Category Archives: Student testimonials

Die Überseestadt

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by Riley Robinson ’25

I first discovered the Überseestadt late in February, during one of the long rainy nights typical to Bremen in that season. Having gotten bored of studying for language class, I decided to take advantage of the tepid and breezy night by going for a local exploration expedition. I decided it was also the perfect time to try one of the Lime E-Scooters I had been enviously watching people zip around on throughout the city. After a few minutes of riding around my neighborhood, I made a quick turn and crossed some railroad tracks, down a path I hadn’t seen before. It didn’t take long before I spilled out onto a main road, which I would later learn to be part of the Überseestadt. I spent the next hour weaving through the undeviating streets of the district, realizing that this was an entire area of the city I had little idea about sitting right in my backyard.

The Überseestadt is a ‘Port-Revitalization’ project by Bremen. Formerly a massive dockyard and railway hub, the area has since been rehauled and turned into a living and working district. Alongside the many modern condominiums are large commercial buildings that make up their own skyline. On the southern end, near Eduard-Schopf-Allee, is the Weser Tower. It is the tallest building in Bremen and is visible from most points on the South-western side of the city.

The Weser Tower. Below is a multi-level pavilion, where people take time off their workday to view the river, and local rappers sometimes come to shoot their music videos.

An example of the many development projects in the Überseestadt. This is construction of the Kaffee Quartier, a new residential block.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Europahafen is a central piece to the Überseestadt. It is easily accessible from the tram stops Europahafen and Konsul Smitdt Straße, serviced by the 3 and 5 lines. Once an old dock for commercial shipping, it now houses private boats, and is lined with premium condos and office buildings. On the ground floor of many, you can find restaurants, cafes, and bars to sit at and enjoy the peacefulness of the harbor. My favorite part of this area is the “Überseestadt Shack”. This is a little shipping container that has been outfitted with a bar inside and deck chairs on the top for viewing of the harbor. On Sundays they open, and you can buy beer and other drinks inside. It’s a great place to relax and enjoy a sunny day or warm night.

The Überseestadt Shack at Europahafen

A summer night’s view from the top of the shack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Further down the promenade, there is a great restaurant for Flammkuchen.

The Flammkuchen Restaurant.

An honorable pour.

Spotted outside of the Automotive Museum.

They also serve some amazing beer. It has a nice area to sit outside, although very close to a busy road. It’s located right across the lot from the Automotive Museum, which is worth checking out if you are into historical German cars.

 

The Überseestadt is also home to the University of the Arts, located in a former warehouse on Eduard-Suling-Straße.

The University of the Arts.

The Art Store.

Appropriately, an art supply store is near the University. If you like to paint, draw, or do anything that may require art supplies, I recommend checking this place out. It blends an industrial, open style layout with a friendly and familiar vibe. Walk around the area, and you may discover some interesting hide-out spots to relax or to get some work done.

 

One of the many chill nooks in the area. On the bottom, a few couches, and chairs. Walk through the shipping container propped up, and you can also recline on the deck chairs on top.

The REWE. Accessible by the bus line 28 at the Winterhafen stop.

Adventure further into the Überseestadt, and you will find a REWE and a large urban park. The district has two main grocery stores, an Aldi at Europahafen and the REWE at Winterhafen. As someone whose grocery shopping experience is affected heavily by aesthetics, the REWE at Winterhafen was a welcome sight when I first discovered it. Large ceilings, nice lighting, and a good selection of food are part of the deal here. It also features a bakery, and a Pfand machine, the closest one to my home. I have many great memories of performing superhuman balancing acts trying to bike home from this REWE with a bag of groceries and/or plastic bottles needing to be redeemed.

The skatepark at the Überseepark.

 

 

 

 

 

 

An Art vending machine near the park. Pay four euros, choose a piece. There are many options, including regional art and themed works. Great for a tiny keepsake.

 

 

 

 

Across from REWE, the Überseepark spans horizontally across multiple blocks. It is constantly teeming with young people, usually running football matches on the turf, playing basketball, using the skatepark or the parkour gym. One fun fact about this place: it was designed by about 400 elementary school aged kids, using an online forum. Their input and ideas were prioritized when considering the layout of the park.

 

 

The Lighthouse.

At the northern tip of the Überseestadt, there is the Waller Sand, a signature aspect of the district. The Waller Sand is an artificial beach, signifying the end of the Überseestadt. While you can’t go swimming, it offers a fantastic view of the still functioning Bremen harbor. It requires a bit of a journey; however, it’s worth doing, especially in the evening hours, where you can walk along the promenade and soak in the cool river breeze while listening to some music and taking in the elongated northern German sunset. The area is surrounded by residential buildings, and many people come to chill and enjoy the view, although the crowds are never disruptive.

The Waller Sand.

Yesterday, I went up and did this exact thing, and witnessed a marriage proposal on the beach. The guy clearly went all out, with a heart-shaped trellis holding up a neon sign with the words, as well as sprinklers and drones. Congrats! Additionally, there is a lighthouse at the north-most tip, and you can walk down a trail to access it.

 

 

A sunset view over the harbor. Who said Bremen isn’t paradise?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Groundhog Democracy Advocate.

 

Due to the atypical housing arrangement of this spring semester, I was able to live in an area of the city not frequented by members of Dickinson in Bremen. The Überseestadt is a very new and relatively obscure part of the city, and I’ve been grateful to experience living in this area for the past six months. Because of how new the Überseestadt is, it can feel artificial, and a lot of the architecture lacks character for this reason. However, the potential for its growth as a vibrant part of Bremen is noticeable, and the rate of development makes me interested in seeing how it will progress after a few more years. Even if you are living close to the University, I recommend going out of your way to check out the Überseestadt and explore for yourself the many quirky and unique locations of this area.

 

My bike* near the Waller Ring entrance to the Überseestadt. To the right, there is a factory still active that is serviced by a train every day. The district is still intertwined with the many port-serviced industries of Bremen.

The entrance to my neighborhood. This path connects it with the greater Überseestadt. Shoutout to Eintrachtstraße.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*I began renting this bike from the beginning of May. It’s a fantastic way to get around, and a great option if you ever get bored of taking public transportation, especially in the warmer months. Having your own bike and riding around the city almost feels like it should be part of the integration test. You will feel like a local, and you get to see areas of the city that aren’t visible otherwise. Tons of bike paths, and it shrinks the city when you own one. Also great for getting back from bars and clubs after 1:30, when the tram shuts down. I highly recommend Swapfiets, the bike rental company. For 6 months, you pay 17 euros a month for this bike. I use the flexible rental, so I pay 24 euros each month to be able to cancel at any time. They take care of all services for you.

Conquering the Bremen Night Run (Nachtlauf)

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by Riley Robinson ’25

Getting ready for the Bremen night run.

I first heard about the Nachtlauf at the welcome dinner shortly after arriving in Bremen. A former DiB student and Dickinson alumni listed it as a must-do during the spring semester in Bremen. However, the encouragement came with an adamant warning: “ONLY do the 5k”. It made sense at the time, given that I had never run more than a 5k even on a treadmill. However, a few months later, when our Program Coordinator Insa delivered a reminder about the Nachtlauf and how we were to register, I was immediately infatuated with the idea of running a half marathon in Germany. This decision came with a little over a month to go before the race, which, as you know, is simply not enough time to train for something like this when your cardio is in the gutter. Nevertheless, I was able to recruit someone crazy enough to run it with me, fellow DiB student and Vanderbilt representative Grear. 

Throughout the next month, Grear and I trained extensively for the race. Fueled by raw determination, a slight addiction to crunching run times on the Strava app, early mornings, late nights, and a few David Goggins interviews, we were up to half marathon condition in no time. The journey was a surprisingly great way to learn about Bremen as well. It allowed us to experience new areas of the city that had previously been under our radar. Running through the tranquil, picturesque dairy pastures of Blockland offered a much-needed escape from the bustle of city life. And completing final stretches of long runs along the Weser allowed us to soak in the buzz of social life along the grassy fields adjacent to the river, reenergizing us for the final few miles. Before we knew it, race time was near. Despite the Berlin excursion being the week of the race, which obviously isn’t an expert precursor to a half marathon, we were ready. 

Race day. What started out as a beautiful, sunny day, quickly turned into the most violent summer storm we’ve had in the early season. Ninety-nine percent of the time it’s the kind of storm I’d be more than content with sitting outside and watching as the rain pours down onto the earth, smelling that fresh scent of summer rain while feeling the cool breeze wash over my face. But that night, I must run 13 miles in it. What made it worse was that it’s the first rain we’d seen in weeks, and it defied the typical Bremen storm (intermittent spurts of light showers) with consistency and heaviness. But nothing comes easy. 

The hum of excitement couldn’t be dampened. The beginning and end of the race was held in the Marktplatz, the plaza front and center of the Dom. The Marktplatz was alive and teaming with racegoers, all in matching blue race shirts and soaking wet from the cold rain, desperately trying to avoid the downpour. Amidst the tents, vendors, and various encampments of people, I located my team (Grear). After a messy rush to check bags and seek shelter, we were in the starting line a little after 8:55 pm. Crammed in with the other racers, we waited in anticipation. At 9:00, the starter gave us the signal. We were off. 

The race was a blur. The route followed the pedestrian walkways alongside the Weser, through city streets slick with rain and dark, and muddy dirt paths with little light. Over bridges and through tunnels crowded with spectators, the rain never let up, and we trudged through puddles and mud in the dark with a thousand others. The one thing I noticed right away is that I was one of the only racers hooting and hollering at the spectators cheering us on. This is the kind of energy I typically bring to these sorts of events, but it fell flat against the silent thud of shoes on the pavement. This was much more of an American way of participating. I’d learned the Germans tend to be quieter and uniformed, and a half marathon was no exception to this attitude. I was still surprised by the lack of excited expression. My favorite part of the race was running through a tunnel under the bridge near the Beck’s factory, where a group of musicians with large drums beat to a driving rhythm that echoed off the walls, creating an acoustic effect that heightened the moment and injected much needed energy. 

Finished the Night Run!

A little under two hours later, around 11:00 pm., we crossed the finish line. As the tiny sparklers went off around the path to the finish line, with crowds cheering us on, an overwhelming sense of accomplishment fell on me. Despite being drenched, chilled, and utterly exhausted, I couldn’t help but embrace the post-race euphoria that hung heavy in the air as we gathered ourselves in the crowd of racers who had finished with us. It was official. The Americans had conquered the Nachtlauf.

 

Becoming a Bremen Town Musician

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by Abby Jones ’25

Statue of the Bremen Town Musicians in the city center

When I began telling family and friends about my upcoming study abroad in Bremen, the first response I got was often about the famous Grimm fairy tale “The Bremen Town Musicians.” Although these famous animals never actually made it to Bremen to play music, I have been overjoyed to participate in the music scene during my exchange semester. Playing trombone has been a hobby of mine for the past 11 years, so it was a priority for me to find a way to keep playing while abroad. This has been an invaluable experience for me as a musician, but even more so as a world citizen and language learner. 

The first contacts I made with musicians in Bremen were with members of the Unibigband Bremen, the big band jazz group made up of both community members and students of the university. A musician was kind enough to lend me a trombone free of charge, and I began to attend rehearsals. This experience pushed me out of my comfort zone in many ways, making it an incredible learning experience. Although meeting a whole group of new people speaking German was a bit awkward and stressful at first, through the language of music, communication came easily. In the familiar setting of a music rehearsal, speaking German began to become much more fluid for me. Many members were just as nervous about their English as I was about German, creating an environment of working together for mutual understanding. This helped me immensely in getting over my fear of making mistakes when I speak.  

Abby (second to the left) at trombone practice

I am also thrilled to have the opportunity to work with a trombone instructor at the University of the Arts Bremen. Through these one-on-one lessons, I have learned so much both musically and culturally. After so many years of playing trombone, in order to improve, I have to break habits formed from years of experience and try slightly different techniques to get more out of my instrument. Because it is mostly a mental battle, it has been extremely interesting learning from someone of a different cultural background. I have gained some insight into how language is connected to many parts of life. 

Together, these experiences have been crucial to my adjustment to and enjoyment of the Dickinson in Bremen program. I was able to find a community of people patient with my slow German and willing to answer my random questions about life in Germany. Many of them have taken the opportunity to ask me about American culture, leading to fun moments of connection that feel to me like what exchange programs are all about. In weeks when schoolwork gets particularly tough, having time carved out to socialize and relax with music has helped me find balance.  

In addition to participating in music myself, I have also enjoyed attending performances of professional musicians in Bremen. The arts are very accessible to students, with tickets to theatre and opera productions costing only around eight euros! In this way, I have been able to get really great seats to impressive classical music productions.  

Engaging in music in Bremen has made me memories and taught me skills I will carry with me long after this semester is over, but for now, I look forward to enjoying my last two months as part of this community.  

“It is fun, scary, exciting, amazing, and the most unique thing I have ever done.”

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by Gabe McGough ’25

The Durden Dickinson College program with Universität Bremen has been an excellent experience thus far! The Austausch (exchange) program is situated in the northwest of Germany and offers world-class courses in a multitude of fields, including but in no way limited to law, STEM, history, and art. During my time at Uni Bremen, I am focusing heavily on the University’s programs surrounding German international and domestic law as well as foreign policy. I chose Universität Bremen after first taking my academic goals, personal interests, and career aspirations into account. After weighing out the myriad pros of attending against the scarce cons, I decided that the unique academic system, the independence of living alone in a big city for the first time, and the myriad career connections and possibilities I would come across would be worth it.

When it comes to the benefits of studying abroad in Germany though, I have found that it is the small, everyday parts of life that have made the experience truly special. Of all the experiences that I have had that have had the most impact on me, the most changing have been my encounters with the local community, the differences in the academic environment, my living situation, and the exploration and travel I was able to do. Beginning with the locals, the people of Bremen are unique. In my experience, they have been incredibly polite, accommodating, and very supportive, especially when I would try to practice my (clearly non-natural) German with them. Overall, the city of Bremen has a very friendly culture. From the Easter Festival to the Latin-American Weekend, there is always something for the adventurous student to do! While the study-abroad experience is incredibly fun, there are academic requirements that I must meet to get credit for my Bremen courses back at Dickinson College. While the immense range of course options offered at the University of Bremen is incredibly impressive and the courses themselves are expertly run, certain aspects of German pedagogy have been a little strange to adapt to. For my courses this semester, virtually every assignment of substance is either a presentation, paper, or formal final exam. While cutting a lot of “graded for participation/completion” notes from the grade book seems slightly daunting at the start, the amount of free time for deep study of concepts found to be the most interesting and for working ahead on my major assignments, I believe the system supports learning more efficiently than the system adopted in the United States. Along with that and the engaging discussions led by professors and other students in Socratic-seminar-style classes, the academic environment at Uni Bremen is amazing to experience. Outside of academics though, there is quite a lot of free time for Dickinson Students.

In my free time between classes or before going to bed during the week, I spend some time in my dorm room, and by dorm room, I mean a miniature apartment with a bathroom and kitchenette. In my solo residence in Findorff, a beautiful and quiet part of the city right next to the Bürgerpark, I had to learn how to prepare every meal for myself every day, as well as meal plan (every major store in Bremen is closed on Sunday). Not only was it a delight to experiment in my kitchen cooking whatever I want, but it also allows me to be responsible for every step of independent living, including doing the dishes. The affordability of German grocery stores such as Edeka, Aldi, and Rewe make it incredibly affordable to cook delicious, sometimes extravagant, healthy meals. While studying hard and learning how to be successful on my own in one of the most beautiful and fun cities I have seen, I like to take the opportunities around me to go on fun trips with friends to see more of the beautiful part of the world I live in. Dickinson provides two week-long excursions per year to Vienna and Berlin, one in the spring and one in the fall. Luckily, my cohort and I were able to be a part of both.

Photo: taken in the Imperial Treasury in Vienna

The Vienna trip was astounding. We were taken to ornate palaces, beautiful underground restaurants, to the resting places of a large portion of the Habsburg family, and so much more. In our free time, we were able to explore the beautiful capital of Austria and take in so much of the history and culture of the city. We are set to leave for our Berlin trip soon, which we all believe will be on par with the Vienna trip! The Cold War museums and shows in the theatre will likely be incredibly fun and a great place to learn the history and nuance of the area. While Dickinson provides trips though, the ease of Deutsche Bahn and the location of Bremen in proximity to amazing things to explore allows for incredibly easy one-day or weekend trips. As an example, two months ago I went to a city in the Netherlands, called Groningen, for a day to explore with a group of friends. To do the trip, we simply bought our cheap tickets on Flixbus, met at the bus station at 8:00 AM, rode the three and a half hours to the city, explored and enjoyed the cafés all day, then rode the bus back home a little after midnight. Trips like this are incredibly easy in Bremen, there are cities like Köln, Hamburg, and Hannover all within train distance, and there are a multitude of ways to get everywhere else.

Overall, I highly recommend any Dickinson student interested in applying for the Universiät Bremen Program to do so. It is fun, scary, exciting, amazing, and the most unique thing I have ever done. If you are interested in this experience I urge you to contact the Dickinson German Department. The Dickinson staff on campus here at Bremen are incredible at their jobs and are very kind and nice to work with. Thanks for reading about my experience in Bremen so far.

Bremen Up Till Now

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By Noah Salsich ’25

I have had an amazing time in Bremen so far! I am a junior who studies political science and environmental studies as my majors and have a German minor. I am studying in the Dickinson in Bremen program only for this semester, as last semester I studied in New Zealand.

When I arrived, I started my intensive language school prior to starting up normal classes at the University of Bremen. Spring DiB students come in February to take two language classes and to set up our visas and other logistics, which helped get me adjusted. I took my class with about 10 other students who were mostly aspiring Uni students or planning to work in Germany. I made some great connections there and enjoyed practicing my German with people in the same boat as me. I am now in my fifth week of classes at the University Bremen, and I love it. My classes are really interesting, and I’m taking a great mix of courses on environmental policy and political inequality, all of which go deeper into subjects that I wouldn’t be able to learn about at Dickinson.

One of the main things I love about living in Bremen is the independence and the ability to explore and live in such a great city as Bremen. The public transportation in this city is very efficient and accessible, and I am able to get to know the city and really make it feel like home. An area of the city is somewhat of an arts district and there are great cafés along the water and shops to visit. I am also fond of the climbing gym in the city, so I have places I know well.

I also have just loved speaking to and being around Germans. It is a special type of feeling to have someone ask you a question at a bus stop and be able to answer them, or to have a conversation in passing with your classmate. Making friends or talking with strangers in German and then zooming out to realize what I just did makes me so happy. I think it is also important to mention culture shock. Due to my experience abroad last semester, I was more comfortable living on my own in another country, and was already somewhat familiar with how culture shock might feel. But that type of thing is hard to predict, especially because this time I would be speaking and surrounded by a foreign language. Culture shock did hit me differently here because although New Zealand is just about the farthest I could have gone from PA, it is an English-speaking country and has been very much influenced by the UK, so it wasn’t that much of an adjustment. In Bremen, I have had to adjust a lot more. But dealing with that change has been a great learning experience, and I’ve learned a lot about how to handle it. One of the biggest ways I deal with it is through humor and awareness. I try to be cognizant that it isn’t something that fully goes away, and try to laugh at the mistakes I make and keep moving, it’s part of the experience. Even normal things like grocery shopping take me longer. Like in the US, a lot of daily products have minor differences that are hard to discern for a foreigner, and it once took me three different tries to buy the right type of cream. My flatmates have a joke that whenever I go shopping, it’s pretty much guaranteed I will buy something wrong. It’s those type of things that are just part of it, and I find fun.


All in all, it has been great, and I will treasure my time here.

Talk with Students in Lviv (Ukraine)

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One week ago, our students had the chance to talk with four Ukrainian students from Lviv via Zoom. The talk was facilitated by Dr. Randall R. Miller, Senior Consultant to the Chancellor of the Wayne County Community College District, with the support of the Chancellor of WCCCD and Bob Wood, Professor at the Catholic University in Lviv, in cooperation with our program. Four Ukrainian students, Sofiia, Olha, Kassandra, and Yaryna shared their experiences with studying in a war-torn country. Our Dickinson-in-Bremen students shared their thoughts after the talk:

 

“What struck me most was the normalization of the students’ experiences. Much like many people in the west have likely grown numb to seeing updates about the war in Ukraine in the news, the Ukrainian students and their professors no longer react to air sirens like they did at the beginning. It’s heartbreaking that Ukraine has been exposed to war for so long that it has settled into daily life like any other routine.” (McKenna Hillman) 

“The part that stuck with me most about hearing the Ukrainian students speak is how they have had to get used to so many horrific things. The students discussed their daily lives as consisting of daily bomb threats and sirens, frequent reminders of the fallen, general fear for loved ones, and an inability to make plans for the future. At the same time, it took them time to articulate what living in a war is like, often iterating that it just feels like normal life now.” (Abby Jones)

“It is a sobering experience to listen to current students of University in the country of Ukraine. They are similar to my peers and I, with the responsibility of school and their personal lives. But they live in constant fear of violence, whether it be inflicted on them or their family or their friends.” (Riley Robinson)

Learning about how life amidst a war has been normalized to a degree through these students was both fascinating as well as deeply concerning. I was particularly struck by the students’ description of their current reactions to air raid sirens as opposed to when the war was just beginning as well as some University classrooms doubling as bomb shelters. I recall one student saying she sometimes didn’t even react to bomb warnings and simply stayed in her apartment because it had become a normal part of her life at this point. (Grear Boyd)

“The meeting with Ukrainian students really demonstrated the reality of the impacts of the war, the day to day impacts on individuals are covered less by the international media so it was interesting to hear their perspectives, especially about continuing their lives with a semblance of normalcy amidst the chaos and terror of war.” (Gabe McGough)

 

Afterwards, the Dickinson students as well as the students from Ukraine had the opportunity to attend a talk by Dr. Ludwig, titled: “The War in Ukraine explained. An Update after Two Years,” which was followed by a Q&A session.

“While I found many aspects of Dr. Ludwig’s Ukraine talk interesting, I was particularly intrigued by her explanation of the role that social media continues to play in the ongoing conflict both on Russian and Ukrainian sides. Specifically, Russian use of misinformation to continue to justify aggression towards Ukraine was of interest. Yet, as I have seen these videos myself on my personal social media accounts, I was particularly captivated by the discussion of Ukrainian use of popular media platforms to spread awareness of inadequacies of the Russian military in order to both rouse international support for their defense efforts and to promote national morale.” (Grear Boyd)

“I found both our conversation with the students from Lviv and Dr. Ludwig’s talk incredible. Not only did I get to talk with students, folks my age, experiencing the war first hand as their day to day, I got to understand the war, tactics and its current status much better than I ever would have. I think what struck me most was how normalized war was for the Ukrainian students – one girl apologized for being so tired, as there had been air raid sirens all night and she had classes in the morning, in the same tone I might complain about the weather.” (Noah Salsich)

 

The morning after these talks, Russia launched massive drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian cities – the largest airstrike on its energy infrastructure so far in the last two years of this war.

Class on German-American relations

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Mia Siemers, a student from the University of Bremen, shared a few thoughts on studying German-American cultural and political relations over 300 years in the course “Comparative Cultures – USA/Germany,” which is taught every fall/winter semester by Dr. Ludwig:
“I genuinely enjoyed taking this course on the comparison between Germany and America. It gave me a lot to think about and impacted my view on many things regarding the relation between these two countries. Even after the class ended, I still watched several documentaries about the topic. I also wanted to add that the excursion to the ‘Auswanderehaus’ made everything a lot more realistic in an way that you got to experience the journey from Germany to America under the circumstances of the time with your own eyes. I am glad I took the course because of the amount of knowledge I gained and the people I met during class hours.”

Day trip to the Emigration Center

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by Mia Siemers

Students as emigrants

Our course “Comparative Cultures–USA/ Germany” went on a trip to the “Auswandererhaus” (Emigration Center) in Bremerhaven. In the beginning, each of us received a biography from one of the immigrants who travelled from different cities to the United States. As the tour continued, we got more information about their crossing as well as their lives in a foreign country. The guide told us a variety of interesting aspects and facts from 1620 to the present. We were able to get an insight into the history of immigration due to a multimedia exhibition. Over all, it was a great experience with lots of new knowledge and laughter.

On the transatlantic ship passage

The final destination

My study-abroad experience in Bremen

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by Mac Tambussi ’23

When I was picking which college to go to my senior year of high school, I knew studying abroad was a huge factor in my decision. Ultimately, I landed on Dickinson, which has great study abroad programs all over the world. Before I started school, I went to Germany in 2019 with my host family and fell in love with the country. After I returned to the U.S., I knew I wanted to come back. When I found out Dickinson had a program in Germany, I was ecstatic and had a feeling that when Junior spring came around, I would be back in the country that I grew to love.

When going through the application process, I knew the program was in Bremen, but to be honest, I did not know Bremen existed. Well fast forward to today, I consider Bremen my second home. In the six months I spent in Bremen, I formed friendships, tried new activities, learned more about the culture, and overall just had a blast.

The friendships I made, both people from Dickinson and the USA on the trip, and those from Germany and all over the world, have made a huge impact on my life. My friends and I went on many trips to many different cities/amusements across Germany and Europe such as Cologne, Hamburg, Bonn, Heide Park, Bremerhaven, Berlin, Vienna, and Amsterdam. In addition in Bremen, we were able to travel to different parts of the city, where we would try new restaurants, go shopping, help in service activities, watch soccer, and go to clubs (my personal favorite was Modernes). In addition to that, I and two of my friends joined the rugby team, where we were able to form a solid friendship with them also.

The school aspect was also really cool. For the first two months, we spent time with both Aristoles and Goethe Institute learning the language. This was because almost all of our classes at the University of Bremen were in German. After becoming proficient in German, we began our classes. Three of my classes were business related and one was Political Science related. They were all super interesting and gave me a different perspective on how higher education is in Germany and different viewpoints. All in all, I had a great learning experience in Germany.

Lastly, learning about the culture and trying new foods was a highlight. Having Doner Kebab, Wiener Schnitzel, and Wurst was awesome. Everything was delicious! Trying different things, playing new games, and experiencing the culture from a first-hand experience were amazing. The Dickinson in Germany study abroad experience is one I will never forget. I was able to try so many different things and get to meet and see so many friends! I liked it so much, that I am currently applying for a Fulbright Grant to be an English Teaching Assistant in Germany. I can’t wait to come back to visit. Till next time Germany!

Dance in Bremen

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by Shannon Vogel

At the University of Bremen, the Hochschulsport provides many fitness classes for students to take for a relatively low price. Dickinson will also reimburse you up to a certain amount to take these courses. You can see a list of past/current course offerings on their website, as well as when registration goes live for the upcoming semester. They offer several styles of dance, martial arts, team sports (volleyball, rugby, etc.) and yoga.

I took a Modern Jazz course this semester, where I got to meet several other Uni Bremen students. Our class had the opportunity to perform at the Breminale, a music festival in Bremen. The class focused on learning a few combos, as well as an entire choreographed dance.

While the Hochschulsport classes provide many options, they do follow the semester class schedule (generally the lecture period), which means the courses won’t run the entirety of the time you are in Bremen. For me, I arrived in February and left in August, but the Modern Jazz course only ran from April through July. Since I still wanted to dance/exercise for the entire semester, I found an independent ballet studio in the city. There are a lot of dance studios throughout Bremen, but the one I settled on was polkadotBallettStudios. I found their prices fair and the staff helpful. They offer modern and hip-hop classes as well, but they are primarily a ballet studio. I signed up to take classes twice a week, and really enjoyed it! I got to learn some new German vocabulary, as well as meet people my age who don’t study at Uni Bremen.

If you’re interested in a particular style of dance, I do recommend researching all of your options in Bremen, as there are many studios in the city.