Study Abroad and Domestic Study Away

I spent my semester abroad studying at Freie Universitat in Berlin. My time there was amazing, and allowed me many opportunities for cultural immersion. Studying in Berlin offered me a great opportunity to study about Berlin and gain a social and cultural picture of the history that I can normally only grasp about American culture because I’m living in it.

The FU-BEST program definitely puts a lot of care into making sure that the students have the best chance at experiencing German culture and getting out of their comfort zone. The daily German class and classes on European history, business, or society made sure that my semester abroad could not have been recreated anywhere else.

Luckily I got to strike a balance between academics and cultural experiences which meant I got to do a lot of city and other exploring. Though LFC is close to Chicago it isn’t in Chicago, so being in Berlin proper definitely offered me a new experience. My public transportation skills, as well as my regional transport skills, grew tenfold through my adventures in Berlin, by the end of the semester I felt very confident in getting around the city at all hours. I also learned to adapt to new public transport systems quickly, ask anyone who was with me at Oktoberfest, I know how to get around Munich.

Being in Berlin and the European Union also offered me many opportunities to visit unique museums, and galleries. My favorites of the museums I saw were the Schwules Museum(Gay Museum) in Berlin, the Munch Museum in Oslo, the Kafka Museum in Prague, and the Upper Belvedere in Vienna. I definitely gained a new appreciation for museum curation and focus by seeing such a variety of them.

I was not expecting my semester abroad to be so personally impactful but I’m glad it was. It gave me a new appreciation for my academic career so far, and for new experiences.

Thank you so much to William H. Toner for your generous donation.

Sarah visiting Oslo, Norway: