Wilkommen! Welcome to Berlin!

Bags were packed.  Passports were set.  And blue CIEE t-shirts were worn.  In other words...the day had come.  The day for 41 students to take a leap of faith (or rather a "flight" of faith!) to soar across the Atlantic and arrive in Berlin, ready to immerse themselves in the German language.  Here are some glimpses into the first couple days of the journey:

Step 1: Get There

After a long flight, students got to meet one another and rejoice that we all MADE IT to Germany!  When we left the airport, the sun was shining brightly, welcoming us to Berlin.

Step 2: Getting Oriented

After students met with their host families and got settled into life in Berlin, we had an orientation at the CIEE campus.  We learned all about the adventure that awaits!

Step 3: Touring the Neighborhood!

Where are we at CIEE Berlin?  In the lively and walkable neighborhood of Kreuzberg!  Students had the chance to explore the streets surrounding the CIEE center through a guided tour.  All the smells of the variety of cuisines along the streets made everyone hungry and excited to get to deeply explore the area for lunch and our Community Conversations in the coming weeks.

Step 4: Time to dive into German!

Students got set to take their language pledge and start their German classes this week.  In every level of German, students were smiling and speaking on the first day of classes.  My impression as a Program Leader is that this group is very patient, curious, and kind.  I have been impressed that they are overall so excited to learn German and speak "auf Deutsch" and that positivity has been contagious!  

So let's shake the jetlag off.  Because it's time to jump on the metro (aka the U-Bahn), talk "auf Deutsch" with your host family, and head to the Brandenburger Tor.  We've got quite a journey ahead so let's grab our U-Bahn map as we navigate this corner of the world together.