Why does time go by so quickly?
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!
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.)
School in Germany
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.
School Away From School
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.
Blog #4 Lecture Halls & Labyrinths
I am officially halfway through the academic portion of the semester! There will be a study and exam week after classes finish. You may be wondering how the classes and academics differ from MLC. I highlight the main similarities or differences in classroom culture, course structure, teaching style, and course workload.
Classroom Culture
Here at the University of Limerick (UL), classes are filled with your typical 18-22 year-olds who like to get distracted or doze off in class. I think that’s pretty typical for any college student. 🙂 Just like at MLC, students are expected to attend every class period held and actively listen to the professor. In the first few weeks of school, they are very considerate of students walking in late because they could not find the classroom. It is a big campus with over 18,000 students and over 1,000 faculty and staff. MLC’s student body is around 700 students—that’s basically the international student population at UL! The main building, composed of 5 sub buildings, is the most confusing building I have ever seen. It is practically a maze. With so many hallways and corners, and doors. You’ve got to be extra careful to read the minimal signage as you venture into the unknown. Thankfully, I have one class in the building, and it is literally 50ft inside the main entrance.
Course Structure
The courses and individual classes are, in a way, similar, but there are some minimal differences. The classes are structured on different schedules from MLC. At MLC, class times are fairly consistent and regular throughout the week. For example, one might have a class that meets 3 times a week—Monday, Wednesday, Friday—and at the same time and duration each of those days. At UL, it’s broken down differently. Every course has a two-hour lecture. These two hours may be back-to-back or split at 2 different times in the week. For example, for my education course, I have a one-hour lecture on Wednesdays and 9 am, and the other is on Friday at 3 pm. In addition to the lectures for each course, most also have a lab period or tutorial. These labs and tutorials are designed to give students a chance to interact with and ask questions about the material from the lectures. Every student in the course attends the same lecture, most likely in theater seating. Students are divided into groups of about 20-30 for labs and tutorials. Traditional UL students are assigned one of the multiple labs and tutorials to attend each week at the same time. Me? I got to pick which one I wanted for the whole semester because I had to put my schedule together on my own. Traditional students are handed their schedule already put together.
The semester is 12 weeks of classes, plus an additional 3 weeks for studying and taking the exams. This is a much different structure than MLC. MLC has 16 weeks of classes and 1 week to take exams. This does make sense because of the drastic difference in the student body populations.
Teaching Style
The teaching style at UL is fairly similar to MLC. Most professors put up a slide show and talk through it as students take notes and write down key points. One of my professors uses no PowerPoint, but instead just talks to the students. I’m still trying to figure this one out. The labs and tutorials are the discussion portion of the course. At MLC, the lecture and discussions are not separated but intertwined as one.
Although I have not quite experienced this yet, I have been told that it is typical for students to address their professor on a first-name basis once initial introductions have been made. Professors are very eager to learn all their students’ names. It is also normal for a student to just speak during a pause in the lesson if they have a question. They are not expected to raise their hand. I still raise my hand to answer questions—it’s a habit.
Workload & Study Habits
Weekly assignments vary based on each class. For example, my history course has two papers. One is due in Week 8 and the other in Week 12. Those are the only assignments. My education course, however, has weekly journal entries. These are not submitted each week, but students are expected to keep the journal up-to-date. Other classes may have weekly readings or smaller projects every other week. For example, in my digital media course, we just had a small project where we were tasked to capture and edit a few photos on the theme of time—two of mine are shown below. I don’t have a set homework schedule, as it varies week to week, and my weekends might be filled with travel adventures. Some courses more heavily lean towards being independent study-led, and others have more guided instruction. Honestly, it just depends on the professor and the course content.
Overall, I cannot really say UL’s academics are more similar or more different from MLC. It truly depends on your courses and professors. My education course feels very familiar to MLC, and I believe it’s mostly because of the content, but also the professor’s teaching style. My Irish history course feels nothing like MLC, and I’m still learning to navigate it.
Song to check out! → “The Rattlin’ Bog” by Seamus Kennedy