Food, Transport, and the German Language

Somehow we are already more than halfway through our time here in Berlin! As we look forward to the final days in this sunny city, four students share their thoughts on Berlin's food and public transportation, and the German language.

“Coming from a place that rarely uses public transit in the form of trains (by the way, I’m from South Florida), using a train in Germany seemed like it would be the death of me. Thoughts of fear and insecurity began to creep into my mind; ‘I can barely use Google Maps in Florida, how am I going to use a train in Germany?’ Until I got here… Being in Germany has taught me that not only am I fully capable of navigating throughout the city but I’m not the only one learning! It’s exciting to see how many people use the train to go places in the city. We are all just figuring it out, but the ease of using the U-Bahn and S-Bahn here makes a usually tedious task so exciting. When I think back on Germany, I’ll always remember the thrill of being on the train.”

-Jolene

"Spending time in Berlin so far I have realized that transportation is everything. From walking, to taking the U-Bahn or even cycling to where I am heading. It is all apart of getting to where you are going. Matching the fast pace of local Berliners, I have learned where to locate my designated train, how to tell when the next train is coming and other cool stuff. Although walking is not my favorite type of transportation, it is nice because of the scenery. Being able to walk down the street and spot all the different restaurants, shops and artwork is remarkable; And all the while, you get some steps in for the day and shave a few pounds from the last meal."

-Dorien

“My first language is Spanish. I was born in La Ceiba, Honduras, the land of foggy mountains, colorful buildings, and Coca-Cola signs. Whenever I hear Spanish, it reminded of my heritage, my family, and my home. However, I never once thought I would take a liking to learn German. Whenever the topic of Germany came up my mom would always complain about how ugly and brutish the German language sounded. My only experience with German was hearing Hitler speak it while watching Nazi propaganda during my eighth grade Holocaust unit. Naturally, I assumed she spoke the truth. When my first day of language class came, I wasn’t expecting my opinion to change. But as I spent more time in Berlin, my opinion began to shift. I loved hearing reunited friends conversing about the latest news. I loved hearing my programs leaders communicate to each order to help the program runs smoothly. And I loved the way people sounded in the movie Goodbye Lenin. I was in tears by the time the movie ended. The next time my mom expresses her opinion on the German language, I will not quietly nod in agreement. I will claim my love for the German language, loud and proud.”

-Aldric

"Overall I’ve had an amazing time in Berlin. One of the best parts of Berlin is definitely the food. Currywurst was the first German food I tried. Currywurst is a bratwurst sausage with ketchup and curry powder on top. I’m not one to try new things (especially when it comes to food), but I’m glad that I decided to try currywurst. It filled me up and tasted super good. The next food I tried was doner. Doner is meat and vegetables stuffed inside of bread. I was excited to try doner because so many people had told me that I have to try it because it is so good. For doner, you can either get chicken or beef. The first time I tried doner I decided to get beef and the doner definitely lived up to my high expectations. The meat tasted so good and the vegetables added much more flavor which I enjoyed a lot. The next dish I tried was spatzle. Spatzle is made of noodles that have been boiled and then fried with cheese and fried onions on top. I was with a few friends when I tried spatzle and all of us had clean plates in only a few minutes. I have yet to try schnitzel which is another German dish that I’ve heard so much about. What I haven’t mentioned is that most of these foods come with fries (currywurst and doner). The fries in germany are much better than fries from America. When you get fries they come with mayonnaise and ketchup. At first, I was hesitant to try dipping my friends in mayo, but the mayo is also much better in Germany so the fries tasted great in mayo. Personally, my favorite food that I’ve tried is spatzle. However, I can’t wait to try many more!"