Maybe you never wondered about how ecofriendly the Nazi’s were, or the fact and fiction of the Autobahn, but this semester, students will get a taste of German culture, history, and lifestyle.

“America and Germany have tons of differences,” said Vanessa Wilcox, sophomore undecided major. Vanessa has dual-citizenship, and lived in Germany for most of her life.

“Germany is more liberal and open to things,” she said, “My first year in the States was so hard. I felt like everything was rushed and very closed-minded. The first thing someone said to me was, ‘where are you from? How long did it take you to drive down here? Isn’t that near Canada?’ I couldn’t believe that.”

However, Vanessa is not beyond letting America prove her wrong.

“I never really gave Missouri a fair chance, so that’s why I’m here this second year.”

The 19-year-old also knows the advantages to being fluent in two languages.

“It depends on the situation, which one works better. When I got pulled over in Germany,” Wilcox said,

“I played the dumb American. When I was with American friends, and they got a little too crazy, I would be the German friend so the elderly German people didn’t associate me with them.”

Vanessa is leaning towards majoring in Mass Communications, but since her parents still live in Germany, she is still undecided on whether to stay in Joplin or head back home to Heidelberg.

“Maybe I’ll leave Missouri Southern after this semester,” she said, “wherever my degree takes me, I’ll go.”