I am Connor Dugosh, a senior music therapy major attending GCSUs summer abroad program in Germany.

I stepped off of the plane into a whole new world. Many parts of the environment were similar to home, yet, they were different. The roads were still made ​​of asphalt yet they were thinner. The signs advertise goods available for sale but were in a foreign language. 

On the way to the apartments, one of the most noticable differences for me was the quantity of bikes on the roads. Bike racks were packed with bikes whose owners were at work, shopping or attending class. The sidewalks were even divided in some places to allow easier travel for bicyclists.  

After getting settled, my group and I began to leave to go get bikes of our own. As we rode back on what would be our vehicles for the next several weeks, we were able to see how stressful riding a bike in traffic could be. The streets were filled with cars, I can only guess it was the evening rush. When there were no bike lanes, cars would be inches away from your handlebars going at decent speeds.

As nerve racking as the first ride was, the bike rides that followed became easier and easier. I began to learn my way around the city and felt confident in my ability to reach my destinations via bike. This first week has been amazing. I cannot wait to see what the rest of the adventure has in store for the group and me.