Student Experience
Student Interview
Callie Otto, a St. Catharine University student and a participant on the Spring 2010 Language and Culture program at the CIEE Study Center in Berlin, recently sat down with Resident Director Benjamin Lorch to discuss her time abroad with CIEE in Berlin.
Question: Describe Berlin.
Answer: Berlin is an artistic city that does not have normal, stereotypical art. It's that dark, dirty art that's really comes from somewhere inside you and is really intense.
Q: Is there something that surprised you about Berlin?
A: I was surprised at how easily accessible everything is here. I just went to see a concert at the Berliner Philharmoniker featuring the music of Arvo Pärt, a composer that I have been waiting my entire life to experience live. I travelled 20 minutes on the subway one night, paid 10€ to go see this, and it was the most amazing moment in my life. It was right there whereas a year ago I was considering paying $500 to fly to see this composer's work.
Q: We have been on several excursions -- The Boros Collection, The Transmediale Festival of Media and visits to local artists’ studios and cities like Leipzig and Dresden. What impressed you the most?
A: My favorite was the Berlin art tour. It was really cool and it was all stuff that I definitely know I would not have done on my own. The Boros collection was incredible. I also got to see some media art that I knew nothing about and the fact that we got to meet some legitimate artists that are living in Berlin was pretty cool. (Laughs)
Leipzig was one of the most beautiful cities in Germany and I think it is underrated. It was small and perfect. We didn't have to rush around to see it and that was great. Dresden was also incredible. The Frauenkirche—going up to the top of it— was probably the best part of the day. Seeing the rebuilt city and the Elbe River from way up there was powerful.
Q: Describe the CIEE Study Center.
A: The study center is in a really cool, kind-of-youthful area of Berlin that is known for being pretty hip. The center itself is really nice and is easy to get to. We can go there and just kind of hang out, make calls back to the states, and use the high-speed Internet. It's a place outside of our apartment or homestay that is kind of like a home too.
Q: Tell me about classes. Are they helping you to understand life in modern Germany?
A: Yeah, actually I am taking a class called Berlin History Memory and Literature and it is really helping because I have always been really fascinated with Germany but, I have only known what I know now and the fact that I am learning the history and memories and literature of this city is helping me to "get it" and helping me to understand why Berlin is the city that it is. It is really cool to learn how to appreciate the city and read some cool literature from cool Berlin authors and, learn about what the people were like and what the area that I am living in was once like.
Q: What are you learning about German Culture?
A: The first couple of times I came here I thought it wasn't much different from the United States but now I am starting to learn a lot—simple things like why German people often open all the windows in the middle of the winter. It’s a completely different culture and yet one that I feel I fit into well so and that I really understand. It’s home.
Q: Do you have any new impressions of the U.S. since you came to Germany?
A: The U.S. is not as bad as I thought it was. I liked the idea of being a traveller rather than a tourist that we talked about in our CIEE orientation. I feel that works for being in America too. America is a pretty cool place, I guess. There are things that I am starting to understand more about my own country.
Q: Is there anything you have learned about yourself since you arrived?
A: I am growing into a more independent person. I don't need anyone to come with me to go to a museum or attend events. I just do it because I want to and I just walk around the city for hours. I just love it. I think the independence and creativity are the two things that I am getting the most out of my time here—and self-acceptance. It's good change.
Q: How do you think CIEE experience is contributing to your path through college and your career goals?
A: I have come to Germany in a "mid-University crisis" time, realizing that I don't know what I want to do with the rest of my life. This experience is helping me figure it out. I don't know, maybe it is helping me realize that it is possible for me not to live in the U.S. and take a traditional route and maybe I can get my degree in something I have a little more interest in and live abroad one day. It's just helping me to figure things out that I was not figuring out back home in the states.
Q: Would you recommend the program and, if so, why?
A: One hundred percent because CIEE is not just a program where they throw you into things and say "good luck." We spend a lot of time discussing cultural differences. We spend a lot of time making sure that everything is OK and making sure we have that time to discuss those things we need to discuss. It sets up a nice kind of family away from home. We are not just left alone or thrown into stuff. It's more like having a chaperone. I would totally recommend it.