Last weekend, I was able to take a short visit to a port town in Northern Germany called Sassnitz. I was delighted to observe both German culture in the context of a port town and the geologic structures of the local Jasmund National Park. These two aspects of Sassnitz combined my long term academic interests of German and geology. My ability to apply this intersectionality of knowledge allowed my weekend to be immensely enjoyable.

Sassnitz is a common weekend vacation spot for Germans due to its access to the Baltic Sea and relative lack of international tourists. Therefore as a visiting American tourist, I was met with odd looks and surprised remarks about my presence. Due to the lack of demand for international tourist infrastructure, all of the commutation in Sassnitz was in German. This aspect of the port town forced me to heavily rely on my German language knowledge and all around study abroad social skills. The experience was overwhelming at first, yet ultimately proved that I have developed quite a bit since arriving in Germany 6 weeks ago. I was able to comfortably go to the grocery store, a restaurant, and navigate a brand new town within one day. I am proud of myself for reaching this level of cultural adaptivity.

The second half of my weekend trip included navigating Jasmund National Park to marvel at the chalk cliffs lining the Baltic Sea. Weaving through signs of German waypoints and converting kilometers to miles in my head all proved to be worth the sight. The white chalk cliffs are stunning to the laymen due to the color contrast of white cliffs sandwiched by mountainous greenery and dark rocky beaches along a turquoise sea. The white chalk cliffs are stunning to a geologist as a rare rock structure. Chalk is typically buried in the deepest regions of the ocean, making their above ground presence quite exciting. I was even able to spot a clearly defined anticline rock structure on my hike, revealing more of the region’s history that I could only unlock with my geologic knowledge.

I was thrilled to experience two of my academic worlds colliding in one weekend. I hope to have many more adventures that test my academic experiences and expand my cultural adaption skills.