Berlin in and its languages

Compared to other exchange students, I have the advantage that I don’t have to speak a foreign language. As a native German speaker, it was easy for me to find my way around in Berlin, linguistically speaking. Especially the German students are often surprised when I tell them that I come from Switzerland. At the beginning, they often can’t understand why a Swiss German comes to Berlin for an Erasmus exchange semester. But when I explain the reasons to them, of course they can understand me.

Life in Berlin

Even though I had already been to Berlin twice before my adventure of the exchange semester, I was still able to discover and explore a lot about the culture. At first glance, the differences between Germany and Switzerland don’t seem to be that great. We have the same time, we wear the same clothes and have similar traditions. Are there any differences at all? Trust me, there are differences.

To share or not to share apartments

One thing most if not all people have in common is the fact that they live somewhere either permanently or temporarily. The way a person lives is saying a lot about them already and helps others to form a first opinion of them. A living arrangement that may seem reasonable for one person in their particular circumstances may be odd for somebody with different circumstances. Living arrangements can take many different forms across and give further insights into foreign cultures and countries as we have experienced ourselves during our time abroad in Germany and Taiwan respectively.

No more beating around the bush

Before I went to Germany I heard many anecdotes about how Germans are very direct. Sometimes this was praise for their famous efficiency, sometimes this was veiled criticism of their rudeness. Although, funnily enough, I had also heard similar stories from Germans about Swiss people.

Lessons I learned during my stay abroad

Where is…? – How to find your way around at a new university

Before I arrived in Göttingen, one of the things I wondered most was how student life and the university will be. Will it be similar as in Switzerland? Or will I experience striking differences while going to my classes in Göttingen? And most importantly: How will I manage in a new environment?

The travelling washing machine

After a couple of weeks of settling into student life abroad I have become pretty comfortable in my new surroundings. Seeing how I live in furnished student accommodation there was little I had to worry about when I was packing for my exchange.

Working in Germany

During my studies in Switzerland (and even before), I have always worked somewhere – mostly in typical student jobs. For example, I was a waitress in a restaurant and after that I worked in a supermarket.

“Himmel un Ääd” – A summary of my culinary highlights in Cologne

Typical German dishes – what is distinctively German cuisine?

Same language but still different

Studying and living in Göttingen (Germany) as a Swiss person isn’t that different to living in Switzerland in terms of the language. Luckily, I was able to communicate immediately with other people, be it in German, French, English or Spanish – I realized that speaking multiple languages is a huge advantage and makes it a lot easier to get to know people. Nevertheless, switching from our beloved Swiss German to High German definitely challenged me during the first days here in Göttingen.