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DAAD Undergraduate Profile: Kandra Stauffer |
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Kandra Stauffer from Baylor University, studied Anthropology and German at the University of Freiburg from March 07 through July 07.
The semester I spent at Albert-Ludwigs Universität in Freiburg im Breisgau was without a doubt my favorite semester of my college career. I have taken German classes since the ninth grade, but by studying abroad I was completely immersed in German for five months. I made the most of this opportunity to improve my German comprehension and communication skills and the effort paid off. By the end of the five months I was able to confidently engage in conversations of all topics and compose essays in German for my classes!
I spent the first month of my semester abroad living with a host family. What a delightful experience! When I first arrived I was very shy about communicating with the family as I made many mistakes. However, the family was very kind and patient, helping me speak with confidence and correct grammar. Even through assisting the youngest child of the family with her reading homework, I was able to improve my pronunciation as I heard her sound out new words syllable by syllable!
My German language skills were also challenged and improved through university courses. I took three seminar classes at the university during my semester in Freiburg. While I met many German students, I was especially able to connect with a variety of other exchange students. Despite the fact that we each spoke different languages as our mother-tongue, we were united by our common interest in learning and improving our German language abilities. I often marveled as I sat among very diverse groups of students and we were able to communicate with one another because we all knew German. In my opinion such experiences are the goal of exchange programs; to learn other languages and cultures so one can then form acquaintances with others from around the world.
In addition to taking classes at the university in Freiburg, I conducted an independent research project for my Anthropology studies at my home institution, Baylor University. I investigated the continuation and spread of Jugendweihe, a German coming-of-age ceremony, since the reunification of Germany. I found it a significant accomplishment to carry out all the research in German, which included conducting fifteen interviews.
My interest in sports led me to become involved in athletic activities at the university’s sport center. I participated in ultimate Frisbee, aerobics, and soccer. I was even able to play with the university’s female club soccer team at a tournament in Karlsruhe. Although I did not know all of the soccer and Frisbee terms in German, I still had a great time bonding with other students through sports.
The five months that I spent in Freiburg are of immeasurable value. Not only did I improve my knowledge of the German language, but I made friends from Germany and many other countries. I am so thankful for DAAD’s undergraduate scholarship which helped finance this valuable semester abroad.
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