Jen Eichler - Darmstadt, Germany (Fall 1998)

A Major Decision

The summer of 1998, before final exams in Germany, I took a break at the end of my undergraduate studies in exchange for some practical experience in a new and different environment. Although I had to take my exams half a year later as according to lecture plan, the cultural learning experience was worth every moment. I can tell you the long-term effect of an international exchange is priceless.

How Did I Get the Chance to Study at Purdue?

My Masters and Ph.D. advisor has good relationships in long standing with a few Professors at Purdue, especially Prof. Bowman, who is a regular guest in Darmstadt. So I did not hesitate, when I met Professor Bowman and one of his PhD students, to sign up for study in the United States. I did not expect anything special. I just thought it would be a good experience because everyone stated that time in a foreign country would provide a better job opportunity in the long run.

And I had another reason for wanting to study abroad that might seem strange for a German: I love college football. So the first thing I organized was a season ticket for the Purdue home football games. (I had secured the football tickets long before I had a place to stay!)

My Arrival in the United States

I arrived in West Lafayette with the shuttle bus from the Indianapolis airport. Prof. Bowman picked me up and took care of me for the first few days until I settled into my own place. Housing was no problem; I lived in a place called Warren House, where they accept short-term housing applicants like me. My apartment was furnished and what I didn’t have, somebody at Purdue helped me find. Money exchange was no problem either, like I had thought it might be. And Visa is accepted everywhere, even w/the housing people. Everybody knows when you go to a foreign country, you feel lost for the first few days; I never felt lost at Purdue. So, I still try to pay back some of the hospitality I experienced in the United States whenever a foreign guest comes to the institute in Germany where I currently work.

The Cultural Experience at Purdue

I had a few cool lab mates and often I was invited to a party or just for dinner. One party I remember was the Halloween party, a traditional holiday where children get all dressed up in costumes and go around asking for candy. However, this particular Halloween, we went a little out of our way to make the kids scared, all in good fun. It was great. We had so much fun decorating the house that some of the kids were scared to go up to the door. Maybe we carried it a little far when one of the students started the circular saw as a kid rang the bell. Whatever you do, the experience of another culture is something you need to live, not just read about.

Purdue Football Tradition

The other students and I went out for lunch together during work days, but I always looked forward to the football games every Saturday in the fall. I love the game day atmosphere on a college campus: The tailgating, the band playing, the food, the cheerleaders and finally the game. Ok, it was very strange for me to witness the level of patriotism involved, but then I am a German. Most Germans would never say that they are ‘proud to be German’ -- I haven’t sang the national anthem since I was in school. I was totally unaware of patriotism before I arrived in the US and it was a strange experience for me for a nation to show so much pride for something that would seem as unimportant as a flag; however, to the Americans, this flag stands for freedom, and they not only recognized and respect all of the men who died giving them their freedom, they salute it every day. The poem everybody would recite before each game always ended with these words: “And I say it proud and I say it loud: I am an American.” This was incredible, especially since I was in the United States in 1998, long before 9/11. The games were actually very good once that was over. I liked the whole package. The cheerleaders did amazing stuff throwing the girls up ten meters high. The band at Purdue is great and the football team had a good season. Only epileptic Pete (that’s what we called him), one of the mascots of the team, was a bit disturbing but we got accustomed to him.

Making Friends

One of the best parts of study abroad is making new friends. This is really how you experience the culture of another country through those who live it daily. With two of my newfound friends, I made two more tips during my stay at Purdue. I was invited by one of the PhD students to join him on a trip to his parents’ house. Again, the hospitality was amazing and I still try to pay that back. We spend a lot of time on the lake that is right in the back yard of his parents house. For the first time I tubed on water, did the wake boarding and a little tour with a kayak, all great water sports of the U.S. culture. Best of all was the trip with his fathers boat. Not one of those small ones. No, this one was so fast, that the cheeks started to make noises because of the wind. It was great!

My other destination was not approved by the Purdue members. I have to admit it: I am a Notre Dame fan. But after my stay at Purdue I also became a Purdue fan, if they are not playing Notre Dame. So I took a rental car and drove to South Bend for a home game (approximately 3 hours). IT WAS AWESOME!!! After the game, I drove once around Lake Michigan. I was lucky to be there just at the peak of what home folks call “Indian Summer.” This is a time where the leaves on the trees begin to turn the most beautiful colors. That alone was worth to drive all the way to the upper peninsula of Michigan. I spent one night in a city called Paradise, but the Motel was quite awful. On the way down on the other side I saw the Green Bay Packers football stadium (they are a professional football team) and finally arrived in Chicago, a large city about 2 hours north of Purdue. I really liked that city. It is relatively European for an American big city. There are shops in the center, people out in the streets and I spend two great days shopping and visiting the awesome museums of the city of Chicago.

Down to the Research

Is there still something missing? Ah yeah, I also had a project to work on. I tried to work out a procedure to investigate layered ceramic specimens with ultrasonic devices. What I liked about it was that I got the chance to work on this project like one does a thesis. I had a few PhD students who were showing me how to use the equipment and I had the regular meetings with my two advisors. I got the chance to learn how to work on my own project and how to defend it in regular talks in front of the group. I was searching for literature, trying out a few things and I had to learn, that science is often disappointing. In the end I wrote a report, so I could improve my English writing skills. I learned a lot that I could use later in my research career. < H3>On My Own To Learn More About the Culture

Of course I also spent a few weekends on my own, to meet other people, even if it was just for a short chat in a bar. One thing I am still regularly dreaming of is the chili cheese Burger from the Wabash Yacht Club, a local Purdue pub we ate at frequently. It was so great that I had at least one every week. I didn’t quiet understand that the burger was already grilled in the kitchen once I entered the place, but the waitress definitely knew who I was, and that this chili cheese burger at our table could only be for me.

Today if I am in the U.S., I think about driving to Lafayette just for one of these chili cheese burgers! So, you think that is silly? Hey, we drove all the way from West Lafayette to Las Cruses, New Mexico, just to have Mexican food at a special restaurant. That was a heck of a road trip. We drove 26 hours to get down there. Then we stayed for two and a half days and drove back for 26 hours. We spend one day in Mexico, had our dinner at that special restaurant and I was out with Chris that night seeing all the good Pubs in Las Cruses. We spend one day in White Sands playing football up and down the sand dunes and the night we slept under the stars up in the mountains close by. We were rock climbing in the morning, had a nice lunch made by Chris Mum and then we were on the way back to West Lafayette. Was that a stupid idea? Yes, but it was great fun and it is always a great story to tell.

A Bond with Purdue Friends Forever

So does such a short research trip pay off in the long run? After six years I have still close contact with at least four people from Purdue. One of them I met later at a conference and we will soon publish a paper together. On my next New Zealand trip I will go hiking with one of the students I met at Purdue. And I shared a house with one of my advisers during a research trip to Australia. And as you see with this article, people at Purdue have not forgotten me, since I was asked to write this, even after being gone for six years. So an international exchange can be very fruitfull in the short run to learn new things and get a broader view of the world. But it might pay off even more in the long run if you are able to maintain some of the contacts. I am staying in India right now and as you see on the photo, I have a Purdue pennant over my bed and a few Purdue T-shirts with me, too. The T-shirts were a gift by a Purdue PhD-student who stayed at my place during a research trip in Darmstadt. I still have to pay back the hospitality! My ties with Purdue will never end and the great memories I have of that fall semester become present again whenever I cross something related to Purdue. All I still have to say: Go Boilers!