German language, culture, pork knuckle and apfelstrudel!

My Global Short Program experience was completed at LMU in Germany, where I was involved in the Munich University Summer Training in German and European Law. During the program, I had the opportunity to learn the basic tenets of the German legal system. Whilst I learnt a lot about German and European law as the course intended, I can confidently say that I returned home with a greater appreciation for the complexity of the German language and culture, and a deep affection for pork knuckle and apfelstrudel!

Upon arriving in Germany, I will admit that I didn’t know what to expect. I was nervous about not knowing anyone and not speaking the language, and definitely felt some imposter syndrome in preparing myself to study abroad for a month with some of the strongest law students and academics from around the world. I’m pleased to share that in the first week, all of my worries disappeared. I quickly connected with my cohort as we tried traditional local foods and spent time together at places including the German opera, the constitutional court and Neuschwanstein castle.

Some of my highlights of my trip include spending the afternoon exploring different towns, cities and even countries with my new friends. In Germany, the public transport system operates on a monthly ticket, meaning that you are able to travel throughout all of Germany (and even to some other countries) for 49 euros a month. Taking advantage of this, on most days, we would attend class until midday and then travel to a different city.

Some of my favourite places were Augsburg, Regensburg and Berlin. Some of us even travelled to Innsbruck, Austria for a day. On days that we wanted to relax, we would often sit in the Englischer Garten drinking bier, swimming in the river and playing volleyball with locals.

We also had the opportunity to take German language classes. As many of us were learning the language for the first time (and German is known for having VERY long words), it was amusing watching everyone trying to pronounce different phrases. We slowly became comfortable introducing ourselves, ordering food and having basic conversations in German, which led to some fantastic recommendations from locals (and even some discounts on cherries from street vendors who were pleased by our efforts to try and speak their native tongue).

Whilst I learnt a lot about German and European law as the course intended, I can honestly say that I have grown so much as a person outside of being a law student. My understanding of the world has grown so much by simply conversing with other students from different countries. In many ways, this has inspired me to adopt new ways of thinking and has truly opened my eyes to all of the places my degree can take me – especially beyond Australia. I highly encourage students, if they have the opportunity, to apply for a GSP. This has been such a life-changing experience that I will treasure forever.

Tiffany Zwanink
Faculty of Law
Summer Training in German and European Law at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany
Global Short Programs Travel Scholarship