As most collegiettes have probably noticed, Ambrose is now home to many more international students than have been here in the past. Many are here for sports or extended graduate programs. Felix Geyer, this week’s Campus Celebrity, is here as a traditional exchange student for the fall semester.
Felix is here enjoying Iowa from his hometown of Mainz, Germany. Back home, Felix is a student at a university in Kaiserslautern. He is currently studying mechanical and industrial engineering.
So far, Felix has thoroughly enjoyed St. Ambrose. His roommates have made Felix’s transition to America fairly smooth. He lives with two American students and one other international student, who is here from Croatia.
“I have the best roommates. They know the area, bars, and many people. They made my start in the US really easy and already memorable.”
Beyond his roommates, Felix loves many of the same things that bring American students to Ambrose. The small class sizes and friendly atmosphere have been very enjoyable, as well as the “girls,” Felix says with his trademark wink.
However, there have been a couple of weird surprises for Felix since he arrived in America. The first is air conditioning. It was strange to him that all the buildings and houses have the amenity that most of us take for granted every day.
Another surprise: “Nobody is walking; everybody drives everywhere.”
Although he feels very comfortable thus far in America, there are a few things he misses from home, especially his family and his lacrosse and soccer teams.
“And of course, German beer and bread are irreplaceable,” he claims with another wink.
Felix has various trips planned so that he gets the full taste of America during the time he has here. Over Thanksgiving break, he plans on traveling to San Francisco and possibly San Diego and Las Vegas. After classes, he is going to Florida and the Bahamas. For New Year’s Eve, he is doing what most collegiettes dream of doing: going to New York City.
In the short time he has been here, Felix has already found a comfortable life. He is a very open and friendly guy, so if you see him around, don’t be afraid to say hi!