School Away From School

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A big reason why I wanted to study abroad was to experience what school is like at a public college. I attend Freie Universität Berlin, otherwise known as Free University Berlin. This university was actually formed by students who wanted to be free in how they learned and what they learned. Therefore, the classes that I experience here are often student-led and discussion-heavy. I’ve actually come to really enjoy them!

Here, I take an intensive German class (which really only means that it meets four times a week, not that it’s incredibly hard), a politics class called How (Not) to Govern the Globe, and an art class called Art and Dictatorship.

Each subject class here only meets once a week, but the class is three hours long! As much as I thought this was going to drain me, the teachers offer short breaks after a long time and there’s a lot of movement throughout the classes. I’ve learned that I like them better than the three 50-minute classes a week I’m used to at MLC. With the three-hour chunks, I feel teachers can move more fluidly from subject to subject.

It’s actually midterms this week, and I just took two of them yesterday. They were on paper! And all essays! My hand was cramping, but it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.

Another big difference is that school here ends on Thursdays. It is so nice to have a four-day work week. The weekend just comes so much sooner and there are so many more possibilities! I use a lot of my weekends to travel and see as much of Europe as I can, and it has been such a blessing to get an extra day in a new city.

Instead of the caf, we have the Mensa. And it is not an all-you-can-eat buffet style. You pay for what you put on your plate, and it’s charged per food type. There is always a theme in the Mensa, but the only one I can remember right now is Meatless Monday (and it’s not my favorite). I can honestly say that I miss the caf at MLC.

However, they do give us an hour and a half for lunch every day, so it’s really easy to go down the street or across town for a grocery store or a quick curry stop.

The class sizes are relatively similar to MLC. My German class is the smallest, and it has 12 students in it. My Art and Dictatorship class has about 20.

Our school here also loves to take us on excursions or send us out into the wild for homework. For my term paper in Art and Dictatorship, I was tasked with assessing the Architecture of the 1936 Olympic stadium and relating it to the events in history going on at that time. Pictured here are the Olympic rings and the inside of the stadium. These were the Olympic games very famously held by Germany’s Dictator, Adolf Hitler, where Jesse Owens took home 4 gold medals for America.

The students here are also very different from the people I know back home. Many come from the East or West Coast and carry very liberal ideals. It’s really opened my eyes to see how the rest of the world thinks, and I feel this is an experience everyone should have. I’ve learned so much about who I am as a person through the values that I do and don’t share with others. And it’s been a little fun to try and be a light, because most students don’t know anything about religion in my program.

There is a church in Zehlendorf that is in connection with Germany’s seminary program. It might also be a retirement home, but God’s Word is good no matter where you hear it!

I am very blessed to see a program different from my own. As a future educator, it’s interesting to watch every teacher’s teaching style and ponder what my future classroom will look like. I’ve gotten a lot of good ideas from here, and I have a lot more to learn from MLC when I get back. For now, I’ll enjoy this opportunity that God has blessed me with.

 

The Ins and Outs Of Living With a Host Family

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Here in Berlin, I live in what is called a guest or host family. That basically means I’ve chosen to live with a German family instead of staying in the student dorms. Before coming here, we had to write an essay about ourselves, and based on that, the program directors decided which family would be the best match. To be honest, I had been hoping for a family with kids or maybe a pet, but instead, I ended up with a lovely couple in their 50s. And honestly, even though it wasn’t what I pictured at first, it’s still been a good experience.

Living with a host family is so different from staying in the dorms. I knew that the dorm options here would be full of other American exchange students, which is a great opportunity to make friends, but I was hoping for a more authentic experience. A big reason why I came here was to expand my horizons, and I knew that if I lived with other Americans, it would be way too easy to just stick with them and not step into the German Culture. By living with a German family, I’ve been able to experience the culture on a much deeper level. I’ve gotten to try traditional German foods, watch how daily life flows here, and practice speaking German outside of the classroom. That said, it does make things harder when it comes to making friends within my program. Since I don’t live with them or even really near them, I miss out on some of the casual hangouts or late night bonding that happens in the dorms. Sometimes it feels like I’m missing a piece of the social experience.

But at the same time, I wouldn’t trade it. The couple I live with are very kind, and they’ve welcomed me into their home. Much like the rest of Germany, they’re very structured people, the type who like things neat and orderly, which was a little frustrating at first because I didn’t know what the right way to do things was. But as time has gone on, I’ve started to feel more comfortable and even more at home.

My home is in Schlachtensee, a suburb on the edge of Berlin, and it’s absolutely beautiful. I don’t live in the hustle and bustle of central Berlin, which sometimes makes me feel like I’m a bit removed, but it also has its perks. Right near my house, there’s this gorgeous lake where I can walk around or go swimming when the weather is nice. The picture I have here is the restaurant, The Big Pan. I live on the top floor of the apartments in the building behind the restaurant. It is a tiny apartment, but it’s decorated so adorably. I even have my own room, which is nice and cozy.

Another plus of living with a host family is that they feed you breakfast and dinner. And it’s good food at that! The dorm option here leaves you responsible for all your meals. And, your host family’s got your back on the small stuff. One day, it was raining, and my host mom offered me an umbrella. It’s the little things that are making this a much more personable experience than the dorms would have been.

The only downside is the commute. I live about 50 minutes away from school. Every morning, I walk to the station and hop on the S1 train. That ride takes around 15 minutes, and then I transfer to a bus for the rest of the trip. At first, I really dreaded the idea of spending that much time commuting every day. But now, I’ve grown to enjoy it. Germans don’t really talk much on public transportation, which is so different from America, but I quite like the silence. I’ll use that time to relax, wind down, reflect on my day, sometimes I journal, and I’ve even read a few books!

So even though I might miss out on some of the dorm life experiences, I feel like I’ve gained something equally valuable. Living with a host family had given me a deeper look into the culture and pushed me out of the bubble I might have stayed in otherwise. I’ve learned to make a few German dishes, gone to some neighborhood events, and found a new home on the other side of the world.

Impressive Impressions

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To everybody who is scared to study abroad, whether that’s because it’s too far, or you’ve never left America, or you don’t know the language, DO IT! As someone who had never left America before three weeks ago, I did not know how much this opportunity would affect me.

My flight here was beautiful. I had a layover in Iceland and got to see part of that beautiful country. It was the last time I’ll be driving a car for the next three months.

Arriving in Germany was a bit tough on the first day. I was very tired and had about five hours of sleep after being up for 48 hours. However, I don’t think I’ll forget walking into my Host Family‘s house for the first time and thinking; okay, so this is home now.

Host families are awesome because they make delicious dinners for you and talk to you about so many world experiences you didn’t even know existed in America. I have yet to share much about myself, but it’s funny to hear some of their opinions because, of course, they’re different than mine.

Different doesn’t mean wrong. One big difference I have learned is that Germany is very green. And that has taken some getting used to. My house doesn’t have a dryer because the air can dry my clothes without using energy. Plastic is a no-go in my Family‘s house. Natural light is always best, and it’s great when you remember to unplug things from the wall.

By no means or any of these things bad. In fact, their focus is to make the world better! It just takes some getting used to!

One of the biggest differences in my day-to-day life is public transport. It takes me roughly 50 minutes to get to school from my house. I first hop on the S1 Train before changing to a bus to get to school. That’s much different than my 4 minute walk to class from Augustana.

When this public transport works, I love it! All the architecture out the window is breathtaking. AND, the train is quickly becoming my decompression time from my German classes I take. It’s especially good for people watching, which is great when you’re trying to learn more about people.

When the public transportation system does not work, it is terrible. Twice so far I missed a bus or train that has added a good hour to my journeys. And I’m sure that these mess ups will continue to happen, but to anyone considering going, the trains and buses run exactly as they should 99% of the time.

One of the things that I absolutely love is that most days I get out of school around noon. Berlin has lots to do. I’ve gone down to the Brandenburg Tor, eaten my share of curry wurst and döner kebab, met friends for beers, which I don’t usually do, and, most importantly, talked to native German speakers.

The first week I arrived, my host family’s apartment building had a backyard grill out. I got to sit and have a picnic with eight people I would have never had the opportunity to meet. They were so kind to let me try speaking German, and, in return they got to practice some English too.

Before I left for study abroad, I was so nervous. But now that I’ve been here, Berlin is quickly becoming a second home. I went away for the weekend to see a new town and when Sunday night came rolling around I just wanted to see Berlin.

I’m sure there are many more things for me to explore and many more people for me to meet before this adventure is done.

Till next time,
Reba

Prep Time is Over: Adventure Awaits!

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Honestly, I can’t believe that my semester abroad is finally here! I feel like I’ve been telling people for two years how I’m going to go on this huge adventure, but it’s been so long that it was starting to feel like I would never actually go. In preparation for my time abroad, and in relation to my majors, I took three summer classes this year. I’ve never had a more stressful summer! However, I’m really proud of myself for working through this so that I can go on this adventure. I feel like this experience will be something that I will never regret and may never have the opportunity to do something like this again.

Now, I am three shifts of my summer job and one night of packing away from going on a journey that will truly change me. I don’t know how to pack my life into a suitcase and a backpack, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out. I look forward to everything that I’m going to learn, including German (hopefully), and I’m excited to get to know new people that God will place in my life.

At this point, it doesn’t feel real, but I’m not nervous anymore. Looking back at my original goals and expectations list, I see a lot of fears. Fears that I will miss my family, fears that my friend group may change drastically while I’m gone, and many other fears. I recognize that those were my fears, but I don’t share them anymore. My family is one call away, and they’re coming to visit me in October! My friends will be there for me and I’m so excited to see them when I get to school in January.

I also see that I wanted to spend a lot of this time working on myself, and I do. I want to focus on becoming a more positive person in situations that I can’t control. And I think I will. Already, texting with my host family has made me feel so much better. I can’t wait to meet them and make connections halfway across the world. This is my time to make decisions for myself, to see God‘s creation, and find out that I am capable of growth!

I wrote on that goals and expectation sheet that I am my own worst enemy. This is true, but only if I wish to stay that way. I also think that I can be my own support and find strength in that. I have confidence that I will do well and that confidence is what will make me succeed.

So, in this post, I’m going to make new goals for myself. I want to try my host Family‘s vegetarian food and enjoy it. I want to get coffee on a busy street in Berlin and just listen to all the voices. I want to see the history of Germany and what really happened that made it into what it is today. I want to make it to Paris and London and Italy. I want to see God‘s beauty every day and thank him for this amazing opportunity. I want to make friends with people my age that I feel encouraged to keep ties with once I leave.

I now recognize the magnitude of the opportunity that lies before me and can’t wait to face every situation head on.

Here’s one last pic of all my wonderful cousins and I until I see them again when I return!