I was extremely excited ahead of our trip to Germany. This was to be just my second time in Europe and my first time with fellow students. There was a lot of anticipation that had built up from a semester of planning and waiting to finally head to Munich, and it did not disappoint.

We had a very good itinerary set up for the trip. Not only did the study abroad agency plan a tour of the city and a tour of the Olympic Park, but we were also given immense free time which allowed us to explore Munich on our own.

The tour of the city was amazing. Munich was really beautiful and some of the stories that our guide, Marcus, shared with us were incredible. It was great to hear about the city’s rich culture and history from a local. The architecture in and around the city was magnificent.

The only aspect that I felt potentially interfered with our learning was the weather. On the evening of the city tour, everyone was cold and getting tired as the long day of travel rolled on. With that being said, I loved the tour and would not have wanted to substitute it for anything else.

I am a huge football fan and love the environment and traditions associated with football games. That was something I touched on in my application to this program. Looking around and absorbing all of the fanfare, traditions, and camaraderie associated with football games elevates the experience. I used that background to fuel not only what I wanted my focus to be on for the game (tailgating) but also the way that I went about it.

From my understanding and background of these games, I was able to observe the “flow” of the NFL experience of where people were gathering, why they were gathering, and where people were organizing their own tailgate or pregame experience (i.e. playing games, throwing a football, etc.) This helped when it came to exploring outside of Allianz Arena looking for people to interview and take pictures of.

I expected the language barrier to be a huge problem and have a huge impact on my story. I was very wrong. Far more people spoke English around the city and outside of the stadium than I had anticipated, and it made reporting significantly easier than I had envisioned going into the game.

This was my first experience with American football on an international level, and it blew my mind. I’ve heard numerous times how packed the international games are and how excited all of the fans are, but I was not expecting that. The area outside the arena was flooded and the city was a football universe. It just amazed me, and the experience is one that I will cherish for a lifetime.

Posted: December 5, 2022
Category: CJC in Munich