Authentic Berlin

The Berlin Metropolitan Studies program has been nothing but amazing these last two months. The faculty and staff here at IES Abroad are extremely organized, friendly and always willing to go out of their way to make our experience here the absolute best. One of the reasons I chose this program, in addition to the academic focus, was the home-stay option. I have been truly blessed with my home-stay situation. I live with a woman in her apartment in Shöneberg on the S1 bahn line. She has two daughters, one my age and one in her late 20s, who both live in Berlin in their own apartments. They have adopted me into their family and have made me feel so at home in such a foreign city. I’ve taken multiple bike rides with my host through a park near our home and have attended a few brunches with her and her daughters.

One morning, a few weeks ago, her daughters came over for brunch, which was my initial encounter with them. One daughter brought her puppy and the other brought her 3 year-old goddaughter. They all conversed in German for the majority of the time, most of which I couldn’t understand, however they helped me with my German and also included me in the conversation by speaking in English. We spent the afternoon in a park near the apartment. Simple things like this make my experience so much more memorable. The opportunity to live and get to know a German family allows for a more authentic experience and I couldn’t be happier with my host and her family!