Beckermann's Berlin Brief

Below an article that I recently wrote for a publication of the European Association for International Education ( www.eaie.org).

As its end of term, like all students at Hertie I am certainly feeling the crunch of deadlines - but there is light at the end of the tunnel... by mid-May all papers, exams and assignments will be finished!

Looking forward to comments on the article - particularly from fellow students who have experienced the move abroad!

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In retrospect, it wasn’t easy moving abroad – although I am sure most life changing decisions aren’t easy.

Truth is I imagined that it would be a fairly painless adjustment, because in a sense I wasn’t really moving abroad, I was moving home. Or at least that’s partially how it felt at the beginning when I moved to Berlin, Germany to pursue a Master’s of Public Policy at the Hertie School of Governance for two years.

I was born in Germany, and my parents immigrated to Canada when I was four. I grew up speaking German at home and singing German Christmas carols, but I learned the values of inclusion and acceptance that are very much Canadian. I know more about Canada’s political system that I ever will about Germany’s, and I know virtually nothing about Germany’s pop culture, so watching television just isn’t the same. And every time someone asks me where I am from, I don’t really know how to answer, and so I have taken to long drawn out responses detailing my dual passport situation.

So aside from losing interest in television programs, what has made the transition so difficult? Leaving friends and family for one, but also leaving the comfortable lifestyle and community I had become accustomed to during my undergraduate studies in Ottawa. You could say, that I moved from one capital city to another – but there are few similarities between Berlin and Ottawa, and so the adjustment has taken some time.

Berlin is supposedly “a focal point for individuals attracted by liberal lifestyle, modern zeitgeist and low cost of living”; in contrast, few would characterise Ottawa as ‘the place to be’. I personally chose the school, not the city – attracted by a smaller facility, international student body, and a two-year programme in English.

As life changing decisions go, completing a Master’s degree in a field I already had an undergraduate degree in isn’t exactly momentous, and yet I have learned more about myself through this city and through the people I’ve met in the past 9 months than I did in the four years I spent in sleepy Ottawa. And one of those things is that I perhaps prefer the sleepy Canadian capital to its bustling German counterpart… but that’s a story for an entirely different article!

What I have learned is that breaking away from where you are comfortable and away from the people who you love and who love you is a necessary and important part of growing up. Obviously, right?! For me, it was the best way to discover what I value in life and come to terms with what I have learned in my previous studies. It is important for me to be surrounded by people I admire, respect and can learn from; for me to have access to cultural activities like museums, operas and art galleries – to learn about completely different fields than politics or public policy. And most of all, it is important for me to cherish the friendships I have made at home and now abroad, and doing so requires a lot of time and a lot of effort – both of which I am more than willing to contribute - even thought it seems as that I am overwhelmed by work.

I think as students we all too often think and worry far too much about the future and in the process neglect to absorb all of the experiences and education there is around us in simple activities that do not take place on campus.  

Berlin has taught me to stop worrying, enjoy my experience in the city and at the Hertie School, learn from my fellow students and my professors, and appreciate the opportunity to immerse myself in the city and in my studies and discover myself. I think it will ultimately make my time here far more enjoyable and rewarding than if I continued to concentrate on how much I miss home, or what I am going to do when I am finished – there’s plenty of time to worry later!