Abbey Sweetman’s (’22) dream of living in Germany took her over a decade to achieve. First, she studied the German language in ninth grade and her high school took a summer trip to southern Germany, where they stayed with host families, but she really wanted to live in Germany without acting like a tourist and, she says, “I wanted to connect with the culture."
Her wish almost came true in 2020. Sweetman was studying the German language at UMD. She arrived in Germany for a UMD semester abroad. But, the COVID-19 pandemic brought her back to the U.S. “All the German professors were super helpful in getting me the opportunity in Germany,” she says. “They also felt the heartbreak that I had when I had to come home.” Her professors weren’t about to give up, though. “Professors Dan Nolan, Kristen Hylenski, and Holly Brining encouraged me to apply for the Fulbright Exchange.” That program occurs after college graduation. The professors helped her with her application. “It's a very extensive process: a language evaluation, three letters of recommendation, two essays, and more,” says Sweetman.
After graduation, Sweetman landed a job at a financial consulting company in Chicago. She settled into the city and thrived on the exciting work and the cultural opportunities there. And then the Fulbright email arrived. “I was so excited,” she said. “I went to the lobby of our office building to read the email. I sat there and couldn’t quite believe that the Fulbright Exchange program had accepted me. Eventually, I had to go back to the office and keep working, as if nothing happened.”
In early September 2023, Sweetman arrived in Würzburg, Germany (near Nuremberg) to live and work as an English teaching assistant through the Fulbright Exchange program. She works at two schools, and many of her students are 16 and 17 years old. “They know a lot of pop culture and a lot of pol
itics about the U.S.,” she says. “In the beginning, they were a little shy, but now I feel like they can talk to me. I’m not a peer, but I’m someone they aren’t afraid to ask anything.”
Sweetman has had a few embarrassing (and funny) language mishaps. “The second week I was here, one of the teachers told me there was a ‘Wandertag’ later that week. ‘Wandertag’ translates as hiking day,” says Sweetman. She went through her clothing items for warm jackets and shoes for hiking before she called a helpful teacher for advice. “It turns out that “Wandertag” also means field trip day, and we were actually going mini-golfing.”
“I'm also enrolled in the University in Wurzburg,” Sweetman says. “I take a language class and get to meet other internationals.” Once, the international students invited Sweetman to a hike near Nuremberg. “It was just so nice to connect with so many people from all over the world. At the beginning of the hike, we went through a few small villages. I love cute old quaint towns, with their cobblestone streets.” Next, the group got into a forest area and hiked through the forest. “Then we came across this big beer garden that seemed to be in the middle of the forest and we stopped and had a beer.”
Sweetman returns to the States in June 2024, so she is taking advantage of all of the opportunities, in the classroom, at the university, and in the town. “I’m delighted to be here,” she says. “It’s been worth the wait.”