The first semester is officially over but now that I think about it, I don’t really know if I have learned anything entirely new. I am not so sure about whether there has ever been a moment when I said to myself: “Wow, there is no way I would have known this or that about the German government system or the Cold War or research methodology. had I not been in university.”…
german university
Lecture Hall Noise: Concerto Nr. 1 in E Major
Some scattered thoughts on all the things you can hear inside a lecture hall instead for the actual lecture: Some people type so vigorously on their laptops, you might think their lives depend on it. Maybe in a way they do. Two more weeks until finals. While the crowd has just now managed to get seated, another group comes in (10 minutes late) like some animals who are finally let out to run…
First Hand Tips for Studying in Germany
It has been about more than a month since classes here have started and at this point, I guess one would expect that most people would be used to the daily routine of being a student in German university. At least one would think so. Well, apparently that is still not the case and many of my college mates still walk around the hallways with an expression on their faces, like they…
Berlin Before Sunrise
An empty bus station standing there alone in the street. Everything is dark. Only the light behind the glass is shining. Behind the glass of the advertisement poster. Of course the light has to be on, or else no one will know why they should buy the newest Surface. The bus arrives after several minutes in the dark and in light rain, the cold wind gets through my jacket. Some people would laugh…
What Do You Notice the Most About Germans? Or: The Freedom of the Individual
German class on Friday morning. Or should I say ‘German as foreign language’ class because this is what it really is. A harder version of German 101. German literature is a different class and, thank heavens, a little more challenging than the rest. Finally some proper literature. Lenz, Zweig, Goethe and not some sort of children’s nonsense like I used to have in local school. Well, so there we are, most of…
So Old and Yet so New, Five Years Ago and Now
I have been back in Berlin since June and now the time has come that my life gets the routine of academic studying, homework and rather empty buses and trains at 6.15 in the morning. This is my new life and I guess it is just now that I realize that this is what it really is now. A new life. Classes are starting properly tomorrow morning. The schedule was put…
Mastering German Bureaucracy 101.2: Dear Future College Students
College life started about a week ago. Well, officially the semester starts somewhat in mid October but that is for the regular students. Aside from those regular students, there is us, the ones that take extra courses to pass the entrance exam in May next year so we start a little earlier. The most fascinating thing is not only the fact that I have finally some routine back in my life but…