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