From Wuppertal to Kansas: Ben and Ahmed's journey to Bethel
Two German exchange students reflect on their journey, challenges, and the impact of studying abroad at Bethel College.
Coming from almost 5000 miles away, Ben Kontetzky and Ahmed Abu Baker of the University of Wuppertal are bringing a new perspective to Bethel College. Both education majors studying English, Kontetzky and Abu Baker entered the exchange program that is shared between Bethel and Wuppertal.
When asked why they chose Bethel College over any other option, both of the students described the immediate, practical value of living here when considering their aspirations of learning English.
While studying English in Germany gave them a solid foundation to begin, living in the United States requires speaking English constantly. From talking to professors or getting donuts at Druber’s, every single moment of life sharpens the skills needed to understand the complexities of the English language and how it is spoken in real situations.
Beyond the educational significance of living here, Abu Baker emphasized both his and Kontetzky’s broader motivations behind their decision. Baker shared, “…I think studying abroad is a pretty awesome experience, and a chance you only get once.” He continued, “You have to be open to many things and in my experience, the U.S. is a place where people are very open and friendly and they inspire you to be the person that you want to be in the future.”
“…You have to be open to many things and in my experience, the U.S. is a place where people are very open and friendly and they inspire you to be the person that you want to be in the future.”
Ahmed Abu Baker
While both students were excited to experience life in the U.S., it came with many challenges. Abu Baker describes one of the hardest transitions of American life when he explained, “Compared to Germany, we don’t have public transportation here, especially in North Newton. Doing your groceries, seeing cities around you, you don’t have the opportunities to do that like you have in Germany.”
Beyond just the practical issues of transportation, the students expressed a deep homesickness. While many college students travel long distances, Kontetsky and Abu Baker have had an especially difficult time adjusting to being across a hemisphere from their families and friends.
However, when asked if either of them had any regrets, Kontetzky said, “I think I would have packed more stuff, but other than that, no, not really. I think I’m pretty happy here, and it is what I expected it to be.” Even with the fears and the homesickness, both the students held the resolve to cross the Atlantic to advance their education.
Furthermore, Kontetzky wanted to tell any Bethel students interested in the Wuppertal exchange, “Do it! It’s as simple as that. It is a great experience. It is a great experience for us to come to America, I can imagine it would be the same great experience coming from America to Germany, because there are a lot of places in and around Wuppertal that you can visit and experience the culture, the people.”
Adding to Kontetzky’s statement, Abu Baker mentioned that, “[Wuppertal] is a city which has many things to offer to a tourist, or someone who’s not from Germany. You also have the city of Cologne and other cities nearby and many parks and castles that you can visit nearby. Germany offers the students a public transportation ticket… So you pay once a semester and you can travel through the whole of Germany with that so you can visit Hamburg, Berlin, and Munich.”