Germany Reflection

Amelia Schroeder

When I first signed up for the Multimedia Maymester in Germany I did not fully
understand what an impact 3 weeks abroad could be. I signed up alone and with the intention
to have a good time, learn a lot, and come back to Columbia with a story to tell. Instead, I had
an experience that changed me as a person and came home with 15 new best friends.
Within days in Munich, I started to understand how different the European culture and
lifestyle is from our own. The public transport, the shopping, and the greetings were all very
foreign to me. With my eyes and through the lens of my camera, I learned to see the world
from a perspective I had previously never considered. I learned that with trips that are so short
and so impactful, it is vital to document every activity in a way that looking back, you will be
able to feel what you felt in that moment.
In Munich we spent many hours getting to know each other as a group. At beirgartens,
at group meals, and in our hostel rooms. There were multiple instances in Munich that I can
only describe as “movie moments”. Our first night as a group at the biergarten just blocks from
our hostel, we all got to know each other in a manner that is separate from who we are in
college. We sat for hours sharing; we discussed what made us come on this trip and what we
hoped to gain from the experience. Our last day in Munich we all went out again together, this
time to an Irish Pub. The song American Pie was sung by the live artist and the entire group
stood on the barstools- as American’s do- and scream sang every word. It is moments like that
where you truly get a taste of what it feels like to live each day to the fullest.
I am not a well-travelled person, but my parents and I wanted me to be able to take this
experience and make the most of it. Having received a scholarship for this trip was one of the
reasons I was able to attend. I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity with this
funding to go to a country I would not otherwise have ever seen.
While in Germany, I was the group member who travelled with the camera, who had it
always strapped to me to be able to take photo and video of anything relevant to Adidas- our
topic- as well as the environment of the country. Once in Columbia, I worked to piece together
our video in an advertisement format with the content I obtained. I was able to learn how to
fully immerse myself into group work and offer up the talents that will benefit us all.
The moments in Berlin that will resonate with me for decades were all spent in a little
park just feet from our hostel. We would wake up, get content, try foods, and shop. Then once
the afternoon hit, my friends and I would make our way to the park and have the kinds of
conversations in those patches of grass that give you hope in humanity.
While Germany was a dream I could not have created myself, I truly believe that, in this
instance, the people made the place. As a rising senior, it is so hard to make friendships with
real depth behind them, as everyone is comfortable in their groups of friends. To be able to
experience a whole different world, with 15 strangers, pushed me, taught me, and gave me a
different lens to view life with.