"Becoming a Mainz Citizen"
Self-Designed Experience
Experience Summary:
How does one bridge the gap between vacation and life?
While it is typical to visit any country for a short period of time, immerse yourself in all the shiny, tourist-y things they want you to see, and return home with nothing but glowing stories and fond memories, this is not how I wanted to see Germany. To continue my travels in a place that meant so much to me, I knew I had to dive deeper than the hipster coffee shops and perfectly curated museums. This is why returning to Mainz, Germany, a cozy and shockingly Cincinnati-like town, in the heart of Germany's Rhineland Palatinate to truly immerse myself in the everyday life of a German was wholly necessary for my understanding of German culture and ways of life. Cat sitting for a family friend on vacation, I grappled with the pedantic, yet normal struggles of correctly sorting my recycling for the trash collectors, navigating the local corner-store supermarket, and exchanging pleasantries while passing neighbors in the apartment hallway.
Beyond that, I faced more serious challenges a Mainz Citizen would know to be commonplace struggle: translating to the doctor that my American friend's cold was also giving her a headache, troubleshooting the jammed laundromat coin slot with a local, and ordering prescriptions at one of the city's many Pharmacys. This does not mean I wasn't able to engage in the beautiful, romanticized exterior of German life, it just made it so much sweeter. Visiting the thrice-weekly farmers market, I began to get recognized throughout the two weeks I spent patronizing the local "Frisches Obst" stand, asking what a celery root was good for or which grade honey the kind woman recommended. Stepping into professional, pristine art museums and ancient refurbished churches was a welcome escape from the bustling energy of the outside world. I am proud to say I struck a balance between discovering new parts of Mainz as a tourist and living the day-to-day just like my neighbors.
Whether I wanted to confidently claim it at the time or not, the two weeks I spent as a Mainz resident made me more of a Global Citizen Scholar than I ever could have been staying in the US. My independence, language, and problem solving skills shot through the roof and equipped me with the confidence to navigate problems both abroad and back home once returning. Mainz, I will miss you!
Visual Representation:
Listen... I know I take to many pictures, theres just no better way to show off the beauty of life in Germany! Enjoy below photos of good food, views, and experiences (including my first successful laundromat experience and day-trip to the neighboring city of Heidelberg)!
