Klaudia Poplawski '23 knew exactly how she wanted to spend her European semester, but when best laid plans were interrupted by global warming, she learned the real adventure lies in the unpredictability of travel
Klaudia's semester in Germany was already her backup plan. She had intended to study in Australia last year, but those intentions were undercut by the pandemic. This year, she regrouped – choosing a country with a foreign language but an A-Z alphabet – and landed on Berlin. And once she picked Berlin, she immediately locked in on Finland.
Klaudia embarked on a solo trip to the Arctic Circle to fulfill a lifelong dream to snowboard the magical Finnish Arctic. The only problem? No snow. Klaudia quickly pivoted.
"I went floating in the arctic waters at night. It was super dark and glaciers would just bump into me. Later in the trip, I got to see the first snowfall. I had hoped to see the Northern Lights, but the view was obstructed when the snow rolled in. The snowfall was beautiful."
Both of Klaudia's parents are from Poland, and she considered studying in their native country. She's happy she settled on Germany, though. Each day is its own adventure, and living in Berlin presents its own unique lifestyle.
"Berlin is very different from the rest of Germany in the way they dress. If you dress like an American, you stick out like a sore thumb. In Berlin, everyone dresses in an almost professional gothic style."
Very little about the experience is what Klaudia planned for or expected it to be, but the unscripted moments have been the most memorable. She's learned to seek adventure, but not define it, and appreciate the once-in-a-lifetime moments. However, she won't give up on snowboarding. She has a trip planned for the French Alps at the end of the semester.
