Tristan’s Berlin Exchange

My trip to Berlin so far,

With Germany’s late semester start I only recently arrived in Berlin (just about 2 weeks ago now) and have done plenty of exploring and just settling into what will be my home for the next 5 months, with Uni starting this coming week!

Before arriving I was lucky to be able to pack lightly, with Berlin’s Spring

being compared to a mild Sydney Winter’s day.. so of course T-shirts and jeans and a couple of jumpers for just-in-case. However to my surprise the week I arrived Berlin was hit by its worse storm of the year.. with destructive gail forced winds, sub zero temperatures and a constant cycle of snow, then rain, then hail, then snow again. So my first outing in Berlin… off to the shops! After finding the cheapest combo of jackets and H+M I was ready to start my holiday/exchange in Berlin.

The first week I filled with sight seeing adventures, I powering through walking tours in the snow and  cycling in the rain, fueled with the adrenaline of a new place. Berlin is an amazing city, its rich and quite incredible history has created a city unlike any other I have visited. The city is divided up into incredibly distinct areas, travelling East you find suburbs which are coloured by its war torn and communist past, while a suburb further will be filled with modern buildings filled with the latest technology and industries.

While I have had a great time exploring Berlin I am now ready to begin University, looking forward to a bit more structure to the week and opportunity to meet local Berliners and other International students. My accomdation shocked me a little bit when I first arrived, with the common rooms of the housing being empty roooms with broken windows, so there has been little opportunity to meet other student’s so far, however have come to meet a few other exchange students in Berlin who have been great company on our Berlin adventures.

Anyway.. My exchange has only just begun, so I am sure there will be more stories to come!
Tristan.