The past week has been a whirlwind of emotions and experiences. I’ve been back in Freiburg for almost a day, but I still can’t stop thinking about Sarajevo and Bosnia-Herzegovina in general. My classes today were focused a lot on a reflection of our time spent last week and the issues present there. I feel like my mind is running with everything I’ve learned and I feel so passionate about it all. There are still so many “what-ifs” and unknowns left for a country like BiH with no clear answers or guidance to some kind of solution… it’s such a stark contrast with Germany and even the US, BiH makes our system look so consistent and functional even though we see flaws with it. This experience with BiH’s political system has led me to question so much in regards to democratic institutions, western powers, and this idea of a “Western” globalization. I know I sound like super nerd right now, but it’s just so interesting and it’s been on my mind all day!
In other news, things are going along like usual here in Freiburg. This morning I realized that I’ve finally established a rhythm that doesn’t cause me to be anxious or worried. I know I talked about it briefly before, but today I really just appreciated the little things like riding my bike to the store and making my breakfast. When I first got here, everything seemed so new and way too different, but after a few weeks of hanging out around here I’ve learned to love a lot of things. What’s sad is I only have 14 DAYS LEFT IN FREIBURG. I can’t believe it… Classes will be in full swing all of next week to prepare the group to leave for Turkey next Friday. Then there’s 10 days in Turkey, a trip back to Freiburg for finals, and then departure!
While most of the students here will be leaving to go back to the US that day, I will be traveling to Prague to meet my aunt! This is really exciting for me since I’ve never been to the Czech Republic or Slovakia so I’ll get to be a tourist for about 16 days before I finally go back to the U.S.
When I break it all up like that, I realize that I’m gonna need someone to press pause. When they said time would fly, I didn’t realize it would be at the speed of light! I am just starting to love so many things here and there’s still so much I want to do and experience. At the same time, there’s a part of me that can’t wait to be home and back to everything I know, but I’m not rushing it as much as I once was. I know I’m finally “over” my culture shock and am starting to truly appreciate everything I am experiencing here!
Alzebeth Roman
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<div><span style="color: rgb(29, 29, 29); font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; background-color: rgb(237, 237, 237);">My name is Alzebeth Roman and I am currently a Senior at North Carolina State University in Raleigh studying Accounting with minors in International Studies and Political Science. This summer, I will be studying abroad in Freiburg, Germany learning about the politics of the EU and its' neighbors. This is only my second time traveling out of the United States and my first time in Europe. In my spare time, I love service, reading, swimming, dancing, napping, and writing which I plan to do in my free time while abroad!</span></div>
