by Justin Kemp<\/p>\n
My first encounter with Europe felt like living in a movie.<\/p>\n
While waiting for nightfall so you can take pictures of the Eiffel Tower sparkling against the Paris night sky, you witness two marriage proposals. You meet a friend for lunch who\u2019s studying abroad in Germany; she\u2019s living in a castle. You overhear conversations in French, German, Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Italian, and Russian, all swirling around you as you weave through a crowded street.<\/p>\n
Of course, experiencing the magic was only part of the CU in Europe May Term. Four classes\u2014Humanities, Theology of Worship, Psychology of Personality, and (the course I took) Special Topics in German\u2014met throughout our two-and-a-half-week trip, supplementing our experiential learning at museums and castles with lectures on topics like the history of Christianity in France and Germany. Reading history books is one thing, but walking through the Louvre and seeing magnificent art pieces created hundreds of years ago? My brain (and camera roll) might never recover.<\/p>\n
I particularly enjoyed visiting Wartburg, a castle in Eisenach where Martin Luther hid from the Catholic church after publishing his 95 Theses. While in hiding, he translated the first German New Testament and published it in 1522. Later, my classmates and I learned about a poem called The Wittenburg Nightingale<\/em>, published by Hans Sachs a year later in response to and support of Luther\u2019s ideas. As a writer myself, I admired how many artists, whether they were painters, sculptors, poets, or something else entirely, contributed to ongoing cultural discussions by creating excellent art as an expression of their theology.<\/p>\n Near the end of our journey, my professor, Dr. Annis Shaver, asked some of us about our highs and lows for the trip. While several of my fellow students loved exploring Paris, I must\u00a0admit that I did not enjoy the bustle of one of Europe\u2019s biggest cities. (One factor did redeem the experience for me\u2014the bread. Incroyable<\/em>. I\u2019m not sure if I can eat American again.) As for my favorite part, the food overall is definitely up there, somewhere near castles and cathedrals. But I think I most enjoyed noting differences from my own way of life.<\/p>\n The French and Germans seemed on the surface to differ from Americans in several respects: they seemed quieter, more rule-oriented (especially the Germans); they didn\u2019t seem to place as high a premium on convenience as Americans tend to. Being a tourist in Europe was sometimes tricky. Our conversational volume earned us several dirty looks from waiters, and we had to be careful about not jaywalking and observing quiet hours. As for convenience, we discovered that water fountains don\u2019t exist and that toilets generally cost money.<\/p>\n But beyond superficial differences, I was most intrigued by French and German attitudes toward time. For instance, though fast food exists in Europe, most restaurants are sit-down and expect patrons to stay for a few hours, as conversations tend to meander more slowly. I found this very refreshing. Especially for college students, American lifestyles often leave little time to savor friendships and conversations. I think all of my classmates enjoyed the days when we could wander freely around the cities and take time to enjoy long sit-down meals. Just for a few hours, you could immerse yourself in this incredible new world and forget time exists.<\/p>\n