Norah Sheppard-Hutchins
I studied abroad in Berlin, Germany, over the summer and it added excitement to the otherwise dull and predictable routine of everyday college life.
I enrolled in the Faculty-Led Program (FLP) for the summer semester, which is particularly designed for Communication Studies majors to complete 6 credits and fulfill my lifelong dream of studying abroad.
The program is led by college faculty members and includes traveling with a group of classmates, according to San José State University’s Study Abroad and Away website.
Studying abroad always sounded like a glamorous experience filled with self-discovery and adventure and the perfect getaway from the mundaneness of everyday life.
In my fantasies, I always pictured studying abroad for my entire college career or for at least a year.
Yet reality eventually slapped me in the face, and the summer program turned out to be the most practical option, financially and time-wise.
There was uncertainty regarding the costs; however, financial aid was offered and everything worked out.
Because the program was relatively short, it was very fast-paced, and every minute of the day for those three weeks I was busy.
I never pictured Germany as my dream destination, but it ended up being the best program for me academically.
Going into the trip, I dealt with many feelings of self-doubt and anxiety.
Even the morning I got up to travel to Germany, I almost backed out because of flight anxiety.
I have been on plenty of flights with the company of my parents but even then I always go into the flight expecting the worst– crashing and dying.
I made the massive mistake of going on TikTok that morning, June 12, and opened the app to news of the Air India flight 171 crash that only had one survivor.
At least 260 people died from the crash, according to a report from The New York Times last updated July 15th.
Needless to say, on the way to the airport I deeply considered telling my parents to turn the car around and go home.
I obviously came out of the flight alive, and I’m glad I didn’t back out because of my illogical fears.
We started class between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., and sometimes didn’t get back to our hostel until as late as 6 p.m.
Our class time was not in a traditional classroom setting, but consisted of traveling the city and visiting famous and historical landmarks.
Since my program was in Germany and had a historical, cultural and communication focus, most of what we learned was about World War II and the Cold War.
With much of the course material being heavy, it felt all the more important and made me more immersed in the content.
One of the places that stuck with me was the Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum, located in a former concentration camp.
Much of its old structures and layouts were preserved like the main gate, barracks and extermination area.
Learning about these tragedies through a textbook or a screen is one thing, but it’s another to be standing where it happened.
Walking through the gate with the phrase “Arbeit Macht Frei,” meaning “Work Sets You Free,” commonly displayed on concentration camp entrances, is a feeling I will never forget.
Standing face-to-face with the horrors of the past is a hard pill to swallow, but it is an effective way to understand the scale of the atrocities humans have committed and continue to commit.
We also had activities like meeting with students from a university in Berlin and saw how their college experience differs from ours.
When I was not in class, I spent time with fellow cohort members.
My cohort consisted of about twenty other students, the majority of whom were Communication Studies majors who I had briefly seen in classes before.
I wasn’t close with anyone going into the program, which made me both excited and doubtful.
Luckily, the doubt I felt proved unnecessary and I instantly clicked with practically everyone.
We stayed in a hostel that included a communal kitchen and lounge area, which we would happily occupy during nights after class.
We would spend hours into the night eating dinner together, doing our homework for the day and talking.
But I won’t sugarcoat things and say that everyone got along and there was definitely drama within the cohort at times.
However, I think that’s inevitable when 20 young adults that barely know each other are stuck navigating another country together.
During the weekends I would sightsee with the people I was closest to in the cohort, and it was nice to explore the city freely.
A popular destination is Museum Island, which features five museums and landmarks such as the Berlin Cathedral, Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag (Parliament) Building and Berlin TV tower all within walking distance.
It was less than 20 minutes away from our hostel via public transport.
At first, the public transportation system was confusing, and consisted of an underground system (the U-Bahn), a railway (the S-Bahn), bus and tram systems.
Google Maps’ public transportation section was my savior and provided directions on how to get everywhere and which systems to use.
Berlin is also a big clubbing city, so my friends and I would go to a rooftop club on Friday or Saturday nights.
Although that is typically not my scene, it was a nice break from the eventful school week.
There were a few culture shocks, like Sunday being a day of rest, with most stores and restaurants being closed because of the Ladenschlussgesetz or “shop closing law.”
Of course, there were also language barriers, although almost everyone spoke English very well.
On the final night of class, we had a group dinner where everyone delivered speeches about their experiences and feelings about the program.
Although most of my cohort members flew home the next morning, I stayed for another week as my mom flew over to spend time in Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
This experience was the highlight of my college career and will be what I reminisce on the most after I graduate.