First Impressions

I have been living in Berlin for a little over two months now. And while I have grown used to the steady swaying of the S-bahn and visiting the quaint markets on Sundays, it is good to look back on my first days in Berlin and the intense mixture of thoughts and feelings I was having during those times.

Leap of Faith

“I am alone, traveling to a foreign country where I barely speak the language, and know no one there. What. Am. I. Doing.”

For me the biggest hesitancy was getting on the plane that would take me from ORD-Chicago, 40 mins from where I grew up my whole life, to Berlin, where I would be starting another. Once I got on that plane there would be no going back, I couldn't simply just turn around. Sitting 10 hours on that flight all alone was particularly difficult. I just kept having the same thought running through my head: What am I doing? What am I doing? What am I doing? I am alone, traveling to a foreign country where I barely speak the language, and know no one there. What. Am. I. Doing." It's a big step to take, I left my family, friends, and my boyfriend behind all to have the opportunity to travel and learn more about Germany. And even when I got to Berlin, I don't think the full impact of what I actually was doing hit me until a few days in.

The Firsts

I think my first thought of seeing Berlin was how large it is. It is not tall with skyscrapers like American cities. It is a larger flat land of metropolis. The geographical size is nine times bigger than Paris, so I was not wrong assuming it was a very large city. With the next few days, between the jetlag and the anxiety of being in a new city, it was difficult to recall much. I remember having this giddy feel of disbelief that I was actually here after having this trip being pushed a year back from COVID-19. Since the first week was simply orientation I had a lot of opportunities to explore the city, dive in its history and culture, and make new friends along the way. I learned the importance of truly experiencing a place over simply learning about it. Berlin is an example of living history where the effects of the past 100 years are still being felt today. Simply learning a date and name in a textbook does not compare to the feelings that it has on modern day Germany.

“Berlin is an example of living history where the effects of the past 100 years are still being felt today.”

The home life is also a little different. I am staying with a host family: a mother, father, eleven-year-old girl, and an eight-year-old boy. They are all incredibly sweet and caring and thankfully speak some English! There are a few minor differences from the United States to Germany. The first is energy use. Germans are much stricter about turning off lights and water when it's not necessary to use them. It's not uncommon for only one room to be light during nighttime despite the rest of the house being dark. They are also very careful with recycling and garbage. Most Germans have at least 3 recycling bins and a trash bin. They are used for efficient recycling of all types of plastics, glass, and paper materials. Some Germans also have a composter in addition to all of this. There's also the use of "house shoes" in Germany. Germans use a separate pair of indoor shoes or sometimes just socks to walk around the house to keep both the floor and their feet clean. Overall, not too many major differences, so it was easy to feel right at home with my host family.

Feelings of Home

Despite being on another continent, I can still see some similarities in Berlin to Chicago. The city I grew up near is known mainly for its Polish community but also has some German influence as well. One of the biggest reminders was the mix of old and new buildings. It's not uncommon in both cities to see old stone next to modern glass, or even some buildings blending the two. Chicago has a museum campus; Berlin has a Museum Island. Chicago has the Water Tower place as their shopping center, Berlin has it in Alexanderplatz. Both cities are very international and are home to a variety of cultures. It was really quite comforting to be able to walk around Berlin and be reminded of home, and that we're all connected somehow.