Books, Bratwurst, and Balance

I’m going to be real, studying at first was… intimidating. I remember the first day I actually walked onto campus for my first class. Brand new faces, teachers, and classes awaited me, and I found myself anxious during my 40 minute commute to campus. Will I be able to sit through the three hour long classes? Would I get along with the other people in my classes? Would I be able to keep up in the German class I got placed into?  All of these thoughts circled my brain as I sat and contemplatively looked at the window of the bus.

That day, when I arrived at Freie Universität (FU), the university I go to here in Berlin, I settled into my classes, and when they were over, took a big breath. Relief. I knew I was going to be fine, and it was also good to know that I liked the classes I picked. Even the German class I got placed into was very fun.

All of the classes I take here have relatively small class sizes, usually around 10-15 students, and so we are able to have a lot of group discussions, and some classes even have us present to the rest of the class as well. There isn’t a lot of homework given. Most of our grades are centered around participation and major projects like papers, presentations, and tests.

The only class I have every day is German class, and that is by far my favorite class. Not only do I think my grammatical knowledge has grown, but I think I’ve become way more comfortable speaking German as well. It’s really fun to be able to learn the language in the morning and then go and use what I learned the rest of the day. It almost feels as though every day I add a new tool to my “language” toolbox.

Another aspect of classes that I enjoy is the field trips. It is unbelievably cool to just have German class walking around a section of Berlin, and learning and actually seeing what you’re learning about right in front of you. Quick tip, if you like field trips and are considering doing study abroad, take Art and Dictatorship for one of your courses. The professor who teaches that class LOVES to take field trips and I have gotten to see so many amazing landmarks with that class.

As the months move on and I reflect on my time in Germany thus far, studying here has been unlike any other form of education I’ve ever had. It’s been amazing trying to soak up everything I can because it has been such an amazing experience. Despite my initial fear of the three hour long classes, I have come to enjoy my time in those classes. Although, I do think my levels of concentration and focus have increased, which is a good thing. Coming back to America, the classes will seem so short now 😉

Thank you to everyone who has kept me in their prayers throughout my time here. I just finished my midterms today, which means I am officially half way through with my program here. It really does feel like time has FLOWN by, and I can’t wait to see what awaits me the rest of the semester.

Bis später!

(These are some pics from the latest field trip I had with my German class. We went to the Siegessäule “Victory Column” on this nice typical cloudy Berlin day.)