Located in the buzzing Mitte neighborhood, Humboldt Universitat is central to the city of Berlin. For example, when I step outside to enjoy my 30-minute class break, the Berliner Dom is directly to my left, accompanied by 4 impressive museums on the right, all situated on what is called Museuminsel (Museum Island). When I walk to class, I walk along the beautiful historic structures that adorn Berlin gorgeously which is special. In the classroom, however, we are being aptly challenged by the 2 courses that we are enrolled in. I am personally enrolled in German A.1 (Beginning German) and Introduction to Refugee Protections and Forced Migration. Some of my other peers are currently taking courses that discuss surveillance, urban agriculture, and EU politics. After hearing from my peers on how their classes are going, I feel as though I could envision myself taking courses at Humboldt for years. Not only is the course material rich, but it’s become clear that the professors are also deeply invested in the work that they are doing professionally and then sharing with their students. Further, one unique aspect of the Humboldt classroom is the international perspectives that are encompasses within the classroom. For example, the other students from my course are currently studying/working in Canada, Poland, Spain, and the UK. Though there are often international students at Northwestern, I’ve never been in a position where I could call myself an international student in an international community like I can here in Berlin at Humboldt. My course on Refugee Protections is possibly one of my favorite courses I’ve ever taken at the university-level. I cannot deny it’s certainly demanding, with a paper due every class meeting, a (fake) refugee application interview and legal proceedings, along with 2 presentations on refugee crises in various countries and a deep-dive on our own country’s refugee protections regime. Reading the last sentence back, it seems hard to believe we could have done that all in 4 weeks. However, in our class we are provided with expert guidance from our professor who is a UNHCR official. He’s created an academically rigorous environment that has pushed me to challenge my own perceived limits and use that confidence to thoughtfully contribute to our class discussions/disputes.