Winter in Berlin at the Technische Universität

Hallo! My name is Brianna, and during January 2023, I completed a Global Short Program course at the Technische Universität in Berlin.

Arriving in Berlin, I had no idea what to expect and felt absolutely lost when I stepped out of the plane all alone. However, I soon found out that all I needed to do was ask for directions from the people around me, and they would very kindly direct me to where I needed to go. Before I knew it, I was on the train to my hotel and settling in. It wasn’t hard to start feeling at home in Berlin, especially when I started rooming with one of my classmates just before the university course commenced and we started exploring the city together.

Arriving in late December, I had the opportunity to see Berlin’s beautiful Christmas markets which sold a variety of souvenirs, foods and drinks. One of the best parts of the Christmas market was the glühwein (warmed spiced wine), which not only tasted amazing but also warmed me up completely in the cold winter weather. I was lucky to arrive just in time to watch the New Years’ Eve fireworks as well.

I had a very enjoyable time at the Technische Universität. We had a small class of less than 20 students which made it quite easy to get to know everyone by the end of the month. It certainly helped that more than half of our class stayed at the same hotel, which led to several late-night bonding sessions over drinks and snacks at the hotel lobby. With only 3 days of lessons per week, there was plenty of time to explore the city and try out different restaurants and cafes.

My roommate and I even managed to fit a visit to another country during one of our 4-day weekends! The university also planned several cultural programs and took us to famous sites and museums, including remnants of the Berlin Wall and the famous Reichstag Building which houses the lower house of Germany’s parliament. I must admit that my roommate and I, both from Australia, acted embarrassingly excited when it started snowing during our visit to the Berlin Wall and we tried catching the falling snow (in our defence, there’s no snowfall in Sydney).

There were several sites in Berlin which I enjoyed seeing so much that I ended up visiting them several times, including the Brandenburg Gate and the Victory Column which overlooks Tiergarten, a beautiful park in Berlin. Some of the foods and drinks in Berlin that I’ll definitely be missing include their pork knuckle, currywurst, döner kebab, hot chocolate and glühwein just to name a few.

To sum up, I found my Global Short Program experience to be amazing. I will always be grateful to have had the opportunity to immerse myself as both a student and a tourist in Berlin for an entire month and for having had the opportunity to meet my amazing classmates from all around the globe!

Hadiwijaya, Brianna Fuwany

Global Short Program Student (Faculty-Led)