Differences of opinion regarding foreign policy won’t keep these students from the opportunity of studying another country’s language and culture.

Four Missouri Southern German students will travel to Ansbach, Germany, this summer for an educational experience international style.

Elisabeth Humphreys, freshman undecided major, is preparing for the trip scheduled for May 19 through June 19.

She began studying German last semester. She had never studied another language in high school and chose German by default.

“I didn’t want to take French or Spanish, and thought Russian and Chinese might be too hard, so I was left with German,” Humphreys said.

Any student who had completed at least two semesters of German was eligible for the trip.

The students will be studying German while overseas. Humphreys thinks this immersion method into the culture will be greatly beneficial for her language skills.

“I hope to be able to speak it [German] a lot better when I get back,” she said. “Even spending a little time in the country is supposed to make a big difference.”

As an honors student, Humphreys must accumulate at least three credit hours while studying abroad. Many of Southern’s programs fulfill this requirement, but Humphreys said she chose this one because of her language skills and increasing knowledge of the culture.

German and American culture are very different, Humphreys said.

“They usually have only one or two really close friends,” she said. “The Germans have two forms for the word ‘you,’ formal and familiar. They don’t use the formal ‘you’ with someone unless they have ‘eaten a pound of salt together.’ Then they have a formal ceremony where one person asks the other if it is all right to use the informal ‘you’ with the other person and then drink on it.”

Humphreys finds these cultural differences exciting and interesting and hopes this international experience will help to broaden her mind and find a world outside of the United States.

“The way they operate is so different,” Humphreys said. “I think this will help to break my American mindset that is so self-centered and help me open up to other ideas that aren’t American.”

Humphreys’ mother, Pam, is not as excited about the cultural differences as her daughter and is concerned that misunderstandings may occur as a result.

“I don’t want her to offend people because she doesn’t know the customs, especially if their belief systems clash with hers,” Pam said.

Pam was very concerned about Germany’s stance on the war in Iraq and how a group of Americans would be treated there, but as the global-political temperature has cooled, so has her concern.

“I’m not nearly as uncomfortable with the thought of it as I was a month ago,” Pam said.

Despite her mixed feelings, Pam said she was excited about her daughter fulfilling her dream by visiting a European country.

Humphreys does not have any reservations about traveling overseas during this time.

“We won’t be landing in any weird place,” she said. “I’m not afraid. Part of that is probably ignorance, but I’m OK with it.”

She said the Germans aren’t prejudiced against Americans, but they don’t like the Bush administration right now because of their decision to proceed with war without the UN’s consent.

“Germany is very opposed to war, because so many wars were fought on their soil,” Humphreys said. “They know the terrors of war and are very loathe to enter into something so horrible.”

Radical anti-American sentiment is uncommon, and the most prolific example of war protesting is restaurants boycotting American sodas and cigarettes, Humphreys said.

The trip won’t be all work and no play. The students will be given the opportunity to do some sightseeing during their stay. Every weekend is available for individual students to travel throughout the countryside, and the fourth week is devoted entirely to group sightseeing in Germany and Austria.

“I want to see a lot of Germany,” she said. “I love to travel but haven’t really had the chance to until now. Maybe I’ll go to Prague.”

“It will be good for her because she is so interested and observant of people and their ways,” Pam said. “She watches and appreciates them. In this case, adventure is secondary to all of the other people she will meet and what is important to them.”