Part of campus life is the infrastructure. The University of Kentucky has a very beautiful campus, with a lot of nature everywhere. Coming from Germany, we were amazed by the size of the campus and its advanced facilities such as the library, the huge stadium, the basketball courts and the different fitness centers, where all kinds of new gym equipment was available; the non-stop, free classes such as Yoga, Kickboxing, Hip-Hop, Aerobics classes held every weekday. The rock-climbing wall was definitely one of the main attractions for us.

Other aspect that fascinated us were the different cafeterias, cafes, restaurants spread across campus and the University’s own bus system that made moving around convenient, the “Student Center” has a lot to offer as well; ranging from academic to entertainment (Wii, Billiard, Table-Tennis, laptops, wireless internet). The advanced technology was also something that impressed us. Each one of us had his or her own student identification card which had a certain amount of value on it, so we could use it as a cashless card to purchase our food and other necessary items on campus.

What further brought in more excitement was K-Week, which was the orientation week for the freshmen. These different activities did not only give us many free t-shirts and other freebies, but also gave us plenty of good opportunities to interact and mingle with Americans. The orientation programs were fun and informational, which helped us to adapt more quickly. Even after K-Week was over, there were constantly some events such as Jazz or Salsa Night taking place that gave out freebies such as water bottles, pins, cool stickers, free drinks and etc.

Another important aspect of this experience was living in the dormitory. The American dormitory is different from the German dormitory in the sense that a student usually shares the room with one to three other students of the same gender. This was a whole new game for us as we not only tried to adapt to our new life at University of Kentucky, but also learn what it meant to share a room with other people. In a way, it was not only living through the five weeks but living through it together. Each of us cherishes this experience tremendously because it brought in so much liveliness and interaction within the group and with the other American students.
Part of this program were the excursions. We visited places such as the Natural Bridge, Toyota Factory, a University of Kentucky football game, the Mohammad Ali Center, Louisville Slugger (Baseball Factory/Museum), Derby Museum (Horse Racing), My Old Kentucky Home, Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace, Mammoth Cave and a middle School (Gymnasium).  By visiting these places, it gave us a bigger picture of Kentucky.  For example, the museums gave us a new kind of perspective about America’s past and its struggles. The Slugger Louisville was a very hands-on experience because we watched the process of producing baseball bats in the factory. One of our pivotal moments was when we attended a Gospel church, we felt the intense passion the people had for their faith and to experience the warm welcome was such a pleasant surprise for all of us. Another amazing experience was to watch the entire city dressed in royal blue and walk towards the Commonwealth Stadium to support their football team. This is what you call unity!

Another important aspect of this experience were the Americans we interacted with. We met professors, students, teachers and others. We had so much fun exchanging views with our professors about politics (especially since the Election 2008 is next month). Our interactions with the American students were always very interesting in various aspects. Not to mention, the Kentuckians are such friendly folks. We always enjoyed the pleasant greeting of ‘Good Morning, how are you?” and the smile that would accompany the question. Often we established small talks with American strangers, something that seemed to be part of the American way of life.