Achieving Professional Goals Through a Virtual Internship in Engineering #HogsAbroad (Virtually) in Germany

Blog post courtesy of USAC

Max Hedman, a computer engineering major at the University of Arkansas participated in USAC’s Global Perspectives Virtual Internship in Summer 2020. Hear how Max used this opportunity conducting research with a professor in Lüneburg, Germany to establish himself in his field of choice, network with professionals, and reach some pretty exciting career goals — all before graduation.

Why did you choose to participate in a virtual internship?

I was originally planning to study abroad out of country in order to strengthen my language skills. However, my plan was interrupted by COVID. I heard about USAC through my school’s study abroad office and I thought that taking a virtual internship would be a great way to participate in another culture while still improving my engineering skills.

How does a virtual internship fit into your academic and professional goals?

Academically, I was able to branch out to a different field of engineering that I had never worked with before, but had always interested me. The skills that I learned have already helped me out in my classes, and it gave me taste of what working in a professional setting is like.

What organization did you intern with and what is their primary function as a company?

I did not intern with an organization so much as with a professor. The purpose of the internship was more of a research internship with the end goal of generating novel ideas worthy of a paper. We performed tests using an advanced control scheme that we built in Matlab Simulink that simulated the pathing of our test robot, the Robotino.

What were your responsibilities? What did an average day look like for you?

First, as controls engineering was a new topic to me, I worked with the professor to learn the basics of control theory and in particular, SMC (Sliding Mode Control) and MPC (Model Predictive Control). My typical day during this phase of the internship would consist of educational zoom meetings and also self teaching of subjects like differential equations and linear algebra, math subjects that I had not taken in class, but would need for the project we would build.

Second, we built the program. The Simulink file that we started with was the results of the some of the professor’s work with his graduate students. This phase consisted of deriving equations which and then implementing them into Matlab Simulink. This was the most difficult phase as we had to root out and search for errors and figure ways to solve them when they became apparent. Most of what we built, we built while in a zoom meeting, so we could both see what was going on. This was a very satisfying part of the internship as many of the bugs we would find would take 10+ hours to solve. This was great as the problem solving feel of the entire thing is one of the reasons I want to be an engineer.

Third, once the program was mostly finished, barring several non-critical bugs, we started to put a lot of work into the paper. The professor and I both wrote different sections and made many edits until the end product was perfect and ready for submission into the conference.

Some of the work you did during your internship was published. Can you tell us more about that project?

The work that we published was a control scheme for an omnidirectional mobile robot. The control scheme used MPC (model predictive control) in order to generate an optimal trajectory that the robot would attempt to follow by using SMC (sliding mode control) which is a corrective, robust control strategy that compensates for error (both externally caused and natural physical limitations). The result is a low consumption scheme that can compensate for error and work around constraints (which can be implemented in the form of a cost function).

The paper has not been published yet as the conference is not until March, and papers are published in the conference proceedings, but we have submitted the paper and are waiting to hear if it will be accepted. The conference is tough to get into, but I feel we have a very strong subject for the paper, with a good simulation results to back it up.

Did you have to overcome any cultural obstacles during your internship (such as language barriers or different approaches to office culture)?

Due to the one on one nature of my internship, there were not too many cultural issues. The professor that I worked with was incredibly helpful and supportive.

One of my hobbies is languages, I like to learn all sorts of new words and learn their etymology, so it was very cool to learn some (very very little) Italian during the internship. I feel like breaking (even if ever so slightly) a language barrier makes the entire situation much more welcoming and I was glad to be able to expand my horizons to learn more about different cultures.

What are the benefits of a virtual internship?

The best part of a virtual internship is the convenience of it. I have found it far easier to schedule emergency meetings or to work parallelly (keeping in mind we worked on a computer simulation) in a virtual environment. I think this is a smaller point, but having experience working in a virtual environment will be quite important for my field as going into the future a lot of my work will be online, and I won’t always be able to meet clients in person.

What was the hardest part of your internship? How did you learn to overcome or manage this hurdle?

The hardest part of my internship had to be the building and testing of the program, although it was satisfying when we figured it out, many errors were very difficult to track down due to the size of the program. Additionally, because of the nature of simulating with multiple feedback loops, a small error in one spot may cause the program to completely crash or project error somewhere else.

What was your favorite part of your internship?

My favorite part was working with the professor, you can tell that he has a love for the subject and that he has a love for teaching. If I had to give a specific moment though, discovering that we had been using an incorrect constant and finally solving an error that had been in the program from the start was amazing. I remember it well because we solved it on a zoom call where we had a mini celebration afterwards. I remember saying “cross your fingers” before we tested it. Truly an awesome moment.

What is next for your academic career, and what are your professional plans for after graduation?

While I am still taking classes and working towards my major, I plan to take as many internships, study abroad opportunities, and co-ops as I can. I really want to gather a lot of experience so that I can better know what to expect (and do a better job) when I graduate. After graduation, I am hoping to work with a company (maybe even one that took an internship with) until I understand the field better and then I would like to start a cybersecurity consulting firm. I do have to admit though, while these are goals that I would like to work towards, a lot can change by the time I graduate, so I feel like the best plan is to look out for special opportunities and be ready and able to adapt if necessary. As I have been told before, sometimes the best engineers are the ones that can learn to climb the ladder sideways, branch out to different things.

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Learn more about USAC’s Global Perspectives virtual internship program.

Interested in pursuing a virtual international internship? This innovative program allows students to put accessibility and mobility concerns aside to develop meaningful professional connections with international companies, NGOs, health and education organizations, and so on. Although it’s not a substitute for a traditional on-site experience, these programs provide a project-based pathway for students to connect with international organizations. Learn more about options to internationalize your degree plan by adding a virtual international internship to your semester.

#HogsAbroad in Spain #TravelTuesday

Homesickness can come in many forms while studying abroad and it hit me pretty hard last week. It’s not that I missed being in America or felt like I was missing out on the snow and ice that hit the University of Arkansas’s campus (I’m very happy with my sunny and 65 thank you) but rather I missed the comforts I’ve grown accustomed to over the last 21 years. Last week was just one of those weeks where everything seemed to be going wrong. To top it off, I was sick from my weekend in Cádiz and the stress from the week made it so that I couldn’t get better. I was homesick in the sense that I couldn’t just run to Walmart and get tissues, Ben and Jerry’s, and all my other sick day comforts all in the same trip. Hell, I didn’t even know where to buy tissues. (I swear Spaniards don’t use them).

The only thing getting me through the week was my upcoming trip to Berlin. I don’t know what it is but I’ve always wanted to go to Berlin. Maybe it’s the history major in me knowing all that the city has to offer historically or just all the Instagram posts I’ve seen from friends that have visited. Admittedly, I was very disappointed when we couldn’t fit Berlin into the family trip in January and have been determined to go back ever since. Sure, it wouldn’t be another country to scratch off on my scratch map back home but Berlin was on my bucket list and this was a perfect opportunity to cross it off. What made it even better was the fact that I’d be spending the weekend with my dad!

I am so fortunate that his job requires him to travel. Because of this he was able to use his air miles to get me over to Europe in the first place but now he gets to use his job as an excuse to travel with me. He was going to be in Oman for the week for business but told me we could meet up anywhere. John is a big fan of Germany so meeting in Berlin just made sense. Thursday was a long day of travel for the both of us and when we finally met up in the train station at nearly 11 p.m. we were both ready for bed.

The weekend was supposed to have horrible weather but that didn’t stop us from getting up early and getting at the city in true Walton travel fashion. First stop was the Reichstag building rooftop which gave incredible views of the gloomy city and helped us to get out bearings a little bit. The wind around the city was absolutely insane and was even worse on top of a building, as evident by the stick straight flags and the inevitable knots that were forming in my hair. From there we did some more of the basic Berlin sight seeing things: The Brandenburg Gate, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Topography of Terror, and the East Side Gallery. It was raining off and on all day but we seemed to have some luck and be inside when we needed to be. Since it was Friday it was still a technically still a work day so John had to go back to the hotel to take a business call around 3:30. I honestly didn’t mind since it was the most active day I’d had in a while and I was feeling very run down. I don’t even remember falling asleep but after a nice three-hour nap. After a resurgence of energy John and I made our way to the Jewish Museum for one last escapade of the day. The building was very haunting and impactful and the fact that it was now night and pitch dark outside only intensified this. I’ve always heard Berlin does an incredible job of embracing their past but to finally experience it was very moving.

In general, Friday felt like a weird day to me. Sure I was sick and tired but the city was just oddly empty and felt very ominous and eerie (and the gloomy weather wasn’t helping with this feeling either) Luckily, Saturday morning brought a new breath of life to the city. Friday was International Women’s Day and the Germans celebrate it by basically shutting every thing down haha.

Saturday might have been one of my favorite days abroad so far. John and I went to a cute little breakfast place and I got some of the best pancakes I’ve ever had. I still think about those pancakes. We then spent a majority of the day at the Charlottenburg Palace. Holy moly I am in love. Potentially my new favorite palace in Europe? There were so many rooms that I thought “this could be my happy place.” I even changed my phone background to one of the pictures I took here. It just makes me smile. One of the best moments was when we walked into a room there was princess dance lessons going on. How cool is that?! America could never.

The rest of the day was spent on Museum Island. What a dream right? Our first stop was the Berliner Dom because of course Waltons can’t go to a city without visiting the main cathedral. During our ascend up the cathedral there was an exhibit that displayed all the models of the cathedral and I think that was John’s favorite part of the trip. Oddly we saw a TON of bridal and wedding photo shoots on Museum Island so now I have to get married in Germany so I can have my wedding photos on Museum Island too. Sorry dad.

By the end of the day we were both exhausted and had to get up bright and early to get to the airport in the morning. (side note: TXL might be my least favorite airport I’ve ever been to). I was more than happy to be asleep by 9 pm. While the weekend wasn’t perfect due to weather and sickness, it’s one I’ll never forget. Berlin, I will be back (hopefully with better weather) Love you dad, see you in a bit!

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Senior Darci Walton is spending the spring 2019 term in Spain with through our U of A Exchange program at Universidad Nebrija, Madrid.

Read more from Darci at https://worldwidewalton.home.blog/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Interested in becoming a HogsAbroad Social Media Ambassador like Darci? Contact Katie at ksabo@uark.edu.

Featured Destination: Germany

Photo courtesy of Natalie Miller

Interested in study abroad, but don't know where to start? Each month we'll feature a new destination, and February's highlighted country is Germany!

Nestled in the heart of the European Union, Germany boasts a long and rich cultural history mixing the modern and the classic. Germany has been called “the land of poets and thinkers” and is one of the top destinations for study abroad. Program options are available for students from all majors. Additional funding is available for study abroad, and most semester scholarships and financial aid may be used toward study abroad.

Photo courtesy of Natalie Miller

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences

• U of A Exchange: Regensburg Universitaet (spring, academic year)
• Language Institute in Holzkirchen (summer)

Sam M. Walton College of Business

• U of A Exchange: Regensburg Universitaet (spring, academic year)
• U of A Exchange: WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management (spring, fall, academic year)
• U of A Exchange: WHU Summer School (summer)

College of Engineering

• U of A Exchange: Technische Universitaet Darmstadt (academic year)

International Internships

• Cultural Vistas

View from the dorm, Regensburg

SCHOLARSHIPS

There are many resources and scholarships available for study abroad. Many scholarships and financial aid that students currently receive may be used to study abroad. There are also many scholarship opportunities specifically for study abroad available through the University of Arkansas and outside organizations. For more information visit studyabroad.uark.edu/funding. And, be sure to explore these scholarship programs:

• Delta Phi Alpha German Study Abroad Grant
• DAAD Scholarships
• Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program (for U.S. students receiving a Pell grant)
• Fulbright U.S. Student Program

WHAT FORMER STUDENTS HAVE SAID

Photo courtesy of Connor Heo

"I decided to work towards studying abroad in Germany due to their reputation in engineering sciences and also a wide range of student opportunities. There is a well established system for integrating students into the workforce, and companies are always looking for more minds to work with, so there are numerous chances for those willing to search for them. The culture shock is definitely something to consider, and it can become all to easy to just befriend other international students (which isn't a bad thing). Making friends with German natives is definitely not impossible, however, and finding a social place will provide ample chances to make new friends!

"For students looking specifically to study in Germany, I recommend pushing their language skills, especially with listening and reading. You'll find that people are generally willing to speak English, but there will be a lot of mail, bills, textbooks, etc. that will only come in German, and it's good not to feel intimidated by that. Also, it can be quite scary at first if you want to order food or just ask for directions and it all comes in German. I definitely had my fair share of "blackout" moments in my first few weeks! As a last piece of advice, I would speak with the faculty ASAP, as they love helping students study abroad!" -Connor Heo, senior German & Mechanical Engineering major, summer 2016 studying German at the Language Institute in Holzkirchen and Academic Year 2017-2018 studying German & Engineering through U of A Exchange: Technische Universitaet Darmstadt.

Photo courtesy of Natalie Miller

"I chose to go to Germany because I felt that my first experience abroad should involve quite a bit of culture and history. My host city was Berlin and it seemed like the city's history was never ending. Germany is a beautiful country, but I now know Berlin in the winter is not the same as Munich in the spring. I'm happy I chose Berlin for my first experience abroad because the people were amazing, the cultural experience I had really helped me grow and opened my eyes to how many cultures there are to experience and appreciate. If you're considering Germany, do your research! Know about the city or town you'd be staying in, what is near that area, and most of all while abroad take your time to experience your host town. When I went abroad I thought I'd be spending every minute catching planes and trains to other cities and countries, but in the end I took 2 weekend trips to other countries and I spent the rest of my time (I was there for 4 weeks!) in Berlin and I am so glad that I did!!" -Natalie Miller, senior Human Nutrition & Hospitality Innovation major, January Intersession 2018 studying sociology through AIFS Study Abroad in Berlin.

3 EASY STEPS TO STUDY ABROAD
So, what's next?

1. Drop by Monday-Friday between 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. to learn about program options and funding opportunities.
2. Meet with your Academic Advisor to discuss your academic plan. 
3. Schedule an appointment with your Study Abroad Advisor. 

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Check out these 5 Reasons to Study Abroad in Germany.

For additional information visit studyabroad.uark.edu or contact us at studyabr@uark.edu, or 479-575-7582.

STUDY ABROAD 101: PART 1 #HogsAbroad in Germany #MondayMotivation

Budapest, Hungary

(BACKGROUND INFO: ABOUT A YEAR AGO, I MADE THE DECISION TO STUDY ABROAD. HERE IS A PEEK INTO THE 6 MONTHS OF MY LIFE THAT I SPENT IN GERMANY, AND SOME LESSONS THAT I LEARNED ALONG THE WAY.)
STUDYING ABROAD COMES WITH MANY QUESTIONS, AND HERE IS MY BEST SHOT AT ANSWERING A COUPLE OF THEM FOR YOU.

1. WHO SHOULD STUDY ABROAD?

Not me, surely not me. This was my initial thought when I first heard about studying abroad early my freshman year of college. See, I used to be the type of person whose worst fear was to pack up my whole life and move, especially across the world. I had spent all of my life in the tiny corner of the world called North West Arkansas. Over the past 6 months, however, I have realized that I am exactly the person that needs to study abroad.

Here’s why: Perspective.

Those of us that have spent all of our lives in one place are especially the type of people who must go abroad. As with most people, I had only experienced other places and cultures through vacation. The fact of the matter is, that without living in another place, you begin to believe that your little world is the entire world. Reading about German car companies in the Economist is a little different than hearing leaders of these companies give guest lectures in class. As I found out, it is simply not enough to read about these places and the happenings in them. At some point, you just have to pack up your suitcase and dive into the adventure. Studying abroad is a beautifully humbling experience where you realize just how small you are and how big the world really is.

(Really cheesy, I know, but doesn’t make it any less true!!)

My first look at WHU, my exchange university!

2. WHEN DO YOU GO?

Now. Ok…maybe not now, but make the decision to go, and do it soon. If you keep putting something like this off, you will never go. That’s just the way these types of things work. But this is probably not news to you. So, plan ahead. The earlier that you decide to go, the more of an advantage you have in planning. Here is where you may be able to learn a bit from my mistakes. I paid for an entire semester of rent for an apartment that I never lived in. Had I known that I was going to study abroad earlier, I obviously would have taken a different lease, or sub-leased my apartment to someone else. I also bought subscriptions and memberships for 12 months that I only used for 6. By planning ahead it is super easy to avoid losing this money. Put simply: decide what you want now, and put the plan to action soon.

Another aspect of the “when” is: What year in college? I did my exchange program in the second semester of my junior year. Personally, I think that this is the perfect time. Had I gone any earlier, I don’t think that it would be the same fulfilling experience simply because my maturity level was not there in my earlier college years. An exchange is a very independent process where you have few, if any, people from your university that are traveling with you. There are many other options for earlier in college where you can study abroad with faculty and peers. Also with maturity, I found an independence. This helped me greatly when traveling in big cities. I can’t imagine little college freshman me navigating alone through London and Paris with the fierceness and confidence that I had this spring. By junior year, you are pretty far enough in your college career that you (a) may need a little break to remind yourself how much you love your university or/and (b) have taken enough classes to know that you are a little ahead and can afford a semester away. This might have just been my case, but maybe some others can relate. At the beginning of college, most people are just finding out who they really are. When going abroad it is a bit easier to make friends when you have a foundation of who you are apart from circumstances. While study abroad does help further develop this foundation, it is important for it to somewhat be there in the first place.

3. WHERE SHOULD YOU GO?

What country / school to go and where to travel once you are there are the two “Where” questions that I will address. Since I studied in Europe, this will mostly be speaking to places there.

When I first sat down in my new little apartment with the intention to plan some trips around Europe, it felt like the world was at my fingertips. Every noteworthy landmark and piece of art that I had dreamed of for years, was just a 50€ (Or less) plane ride away, and I had a whole six months to take advantage of this opportunity. Sure enough, I spend a decent amount of time at first visiting these famous places.

I went to the Eiffel Tower,

visited Buckingham Palace,

I saw Mona Lisa,

and basically every other place you can think of,

but these were not the places where I fell in love. About two months into the study abroad, I decided to slow down.

The Rhine at sunset,

the little markets in Poland,

Kraków, Poland

the flowers in the trees in Spain,

Santiago de Compostela, Spain

the Italian seaside,

Cavallino-Treporti, Italy

these are the moments that I loved most.

In these moments I was given perspective. When you stand in the middle of a place in which you cannot understand a single word spoken around you, yet you still feel the beauty of the place, this is perspective. This is a gift. I encourage you to not just go places for the things that you may see there, but go places for the way that the environment feels as a whole. With each trip, give yourself time to truly know the city. This cannot be done with the tourist, consumer mindset. It won’t always be the biggest and famous cities that you will connect with most, and this goes for anywhere, even beyond just a study abroad to Europe.

Where you go, in terms of school is another story completely. I know that the power is not completely in your hands, as there is usually some sort of application process with each study abroad. Do your research, and make sure that you are culturally compatible with the country that you are studying abroad in. That is, if you want a super easy transition, like I had. (On the other hand, it may be fun to be indulged in a completely different culture, I just have no experience with this to speak to.) For me, it was extremely beneficial to study in Germany because I found myself very at home with the culture. On weekends that I would travel to places that were very different, I found a bit of peace every time that I got to return to my little German village, Vallendar.

If you have made it this far, I thank you for reading and taking interest in my journey. This is just a small piece of the whole that I may be expanding on in later posts, but thank you for sharing this moment with me to read.

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Accounting major Sophia Storkov spent the spring 2018 semester in Germany with our U of A Exchange program at WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management.

Read more from Sophia at https://sophiastorkov.wordpress.com/

Don't wait. Make plans for your semester or year abroad today! Find your program today at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Countdown to International Education Week 2017 - Germany #HogsAbroad

International Education Week is just two weeks away! Today, we are going to honor my birth country: Germany

With over 82 million inhabitants, Germany is the most populous member of the European Union. The name for Germany in the German language is Deutschland. Its capital and largest city is Berlin. Other major cities include Hamburg, Munich, Cologne and Frankfurt. Germany is bordered by Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria to the southeast, Switzerland to the south and southwest, France, Luxembourg, and Belgium to the west, and the Netherlands to the northwest. It is also bordered by the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. It’s national air carrier, Lufthansa, is based out of Frankfurt Airport. In fact, as of summer 2017, Frankfurt Airport serves 293 destinations, making it the airport with the most direct routes in the world! Fun fact: the Nobel Prize has been awarded to 107 German citizens! For the sports fans, Germany has won the World Cup 4 times, tied for second most with Italy (Brazil is the only country with more World Cup titles: 5). Popular tourist destinations include Europa Park, Berlin TV Tower, and the very beautiful Neuschwanstein Castle! Let me know if you want to talk more about Germany!

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You can learn more about IEW at https://iew.state.gov/
And, check out the IEW events happening on campus at iew.uark.edu
Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

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Senior accounting major Eric studied abroad with our faculty-led programs in Vietnam and Ireland. Come meet Eric and the other peer advisors at a Hogs Abroad 101 information meeting! These hour-long sessions are held Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the fall and spring semesters, from 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm in the Center for World Languages, Literatures and Cultures (JBHT 207).

Engineering and German Student Awarded International Fellowship #HogsAbroad

Connor Heo, a senior mechanical engineering and German major, has been awarded a fellowship for study at the Technische Universität Darmstadt from the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (German Academic Exchange Service) in the amount of 1800 euros.

Heo is a student in the International Engineering Program, which incorporates a year abroad to prepare engineering students for careers in the global economy and is a partnership between the College of Engineering and the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

Through the program, students spend one semester taking regular university engineering courses in German at the Technical University of Darmstadt, an institution recommended by Albert Einstein and located in a major German research and technology hub, and one semester working in a paid internship with a German company.

Please visit the International Engineering Program website for more information.

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To find out more about exchange programs, visit http://studyabroad.uark.edu/programs/exchange.
Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/
And, be sure to come to the Study Abroad Fair to explore your program options!

Engineering an Internship in Germany #HogsAbroad #WanderlustWednesday

Steven Sonntag outside of the BMW headquarters in Munich, Germany.

Studying abroad in Germany was always part of Steven Sonntag's plan, even before beginning as a freshman in the Honors College in 2013. However, the extent of time he would spend in the country and the varied experiences he would have there were far beyond his imagination.

Sonntag, who started at the University of Arkansas as a mechanical engineering major, has always had an interest in learning the language of his ancestors. He took German classes in high school and continued developing his language skills in German courses in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences' Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures. When he learned about the university's International Engineering Program, which allows students to earn degrees in both engineering and German, he knew it was an opportunity he had to pursue.

As part of the International Engineering Program and with the support of a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, Sonntag spent the fall 2016 semester as an exchange student at the Technical University of Darmstadt. Before arriving in Germany, the U of A junior passed the Goethe-Institut B1 exam, certifying him in intermediate to advanced German language proficiency. However, he quickly learned his language ability, especially in relation to engineering terms, wasn't as good as he thought.

"My German has improved exponentially since I've been in Germany, but the first two months at the university were really difficult, because each subject has its own specific vocabulary and way of speaking," Sonntag said. "It wasn't until the third month of engineering classes that I began to feel more comfortable and understand the material being taught."

After passing his final exams, Sonntag began the second half of his experience abroad in the International Engineering Program by earning an internship at BMW's Munich headquarters. As an intern, he has conducted quality analysis of competitor car interiors, created a program that automates data collection and analysis and test driven competitor cars to check suspension, handling and dynamic performance.

"I applied for internships at several automakers, but working at BMW was always my dream," Sonntag said. "This experience has taught me that, as long as you try your hardest and put effort into the things you want, you can make them a reality."

Though being immersed in a new culture and new country has been a life-changing experience for Sonntag, it has also come with some unexpected challenges.

"When I moved from Darmstadt to Munich, I wasn't sure if I had to re-register as a resident of Munich," Sonntag said. "When I received my third pay check from BMW, I noticed I was suddenly being taxed at the country's highest tax rate. I called the tax office to find out what was going on, and they explained I was being taxed at that rate because I had been de-registered in Darmstadt and wasn't a resident of Munich yet. My only options were to pay the taxes or declare myself homeless. So, for a month and a half, I was officially considered homeless in the eyes of the German government."

The honors student is looking forward to telling that story with a laugh for years to come.

Sonntag, a native of Rogers, Arkansas, will return to the United States later this year and will resume classes at the U of A in spring 2018. He expects to graduate with both mechanical engineering and German degrees in December 2018.

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To find out more about exchange programs, visit http://studyabroad.uark.edu/programs/exchange.
Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

A weekend of palaces… #HogsAbroad in Germany

After getting our homework done last week, we had the weekend to ourselves. I went back and visited Oberschleissheim, where the Schleissheim palace complex is located. I had visited it on my last trip to Munich, but didn’t get to spend nearly as much time as I had wanted there.

On Saturday, I and one of the other students on this trip, went to the palaces. This is by far my favorite palace (complex) that I have yet to visit.

I’m absolutely in love with “New” Schleissheim, the last palace to be built on the grounds at the beginning of the 1700’s. The building is overwhelmingly beautiful but is not an overly popular tourist spot. In many of the rooms we were by ourselves and got to explore to our hearts content.

On Saturday night, I went out with another friend and we went to one of the local pubs. It had a relaxed setting and the locals were really friendly. We definitely need to go back!

On Monday, we had our weekly field trip with the school. We had a full day, leaving Holzkirchen early in the morning to visit Neuschwanstein and Linderhof Palace with a couple of detours along the way. Photos are not allowed inside either of the palaces, but both are worth seeing once.

I liked Linderhof more than Neuschwanstein (maybe because it was complete, or maybe because it was less ostentatious). Both palaces have great locations and views and it is easy to see the French, Bohemian, and Oriental influences in the buildings. We returned to Holzkirchen utterly exhausted and with more homework assignments.

One of them was over last week’s movie, Out of Rosenheim. Set in a small town near Vegas, the film is about a German woman who leaves her husband and ends up living and working at the local motel. The main interaction is between the German woman and the motel owner, Brenda. They are both initially suspicious of each other and what they each perceive as being strange, but forge a strong friendship throughout the film. The next movie we are going to watch is Die Nibelungen, which has Robert Pattinson in it. Will report back, after watching it.
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Follow Claire on her travels to Germany at https://nutzedentagdot.wordpress.com 

Read more about studying German with the University of Arkansas

Holzkirchen #HogsAbroad in Germany

As we arrived back in Holzkirchen, we were greeted by the Musikzug (a band) playing traditional folk songs and hymns in front of the town hall. We were each given to our host families, collected our luggage and then went off to settle into the next portion of the trip. My family lives near the post office, right by an ice cream store (could it get any better?). I have three “guest-sisters”, who have a dog and a turtle (so yes, it can). I live within easy walking distance from three other students about a fifteen minute walk from our school. The oldest sister is vegan, which pretty much makes it an ideal situation for me. And she cooks quite often- yum!

On Friday, we had our first day of regular classes. Each morning we have class for several hours, as well as in the afternoons on Tuesday and Thursday. The date of our arrival in Holzkirchen coincided with the longest day of the year festivities. Several of the  nearby towns had Johannis Feuers (massive bonfires) to celebrate. We went to one in Holzkirchen on Friday night and another in Foeching on Saturday.

On Saturday, I also spent time with one of my sisters biking to Hackensee. Hackensee is a nearby lake that was picturesque. On Sunday, we (my host sisters and I) went swimming at the local pool. They have an outdoor pool that is heated, which felt great on a rainy day!

Hammocking on Hackensee

Like all Mondays from here on out, we have organized field trips to cultural landmarks. This last Monday we took a train to Gmund and hiked to Tegernsee. Tegernsee was founded in the 8th century and is beautifully situated in the Alps. We had dinner at the palace, which is still owned by the royal Wittelsbach family.

After making our way back to Holzkirchen, we had to buckle down with our homework. We began watching Eins-Zwei-Drei, a comedy about a man working for Coca-Cola in Berlin after WWII. (I would strongly recommend the film, if you like slap-stick). We had a short paper (summary, really) due on Wednesday and four others due on Thursday. This didn’t leave much time for exploring in the evenings, but hopefully this next week I can work up some extra energy in the evenings.
Until next time!
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Follow Claire on her travels to Germany at https://nutzedentagdot.wordpress.com 

Read more about studying German with the University of Arkansas

To Berlin and back #HogsAbroad in Germany

Almost a week into the traveling portion, and we are all exhausted. Tuesday, we went to the German History Museum, which was massive. It spanned from roughly the Period of Migration to post WWII. Our third assignment is based on this visit. We must each pick out a topic from three periods: roughly, the first one thousand years, then the time up to napoleon and lastly from the period between Napoleon and the post WWII section. We are to write a few paragraphs over each topic that we choose to make a short paper… so far, we have been assigned four of these kind of assignments.

In my free time, so in the heat of day, I have been trying to squeeze in naps whenever possible. Or go swimming… I went to a Badeschiff (main photo) that night, which is a floating pool on the Spree river. After the heat of the day, it is nice to get back out and explore the surrounding region. A small group of my classmates and I went to the DDR museum, which was really interactive. The museum explored life under the DDR and had a replica house which we could walk through. We could open different drawers and cabinets and learn about the technology they had and the products they had access too.

One of the most interesting things was that there was an overabundance of money but that getting goods was actually really hard. There were shortages in just about everything including toilet paper and basic food stuffs. The salaries of people were low. It showed a salary being about 600-1,200 Deutsche Mark (although I’m not sure if that’s annual or per month), with rent being on average 100 Deutsche Mark per month. A colored TV was 5,000 Deutsche Mark.

On Wednesday, our last day in Berlin, we had another somber day at the Berlin Wall. We went to a visitor center where we watched two short films over the construction of the wall. Afterwards, we visited a remembrance site that and Check Point Charlie. I can’t explain the emotions that I felt, or how overwhelming it was to visit these places. I also don’t know how to “appropriately” touch on the subject or what can and can’t be said…

In my free time on Wednesday, I had a hard time getting up the energy to do anything. Visiting the monuments was emotionally exhausting and it is hard for me to switch from such a serious topic to whatever else I might want to do for fun. In the end, I went back to the hotel and took a nap to help me reset my headspace before going out with some of the group that evening. We had a bunch of fun, and woke up early for another travel day on Thursday. Hopefully, I’ll remember to follow this post up with another one soon.
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Follow Claire on her travels to Germany at https://nutzedentagdot.wordpress.com 

Read more about studying German with the University of Arkansas

Snooze: Berlin Edition #HogsAbroad in Europe

The flight to Berlin was wonderfully easy and quick, but upon arrival things began to change. My plane-mates and I took a bus from the plan to the terminal, where we waited patiently for our bags. I think I won the award for longest wait time, because I waited until the next plane’s luggage had gone through the conveyor belt. My luggage was gone, lost, vanished.

Most inconveniently, this airport was fairly run-down, with little help and even less signs. After asking two people, I found the baggage help center, where I discovered that the differences between a baggage help center and any DMV you’ve ever been to are pretty minimal.

Through it all, I wasn’t worried. I was frustrated, but never worried. It really is a peace that passes all understanding, I guess; I’m so grateful for it.

After waiting in line for forty five minutes, I was greeted by an attitudinous but helpful lady, who asked me random questions and had me write personal details down on a post-it note. She told me to call the office at 9.

So I left, a fresh pretzel in one hand and my backpack slung over the opposite shoulder, crossing my fingers that the airport would have the bag at 9. I took a bus ride (on which I nearly missed my stop) and then had a long ride on the metro to get to my hostel- Grand Hostel Berlin.
It was grand alright, but the problem with the hostel was the fact that it was the only grand building on the block. You see, the Grand Hostel isn’t in the best part of town, and walking up to it didn’t give the greatest first impression. The inside completely changed my mind.

Wooden floors and walls, beautiful staircases, a neat board with advertisements for hostel events pinned everywhere. I went to the front desk, where I got my key and inquired about good places to eat dinner before heading up to my room. Upstairs, I met a young guy named Chris, who teaches English in South Korea and who travels during his time off. We had a neat conversation about traveling and world missions. He told me about a light show happening at the Reichstag, the principal German government building, and I told him I would check it out.

Julio, my old RA from the university last year, was in Berlin at the same time, so we met up for pizza (by candlelight; for a hip pizza place, it was more romantic than we anticipated) and then went to the Reichstag for the light show. On the way there, I called the baggage office at the airport- they were closed.

Before we got to the light show, we stopped off for some pictures.

The show was beautiful, centered around a documentary of Germany through the two world wars and onward. We got to sit in a huge crowd of people along the riverside, and take pictures with the Reichstag after it was over.

Once the show was finished, Julio went off to his AirBnB and I planned on calling an Uber to get back to the hostel; so began the scariest night of my entire life.

Looking at my phone, I realized I only had 8% of battery life left, and the Uber app coincidentally told me there were none available. I could’ve called a taxi, but they were few and far between because of the huge crowd, and I didn’t have any cash on me. I was nearly two miles from the Hostel, and it was around 10:30. I decided I would walk it- after all, we had walked there and it was fine, right?

Wrong. It was fine for the first half mile or so, because I followed the crowd and walked into the main part of Berlin, but after a while the crowds died down and so did the city lights. After hearing Mom and Dad’s fervent warnings of “being careful” and “making smart decisions” playing in my head, I decided that walking through the deep, dark Berlin at 11:00 wasn’t the best choice.

So I made a plan: go to train stations, and try to find either an ATM or a route to get home. For the first time since I’d been there, I couldn’t find an ATM for the life of me. What’s worse was that the train routes were either extremely German or went nowhere near the hostel (sketchy, distant part of town, remember?). I ran and I ran, trying to find any sort of thing that could help, but it was dark and getting later.

Finally, out of sheer despair with 3% batter left, I checked Uber one last time, and praise the Lord, I found a driver. But the night wasn’t over. The driver’s navigation system failed mid-drive, which meant he was effectively lost. He took me through a 3-kilometer tunnel and then turned around, and then I was effectively lost as well. I was terrified: this man knew I was a tourist and that I didn’t know Berlin, and he was taking me across town to a place I didn’t know. Luckily, he was trustworthy and dropped me off 30 minutes later (I was a mile and a half from the hostel when he picked me up.)

When I got back, I found my suitcase right next to the bed. Needless to say, I fell straight asleep.
I woke up early the next morning to start the adventure, and this day was a turnaround. It was Sunday, which means most shops were closed, but I managed to find a cute bakery for my first breakfast and a McDonald’s to supplement that breakfast (I get a little hungry in the morning, okay?). My first stop was the old SS headquarters, now a pile of rubble, and then Checkpoint Charlie, the American crossing into West Berlin.

Checkpoint Charlie was very cool, with the original checkpoint still standing and a sign, English on one side and Russian on the other, standing next to it. Nearby was the line on which the Berlin Wall used to stand.

I then continued walking and saw a beautiful church and concert hall, an old university, statues and beautiful gardens. I somehow stumbled into the parking lot of a Mercedes-Benz racing club, too. By 9 AM, I had walked three miles.

I continued that trek onto the Brandenburg gate, where I met up with Julio once again. We saw the gate in all its beauty, the American Embassy, the Reichstag in daylight, and the memorial to the Jews killed in the Holocaust. All of it was beautiful and deeply historical- right up my alley.

We then went to Museum Island, where the Berlin Cathedral and multiple museums housed in Greek and Roman style buildings were located. The cathedral was stunning (especially the view from the top) and the museums were extremely interesting.

The first museum was modern art and antiquated sculpture, neither of which I’m very interested in but I wanted to feel like I was a part of the culture. Most of it was incredibly intricate and detailed. The second was phenomenal: ancient near east architecture and remnants, like the Ashur Gate into Babylon, a Roman marketplace, giant statues, and animals carved out of boulders. The top floor was centered on the Middle East, so the rugs and jars and artwork served to highten my anticipation for Morocco.

And the view from the top of the Cathedral was well worth the climb.
We left the island and ate at an Italian restaurant owned and run entirely, and ironically, by Turks. Pizzas in Germany are huge, delicious, and cheap, so that’s what I ordered. Julio had some other food and a beer, and after he let me try it, I decided it was the very first beer I’d ever liked (I still prefer water.)

Julio left and I continued on towards a giant fair on the other side of town that we had seen earlier that day. Unknowingly, I walked into a huge environment fest, streets lined with tables of farmers, ocean-savers, organic-lovers, and save-the-environment-ers. It was busy and fun and interesting to watch.

Afterwards, I began to head towards the spy museum I had heard so much about and really enjoyed walking through a century’s worth of spy history, reading stories and watching videos when I wasn’t taking pictures of spy equipment. The museum was more about spy technology, and where that technology was going, which was very interesting- everything was extremely high tech. In fact, at one point, I stood in a simulator that would read all of my movements and allow me to choose different options based on my movements.

I left the museum and decided that 9 hours of walking had been a full day- over twelve miles- so I began to head for the hostel. I picked up a snack from KFC on the way (it’s much better across the pond) and walked while eating delicious chicken nuggets.

On the way to the hostel, I found a very neat outdoor museum called the Topography of Terror, which outlined the history of Germany after the Great War, all the way up through revolution and freedom from Soviet occupation of East Berlin. There was at least 100 meters of the wall still intact, and there was plenty of material to read- I loved it.

I walked back, completely exhausted but overjoyed at the incredible day. A short pack, a few phone calls, and some conversation with new hostel friends later, I was asleep.

I woke up at 3:30 AM for that same metro ride and bus drive from a few days before. Despite having another disappointing experience with Berlin’s airports (do they only hire people who are already frustrated when they come to work?) I flew off for Budapest.

Berlin was a success.
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Follow Hunter as he studies business in Germany at https://heartoverseas.wordpress.com/
For more internship and study abroad opportunities within Walton College, visit http://walton.uark.edu/global/index.ph