What I like about Germany the most

Gute Nacht!

A few weeks ago, I have wrote a post about missing England, and what really gets on my nerves about living here. Although I could go on and on about the stuff that really annoy me, this week, after being here for a while now, I wanted to tell you all about the exciting and good stuff, and why I genuinely like living here. Hopefully this post will make you want to move to another country, or move to Potsdam if you're planning to do a year abroad placement. :)

So after having a really good weekend, while Lee's parents and his sister were over here, exploring pretty much everything that you could possibly think of in Berlin, and actually driving to Poland again on Sunday, (only for 1 day though), my Monday seminar could not start any worse than it has. I don't particularly like this seminar, or this module in general, as it's all about German and lexical structures, that I have never seen in my life before. It's not really something that interests me, but seen as it was already too late to change my modules, and after going through this experience of changing my timetable so much, I didn't really want any more hassle, and I just left it. Maybe it wasn't the brightest idea, but anyway, I thought I'm just going to do it. It's only 1 module out of 6 that I have to put up with. On Tuesdays we have a lecture for it, and Mondays are the seminar lessons. Half way through the seminar, the teacher was going on about these grammatical structures, so I was trying to pay attention. Still didn't get anywhere, but as he was explaining something and the whole class was quiet, my biggest fear has actually became a reality. Someone has asked me a question in GERMAN! and I could just feel my heart beating so fast. I had no idea what this guy was saying to me, so like an idiot I thought it would be a good idea to just smile and sit there. You can imagine what this guy is thinking- is she okay?? But anyway, he asked me the same question again, even though I was hoping he would just not say anything else after. In my seminars, I do try to talk to some people but when
I have no idea what on earth is going on, the best solution for me is just to stay quiet, and hope that soon I will be able to pick it up. After he's repeated himself, I just mumbled something in English then said 'i don't know- in German' instead of just saying like a normal person, sorry I don't understand you, I'm not from around here. But the pressure was just so high. I wanted to understand him so badly, and say it perfectly, that it all just got a bit too much. I could feel my face going red. I don't really get shy as much as I use to when I was younger, but that was one of these moments, where I literally just wanted to be gone far from that place, and we still had another hour to go. I could feel this guy staring at me throughout the whole lesson. I bet he was thinking what on earth is wrong with that girl #awkward. But I don't know what it is about me sometimes. I just wish I could speak fluently in German, so I never have to go through these situations again. Below there is a picture of some of my notes, from this seminar. I have never done anything like that in my whole life, so it is a bit confusing at the minute.

The next  few days at uni, actually turned out to be better than the seminar on Monday. Tuesdays are always busy, as I start my first lecture at 10 am and finish my last one at 18pm. It's a very busy day, but I like to be busy and have something to do. Even if I don't understand half of the stuff that are said to me, it's nice to get out the house and actually do something.I feel like all of these lectures are definitely going to help me improve my language. However, I do actually miss having work and deadlines that I'm going to be graded for. I never thought I would say this, and I don't think none of you will, until you move to another country and there is no real pressure that if you fail this one thing, you might not be able to get onto another stage. Weird to say it or even think about it, but I think the stress of failing, makes me so motivated to actually get things done. And for the first time ever, I don't feel like I have any stress at uni. Other than the language barrier. Which is why, I have started making lots of detailed notes, from all of my lectures. I know what you're all thinking 'girl you're in another country, you should go out and enjoy yourself' but I've always liked education, and learning something new. It makes me feel like I'm doing something, so I'm trying my best to do well in everything. And hopefully end this year, with a decent grade :)

Wednesday morning, after my Politics lecture, I went to my favourite lesson with Herr Poesl, and like always I've had a great time learning some new Deutsch. In this lesson, for the first time I felt like I finally found myself, and this place is my new home. At first we had to talk in pairs about what we did in school & after, what we think of Potsdam so far, and what we found most problematic & enjoying about this experience. I sat next to this lovely guy from China, and after having a short conversation with him, he turns around and says 'omg how long have you been doing German, you're so good' After hearing this, I was so happy. He genuinely made my day. It's such a nice feeling, when someone can actually see how hard you've been working, and can see some improvements. Up until this moment I thought my German was still the same, as 2 months ago or even 6 months ago, but in that moment, I knew that I could do this! And that I'm getting better at it! Sorry. I don't want to sound a bit stuck up, but I'm genuinely so happy in moments like that, I can't keep the excitement to myself lol :D And if you are thinking about doing a year abroad, I'm telling you now, your language will improve! And you're going to be great! Moments like that make me so thankful, that I've actually decided to do a year abroad placement.

Anyway, I've gone off the topic a little bit, but now I want to let you all know about some of the things that I actually really like here in Germany. Maybe this will actually encourage some of you to come here :)

First thing, is definitely the transport system. It is so good here in Potsdam. Not only there's trains, but also buses and trams. Some also use taxis, but they're not as popular as in Nottingham. They all come very often and there's actually quite a lot of them that go to all sorts of different areas. It's not like in Nottingham, where you have to get the bus to town, get off and get on another bus if you're trying to get to another area. It does take a bit longer if you're trying to for example get from Golm or Park Sansoucci to the Hauptbahnhof, on the bus- as it't the last stop, but there is always more alternatives. The trains are really quick as well. So I definitely think you would all be impressed, if you move/ come to Potsdam. What I like the most, is the fact that I live in Golm, which is in the west of Potsdam, and on Tuesday/Wednesday I have lessons in the Griebnitzsee Campus, which is on the other side of Potsdam, and there is a train that actually comes to Golm and goes straight to Griebnitzsee, which means I don't have to get off at the main station. It is soo good!! I normally leave my house at half 9, even though my lessons starts at 10, as it actually goes really quickly as well. It saves me a lot of time, and the hassle of leaving the house earlier. If there was only buses here, I would probably have to leave like 2 hours earlier. So it's definitely nice to have an extra half an hour or so in bed :)

Another thing, which I find very impressing is how the lectures/seminars always start at quarter past, and finish quarter to, even though my timetable says I'm suppose to be there for 2 hours. It's nice to finish a bit earlier, as I do think it's better to have shorter lessons, as long as they happen more often. The only lesson which I do find a bit tiring towards the end, is the Wednesday Grundkurs, as I have to be in the same room for nearly 4 hours, and to be honest with you all I don't think I have ever met anyone that can sit in one desk for so long and concentrate & understand everything that is being said to them, in such a long amount of time. So it's nice to know that I only have to be in the room for an hour and a half, as I do feel like I'm learning something, and it also gives me plenty of time to get from one campus to the other, when I have lessons that are next to each other.

In terms of German parties/the student night outs at Nil (the student bar- you have to go and see it)one thing that really shocked me was the dress code. In England, most girls that I know- not all of them, but a lot of them like to dress up when they go out, wear heels and lots of make up, which I think is nice sometimes, it makes you feel like you're wearing something different and you're more excited for the occasion. However, here in Germany most people just wear jeans, to the student nights out. I thought it was so strange at first, but I like not making too much effort to be honest. I feel like if I did wear a dress, or anything that I would in England, people would probably laugh at me. I suppose it is cold though for dresses. But anyway, I think it's nice, that I don't feel the pressure of impressing others of what I need to wear and how I should look. Just to be clear, I don't know what it's like in Berlin. I haven't had the chance to go anywhere big over there yet, but I'm just stating what I can see so far from being to a few places here in Potsdam :) and so far, I like it. ;) Below, it's a picture of me and some of the people I've met over here, while we went to Nil for a 'Polish night'

In addition to that, I must say that Germans definitely know how to keep their country clean. Just to let you know in case you haven't heard, when you come to Germany for the first time and you're being charged extra every time you buy a beer or a bottle/can of something. Or if you see some citizens picking up bottles from the street. It is not because someone is trying to rip you off, or because these people are trying to clean up after you. It's just the fact that you pay a bit more, but if/ when you bring the bottles back into the shop, after a few days, you get all of your money back. At first I was a bit annoyed with this system, especially right at the start when we came here, as we had no clue, so every time we bought a drink, we would chuck it in the bin. But now it does actually make a lot of sense, why they do that here. The streets are almost always clean, there is no litter or any empty bottles anywhere, as people are more aware of the fact that they are paying extra for these bottles,so they wouldn't just randomly leave it anywhere. It's so nice to know that you are living in a clean environment. Also, when you go into the shop, and you get like 5 euros off you're shopping. It's a weird, but a nice feeling! The only thing that annoys me is the fact you have to pay extra at pubs/ bars for the glass/bottle but I've already mentioned that in my last post.

Last, but not least, as my teacher would say, the architecture, buildings, lakes, parks and the history of this city are phenomenal. If you're a bit like me and you're interested in History, you will definitely have so much fun here. There is always something out here to go and see. Like for example: on Sunday, we was so bored with Lee, we decided to do some more exploring and found this place in the middle of forest/ not so far from Park Sansoucci Park, called the Nordic Tower. You could see this building has been there for centuries, but it was so exciting to find it in the middle of nowhere. After that we ended at Krongut Bornstedt, which was a former royal estate. There was a lake right next to all the tourists attractions, so we stayed there for a bit, to watch the ducks. It was such a good day! After that we went to see an old cemetery behind the church in the same area, as it is known for having very old graves of former- architects, soldiers, professionals and doctors. You could see that the graves were very, very old. Some of these people in them were born in like 1780 something. It was crazy to see it, but it was still something new. Below there is a few pictures from our trip :)

 The Christmas market season has officially began in Germany last night, and it is such a brilliant atmosphere <3 So far I have only been to the Potsdam one which is a lot smaller than the Berlin ones, and I wasn't there for too long, so in my next post I can hopefully show you more pictures, of how beautiful it looks :) Tomorrow, my dad is coming over to see me, on Sunday my sister with Oli and next week my mum with Paul, so I've got quite a lot of things to look forward to. The aim is to see as many Christmas markets as I can!!!

Thank you for reading my post. MR.x

What I miss the most about UK

Hello everyone!

In this post, I wanted to tell you a bit more about uni, what I miss the most about UK and what I've been up to the past few weeks, when my friends came over to see me.

So after weeks of constantly changing my modules because they were overlapping my other lectures, not having a clue what I want to study in this semester and hearing the word 'Referat' in pretty much every seminar I went to, I have finally sorted my timetable and I'm only doing modules this year with an exam at the end. It's been very hard this past month, not having any idea what is expected of me, how will I be assessed and knowing who to go to, to ask for help. Every person I tried to speak to either ignored my emails, or said I need to go to a different department and speak to them. I finally did it, which makes me very happy to say that my language is not that good enough, but I've managed to speak to the right people and change everything that did not suit me. So far I'm doing more Politics modules, but I'm happy about that. I really wanted to do an A2 Grundkurs, but the course was already full. After almost 2 weeks of chasing my teacher and practically begging him, to let me participate in this course, I have finally been added to it. And I certainly do not regret it. When I turned up to my first lesson, I have realised that there is a couple of Erasmus students which made me feel so good, to know that at least one of my lessons, has a few English speaking students. So far I have only been in lectures/seminars with German students, that have their own group of friends so it's been really difficult settling in them. On top of that, my teacher is actually hilarious, every week he's always having a fit about something. Like yesterday for example, he made us do a little exercise where we have to answer his questions underneath an image of a random person in German. I think the point of it was to practice Prepositions, which is what we have been doing the past few weeks, and someone has wrote something out of this planet and his response was ' Das ist Scheisse' !! I genuinly thought at one point he was going to start crying, but I think that's just his sense of humour. Every Wednesday I look forward  to these lessons, because I know he is going to come out with the most random things ever, but at least it will be a good laugh. Also, in this lesson he mixes German with English, so I genuinely feel like I'm learning more from this, rather than from any other lecture I'm doing. At the minute I have to guess what my other lectures are about. So far I have understood that last week we did something about Interest groups, and this week in my new module we was learning about Peace and Security since the Second World War. Which to be fair is making me feel so good, to say that a month ago I was crying after pretty much all of my lectures, because I had no clue what was going on, to now being able to pick out little bits. I definitely still prefer lectures though, because there is less stress of being asked a question by someone. Like for example last week, I went to my seminar which was stopped for 2 weeks, only to find out that we actually had work that needed to be done over those 2 weeks, and I had no clue about that. The teacher was not really happy about the fact that only 12 out of 23 students completed the work. After that he put us in a group to do a small presentation, and while all the German girls started asking me questions, I completely blocked myself and couldn't even say a word. I could feel my face going red. It was so embarrassing. It's moments like that that make me think 'I wish I knew what these people are saying to me' and 'My aim is to one day know and understand everything that is being said to me' #GOALS!
Other than that uni is actually going well, there is only moments of embarrassment and emotional stress but it's not so bad. I do wish though that I did work experience this year though. I feel like maybe I would enjoy myself more. I'm not really keen on going out all the time, so the student life is not really for me. I'm gutted about not trying to work rather than continue with education this year, as I feel like that would have given me more experience. However lately I'm always trying to look at the positives, and I know that this year at German uni is definitely giving me so much skills and I don't need to worry about speaking in front of lots of people, as I would if I did work experience.

Missing home seems to be a big problem with a lot of the students that move abroad. Whether you're one of these students that genuinely thinks they won't miss any of their family members, and that they will have an amazing time here. Just remember that although you may have an amazing time here, not everything always goes our way. I'm not trying to discourage anyone from participating in the year abroad placement, I just want you all to remember that you may have an amazing time here, or one of the worst ones in your life. Always think of it realistically. Because yeah it's great to live in another country, experience new culture, learn a new language, but when the reality kicks in it's not always so great. Or if you end up not meeting the right kind of people that you want to surround yourself with, you might feel really lonely. I was lucky enough to move to Germany with my boyfriend, so I won't really be able to relate to some people, but I do always think about the negatives as well, as I think it's easier to be prepared for something worse, rather than have high expectations and if something doesn't go your way, you end up being disappointed. So far I'm having a great time here and I have met some great people. But I do get moments sometimes where I'm like  'Jesus Christ I can't wait to go back to England' However I'm trying to make the most out of this experience, and so should you if you end up going abroad :) Genuinely I think what I miss the most about England, is literally the stuff that seem normal to us but here in Germany it's the opposite way around.  There are a few things that really annoy me such as: the fact that none of the shops are open on Sunday, so say if you are planning to go out on Saturday and you're hungover on Sunday, make sure you have some food at home, because there is not a single place that will be open and I mean it. Other than takeaway shops maybe, but they're on the other side of Potsdam, so unless you have a car or you fancy getting lots of buses and trams, you could be stuck at home, starving to death. Another thing that irritates me so much, every time I think about it it's literally making me angry. Germans are known for not liking to pay with their cards, so unless you're going to a big supermarket or a restaurant, always bring some cash with you. It's really annoying because my bank yet again is on the other side of Potsdam, so at least once a week me and Lee have to drive there to get some money out. The main reason why we can't just go to the nearest bank is because they actually charge you just for taking money out and it's something ridiculous like 4.50 euro. Not all of them do, but the amount of times I've tried to take some cash out and it straight away said you have to pay extra, it just put me off even trying. I just go straight to Deutsche Bank, because I know it's the safest option. So yeah, they're probably things that I miss the most and things I really did take for granted while I lived in UK.

In terms of food I definitely miss mushy peas. They literally don't sell them anywhere and it's so frustrating :( Also, quorn chicken pieces and a hot spicy sauce :( (the ones that I've tried so far are not even spicy)  Every time, I go into the shop, half of the stuff I'm looking for aren't even there, and the other half of the products i tend not to eat, or I don't even know what they are, so that's annoying. But Poland is only 2 hours away so I can always get food there as I'm more familiar with the products there. We actually did a massive shopping last time we went to Poland so if it gets really bad, I'll just have to go there more often I suppose.

At uni, in most of my seminars they still have blackboards or projectors which I thought was absolutely crazy, since I haven't seen them since when I use to live in Poland as a kid. But that doesn't really bother me. There is a small bar on the campus, something similar to the SU, and every time you buy a drink you pay 2 euros extra, which you do get back in the end if you bring your bottle and glass back. I thought it was so strange, because whos really going to be thinking about that when they're drunk. I think it's an absolute rip off, which is why I tend to avoid buying drinks while I'm out, normally just buy a couple more drinks to have at predrinks, as it's so much easier. The cafeteria at uni is alright, they have a lot of different drinks but so far I haven't tried any food there. It doesn't look that nice and most of the sandwiches have tomatoes in them, which I absolutely hate, so I never even bothered trying it. The only good thing about it, which I definitely think it should be changed in England, is that the food there is so cheap. You can actually get a decent meal for like 2/3 euros as I've seen a lady paying for it myself, so I do think it's quite good. There is definitely more options at the English SU though, but the German Mensa is more appealing to the students.

At the start of November, me and Lee actually spontaneously drove to Poland, as I really wanted to be there for All Saints Day, to show him this beautiful celebration. I think he was a bit shocked to see so many people at the cemetery at the same time. Or about the fact that me and my family went to the cemetery like 2-3 times in the same day, and it was a pretty much normal thing to do. I took him to see my nannas and granddad's grave at night, and the view was just incredible. So many candles and lights everywhere. We sat at the graves for a good half an hour or so, and spoke about the ones that are gone now. He was telling me what he misses the most about his grandad, and I was telling him what I remember/miss most about my grandma and grandad. It was so nice. It's probably the most beautiful and one of my favourite Polish traditions & celebrations. There is nothing like it anywhere else and it makes me feel so proud to be Polish, to have the chance to see and celebrate something so thoughtful. Below there is a picture of what the graves looked like during All Saints Day, and a picture of me and Lee from a night out in Wroclaw :)

A few days after we got back from Poland, I already had something to look forward to as I knew my best friend Geordeana and her brother Tom was coming over to see us. I wanted them to have the best time ever, seen as they are actually the first people that made the effort to come and see us from UK, so I've made a list of where I want to take them. Although we haven't seen all of the stuff that I wanted to show them, we have managed to see the most such as: Alexanderplatz, Berlin Wall, Brandenburger Tor and a few of the parks in Potsdam :) We have also managed to take them to a really nice German restaurant called 'Maximillians' - the food in there is just incredible and if you really want to try some German food with a different vibe, then I definitely recommend it. The waitress/es actually dress up in Bavarian outfits so the place does make you feel like you're trying something completely different, and everyone was happy with their food so that was a good experience. We also tried a Club Laguna for the first time since we have moved to Potsdam with Lee, and the cocktails were just AMAZING! We really wanted to go back to this place on Monday, before George and Tom went back to UK but for some reason it was shut so we ended up in an Irish Bar and at the end of the night, of course I had to fall over in my heels right in front of the entrance to my house #classyme so yeah we definitely had an amazing time with  these when they came over to see us <3 It actually made me realise how much I've missed having my friend Geordeana around. When we both use to live in Nottingham, it was so fun and so much easier to meet up and do things together, but now that I live in a foreign country and she's basically a qualified paramedic, it's difficult for us to have time for each other. When we do end up seeing each other, like now when she came over, it was like the old times, and like we've never been apart from each other in first place, so that was nice :)

On their third day here, we drove to the Tropical Island Water-park and it was just unbelievable. Everything inside, all the pools and slides made you feel like you was just in some exotic place in the Caribbean, only difference was every time you went to the outdoor pool it was absolutely freezing outside. It was such a fun place though. They had so much to offer for the kids, and for the adults they had a little bar upstairs that you could go to if you were sick of sitting in the pool for so long so that was brilliant. There was even an indoor beach there and at night the lights inside the pools have changed so it made it so nice and colourful. The place was open till 1am as well, so we ended up staying there till like 11 o'clock. Although we went there on Saturday, so ended up not going out in Berlin, I do think it was worth it though. We paid 30/40 euros to have this for the whole day, and on top of that the food was relatively cheap and quite delicious, so I don't feel like we have missed out on anything! And I could see both Tom and Geordeana were happy to be there. We was a bit gutted though that we wasn't staying there for the night. Some people were staying in little houses, that literally reminded me of these small doll houses that I use to have when I was a kid, and they also had tents. This place was just out of this world but I know for a fact, I will for sure go back there before I move back to UK.

On Sunday, we decided to have a little road trip to Poland, as I really wanted to show them why we love Poland so much with Lee. Although I do wish I took them to Wroclaw/ Olawa which is where I originally come from, and the place is just so much better. We decided to go to Szczecin for a change, as I've never been there and it was just so much easier to get there from Berlin. Like I said, I do think Wroclaw is better, but Szczecin wasn't so bad. It was actually a really nice city, just a bit different. We ended up going to a Polish restaurant as I really wanted them to try some Polish food. It was just a shame that they didn't have pierogi at the time. So we ended up going for schnitzel with potatoes, sauerkraut and beetroot salad <3 Tom and Lee had a chicken fillet instead, as they are both picky as always :p I can definitely say that the trip to Poland was a success, but like they say 'There is no place like  home' and I don't think I will ever enjoy any place as much as my grandmas house in Godzikowice or Olawa- the place where I was born :) so if I do end up going back to Poland again with my friends, I will without a doubt take them to my hometown, so they can see why I love it so much there :) Before they left, we also went to the Am Neuen Garten Park, where the world leaders met up after the Second World War, as I really wanted to see the castle and the view, and it was just incredible! I was also happy to teach everyone a bit of History, as I've always been a bit obsessed with it. Below there is a couple of pictures from the park and the views. You have to go see it if you're ever in Potsdam, it is so BEAUTIFUL!

Pictures from Szczecin- Poland

This whole week when Tom and Geordeana was both here, made me feel so happy I genuinely feel a bit lost now, that Lee has started his new job and I haven't got much to do, other than go uni. But we've got a few more other people coming over soon, so that should be good :) Despite the fact that there is just so much I miss about UK and now I miss my friends that came over to see us, I can't wait to see what the next few weeks are going to bring :)

Thank you for reading my post, MR x