Hi! My name is Sydney Mace, and I am a junior majoring in business management. I did a semester abroad at the European Business School in Oestrich-Winkel, Germany. My global theme is inequality and human rights. I have been thinking about this blog for over a month now, and trying to put my experience into words without writing a 30 page paper is proving to be difficult! Throughout my experience, I made many amazing friendships, memories that are going to last a lifetime, and have overall grown as a person in more ways than I thought possible. I had many ups and downs throughout my experience, but overall loved it! My biggest takeaways from the experience is that everything will work out one way or the other, as well as the importance of resilience. 

I had the opportunity to tour two different concentration camps while I was abroad, Dachau and Auschwitz-Birkenau. Dachau is located in Munich, Germany, and Auschwitz is located in Oświęcim, Poland. These two experiences were extremely eye opening, and relate to my theme of inequality and human rights. As many people know, the prisoners of concentration camps were stripped of many of their basic human rights. They were treated horribly, and millions of people died. The saying “Arbeit Macht Frei” is on the entrance gate to both of the concentration camps. This translates to “work sets you free.” I overheard a tour guide at Dachau say that the saying was extremely misleading because in reality, prisoners were going to either be immediately murdered, or worked until death. No matter how hard the prisoners worked, there was no intention of setting them free. Seeing the concentration camps in person is extremely difficult, but I would recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity. Although it is a sad part of history, it is important for people to learn about and be aware of so we can assure nothing like it ever occurs again. I am extremely thankful I got the opportunity to tour both camps because I have a new and deeper understanding of horrors that occurred. 

A fun fact about Germany is that they have the most castles out of any country in the world. I got the opportunity to visit many of them, and it was magical. Each and every one is unique, and extremely interesting to learn about. They all have a different story behind them. My favorite castle that I got to tour was Neuschwanstein. This castle is located in Schwangau, Germany and is incredibly beautiful! It was built in the late 1800’s, but it was never fully finished because the king passed away and the construction was never continued. 

One of my favorite things I did while I was in Germany was Oktoberfest in Munich. I went on the first day of the opening weekend, and it was incredible. I did not know much about the festival before going, so it was a shock to me when I realized the size of the event. There were thousands of people, and finding a table in a tent to sit at was nearly impossible. Luckily my friends and I were all able to find tables in the same tent, and we made a lot of friends in the process! I will never forget the first beer that I was given, it was the size of my head! I felt very immersed in the German culture throughout this event. I wore a dirndl (a traditional German dress) and got to eat and drink authentic German food and beer.

Overall my experience was incredible. This is an experience that I am going to remember for the rest of my life, and I look forward to sharing it with anyone that is willing to listen. It has helped shape me as a person, and taught me many different life lessons. I am overall more resilient and independent, and realize that I can do whatever I put my mind to. I am grateful that I got this experience, and appreciate my friends, family, and the UM staff for supporting me along the way!