Tales from Abroad is an ongoing section in which Gustavus students share the highlights of their study abroad experiences.

Stepping off the plane in Germany was a big moment for me. It represented the first time I had ever been out of the United States. It meant that I got to experience a culture and language I had been studying for the past year and a half. It provided the perfect opportunity to immerse myself and step into the shoes of other people.

Now it was either the jetlag or excitement, but I was full of energy after first arriving in Germany, until I crashed after lunch. But even while sleep deprived I knew it was going to be a great trip.

We only spent two days in our first city: Bremen. It gave us enough time to explore a little, but not enough to see or do everything. Regardless, good memories were made. One of mine was the hotel breakfasts. Personally I love food, everything about food. Our hotel was happy to satiate my obsession by providing a diverse spread of different food each morning. Pancakes and waffles were a thing of the past. A new breakfast of smoked or raw fish, cheeses, breads, and a plethora of meat was forged. Evidently one of the reasons I came to Germany was the food. Thankfully the feasts of food didn’t stop after we left the hotel.

In a small village near the sea, the students, along with our host families, enjoyed small family dinners and breakfasts, and large feasts which ended in singing and general merriment. In the beginning they greeted us and told us to make ourselves at home. By the end they had adopted us as their own children and invited us to stay there whenever in Germany again. They became our German set of grandparents, and everyone knows you can never have too many grandparents.

Unfortunately, that was only the first leg of our trip. Though that week will always be remembered, it was time to move on and make more memories in the big cities. We were told to keep in contact as much as possible and that we could do it in German or English, but they just want to hear of our futures. I will return and I know that when I am in Germany again I look forward to feasting with my new grandparents once more.

-Jonathan Weitgenant