Discovering Berlin: My two-week journey learning German and forming lasting friendships

I have spent two weeks undertaking an intensive German course at the Technische Universität Berlin. I am halfway through my year-long in-country study program in Italy and decided to spend my summer learning a second language. I am forever grateful for this decision.

The course itself was incredibly valuable. I was shocked at how quickly I managed to pick up entirely new language and grammar forms. I was wildly impressed at my ability to order at restaurants and have basic conversations with locals at the end of only two weeks. There is so much to be said about learning a language while also being in the country and immersed in it.

One thing I did not expect from my two-week program was the intense friendships I formed with other international students. I find that travelling dismantles the usual social norms that we employ when building new friendships. Somehow, I feel closer to some people I only met two weeks ago than friends I have known half my life. But I also think this may reflect how we treated the very short time we were given. As a group, we explored much that the city had to offer (or as much as we could fit around our intensive class schedules). We visited biergartens, flohmarkts, restaurants, cafes, museums and even took a salsa class together.

A highlight for me was the Potsdam trip we did as part of the university’s summer cultural program. We had a lovely tour around the city and all the historic buildings. I loved seeing the Grave of the Potato King (I highly recommend googling King Frederick the Great if you are curious) and exploring the gardens and ruins of Sanssouci Palace.

I would also highly recommend that anyone visiting Berlin check out the Humboldt Forum and see their interactive exhibition, ‘Berlin Global’. This incredible exhibit managed to synthesise Berlin’s highly complex and multifaceted history into a single engaging exhibition of the cultures, politics and communities that make up the city. It framed my experience of Berlin nicely by providing some of the context and awareness of how the town came to exist in the way it is.

Berlin is unique with its love of the eclectic and the political; it may not be the prettiest city in Europe, but it is undoubtedly the most vibrant. I would encourage all UTS students to take advantage of the incredible international opportunities that UTS offers. These past two weeks have arguably been the most valuable of my entire degree.

Bridie Macken
Bachelor of Communication (Social and Political Sciences) Bachelor of International Studies
Technische Universität Berlin Winter School, Germany
Global Short Programs Travel Scholarship

For more information about the UTS Global Short Program visit: www.uts.edu.au/thinkglobal