park:
I ate my dinner there.(Food in London is generally rather expensive, so I found a grocery store and bought bread and cheese and peaches for a couple meals.)
The entrance to the subway at hyde park corner:
Brittish museum of natural history. I didn't have time to go in but the building is pretty awesome:
The Old Royal Navel College and the Queen's House in Greenwich.
Greenwich has a very distinctive feel to it (as do each of the other older parts of the metropolis):
Greenwich park was almost empty by way of comparison to the other parks in the city:
Another view of the Queens house and marintime museum from up at the royal observatory:
Marker for the prime meridian:
This is just a cool hotel I saw in Russell square near the British Museum:
The British museum, absolutely gianormous. I only had time to see a few of the exhibits. (I explored Chinese, Korean and Japanese history and art.) The nice thing is that all the major museums are free! So you don't feel too bad just stopping in for a little while just to see some of these incredible collections.
One last piece of cool London architecture:
Overall, I really liked the city. While the crowds were annoying, (London is bigger than any of the cities I've visited in Germany and has significantly more tourists!) but the continuity of the history is something I haven't seen anywhere else. I also found the Londoners to be quite pleasant. While it may have just been the lack of a language gap (It took some getting used to being able to just walk up and ask a question; not try to sort through whether you knew how to ask or if it was really important to know anyway.), but I was amazed by how polite and friendly all the people working at the different stores and info counters were. And I don't think I ever heard a Londoner complain or even give an exasperated look to the crowds of bumbling tourists or that one extra person who squeezed in to the subway car already full to the bursting point. Now England is know as a land of the characteristically poor food, late trains and long queues, and it may be that this stereotypically English trait of just bearing up with it is partially to blame, but it does make it much easier to bear it when the folks around you aren't making a fuss. This was probably the thing I enjoyed most of the little bit of English culture I experienced.
In order to get the cheapest flights I had some pretty convoluted travel arrangements. I left my flat at 2am Saturday morning, traveled to the train station by bike, then caught a bus to drive out to the alternate airport that the budget airlines fly out of. I arrived in London via Stansted Airport, took a bus to Baker Street (as in 221b Baker St.) and bought a ticket for the tube for the next three days. The London tube system is huge!
I got very familiar with the tube over the course of my trip. London is too big to see without it. My first stop was Westminister, with Big Ben, the Abbey, etc.
The soveriegn's entrance to parliament:
Then I took a walk along the South Bank:
I like the irony of this next photo. Apparently Margaret Thatcher dissolved the Greater London Council back in the 1980's and so county hall is now an entertainment center:
Also outside county hall is the London eye, a tourist attraction letting you get an aerial view of the city:
The Tate Modern, housed in a former coal factory along the south bank:
The Tower Bridger (not the London bridge, that's one bridge over). I just happened to arrive at the right time to see the bridge while it was raised:
Former warehouses, now ultra-hip apartments and stores. The bridgeways used to be for transferring stuff from docks to warehouses further inland:
Tower of London, too big to really fit in a photo!
There were lots of interesting clocks around the city:
Buckingham Palace horse gate:
The crowds at the palace are ridiculous. Here you can see a gaggle of tourists going crazy over one of the guards at the gate:
View of the palace from the park:
The guards at St. James palace have it a little better I think:
I don't think I would fine a park that was this crowded very relaxing!
Old and new in Piccadilly Circus:
I just love the archetecture of London; it has so much character! This is a photo of one of the "mews" I could see out the window from my hostel:
The English are known for their public programmes; there were lots of sites of construction and reconstruction and renovation in the city. One thing I liked though was that all the sites had signs describing the project and why it was being undertaken and the measures the builder was taking to protect the environment and control noise and dust:
St.Paul's Cathedral:
A concession to my mom who is always wanting to take pictures with me in them; This way I got a piece of the history of the site but you can see me in the reflection:
The label cockney meant that you were born with in hearing of the bells of Mary-e-bow church. I can see how this was a lower class part of the city at one time, look at how narrow the "streets" are! You couldn't fully extend your arms accross the width of these streets at times:
The leadenhall market stands out from the buildings around it:
This is a very cool building in my opinion, the Swiss RE tower:
Lloyds of London building, with all the infrastructure on the outside:
Three layers of the city. That's the edge of Great St. Helen's (where Shakespeare worshiped) in the foreground, the ultra modern Swiss RE tower in the background and something in between:
The vastness of the bank of London building is similarly impossible to capture on film:
I thought this simbolized the power of the bank (at least at one point in time. The text reads: "The Bank made this way through the corner for the citizens of London":
While I generally find cities too crowded to be comfortable, I think I could probably put up with the crowds for the opportunity to live and work in buildings with so much character and history! I don't care much for the newer and more suburbian parts of the city, but if I could live and work in these older quarters where the old streets meet the new towers, I would be tempted.
The view from the pedestrian bridge looking towards St. Paul's:
A highlight of my trip was seeing a performance of Shakespeare's "Love's Labors Lost" at the reconstructed globe theatre. It's only 5£ for a standing ticket, (about a third the price of the cheapest tickets anywhere else!) and you're right there in the middle of the play experiencing it roughly the way most Londoner's would have centuries ago. The show was quite good; a pretty outrageous comedy if you're not familiar with it (I wasn't).
Hyde Park was a little calmer than St. James Park:
I ate my dinner there.(Food in London is generally rather expensive, so I found a grocery store and bought bread and cheese and peaches for a couple meals.)
The entrance to the subway at hyde park corner:
Brittish museum of natural history. I didn't have time to go in but the building is pretty awesome:
The Old Royal Navel College and the Queen's House in Greenwich.
Greenwich has a very distinctive feel to it (as do each of the other older parts of the metropolis):
Greenwich park was almost empty by way of comparison to the other parks in the city:
Another view of the Queens house and marintime museum from up at the royal observatory:
Marker for the prime meridian:
This is just a cool hotel I saw in Russell square near the British Museum:
The British museum, absolutely gianormous. I only had time to see a few of the exhibits. (I explored Chinese, Korean and Japanese history and art.) The nice thing is that all the major museums are free! So you don't feel too bad just stopping in for a little while just to see some of these incredible collections.
One last piece of cool London architecture:
Overall, I really liked the city. While the crowds were annoying, (London is bigger than any of the cities I've visited in Germany and has significantly more tourists!) but the continuity of the history is something I haven't seen anywhere else. I also found the Londoners to be quite pleasant. While it may have just been the lack of a language gap (It took some getting used to being able to just walk up and ask a question; not try to sort through whether you knew how to ask or if it was really important to know anyway.), but I was amazed by how polite and friendly all the people working at the different stores and info counters were. And I don't think I ever heard a Londoner complain or even give an exasperated look to the crowds of bumbling tourists or that one extra person who squeezed in to the subway car already full to the bursting point. Now England is know as a land of the characteristically poor food, late trains and long queues, and it may be that this stereotypically English trait of just bearing up with it is partially to blame, but it does make it much easier to bear it when the folks around you aren't making a fuss. This was probably the thing I enjoyed most of the little bit of English culture I experienced.
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