Halfway There

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I’ve just returned to Berlin from a week-long break in Italy. Now I’ve realized that my time abroad is halfway over. I definitely see it from the opposing side: I only have half my time left here. The first half of my semester has been great, and I am excited for the second half as well. Unfortunately, the second half of this semester is going to be very cold and wet.

I have made good use of my time here in Germany and throughout Europe to get out of my house and area, and see and experience new things. I’ve definitely grown in my confidence to speak German in the wild as well. The other night, I was out and about doing night photography and ran into another person doing the same thing. I started asking him questions in German, and it went well. I plan to continue this trend of getting out and speaking, even as the weather gets colder and more challenging, making it harder to want to leave the warmth and comfort of my house.

My goal of speaking to new people in German is going well. Often, these interactions are not super long, but they are still beneficial. These interactions are both intentional and forced, so sometimes I go out of my way to talk to someone, and at other times, I have no choice but to do so. Another thing that is going well, honestly better than I thought it would, is my Church attendance. Given that I’m in a different country and travel frequently on weekends, I’ve attended about 5 ELFK services so far, which is more than I initially thought I would. ELFK is the German church with which we are in fellowship. Honestly, that has been an enormous blessing to be able to hear God’s word and sing his praises in a familiar manner.

As I move into the second half of the semester, I also have some areas for improvement. Number one is my daily devotion habits, as I was on it every day for some weeks, but with the week-long school excursion, my semester break, and other travels, I have definitely fallen behind where I want to be. That is what I want to definitely get on top of soon. Another thing I want to improve is keeping my private journal up to date, as I often fall a week or two behind. It would be nice to be up to date. The final thing to improve is using my limited time to its fullest, as many hours of my week are spent on transit.

Free water is scarce here; even now, as I’m writing this, I’m parched, and throughout the school, I don’t think a bubbler exists. Even in restaurants, water is paid for. I really want to ensure I’m drinking enough water as I continue, because I haven’t been. Overall, I still thoroughly enjoy Berlin, and each day brings something new to discover or learn about, primarily due to its rich history.

 

This picture I took the other day while exploring, and maybe you might recognize it from several movies such as The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 or The Bourne Supremacy

Why does time go by so quickly?

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All right, it’s halfway through the semester, and I feel…amazing! Actually, I’m sad to think that my experience is already halfway over. The reason I wanted to study abroad was because I wanted to find peace with myself, and I really think that I have. With such a busy college life that I choose to live on MLC’s campus, I haven’t felt like myself in a while. I found it easy to get bogged down by homework, work, sports, meetings, etc. but here, in Berlin, I just see the beauty in every moment.

Besides school hours, barely any of my days are planned here, and I intended to do that. I’m learning to go with the flow over here, even though Germany is actually very punctual. I like the quiet dinners with my host family and journaling in my room at night. I like when we go out and see the sights of Berlin or explore a new city on the weekend. I like pausing for a movie and running to catch the train. I love every moment.

What I’m happiest about is that I’ve learned to be proud of trying things. The other day I ran a 5K just to see if I could do it; and I can! Also, my host loves table tennis, and although I’m not the best, I still go to practice with him. Let me tell you, learning the art of a new sport in a different language is such a unique experience! And I got to meet so many more amazing people over here. Trying new things has opened so many doors to me that I didn’t know I would be blessed with.

Another thing I really wanted to focus on was seeing the beauty of God in every moment. His creation is beautiful, and I’m so honored that I’ve gotten to see so much of it. Whenever I explore a new city, it’s all I think about. God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good.

I’ve also had so many laughs this semester so far. I was really nervous about not having a good time over here, and one of my goals was to laugh every day. I’m happy to say that usually I laugh before I even get off my morning bus. And if that doesn’t do it, I have quite a few class clowns in my German class.

Of course, there are always areas of improvement to be had. I know good relationships take time, but I hope to get a lot closer to my host family before moving stateside again. They truly are amazing people, but I often psych myself out of things. Sometimes, I stay in my room when I think time would be better spent talking to them.

I’ve also noticed a lull in my eagerness to get better at the German language. I often think to myself, ‘most people know English anyways.’ But if I’m ever going to grow this skill, this is the best place in the world to do it! I’ve heard kids’ TV shows can help with vocabulary, so I’ll  be giving SpongeBob Schwammkopf a try.

I also want to do a better job of reaching out to the people I have back home. Before leaving, I was so afraid that they would forget about me…turns out, I haven’t done the best at keeping up with them. A simple message goes a long way, and I want to send one when I think of someone.

Every time I think I know everything about the German culture, I get surprised with something new. It’s my host dad’s birthday this week, and when I mentioned getting him a card, I was informed they don’t really do that here in Germany. It’s more of a thing you say to the person.

I’m still in love with the transportation in Germany and the efficiency of its people. But when I got here, the rules weren’t written on a billboard you could just read somewhere, so they were very difficult for me to understand. However, through a lot of people-watching, I think I’ve figured out most of the social cues. 

Overall, I feel like I’m growing in all the ways I hoped I would! I’m learning to slow down, appreciate the moment, and be grateful for the beauty around me. The first half of this journey has been incredible, and I can’t wait to see what the second half brings!

School in Germany

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School in Germany is quite different than at MLC. The program that I am participating in tries to make school a German experience. But also the nature of the program does not make school overwhelming either.

Every student has school 4 days a week. Now I am taking the minimum amount of credits, which is recommended. This allows me to have a lot of free time and to make the most of my time abroad. So on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I only have German class from nine to noon. But on Tuesday I have to other classes and go to school from 9am to 7pm. That might sound bad but I still have time to eat lunch and they give us a 15 minute break during class. With this schedule I am able to do a lot of exploring in my free time, especially on the weekends.

As you’ve noticed my classes are about 3 hours long but for all of them except German we only meet once a week. Often the class period is actually a field trip! We have taken a lot into Berlin to learn about German, history, art, and monuments. Those class periods are the best.

The classes operate a little bit differently too. And I think this is where they try to make it more German, by having class be more about discussion. The readings each week are quite heavy and are much longer than I am used to from MLC. However then in class there is much less lecture and a lot more discussion. I feel that in a way it is nice to have more discussion time however lecture is still important but it feels a little lacking here.

My favorite class has to be German class. That’s because it’s the most fun. We are able to have a lot of fun while still learning. Many exercises are focused on speaking, so we often get to talk and practice new things we’ve learned. Plus that class meets every school day so I also feel like it is the main focus. I would also say that it is the most important at least in my present life because it enables me to communicate better in Berlin, with my host, and even in other parts of Europe.

Another thing I enjoy in my German class is how small it is. I only have 8 people in it so it feels like I am definitely getting enough attention in terms of being able to participate and get feedback from peers and my teacher. Also I like being able to get to know these 8 people better because we have class for 12 hours together each week. My other classes are bigger around 20 students. I think in the program in total there are maybe 100 students. So it is nice that we have class sizes that are not to big. We definitely don’t have any lecture halls with hundreds of people so all the discussion feels like you are able to participate and be heard.

Over all I am enjoying my learning experience here, especially German class.

 

– One of my field trips in Berlin. This is the Victory Column.

Living in Berlin

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Dear readers at home, Now that I have been in Berlin for just over a month it is a good time to tell you how and where I am living. I live in a part of Berlin called Schöneberg. Right down the street from where   JFK gave his famous speech, where he said “Ich bin ein Berliner.” Super cool history in Berlin is all over and it’s even cooler when it’s just down the street.

I live around 30-50 minutes from where I go to school. I have many different ways I can go to school like with the S-Bahn or a bus or even a bike. Usually the trains run on time but sometimes they are a little behind, but even then I can make it to school on time by going a different way. Transport is awesome in Berlin and I have a super easy time getting into the middle of the city, too.

The apartment I live in is in an old apartment building. The stairs creak when you walk up, but it really adds to the experience of living there. The actual apartment I live in with my host family is nice a big. My room has big windows and there are even beautiful stained glass windows inside on the doors. The sun does most of the work to provide light inside and it is very beautiful when the sun shines in. There is a kitchen and a balcony and a few other rooms in total.

With me in the apartment lives my host family. Elvira and Attila are the people who are hosting me. Elvira is always home and makes me breakfast and dinner most days. I usually try to speak with her in German during meals and sometimes she shows me the German newspaper. Attila is often gone during the week for work, but every once in a while he is home and cooks dinner.

This living arrangement is very different to MLC. First off at MLC school is a 5 minute walk not a 30-50 minute train trip. On top of that, at MLC I live with my fellow students but here I live with a couple who cooks me food. Which is another difference that I don’t have the caf to go to whenever I want but instead I have more strict meal times. The biggest difference between living in the dorms at MLC and the apartment I live in here in Berlin is that my host family has a cat. Her name is Tabby and she is super shy but if I’m lucky she will come up to me for a pet. And at MLC in the dorms cats are not allowed so it is quite different having one.

All in all living in Berlin is great. Honestly, I don’t mind the longer commute especially because school doesn’t start till 9. And my host family is super nice and good cooks plus they have a cat.
S-Bahn Station platform

 

First impressions of Berlin

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I’ve been here now for a few weeks and am definitely getting settled in. Berlin is a very multi cultural city and just walking around I hear many other languages than German. Not all of Germany is like this though. On a short weekend trip to Leipzig and Chemnitz I very much felt more surrounded by ethnically German people. Everywhere in Germany I have been so far has been nice and welcoming which is nice because my street feels familiar and a little bit like home.

My host family has been very influential in my acclamation to Berlin. They are very welcoming and make me breakfast and dinner (They even baked me a Birthday cake!). They are also super helpful in telling me where to go to find things whether it be necessities like soap or activities and sight seeing.

In Berlin there is so much to see. The zoo is very old in a good way and quite unique with location in the city. Classic monuments are fun to see like the Brandenburg gate, Berliner Dome and also the Tv Tower. Plus there is tons of history to dig in especially pertaining to WWII and the ensuing division of the country and the Cold War. I am excited to go see some more Berlin throughout the semester, and the school will take me on excursions as well to see and learn more.

Another thing to get used to is the food. In Berlin two types of food are very popular and easy to find: Curry and Döner. Curry is a sausage with fries ketchup mayo and curry powder. Döner is meat carved from a vertical rotisserie put with salad and sauces on a flatbread. For me these are both tasty lunch options. Although in Berlin the typical German heavy food is not as prolific like it is in other areas, but I’m still excited to try those too.

Another thing I noticed right away that I like is the train system in Berlin. It is super easy for me to travel and get to places usually whenever I want. But sometimes the train is a super far walk or a long wait so at these moments I miss my car. However being able to not have to focus on driving but still getting places is quite nice. My school here in Berlin has equipped me with public transportation passes and later in the semester it will cover all of Germany. I am really looking forward to that so I can get around even more.

Over all I think Berlin is a very nice city and I am glad I chose to study here. I have already experienced so much but still have a lot of things to see and to do. I’m glad that the program I am in nurtures adventure and exploration through host families and excursion, so that I can grow and learn from the new place I am living in. All in all the first impressions have been great!

I’ve arrived – Paul Wagner

My First Blog

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Hi, my name is Paul Wagner, and I am about to embark on a long trip to the European continent. My home base will be in Berlin, and I will be staying with a lovely host family. I think I will really be able to learn a lot from living with these German people in everyday life. Attila and Elvira are the names of the people willing to take me in for a couple of months. But I am also planning on doing some traveling outside of Germany as well to countries like France, Italy, and Switzerland. It will be interesting to see the difference between Germany and these other countries, which are right next door. While I am there, I will also be taking classes at the university. Most of my coursework will be German language instruction. So I am hoping that between that and speaking in German with my host family and being immersed in the language, I will become relatively proficient by the end. I am also taking two other courses that are taught in English. This will be a very different experience from American college, and I think that I will learn many things outside of the classroom, as I explore and go to museums and see sites with thousands of years of history. I have some goals that I hope to achieve through this program. I want to be able to have full and meaningful conversations in German with a German speaking person and I think this will be achievable through hard work in the classroom and dedication outside of it. My other goal is to regularly speak to strangers. This takes more initiative and courage on my part to deliberately go out and speak to strangers in German. I want to achieve these goals but even if I don’t, I know I will learn something from this time that I spend there. And I think that it will be more formative than my other travels because I will be living and spending time with the people there. I really hope that I do go out and actually speak with the people though. I don’t think there are many ways in which my experience will be failure. And I am currently receiving great encouragement from three guys sitting next to me at the airport who shared their study abroad experiences in Europe a couple years ago. They also think that just being there and being able to travel is such a great opportunity. I am really excited to go and a little sad to not be at home and with many familiar faces, but luckily for me two other students from MLC are coming with me who I know quite well so I will not be all alone. They will also help me achieve my goals while I am through encouragement and mutual struggle. And I am most excited to be able to see so many new places with them and share great memories that will last a lifetime.

Livingstone was a great explorer. I, too, will be exploring. – Paul Wagner