An experience that will impact me for the rest of my life Past Review

Studying abroad in Freiburg im Breisgau, a small city in SüdDeutschland(South Germany) seems like an underrated opportunity so far. But comparing to other IES Programs in Europe it's absolutely unique. People gain both local experience in a typical German town and international experience by taking field trips to other countries in this program. For me, a student major in International Relations it's a mind-opening experience. The courses I took at the IES Center took an in-depth look into European Union, not only were we able to study the institutions, organization, development, policy-making and controversies of the EU, the course design also offered the micro aspect of it. I took a class called Regions in the EU, which focused on how countries adopted the EU legislation and how much legislative freedom they still have under the EU law supremacy. I also took a class about EU and Muslim, which discussed the development and current controversies surrounding the Muslim communities in some of the EU's member states. But what really helped me gain more passion about my studies were the field trips and the model EU. We were able to meet and talk to people who study and work on some of the most concerned current issues in Europe. For example, we met someone from the refugee committee in Athens who gave us the local perspective of the refugee crisis. Another precious part of the experience was being able to look at issues from countries that were often times neglected on mainstream US media. I took a field trip to three Central Eastern European countries: Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania, learning about its communist history and the current perspective on issues like EU development and refugee crisis. Representing Finland in my council for model EU also helped me look more into policies of a small state like Finland. It also made me realize how difficult it is to reach agreement while having 28 different voices on the table. An amazing thing about this program is that it offers opportunity for internship after the program. This program offers a few intern positions working for MEPS in the European Parliament, and it also allows you to apply for an internship in Freiburg, which is what I ended up doing. My German is far away from being proficient, but I was able to work at the Carl-Schurz-Haus, a German-American cultural institute that brings events focusing on both cultures. It's a rewarding experience that allowed me to understand the German organizational culture more and interact with people from the local community. People at my internship site were really nice and I had such a good time. It was also really nice to be able to stay in Freiburg during the summer. Another reason I would recommend this program is the fact that it's cheaper to live in Freiburg comparing to other cities in Europe(especially like Paris and Copenhagen...Trust me you will miss Freiburg or any other city in Germany after you paid $15 for a Danish hot dog in Copenhagen and $9 for a glass of beer in Helsinki...). The food lacks variety in Germany, that I agree, but I definitely fall in love with German food during my time there. I remember buying currywust for only 2-3 euros in Munster, grabbing pretzels from the local bakeries, getting gelato for 1 euro/scoop near the tram stop everyday before I headed home from the internship, and buying beer before sitting down in Mensa for the Euro 2016 games. In Freiburg IES students are able to live in student apartment with German student from Freiburg University. The accommodation is way better than my on-campus dorm, there's an actual kitchen where you can really be a chef and host friends. My room at Vauben, the student village was not spacious but still acceptable and big enough to be comfy. Vauben is also 10 minutes walk from the black forest where you can easily go for a weekend hike. Being in Freiburg means geographically you are almost in the center of western Europe. Even though it's a small city, the fact that you are near the French-Swiss border makes travel quite convenient. It takes a bit more than an hour going to Alsace region in France(Colmar, Mullhouse,Strasbourg) and it's takes similar amount of time going to Basel in Switzerland, where you can take flight to other European destinations from the Euro Airport there. For other flights usually people go to airports in Frankfurt, which is around 1,5 hours by train from Freiburg. Flights in Europe are way cheaper comparing to the ones in US, as there are many cheap flight companies and it's incredibally cheap if you buy tickets in advance. I benefited from such convenience and traveled to 14 countries in total during my time abroad(8 on my own). My favorite trips include going to see Germany vs Slovakia as part of the Euro 2016 in Lille, France. Now I feel like I'm almost a pro traveler and this program really helped me discover my passion for travel! As you can see, the IES EU program in Freiburg offers way more than what its name might appeal to you. It also offers extra opportunities if you are interested and determined. My time with this program really helped me to grow and become a new person. People should consider this program if they want to discover Europe, EU and themselves.