35 Jahre: 1982-2017

For Students

 

Description: Observation of and participation in the work of a veterinarian clinic, including travelling over the countryside and visiting clients.

Comments: "I am most interested in the farms/ranches that the large animal vets visit, so I primarily travelled around with the two large animal vets. Each day we would leave around 7:30 in the morning and travel until 9:00, when we would all have Fruehstueck together at the clinic. Then we would leave again, to make more rounds, to Betriebs and private homes. Then I would lunch with one of the doctors, and continue our work into the early afternoon. Late afternoon I usually spent watching the small animal vet, and talking with the clients. As far as projects, I had no specific project, but I was allowed to give immunization shots to animals and just work with the animals while they were being treated. The most interesting part for me was seeing the former GDR. There are many changes taking place, especially in agriculture, where I was most involved. Seeing and becoming a part of this culture was amazing for me, and because no one around me spoke English, my German skills improved dramatically. Even for someone who has no interest in making a career in veterinary medicine, this internship would be beneficial, if only for the reason that it gives you the chance to interact with Germans 24 hours a day. I acquired many more people skills. Because of always talking to people in a different language, it was sometimes difficult to speak with clients, but it rapidly became better and I will be able to use the basic people skills for the rest of my life. The skill with animals I had before I went, but they also improved and my knowledge of animal medicine also broadened, and this too is an advantage, even though I do not plan to go into veterinary medicine The most personally rewarding part was the friends that I made and the experiences that I had while I was in Pritzwalk, not the internship itself. Also making friends with the other girls that worked in he clinic, and being able to improve my German so much."

Educational benefits:
"It was professionally profitable in indirect ways. For example, I feel that living in a different country and speaking a different language would speak for me as being a desirable employee prospect, only with that alone. But also, I learned people skills, and that will always be important. I learned that I will probably not want to study veterinary medicine, although I pretty much knew that beforehand. I know myself a little better after this summer, and that will make some of my decisions a lot easier. I also became much more confident, and now that I am back at Stanford, I notice this, and it will help me very much in the future.

I have made so many friends, met so many amazing people, and become more confident through my internships. Especially with my first, the people welcomed me wholeheartedly and were very interested in my culture, as I was in theirs. I am expecting already two visits from friends I've met here, and there will probably be more. I also learned that people everywhere are the same, have many of the same problems, and when one takes an interest, they are happy to become fast friends. (although this is probably already an excepted thing, it came as a shock to me in the East, where they too were amazed to hear that my mom and I fight over the same issues as they do!) More I cannot say, I just felt co completely welcome and comfortable with the people I met.

My German skills have just simply improved in leaps and bounds. I am now very proud of how I can talk in German and when I can convey complex ideas or listen to conversations and know exactly what they are talking about. I found that, because my learning was done in an academic course situation, I tend to speak like a book is written, very slowly, exact, and precise. And being with Germans helped me (whether for the better or for the worse) to pick up some colloquialisms that I wouldn't have had otherwise."

For further information, please write to jennifer.holliday@stanfordalumni.org