By Reuben van Kampen

G’day, my name is Reuben and I am in my fourth year of a Bachelor of Laws. 

As a part of the Waikato Global Experiences programme, I will be spending the final semester of my degree on trimester exchange to the University of Muenster in Germany. Heading on exchange is something I have had in the back of my mind since high school, planning my law degree, and the idea of wider travel since I can remember. Furthermore, I have always had an inclination toward travelling to Europe due to its rich history and my ancestral connection to the nearby Netherlands.

I have decided to head on exchange due to new opportunities in my legal studies and travel, and most prominently, as a new challenge. Germany presents a unique opportunity where I will not only be studying in a legal jurisdiction in contrast to New Zealand’s, but also a country with a new culture, language and customs. While I am nervously optimistic about most aspects of German culture, as an avid football fan, and hockey player I look forward to the German sporting culture with much anticipation, eager to experience and participate in what I can. By taking the bull by the horns, I hope to build in character and as a person with the unique challenge that Germany will present me with.