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
Blog 4 – Dancing Through Academics
Hola, hola, mis amigos!
Wowza! Time flies when you are having fun! I have officially made it halfway through my academic semester here in Limerick! I already have a midterm exam coming up – crazy, right?! I feel so grateful to have the opportunity to experience learning in a whole new context and capacity, which I am delighted to share with you in this blog! Thank you for taking the time to read this and consider the abundant blessings that come from learning!
“Blessings” you say? Why yes! Each and every day, no matter the challenges present, overflows with blessings beyond comprehension! God reaches out to us and gives us “God-winks”, reminding us of His ever-present love and presence! I challenge you to find the “God-winks” that God leaves for you to find in your own life! These are some of my “God-wink” gratitudes from these past few weeks!
Three things I am grateful for:
- New Experiences (with each new experience comes new perspective, growing my schema of acceptance and love)
- Reverb (an incredible show that blended Irish traditional music with contemporary dance in a modernized fantasy of the future of music and dance – expanding my knowledge and perspective of dance, greatly)
- Spontaneity (there is something refreshing about not planning every second of every part of life – this leads to more adventure and memories made, usually with lots of laughs 😄)
What feeling pervades your mind and body when you hear the word, “academics”? Do you get anxious because tests, exams, quizzes, projects, presentations, and studying are typically parts of the academic regimen? Do you get filled with bubbly excitement because you have the OPPORTUNITY to learn new things? Do you immediately break out in a sweat?
Education and academics mean something different to virtually everyone, especially depending on your background, where you are from, your culture, and how you are raised. I am really beginning to understand and appreciate the various ways that learning can be achieved as well as the benefits and drawbacks of these different modes of information acquisition. This blog is dedicated to comparing my experiences with academics in Ireland to the college life of learning I am accustomed to at MLC in the United States.
Classes Here:
- Classes have variation in size.
- There are lectures, tutorials, and lab classes to attend. (I will explain soon!)
- I have 2-4 assignments that make up my total grade for the entire semester (for each module).
- There is more informality with professors.
- I am crazy and take too many classes, per the usual! 😁
I am not sure what your learning preferences may entail, but because of my experiences attending a private Christian high school and going on to attend a private Christian college, I REALLY appreciate having intimacy within my classroom environments. I don’t like to only be viewed as a test score or a body in a room. I like my professors to know my name, for us to have reciprocating respect, and to be able to actively engage in class content. I typically find myself enjoying these aspects of my classes at MLC, but this is drastically different from what I experience at UL (University of Limerick).
For starters, we must get you to understand the difference between lectures, tutorials, and labs. You may be thinking, “huh???”, and if that is true, then we are twinsies!! That is totally what I was thinking when I first arrived at UL. Like seriously, what do you mean that I don’t just go to the same class period either on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday or a Tuesday/Thursday, depending on the class? Well, here they put an emphasis on hands-on learning in many of their modules!
The lecture time period lasts anywhere from 1-2 hours, depending on the class, and is designed to cover the majority of the content in a focused professor-is-telling-you-everything-QUICK-write-that-down sort of way. These classes typically have more people in them, since there is limited interaction between the students and the professor. In one of my lectures, we meet in the auditorium and there are easily over 200+ people in that lecture!
Now for the tutorials and labs…This is where more hands on, active participatory learning takes place! These are designed to take the content given in a lecture and make it applicable to the individual, giving practice so that students can be more prepared! Many of my tutorials/labs last roughly 2 hours and are typically my most active moments in a day! I love the way that Ireland structures modules in this way as it really reinforces learning concepts and addresses many different learning modalities (kinesthetic, spatial, visual, etc.)!
Not only is there an emphasis on putting learning into practice, but they also focus learning in a way that makes the learner responsible for gaining knowledge. There are no daily assignments for any module. In relation to each module, there are roughly 2-4 assignments given for the entire semester. Assignments could include an essay, midterm exam, presentation, project, or final exam. However, I have a love/hate relationship with this concept. I don’t know about you, but I get lots of anxiety over grades, tests, projects, essays, and quizzes. Having so many daily assignments at MLC gives me quite a bit of anxiety and forces me to be constantly invested in the material learned. It also never gives me time to let new information soak into my brain.
In Ireland, it is a real challenge because you are completely responsible for your learning and what you will take away from a module – you reap what you sow. There is no one holding me accountable for coming home and reviewing the notes from class and marinating in the content, but with the time that I have not completing daily assignments, I am actually able to take the time to deeply process new content and work to shift my ever-changing schemata. My learner responsibility is increasing because I have to take initiative in my learning and my anxiety is less because I am not worried on a daily basis about the grades I am receiving. There are less assignments, but I am so well prepared to complete them that I feel at ease to let go and let God! In the end, grades should be used as a tool to help teachers and learners know where the learner is at in the learning process, not as a punishment for not being perfect.
Informality and professors. How does that make you feel? If a professor were to cuss in the front of class, how would you respond? If you were told to call a professor by their first name, would you? Good questions to ponder, especially because all of the above would highly unlikely be seen at MLC. Here…it is all about the craic (pronounced crack- as in “fun”), baby! Professors may not know my name, but they sure do know how to make class sound like a conversation! We call professors by their first names and they are not afraid to use artistic language with us! They are real and relatable – people who go out to the bars drinking, people who experience hangovers, people who experience conflict, people with families, people who sin, people who strive to make a difference in the world, and yes, people who work as a professor. It is so lovely to see professors being vulnerable because it makes students know and feel that they are human too! Side note…I realize all of the things I just listed might be concerning and I would like to keep you from fretting…I do NOT go out to the bars drinking and I have NEVER been hungover. I know that is extremely hard to believe, but it is true…just ask Laura! 😉
So I know at this point I have carried on and on about classes here, but I haven’t told you what kinds of classes I am taking yet…don’t worry, don’t worry…it’s coming…hehe! But wait, let’s be honest. It’s me we are talking about! What kinds of classes do you THINK I would want to take? If you have ever had the silly goofy opportunity to talk to me or meet me, you probably know one key thing about me – my favorite thing in the whole wide world (except for Jesus and my family/friends and Micah)…is DANCE! Yeppers, I decided to get myself involved with the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, here at UL! Currently, I am taking:
- An Irish Traditional Music and Dance class (with a Ceili dance tutorial)
- An Irish Dance Performance Skills class (focusing on learning hard and soft shoe Irish dance)
- I got invited to take an Irish Set Dance class (with partners)
- An Aesthetic and Expressive Activities class (a physical education class focusing on teaching young learners gymnastics and dance)
- A few non-dance classes
- Communications
- Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
Needless to say, I am a busy, busy bee, and I absolutely adore EVERY opportunity to move my body and learn new ways of dancing!
Highlights of my time thus far include:
- Being accepted into the BeMindfUL Programme (looking at mental health and suicide prevention strategies)
- Going on a Tree Blitz (working with the Environmental Society to identify every type of tree on campus)
- Purchasing Irish Dancing Hard Shoes (I have so much fun practicing and mixing Irish dancing, tap dancing, and pointe all together into my own fun style)
- A Trip to Dublin (I played Gaelic games, ceili danced, enjoyed the Dublin castle and EPIC museum)
- Attended Mallow Street Christian Fellowship
Low-lights of my time thus far include:
- Group work for projects
- Not standing up for what I believe in
- Having a lack of motivation
Learned Insights from the Low-lights:
- Group work is a large part of life and most occupations. Learning how to interact with others and find ways to communicate can be a challenge in the moment, but rewarding in the end. These moments of frustration will only lead me to perseverance, determination, and growth in my character as I work to lead my group to find success and comfortability within the context of uncomfortability.
- I have a terrible habit of not standing up for what I believe in while others tell me their thoughts and beliefs. It is vitally important to validate that all people are entitled to their opinions, but I should also not back down from any opportunity to share Jesus with others, especially when I am uncomfortable. I have sinned against God by not putting His name above all and I have asked for forgiveness. I share this with you so that you may find courage and hope in the Lord as He gives you the strength to let the light of Christ shine through you – which is something I pray for deeply!
- Let’s face it. Life can be a challenge and there are times when motivation gets so low. I have dealt with this low-light, especially because I am not held accountable for completing a lot of work at the moment. But where does our motivation really come from? It comes from the joy of Jesus! Guys! Every day that we wake up is another day of God’s amazing grace and we ought not to take that for granted! Our motivation is found in the greatest blessing – that Christ died and rose from the dead for our sins! We can confidently wake up with the intention to serve the Lord with the day that He has blessed us with! “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).
Scripture that has surrounded me these past few weeks:
- Psalm 18:2 – “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
- John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
- John 15:12 – “My command is this; Love each other as I have loved you.”
Friends, this is all that has been on my heart and mind these past few weeks! I am so thankful to God for blessing me with the experience to love learning in a whole new way – I am truly dancing through academics and life! May the Lord bless you and keep you, now and always!
In Jesus name,
Katie Gilkey
