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Alumni Profile: André Richter |
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DAAD grant(s): Jahresstipendium (1995/1996)
Current occupation: Business owner
Current city of residence: Bonn, Germany
Contact: richter@meldebox.de
How has your time in the US affected your academic/professional career path?
Yes, indeed. I started my exchange year at San Francisco State University in the Summer of 1995. When I enrolled at my new university, I immediately got an email account. Internet was for free. Internet? I have never heard of the internet before! We were really lacking behind in Germany at that time. When I first went online, I was simply taken aback by this completely new experience and soon developed a genuine interest in everything that had to do with the web. I was able to add some web related classes to my curriculum and gained practical web experiences through interrnships - both would have hardly been possible at that time in Germany.
Today I own two small but profitable web businesses. One does webdesign, the other is a website focusing on Umzug (moving house). I believe my career would have followed a completely different path hadn't it been to my exchange year in the States.
What's the most important piece of advice you could give a new DAAD grantee?
Study not just subjects that earn you credits in Germany but instead subjects that are of genuine interest to you. Spend time to get to know your fellow students and your host country. After all, life is not just studying! Keep in touch with the friends you make - maybe they can even help you with furthering your career later on, who knows.
What was your most dramatic experience of culture shock in the US?
Well, I must admit the first thing that comes to my mind is a negative one. I felt a lot more unsecure in the States than in Germany. I didn't expect racism to still be such a big problem in the U.S. On the other hand, that's more than then years ago now. So things might have improved in the meantime.
Other than family/friends, what did you miss most while abroad? What do you miss now from the place where you studied?
I couldn´t find decent chocolate anywhere! However, I came to enjoy the many more ice cream flavours offered by brands such as Ben & Jerry´s and Hagen Daz. These brands are just beginning to enter the German market now - and unfortunately follow a premium prize strategy.
If you could go back and live your overseas adventure again, what would you do differently?
I would generally put less weight on my studies and chose my subjects more carefully. Also, I would take the opportunity to travel more.
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