Thursday, June 26, 2025

0: Pre-departure Reflection: Payten Jackson

 


Pre-Departure Reflection

Guten tag!

    I was not expecting to be traveling internationally this summer. I was looking in my inbox and kept receiving emails from the Study Abroad Program about "Germany: History of Medicine." I decided to apply without any particular reason. In the following few days, I received an email notifying me that I had been accepted. I talked with my family about it, and now I'm here, a week away from being in an entirely different country. 
    This will be my first time outside of the United States, so I am nervous. I have been wanting to travel to any country in Europe for a while because of its beautiful infrastructure and way of life. Seeing Austria and Germany in person will be a beautiful experience and increase my worldview. However, this will also be challenging since I have lived in Texas my whole life and only visited a handful of other states. Texas is fine, but it will be amazing to experience walkable cities and cleverly planned public transportation. The cultural difference and language barrier will be a shock, but I believe that I will be able to overcome them and enjoy my time in Germany. 
    Americans and Europeans are known to have this "beef" with one another. It's shown on social media all the time where they just spew these stereotypes back and forth (which are getting old). As a Black American, I know plenty about stereotypes and labels being thrust upon me. You're "loud", "ghetto", "uneducated," and "just a bunch of criminals". This picture has been painted of Black Americans, and maybe even Black people across the globe. Going to another country is scary because I do not know how they will accept me. Will they just see you as another stereotype or see that you are a person just like them? In America, I've witnessed and received my fair share of stereotyping, but it will be interesting to see if people in Germany also hold these ideas. Whether they treat me like a stereotype or not, I will continue to be myself.
    Now for a more lighthearted topic, hello host family! I cannot wait to experience life with you in Bonn. An interesting thing about me is that I love the water. The beach, water parks, pools, you name it. Water is relaxing, and I've loved swimming since I was 4 years old. I also enjoy dancing and have a learned few line dances this summer. I would not mind teaching a few moves. As I prepare for this trip, I feel like this is the beginning of a new journey, one without the Star Spangled Banner and not Deep in the Heart of Texas. 
    I am extremely blessed to go on this journey with my fellow Aggies. I hope this program will add to my desire to go into the medical field and inspire me to continue pursuing my dream.

See you across the lake!

Payten 💕




3 comments:

  1. Hi Payten! I am super excited for you, as this is your first time outside of the US! I love swimming as well; I really hope we can swim in the North Sea. Your reflections on stereotyping were interesting to read. I am proud of you for being willing to bring your identity to a European table and to represent who you are!

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  2. Hey Payten,

    I think it's so cool how this will be your first trip abroad, it takes a lot of guts to make that journey on your own! Even though I've travelled abroad before, I am definitely nervous being completely on my own for the first time. I'm taking this nervousness as a sign to really lean on this group and get to know my fellow students during this trip though!

    I can relate a bit to your worries about stereotyping because I definitely think at first glance I'm not quite what people think I am and can be scared to show my full identity in confidence. It'll be interesting to navigate this in Germany and feel comfortable sharing myself without falling into a stereotype I feel I'll need to fit. Hopefully all goes well and I can showcase my identity instead of hide it!

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  3. Hey Payten. Traveling across the pond to Europe or Asia is amazing and you’ll love it! It’s kind of scary sometimes but when it sets in that you’re on another continent… it’s pretty cool. In my experience Germans are super nice and I’m positive this will your experience as well. It’s going to be an awesome trip, I can’t wait to meet you and everyone else!

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