Berlin, du bist wunderbar - just like the ads say, Germany enriched my life unforgettably Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The workload was more moderate and less stressful than on campus, but we still had daily writing and reading assignments to constantly keep us engaged in German study. For Deutsch 119, the advanced course, I wrote upwards of 4 single-spaced pages of journal entries per week, read a German novel and prepared a presentation analyzing it, wrote a midterm and final exam, and wrote a 12-page history research paper in German. This was spread out well over the semester. The 119 class was a seminar with 6 students and the resident director, who engaged with us conversationally and instructed on German grammar and reading/writing abilities while teaching us German history from 1871 to the present. The grading system (this goes for the other two courses as well) was balanced and very much like an American system, divvying up the grades into percentages between the papers, exams, participation, and so forth. I attended some history lectures at the Freie Universität as well, which were larger (~30 students), but still in a seminar and discussion format. It resembled an American system but the scale was larger. Art and architecture history (Kunst 190) was a fantastic course for which I wrote three German research papers between 6-10 pages in length (though most students could option to do the work in English, as above). Aside from lecture, which was like an American lecture but with only 20 students, we had 100-page reading assignments in German handed out each week to prepare the materials, and we went on wonderful excursions around Berlin and Europe (during fall break) to see different neighborhoods and structures firsthand. LIke 119, the workload was spread evenly over the semester, so it wasn't overwhelming. Economics of a United Europe (Ökonomie 060) was also an intimate seminar-style course with 6 students and the professor, who distributed several German newspaper articles and excerpts from economics textbooks every lecture, which we then read to prepare for the next lecture's discussion. We wrote a midterm and final exam, but had no research papers, and we delved into microeconomics to provide context for the socioeconomic issues we discussed about the fate of the EU and its economic policy. The workload wasn't overbearing here either.

On-site administration of your program

In all seriousness, my only complaint about this program is that it didn't last longer than a semester for me (though there is the option to study there for a full year, which I unfortunately couldn't do because of requirements on campus I need to fulfill). The faculty were always available by phone or email, very kind and supportive, informative, and also registered as Duke professors (so they're aware of American college culture/standards - some of them also studied in America when they were younger). The program included 20 students this year, but the number can fluctuate between 10 and 30 depending on popularity by year. I always felt safe, informed, and engaged.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Housing is arranged through the Duke Global Education Office, which has an online portal linked to the Berlin program and the faculty in Germany. Questionnaires try to match students to the best match - some had bad luck where they didn't necessarily mesh, but the resident director was also very accommodating and moved some students around who wanted new hosts (and were then satisfied). I was blessed to have a very loving young family. Ulrich and Frieda are in their 30s, have three little children, and live in Lichterfelde West, an upper-middle-class neighborhood in Southwest Berlin. The neighborhood was safe, pretty (but the cobblestones make driving a bumpy adventure), and city transit was within a 10-minute walk. I could get to the city center anywhere between 30 minutes to one hour, never had trouble having a great nightlife, and always felt safe. Like any big city, I'm sure there are occasional crimes and assault that you hear about in the paper, but I only heard about it maybe once in my time there, and in a different neighborhood. I never felt in danger, and the train was always packed with people, no matter the hour. Host families are required to provide a bed with sheets and pillow, a desk, a dresser, and breakfast. My family took it another step and gave me food all the time, be it lunch or dinner. They invited me out with them when they had family hangouts, and they integrated me like a kind of older son/cousin/uncle figure to the kids.

Döner is incredible. A Turkish specialty (vegetarian options available) with lamb or chicken, salad, sauces, and a pita-like bread. It's cheap and delicious. Mustafa's at Mehringdamm and Cebo's at Rathaus Steglitz are the best in the city, and cost between 2.80 and 2.90 euros. Nollendorfplatz has amazing restaurants, a wide variety and good prices. Potsdamer Platz is too commercial but has some good Mexican and Italian restaurants, and there's a good Thai restaurant at Mexikoplatz.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

For fall break the program travels together with faculty to Görlitz (on the Polish border, with a stop in Poland), Dresden and Prague. Then there are 10 days to travel around Europe as you please, and students would travel on weekends. We had a constant stream of cultural events, between soccer matches, museum events, theater plays, dances, etc. Nightlife in Berlin was incredible and nocturnal - I've never experienced something quite like it.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

As stated above, Berlin was a very safe city. Obviously one should usually have one buddy to travel around with in unfamiliar places and at night, but I would commute home at night or come home from clubbing very late and felt safe except one time (a teenager tried to harass me on the train, but I directly engaged the full train car of commuters to help me shoo him away and get me a taxi late at night). That one situation didn't happen to anyone else, and it really is a safe city (I'm from New York and felt just as safe). I never went to the doctor, though we have a program physician and the option to buy German healthcare for a few hundred bucks. Nobody had severe issues, just typical colds and such. I didn't need any vaccinations in particular (though you should be caught up on everything with your physician anyway), and there weren't any health problems. Granted, Germany had an E. Coli problem with lettuce and tomatoes in the summer of 2011, but that problem was no longer present when I was there.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

My time abroad solidified my fluency in German - between living with a German host family that spoke to me in German always, as well as writing in German and participating in class in German, there was continuous exposure. I also had a Sprachpartner, a 29-year-old local (different young adults/adults volunteer to become language partners who have done it for the program before) that I hung out with, went out at night with, and always spoke to in German. That being said, students can get by just fine without any German at all, if they wished. Two students had never taken any German, but took introductory courses and became conversational by the end of the semester. In Berlin especially, most people will have some grasp of English, so getting by isn't hard.

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• Host Family

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• Host Family

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• Americans

• Well-organized and led by the faculty
• Berlin is the center of Europe and has much to offer
• Educational but very fun

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