The "Real" World

When I was about 8 years old, I decided that I wanted to live in Europe. I don't really know why I chose Europe, but it just seemed so magical: full of princes and princesses, cute little towns, trains and trains and more trains. A few years later my cousin moved to Egypt and I thought that it was the coolest thing in the world and wanted to do it, too. I spent my time travelling and learning french to prepare for my dream of living in Europe. In real life I won't move to Europe and fall in love with a wealthy young man and get married and never have to work. So, I'm doing it my own way: studying abroad, living like a local, and finding a job and a place to live and people that care about me that are 5,000 miles from my family. I used to be an International Studies major with hopes of working abroad with a nonprofit. Those classes were not my thing, so I decided to do school that I loved: theatre. And what am I going to do with a theatre major? I had no idea. But I have a dream to do theatre as a type of therapy abroad through non profit work. I will be involved with theatre through the University of Bern and hope to find a place to volunteer by working with children, possible at an after school program. By doing these two things I will be surrounded by a different theatre culture and grow in my understanding of child development in a place different from my own. 

How Not To Be A Tourist

One of my biggest goals for studying abroad is to live like a local and to not be seen as a tourist. I know that this will take a while to do, but I am already trying my hand at it. I am preparing and learning about the style, about eating habits, and the main form of transportation.

I obviously love theatre and I hope that I will be able to join a theatre department in Switzerland. This will allow me to branch out of my comfort zone from an acting stand point, but it will also connect me to people and help me make friends. 

I chose to live in an apartment where I would have a suitemate. This will be an automatic person that I will see on a regular basis and will hopefully be able to confide in and connect to on a deep and emotional level.

I have plans to join clubs and groups on campus to help me with becoming acclimated to my new school. I also would love to find a church or a bible study group of some sort in Switzerland. This will keep me grounded in my faith, but will also provide me with a support system.  

Although there will certainly be struggles that fit with my new lifestyle, I am completely confident in myself that I will be able to handle it in a positive manner. 

SoSe, So Me

Bern has two semesters, known as WiSe which is Winter semester (or fall) and SoSe which is Summer semester (or spring). I will be attending Bern in the SoSe which runs from late February to July. There are different kind of courses that are offered at University of Bern. Students can partake in Lectures, Pre-Seminars, Seminars, Tutorials, and Discussion-based classes. The majority of courses are offered in German, but there are plenty that are offered in English, which I will be taking. 

There are over 2,400 teaching professionals with some odd 18,000 students. This is a student to faculty ratio of approximately 8 to 1. This school size is small in comparison to other schools throughout Switzerland. This is exciting for me because it will hopefully have the same sense of a community type of atmosphere as you find at Maryville.  

The University of Bern has a course catalog and portal where students can view classes and courses that are offered as well as registering for said classes. On this portal, students can view a course description, the language in which a course is taught, the amount of ECTS credits it is worth, the professor, and the meeting time and place. Class credit amounts vary greatly, much like here in the U.S.; this is anywhere between 1 and 8 credit hours. The majority of the classes that I am interested in account for 3, 4, or 5 credits. For each ECTS credit, it will transfer here at Maryville as approximately half. So a four hour credit course at Bern will count as a two hour course at Maryville.

The grading scale at Bern is a number scale from one to six with half intervals. Six is rated excellent, Four is rated adequate, and anything three point five or lower is inadequate. This is determined from a student's course work and exams.

There is a wide variety of support that the university offers. They have online exercises, testing, and self evaluations available. There are tutors, and extended office hours for students to get additional help as needed. There is a mental health center, a student union, and an IT department. There is a health clinic as well.  

In order to be a full time Undergrad while using the ECTS course system, students need a minimum of 60 hours a year. This breaks down to 30 hours a semester. As an international student, it is suggested that I take 20-24 credit hours a semester. With the transfer of ECTS to US credits, I will need to be in classes that equal 12 hours in the U.S. In simplest terms, I will need to take at least 24 hours in Bern. 

A Small Town American Girl in the World of Swiss Cheese

Switzerland is known for their knives, cheese, music boxes, chocolate, lace, and clocks. Switzerland is also one very culturally diverse county. They have three national languages and another that is widely spoken. The Swiss have played a major role in worldly innovations (such as the ones above) such as their contribution to medical care, war efforts, and music. 

I was born and raised in a small town in east Tennessee to a middle class family that values christian morals and believes in opportunity. My parents married young and have grown up my sister and I in such a way that embraces open-mindedness and acceptance. 

I am interested to see how the way I was raised is different than how Swiss parents raise their children. I know that each person is their own person but I do believe that the way in which, and the place, plays a great role in the development of their personality. 

I understand that each culture is vastly different (culture being the why and how people think, believe, and act the way they do) and I know that language is a vast and obvious distinction of culture. Because I do not have any background in German (the language that is spoke in Bern), I believe that language will be the most difficult adjustment that I will have to make. Luckily enough, I will have the opportunity to partake in a language course to aide me in learning the language. 

Another thing that will be a culture change is the fact that I will not have a car in Switzerland. In the rural areas that I live in I depend so greatly on my own personal vehicle. It gets me to work, to classes, to the store, and sometimes it's a major hassle. In Switzerland, cars are a luxury. Trains and buses are the casual way of life and I absolutely love trains. Riding on them gives the bystander a look into the culture and the lifestyle of a specific person. 

Switzerland Bound

I'm Switzerland bound and just slightly terrified. I am so excited that I have been given an opportunity to study theatre in Switzerland and I know that it will be one of the most memorable times of my life. I am excited to live in the capital city, to explore the Swiss Alps, and eat all the European food and try my hand at German. But I'm terrified of the possible language barrier. I'm afraid of being away from everyone and everything I have ever known. I'm afraid I will run out of time and money to do all of the amazing things I want to do and see. But I also know that I am no dumb girl. I can carry on a conversation (maybe not in German, but French is spoke in Switzerland, too) with anyone, I can navigate the bus and train routes with ease, and I am comfortable and confident enough in my own skin that I will make this an experience worth every ounce of fear I have. People are magnificent. I love the way different cultures interact and communicate with each other and how different one lifestyle is from the next. You will never run out of things to learn about a person. I am excited to make new friends and possibly reunite with old ones. The conversations I enjoy the most are the simple and innocent ones that turn in to something deep and meaningful. They are the ones that last all night and move in to the morning. Those conversations will be had.