Letters From a Beautiful Summer
By: Amy Liu, SEAS ’25
Last cafeteria lunch with friends.
GRIP: Engineering Research in Aachen, Germany
“Time flies, and it seems it was just a few days ago that I picked you up from the train station. We went to the Dragon Castle in Bonn together, went tree climbing, and magically ran into each other several times in other places.” – Letter from my student mentor assigned by program.
“‘It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living.’ – F Scott Fitzgerald. So keep on smiling.” – Farewell texts from a friend.
“If you ever need something, whether it is advice or a spontaneous picnic, I’m always there for anything, no matter what.” – Farewell letter from a friend.
“We will meet again, I’m sure of it, whether in Europe or America.” – Last words from a friend.
As the last days of my internship were drawing near, I knew and dreaded that it was time to start saying my farewells. I spent my free time the next few weeks scheduling goodbye hangouts, a music festival with one, a summerfest with another, sunset picnics and lunch dates and small day trips without end. By the last day, I was exhausted, but I had also handed out all my letters of goodbye to everyone successfully, and some of the farewells I received are written above.
Finally, sitting on a train to the Frankfurt airport, I reflected on my summer in Germany. Coming there without any prior German experience, I was automatically enrolled by the program into a beginner German course, giving me the unique opportunity to study grammar basics and vocab while already immersed in an environment based in that language. Practicing with local students had been invaluable, getting real-time feedback on word usage and pronunciation, while simultaneously picking up on random slang and region-specific jokes.
The small college town of Aachen was placed in quite literally the perfect location: half-an-hour’s train ride from the larger city of Cologne, and around three hours from Brussels, Amsterdam, and even Paris. Weekends were filled with early morning train rides, exploring unfamiliar city streets, learning words from all the 4 different languages, and watching sunsets from seemingly a different country each week.
But of course, the most valuable part of my summer is symbolized with the sentences above. They are just a small snapshot of the amazing people I met, friends who I will share a lifetime of memories with, no matter how far apart we are. Their incredible kindness, curiosity, understanding, and love for laughter shocked me again and again. And without doubt I have fallen in love with German culture and the RWTH student life. So to all the people who made this summer beautiful, this is not a goodbye, just a see you later.
The Global Research and Internship Program (GRIP) provides outstanding undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to intern or conduct research abroad for 8 to 12 weeks over the summer. Participants gain career-enhancing experience and global exposure that is essential in a global workforce.