The following are excerpts from email messages written back home to Germany within the first 3 weeks of arrival in Champaign.
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. . . right now I'm sitting in front of an I-Mac computer at the Illini
Union. The Illini Union is a big and venerable-looking building with dining
rooms, a huge ballroom, some small shops, some computer rooms…
... most of the buildings here seem to be relatively venerable-the buildings,
the arrangement of the green spaces, the big oaken doors, etc….
… I somehow feel that in this university, it is a means of motivation to make everybody feel important-the walls are full of pictures with honored and deserved professors and students, lots of awards are given for lots of different occasions. I think this all shall stimulate students to work very hard, and I think also that it is a bit successful, this "method." At least most of the graduate students and professors here seem to be very industrious. It's not like in Germany, where the doors of the universities close on Friday evening….
… Everything is very expensive here. The very low value of the Euro makes it even worse. There are some things that are absolutely essential to me (e.g., cereals!) whose price is more than three times the price in Germany. (Actually, I don't understand why. Everything seems to be flat farmland in Illinois. Cereals should be very cheap!)
… Concerning food, I'm very disappointed. Everywhere this flavored stuff! In every color and every taste. The Americans seem to dislike normal, uncolored, unflavored, natural food-the more colors and the sweeter the taste, the better they find it….
… Cosmo house is really great. I'm totally sure that this place is the best thing that could have happened to me. Twelve different people from twelve different countries-this makes life very interesting. There is always somebody to talk to. It is very interesting to hear the different opinions about different issues, and probably I have only now really realized how important the cultural background is for someone's attitude and someone's behavior….
… Lots of interesting and intelligent people to talk to, both in a serious and in a funny way. Since I have no roommate (only housemates), I'm not dependent on ONE specific person and do not feel extremely obliged towards one. That's really great! Sometimes I think that I can probably learn more when I stay at Cosmo house than when I go to class….
… It seems to me that the Americans like wasting things. They waste
energy everywhere. Right now, I'm sitting in the very cool Engineering
Hall computer lab. It is cooled down so much that I have to wear my pullover.
Some people in my house have told me that when it is very cold outside,
the inside rooms of the university are heated very much, usually more
than 23 degrees Centigrade. And there is so much waste on the streets
here, I can't believe it! You know, they have all this fast food here,
and everything you buy (not only the food) is senselessly strongly wrapped….
… I would say that the American culture is very practical and targeted.
I like that very much, because you don't spoil your time with useless
things and you really focus on the things that have to be done. But on
the other hand, it's also a very temporary culture. Lots of things are
"made for the moment." Even houses here have a far more temporary
character than in Germany. You build them to live in for ten years, and
if you dislike some feature or another of your house after a certain time,
then it is often cheaper to destroy the house and build a new one. Everything
is very resource-consumptive here….
… Most of the academic things (except the admissions process) are,
fortunately, less bureaucratic and less formal here compared to my experiences
in Germany. At least as a graduate student, one is taken more seriously
than at a corresponding level in our German system. Equally, the relationship
between professors and their students is more friendly and more collegial
than in Germany. Probably this is due to the fact that the common notion
of a professor here is different from our experiences in Germany, where
being a professor is the preliminary stage to being God….
… Here they attach great importance to the motivation of students
and colleagues. Reputation plays a big role here. It is not uncommon that
you are asked to make efforts "for the reputation of our department."
I have the impression that the departments here have something like a
"corporate identity"-something that is really missing in Germany,
where a department is rather a heap of "single combatants"….
… There are so many international students here. I really enjoy that. Sometimes I wonder why there are only so few foreign students at German universities. It would be good if we had more, not only because of academic reasons, but also because of "personal reasons." It's so valuable to get to know people from other countries and to experience their attitudes and their ways of life. I have never before met so many interesting people in one place….
I hope that these excerpts have to some extent shown my impressions about my life here in Champaign. It is a very exciting life for me. I am often wondering why I enjoy living here so much. Champaign is not a city of natural or cultural richness. But I think it's the right mixing which makes me enjoy everything. I met very interesting and friendly people, the work at the university is very challenging and I get deep insights in teaching and research, there are lots of possibilities for going jogging, doing sports at IMPE, and I shouldn't forget that there is the nice old grand piano in the ground floor of the Cosmo House.