Britt Jordan, NU in Berlin, Summer 2014
We are now finishing up our eighth week here in Germany and second session routines are finally falling into place. We all have one German language class and one German culture class, but now Humboldt University professors teach them. Students from the far reaches of the globe now sit next to us in class—Singapore, Belgium, Nebraska, you name it.
My History of the Berlin Wall class is fine, but my German language class is slightly more noteworthy. Our fearless leader, a man from Denmark, is sassy and demanding, a combination that makes the classroom pretty interesting. When we first went around the room introducing ourselves, he was ruthlessly hilarious. I think everyone was afraid to talk, which, as you might imagine, is slightly problematic for a speaking class. Nevertheless, he forced our stilted German out of us like one does with the last bit of toothpaste in the tube.
We have a beautiful view of the Berliner Dom, one of the city’s most distinct landmarks, from our classroom windows and walk by it everyday to class.
The inter-student interactions are also really perfect. It’s really interesting to see how other students from around the world have learned German in comparison to how we at Northwestern have learned German. Some students have really good grammar and can create complex constructions, while others wow us with their impressive handle of German vocabulary. I think the Northwestern students are pretty balanced in the sense that we can articulate what we think, but still say things of substance.[1]
All in all, it has been a great experience to be in such a different kind of classroom setting. With our final presentations and assessments coming up in this next week, I’m in disbelief that my study abroad experience is ending so quickly.
[1] The conversation can get pretty dry if you can only describe what color your cat is or what you want to be when you grow up.