Study Abroad Participant

I've always been fascinated by global affairs so I knew I would take advantage of the opportunity to live outside the United States, but I was particularly drawn to Germany because of its place as a crossroads where Eastern and Western Europe intersect. Berlin is a very significant city from a historical standpoint, and as a history enthusiast I hoped that living there would give me a sense of awe at this place where so many world-shaping events have taken place.

Unsurprisingly, I found the most salient of my identities during my travels abroad was my nationality as an American. Coming from the United States, I felt relatively comfortable moving to Germany, a country with close historical and cultural ties to the USA.

In Berlin, I'd often start the day with a short walk to the nearest U-Bahn (subway) station. If hungry, I'd buy a pastry from a vendor by the entrance to the station, quickly check my phone for the trains' timing, and I would ride the train all the way to Humboldt University's main campus in Mitte, Berlin's city center. For lunch, I'd grab a bite to eat at HU's Mensa (dining hall), or I'd cross the street to one of Berlin's acclaimed döner kebab stands. After classes, I'd go home to hang out with friends, and we might go out to a park or a beer garden in the evening.

I took four classes - a German language class, a class about colonial-era Berlin, a class on modernist literature, and a class about the rise of the far-right in Europe. These classes were largely comparable in scope to Berkeley classes in terms of coursework, but the largest difference was in terms of grading. Apart from my German language class, all my courses relied on a single assignment for grading, which was radically different from Berkeley's courses.

I'd say that my identity as an American was the one that was impacted the most. Being able to see America from the perspective of another country really helped me to de-center it in my view of the world. In both casual conversation and in an academic setting, I found myself representing the United States abroad, answering for our political situation, and introducing aspects of American culture to people from countries as far away as Chile and Zimbabwe. I found that the rest of the world generally knows very much more about the US than the other way around, and despite American culture being so global Americans' perspectives are often very insular. Nevertheless, despite the broader social influence of the United States, many of the people I met abroad had an understanding of the US that was shaped more by exposure to American media, which at times characterizes life in the US inaccurately, rather than actual experiences visiting the States or interacting with Americans.

I think the most meaningful aspect of my time abroad would be the friendships that I made while I lived in Berlin. It's still remarkable to me how despite having completely different upbringings and coming from cultures on the other sides of the world people can become the closest of friends.

I'd say that navigating the language barrier proved to be a more daunting task than I imagined. There are many people in Eastern Germany who still speak very little English, so I had to really improve my German language skills in a short period of time.

I would highly recommend researching your specific location heavily - not just the city, but the neighborhood - which businesses are in walking distance, what train lines serve you, and the like. I read a lot about my neighborhood beforehand and was able to get into a routine relatively easily, but if I hadn't done all the research it would have likely been hard to navigate, especially with language differences.