Ich bin ein Berlinerin!

Final Berlin expeditions: the Zoo. Probably the first time I've been to a zoo in 10 years.          I woke up this morning (well, afternoon really) and realized that I have only one more assignment left for the semester. The rest of my classes are all finished. I’ve said goodbye to my professors and only have an essay due. The end of this semester seemed so surreal compared to New York. Maybe it’s the lack of actual work that we’ve done, or the lack of giant final exams. It’s very strange to wake up in a foreign city surrounded by friends and have no purpose except to hang out and explore all the places that we have not yet seen. I’m determined to take full advantage of this and to have the best week of my life! Or at least close to that.

After a full semester in Berlin, I can confidently sum up my advice: GO ABROAD. With that said, I’ve realized that study abroad is not for everyone. For those who were willing to step outside of their comfort zone, they had the most amazing experience of their lives. They would get up and just start walking, or just get off the train to see where they were. They’d meet up after class with professors over a beer. They were willing to fumble through their clumsy German in order to find what they needed in a supermarket.

Those who were put off by the slightest cultural difference or moment of hardship spent more time in their apartments than outside. Quite understandably, we did have some difficult moments and I understand completely why someone would feel safe/unwelcome/unsure – just as an example, three cars were set on fire on our street back in September.

As much as I love Berlin, though, there are just a couple things I wish I had known beforehand, the most obvious being the language. Knowing German is not essential but it’s important. Our neighborhood is also predominantly Turkish, so even if you arrived here with a good grasp on German, you would’ve been in for a bit of a surprise. If you’ve visited Berlin, you’d also know that the public transportation system is very extensive, and very confusing. I wish I’d understood a bit better how to use the system, but now it’s easily navigable. I also never experienced culture shock here. Berlin is extremely cutting-edge and modern, and if you like New York, you’ll probably love Berlin.

If you have never studied abroad before, my biggest piece of advice is that you should expect to feel uncomfortable. That’s part of being in a new city anywhere in the world, and I truly think that the people who benefit the most from study abroad are those who just smile and shrug and carry on. Take every experience as a moment to learn something new, not as an obstacle in the battle of You vs. City. There WILL be cultural nuances that you won’t pick up right away. You WILL be confused when the train doors don’t open automatically – after a few rides, you’ll realize you need to press the button – you WILL buy quark instead of yogurt (what even is quark?), and you WILL respond to a stranger’s question with a blank stare and slight smile because you have no idea what they have just asked.

For those of you in the course who took those few extra steps to get yourselves in a new situation, thank you – some great blog posts came out of these experiences, and it sounds like you all learned so much. I say that the best memories and opportunities for learning come from stepping outside of your comfort zone, and it sounds like most of you did just that. Thank you for sharing your experiences here, thanks for reading mine, and thank you for daring to study abroad!