Exams and a little trip to Brandenburg

Hello everyone!

Exams are finally over, and I'm now officially done with uni until the start of April!!

I still can't really get over the fact that my first semester is over and done with. It seems like only yesterday I have moved to Germany and started my first lecture (the one that actually made me cry) but what can I say, I'm not really complaining about the fact that I've got nearly 2 months off from uni. I've never had so much time off, except maybe summer school holidays. So, I'm looking forward to having a little break, and going back home for a bit :) and I've made it! I'm half way done and kind of proud of myself, for not having a little mental breakdown.

The exams here have been so stressful and confusing. I'm almost certain that I've failed most of them, despite the fact that I've been revising so much every day for like 3 weeks. You would be surprised. The worst exam that I've had this semester was definitely the linguistics exam. Oh my god, it was awful. I've spent hours revising, went to the exam and just felt like crying. Literally none of it made any sense to me. But I still tried. I suppose it's not really about the grade, it's the effort that counts. But still, the one thing that bothers me the most is the fact that someone is going to have to read this work and actually grade me. And I know I'm capable of doing well, the only problem was the language barrier, so that was really annoying. I think I'm just a bit embarrassed. On the other side, I think that the History exam and one of the Politics exam was quite decent. Not really expecting to get a top grade, but they were simple and straight forward. It was more about memorising stuff, rather than remembering how to draw diagrams. When I opened my paper for the History exam, I thought the questions were an absolute joke at first. One of the questions was, 'who was Winston Churchill' and the answers were underneath. You literally had to pick the right answer and connect them with the ones above. I was just so shocked that a university student would be asked such an easy question. After I've spent 5 days revising about more complicated stuff. I was just stunned. Couldn't believe it. But I can't really complain about having easy questions in the exam. It's better than trying to explain things/events/facts in another language, and at the same time lacking so much vocabulary.

The whole exam system here in Germany is so much different than in UK. Firstly, the one thing that really amazed me, was that in some exams we could have our bags& coats right next to us, even though the exam was taking place in the hall, with examiners in it. That would literally never happen in England. I mean the examiners were paying a lot of attention to the students, and they kept walking around checking if anyone was cheating, but it was still a bit strange. Being able to have your stuff right next to you or sitting next to someone. In that sense, I do think that exams are taken more seriously in England rather than here in Germany. They're more relaxed about the whole examination process, and in a way, they sort of trust their students a lot more, not to be cheating or doing anything wrong. If you were to finish the exam before, you didn't have to wait until the end (including the last half an hour of the exam). You could literally walk out whenever you wanted to. Most students didn't even put their hand up, they just gave their paper to the examiner and walked out. It was so weird. The same thing applied to when the student wanted to go to the toilet. The only exam which I believe was very similar to how exams are in UK, was the International Politics exam. Other than that, everything was just so simple and easy going. In England, there was so many times when I've seen students crying, getting emotional and upset that they're not fully prepared. Whereas the German student, in my eyes just didn't seem to care that much. I overheard some of the conversations before the exam, and so far, I believe that the attitude of German students is 'if I don't pass this exam, then I can always retake it on the second date'. (Most exams here have 2 dates-rather than just one like in UK). Obviously not everyone is the same, but my judgement is simply based on the conversations I overheard. To be fair though, there was a couple of students that actually were revising before the exam and kept looking through their notes. But I have not seen a single student crying. Which does make me think that it's less stressful here.

One thing that really annoyed me in one of the exams was the fact that the examiners just didn't seem to care enough to explain to the Erasmus students how the examination process applies to them. There was only one exam that I've had an issue with, which was the last Politics exam. Normally before you can enter the exam hall, you must show your student card to the examiner and they give you an answering book. I've not had any problems before that. My name was always on the list and the only thing that was expected of me was to sit down and wait for the questions. However, on my last exam the method of the examination was completely different. As I walked up to the examiner, she basically asked me if I was Erasmus, then said I need to wait until everyone else is registered. I was so confused by this point. After waiting and being ignored for ages, I asked the examiner again if I can sit the exam. He started going on about something and I had no clue what he was saying. In the end, I realised that I was able to sit the exam, but I had to answer the questions in a different way to the German students, which was so irritating that they couldn't explain it more clearly at the start. Half way through the exam I needed some paper, to answer the essay question and literally I've sat there for about 10 minutes with my hand up, waiting for them to give me some paper and none of the examiners even bothered to see what the issue was. I was so angry with the whole situation, because they clearly saw me waiting there, but didn't even bother as they knew I was an Erasmus student. That literally would never happen in England, and on top of that I've wasted time, waiting around for a piece of paper when I could of wrote more for this essay question. It's things that like that, I definitely won’t miss about Germany.

Overall, the exams are now done, and I suppose I never have to look back on it and all the mistakes that were made. Now that I've started my German intensive course, which by the way is so funny as I've actually got it with my previous teacher that I've mentioned about before (the one with the good German banter) I've started to actually look back and think about this whole semester in general, and I feel like I've improved so much and there is so many things that I'm going to miss. Like the A2 German class. Although it did feel like A2 was just too easy for me, it was so nice to refresh my mind and go through all the grammar, that I genuinely forgot about, as I didn't have to do it in my second year at university. I have enjoyed it so much.  In addition to that my teacher and his good sense of humour. Some students seem to be scared of him, as he seems to absolutely hate the lazy students that don't do any work at home, for some reason I just think he's hilarious. He is a proof that German people can have a laugh and aren't always so serious about everything.  Like for example last week he indicated that 'us English people must have a lot of money due to Brexit'. Some people get offended with his jokes, which I can understand sometimes. But I genuinely think he’s a nice teacher, with a really positive and a funny way of looking at life in general. So, it was definitely a lesson that will give me some funny memories to look back on. Don't think anything has ever made me laugh so much and learn at the same time. Other things that I loved about this semester, is all the friends that I've made and the people that have supported me so much! Like for example my History teacher, which I was scared of at first, because of that embarrassing first lesson, where he was asking Erasmus students to tell a bit about themselves, and I got so scared, I started mumbling something, that to be honest, I don't even know what I said. I'm certain it did not make any sense. He's always been very supportive and made me reconsider doing History next semester, as it was so interesting. So yeah these are probably the main things that I liked in my semester. I could probably go on for ages about everything that was so great this semester, but I don’t want to bore you, with all the exciting things that have been happening in my life recently. :)

The only lesson, I will a hundred percent not miss, is the 'Grammatische und Lexikalische Strukturen' linguistic module. That seminar was just like a blur to me. I've never done linguistics before, so it was really difficult, and although the teacher was lovely, and never really expected much of me, I don't think I'm ever going to try doing linguistics again. It was a nightmare. There are so many other things that I didn't enjoy or specifically liked in this semester, such as people pushing in the queues (which is a pretty normal thing around here, but so annoying), the food in the cafeteria, the lack of support from my tutor or the international office. I feel like in England, the teachers bombard you with emails, which after being here for one semester, I must say I will appreciate a lot more when I'm back home. I didn’t like the fact that they just want you to do everything independently, and there’s no one you could go to, to ask for help. Other than the students and the professors (which only speak in German), so it was hard, when sometimes I just had no clue what was going on or needed to know something specifically. Saying that though, some professors, did not even feel obligated to respond to some of my emails throughout the semester, so I wouldn’t even say they have been always there to help you in an emergency.  But overall this experience has been amazing, and I feel like I've grown so much as a person and gained so much in such a short amount of time. It hasn't always been great, and I have been feeling down sometimes, but the way I feel now, looking back on this semester, I feel like this was so far the best decision I have ever made- coming here. And I hope my second semester will be even better. Actually, looking forward to it now :)

The weathers been so strange the last few days. One minute it’s sunny, then the next minute it’s snowing. But even when there is a bit of sun shining, it is still so cold at the same time. I forgot what it’s like to live in such a cold environment. I hope that when I come back, it will start getting warmer again, as I’m so sick of winter!! Last week was my last night out in Nil (student club) until April, and this actually gets me so emotional, thinking about it. I've had so many fun nights there and can't wait to go back! <3 I also went for a meal with my friends to celebrate the end of exams, which hopefully we will have a chance to do again, before everyone goes back home. Today, me, Lou, Kayleigh and Helen went to Brandenburg for the day. And although it was so pretty and will look so lovely in the summer, especially the area that has the river next to it. It did in a way feel like the city in general is so abandoned. It's a Saturday today, and there were hardly any people out. I thought Potsdam was bad on Saturdays, but Brandenburg just felt like a big village with a shopping centre, a couple of corner shops  and no people. I'm glad I went though, because it was nice to get out the house and see something new and something so pretty... For the next few weeks before I go home, my plan is to see the little towns and villages in the Brandenburger county, as I've only just realised recently that my student card works within this whole county- not just Berlin and Potsdam, so for now my priority is to see as much as I can, before uni starts again :) And hopefully have even better memories/pictures to look back on! 

Thank you for reading my post, MR x

Hamburg

Hello everyone!

After waiting for almost 4 months for it, my trip to Hamburg is already in the past. I was really looking forward to this trip, as I've never been anywhere new for my birthday or celebrated it in such an adventurous way. But it's over and done! My first impressions of Hamburg was it looks a bit grey and like a bit of a dead place. But I was so wrong. My first impressions were simply based on the fact that I was in the car, absolutely starving and tired after a long 3 hour journey. And on top of that we actually went to Hamburg, on Monday morning. And Mondays are just never good!

After checking in and resting for a bit, we decided to explore the city and OMG it was so beautiful. The one thing that I must say surprised me about Hamburg, was definitely the fact that it has a square, unlike Berlin. A lot of people would say that Alexanderplatz is suppose to be the city square. But I strongly disagree. The square is suppose to be the main area/point of the city centre, where everything or most of the things that tourists would like to see are a short walking distance. Like for  example, if you want to go to a nice restaurant, or see castles/churches/bars/ shops anything you could possibly think of, it would be close.  But in Berlin everything is so spread out. I mean you could walk to some of the tourist attractions from Alexanderplatz like for example the DDR Museum. However, if you want to visit Reichstag, or Checkpoint Charlie or even the Berlin Wall you have to get so many trains/undergrounds. It's not a really good walking distance, unless you like walking for hours. So that was definitely one thing that surprised me about Hamburg. We was there for 3 days, and there was not a single day when we had to get a bus or train or anything. We just kept walking everywhere, as it was so close. Like I get that Berlin is so huge, I can't even compare that to Hamburg, but it was just such a nice break to be away from all the noise, all the hassle of getting public transport and getting lost every time you enter the wrong street, thinking it's a shortcut.

Another thing, I would say I enjoyed about Hamburg, was the buildings and how it just made me feel like I was in the German city version of 'Amsterdam'. Berlin is beautiful and full of emotional and incredible History, but it does feel like most of the parts are still being reconstructed /rebuilt post the Soviet era/their involvement in the Eastern Block. You can still see it in the East of Berlin or even in some places in Potsdam, hence why some streets, houses and buildings look completely different to the ones in West Germany. I could see a huge difference between Berlin and Hamburg, in terms of the buildings and architecture. Hamburg just seemed more modern. Like everything was in its place. But some parts of Berlin seem to look like they are still in the process of modernisation. I've never been to any other city in Germany, so it was nice to see the changes between them.
Another thing we have had the chance to see in Hamburg was 'Reeperbahn'. I'm not going to go into too much detail about that street, but the nicest way I can put it is basically it's a street which is identical to the 'Red Light District' in Amsterdam. Hence why I believe Hamburg has a lot of similarities with Amsterdam. Not just because of Reeperbahn, but just in general the city itself. There is quite a lot of canals pretty much everywhere you go, which is why it has reminded me so much of Amsterdam :) On Reeperbahn there was also a lot of bars/restaurants where you can smoke inside and every bar/club was on that street, which I do think is very convenient for when you want to have a night out. That's probably another thing that annoys me about Berlin. I've heard that it has some of the best techno clubs in the whole world, but they are spread out all the way from Kreuzberg to Warschauer Straße to the West. It takes too long to get from one to the other, on top of the fact that I live in Potsdam which is another half an hour/ 40 minutes away. Therefore I just gave up on the idea of ever going out properly in Berlin. Hamburg was so much more convenient with that.
On my birthday we went for some nice Mexican food there, for a few cocktails and to the shisha bar. It was definitely a good birthday, probably the best one I've had so far. :)

Uni's been going great this week, so good that every-time I hear the word 'Prüfung or Klausur' (exam) I feel like crying. Which by the way my first one starts on Friday the 2nd. I think I just gave up on the idea of doing well in everything, and passing all of it. I've just accepted my fate and the fact that I'm not going to do so well. But that hasn't stopped me from revising, and making a lot of revision notes. I think I'm just doing it for myself and to get my mind off all the things that are happening around me. My history teacher suggested last week that maybe I should do a speaking exam instead of the writing one, which in his words is the easier option but I don't think he realises that I would much rather embarrass myself by writing an exam, struggling with words which is most likely what will happen. Then face him and not having a clue how to say certain historical/formal words in German. In the end we came to the agreement that I can write the exam, but he gave me extra time and made me promise him that I won't write this exam in English or Polish instead of German. Haha

Today, I was just so fed up of staying in, revising, uni and everyone in general, that I've decided to go out and do some exploring. My plan was to see Vollkspark, as I've heard that it's wicked and it's one of the parks that I have not seen yet, so I got out of bed this morning, was actually really looking forward to it. Only to find out that it's a tropical hall, and you have to pay to get in there. I probably would have paid but didn't have any cash on me, and I went there on my own, so it seemed a bit pointless to pay for something only to see it for a couple of minutes. On top of that there was just lots of kids everywhere with their parents, so I decided to go somewhere else. It does look nice though. I'm probably going to go back at some point, but didn't really fancy going there on my own. I just assumed Vollkspark would be a public park that you can enter whenever you like. I'm glad I actually went there though, as I've actually had the chance to help someone out today. Before I got on the tram, a couple was stood near the stop looking absolutely confused and lost, and I've heard them speaking in English. It just reminded me of my first days in Potsdam, where I had no idea where the hell I was going and had to rely on Google Maps all the time. So I've decided to help them out and make it easier for them. They were looking for 'Hollandischer Square' which was a few stops away, if they got on the same tram as me. So we started talking as I offered to show them exactly where they need to get off, and they were telling me a bit about their lives how they originally come from America and now reside in London. I was telling them a bit about me and my crazy year abroad experience. And before they got off, she shook my hand, thanked me for the help and said it's incredible what I'm doing, how I'm trying to be trilingual. And that she hopes I will have a great future and lots of success at uni. And honest to God, that has actually made my day. I've been feeling so down lately, so it was nice to hear that. I started thinking about my life and what I'm doing now, and it actually is so great, having the opportunity to live in another country and I'm going to make the most out of this experience :) After giving up on Vollkspark, I got the train to Babelsberg and walked from Babelsberg Park along the path near the Tiefer See. I had no clue where that path was going to take me but I just went for it, as it was a really nice view, and ended up near the Potsdam main station. It was so nice to get some fresh air and do some exploring. I feel so much better now, like I'm prepared for the worst, which will be the next 2 weeks...

Thank you for reading my post, MR x

New Year

Hello everyone!

NEW YEAR, NEW START!

What can I say, New Year has started off really well for me. For New Years Eve, I went to Zakopane with Lee (a small city with mountains in Poland, close to the Slovakian border) and it was amazing! It was probably one of the best cities I have ever been to. Not only did I have a chance to see mountains, which looked absolutely incredible from our apartment, but I also got to experience a real winter with a lot of snow and ice everywhere. I haven't seen real snow, that stays on the ground for a couple of days in like 3 years so that was wicked! We arrived to Zakopane at 6 am on the 31st of December, which probably wasn't the smartest idea. Our coach left Wroclaw at 11 pm on the 30th and it was a 7 hour journey. It was so tiring and uncomfortable, but like always I was worrying that there will be a lot of traffic and that we wouldn't be able to get there on time, so I booked an early coach, and I regretted it so much, as everything was closed by the time we got to Zakopane. Even McDonald's wasn't opening till 7 am and it was absolutely freezing outside, so that was pretty awful. We couldn't check into our apartment until 12 am so we stayed in Mcdonald's for as long as we could as soon as it opened, then went for a short walk around Krupowki (city centre of Zakopane) But that wasn't the best experience, as we had 2 big suitcases with us, so that was a bit annoying. But in the end, we managed to get to Koscielisko (city near Zakopane) where our apartment was, and managed to check in early so as soon as we got there, we rested for a couple of hours before the evening, as we didn't want to be too tired later on. And it was so worth going through this, to experience New Years Eve celebrations there.

In the evening, we walked all the way to Zakopane, and after a couple of hours finally managed to find a really nice restaurant, with local food. I've never even considered booking a reservation or buying tickets for the New Years Eve parties. I just assumed everything would be opened. Silly me. Literally I have never seen so many people in one spot. There was queues everywhere! Some restaurants would not even let you in, unless you had a reservation so we was quite lucky to actually find a decent place in the end. After that we went to small bars/ outdoor bars for a couple of drinks, then headed towards the concert. Every New Years Eve, in Poland there are concerts taking place in a couple of cities, which change every year, and they are filmed by the television. They are free of charge, and sometimes real celebrities actually perform at these concerts. Not just Polish celebrities but also people from abroad. Like for example this year I had the chance to see Michal Szpak, Maryla- famous Polish singers, and Luis Fonsi- (you guys might know his famous song- Despacito) I think it's amazing, how Poland enables people to have such an amazing New Years Eve, which is free of charge and you can have so much fun there. I have never seen people so happy and cheerful, and I have been to other festivals, but never seen anything like it- maybe except Woodstock. In addition  to that if you can't make it or don't feel like you want to leave the house, you can actually watch the whole concert in the Polish television, which is what my mum was doing this year, and she kept looking out to see if she can see me anywhere, as it was all filmed :) It was such a good way to start New Year. On top of that after 12 o'clock there was so many fireworks going off, the sky looked red at one point, and you could just see smiles everywhere. Like there was no care in the world. So beautiful! It was a nightmare though to get out of this place!! Everyone was still setting off fireworks, including civilians. It was so much different from UK. At one point as we was all walking towards Krupowki, some guy started setting them off right in front of us. It felt like a bomb has just exploded, and the police was not even bothered about that. It didn't bother me so much but the roads we was on, were quite small. It was so dangerous to set these fireworks off, when there was thousands of people walking back from the concert. Someone could of got hurt and it wasn't very safe. But I guess I just forgot what it's like to celebrate New Years Eve in Poland. Everyone does that and everyone has always done that. It's the only time in the year when people can actually do that and it's pretty normal, so instead of moaning I just enjoyed myself and appreciated it. The fact that I had the chance to experience something so crazy <3 We was actually considering going to one of these parties, as I've never had the chance to experience a Gorals (a group of Polish, Czech, Slovak areas- this is how we refer to the people that live in these areas- similar example in UK- the Geordies) party. However there was so many people everywhere. It would of been a nightmare to get into any places. And on top of that, we was leaving Zakopane on the 2nd, so we didn't really want to get into a bad state and not being able to explore the city the next day, so like a responsible adults, straight after the concert we walked back to our apartment :)

The next day, we was actually considering going skiing and seeing the mountains, but I've never actually done skiing in my whole life, neither has Lee. And there was just so much snow everywhere. I've heard that it's dangerous to go into the mountains when it's snowy and icy. So we decided to explore Krupowki more, and went on the cable carts, to get a really nice view of the mountains, take a couple of nice pictures. Also we went for a few cocktails, and actually treated each other as we had no chance to do that on New Years Eve :) It was such a great experience. If any of you like skiing, mountains, snow and that kind of holiday, I definitely would recommend Zakopane. It's got a bit of everything. Including horses, and Oscypki ( smoked cheese made out of sheep milk, famous within the Tatry Mountain region in Poland). I know what you're all thinking that sounds disgusting, but it was actually the best thing I have tried this year. You can't get in anywhere in Poland, for it to taste the same way, so while I was there I just kept eating it constantly, anywhere I possibly could. In terms of restaurants, if any of you are thinking about going there, I suggest you should try 'Bakowo Zohylina Niznio' and 'Gazdowo Kuznia'. These were the only restaurants, along with the one we went to on New Years Eve (can't remember the name) that we had the chance to experience. I'm pretty sure there are some other ones which were great, as they are literally everywhere on Krupowki, but I really enjoyed the food in these restaurants. Mainly as it was something completely different :)

On the 4th of January, we had to return to Germany, as my university was starting this week. And although I could say this week at uni, had started off pretty well for me as I have found out that I have passed one of my tests, that I had to do before the Christmas break, and it was also nice to see everyone back. I just feel like I have lost any motivation to get things done. It's really stressing me out, because I have exams coming up. And I know I shouldn't worry. But I still do. Like always! I went to one of my seminars, where we was practising exam questions and literally I had no clue what the hell was going on. It's like my mind has gone blank because of the Christmas break. I still want to do well this year, but at the minute I don't even feel like I would be able to answer any of the exam questions that are going to come up in February, which is so so soon. It's stressful. I've never experienced a situation, where I knew I was going to fail something or not be fully prepared for something. But this is exactly what's going to happen this year, and it's not good. People are constantly reminding me, that this is a Year Abroad placement, I don't have to pass anything therefore I shouldn't worry. I should just focus on improving my language but that's just not how I'am. I always worry about everything, and everything always has to be perfect. So it's just getting me down a little bit. On top of that, my fear of speaking German to my classmates and teachers, has unfortunately returned. Last week, the teacher has said something to me. I think he could see I was struggling with the work, so he probably wanted me to work with one of the students, and I've just ignored what he said, carried on doing the work on my own. I know it's silly and I shouldn't be like that, but I'm just so scared of making mistakes, someone looking down on me or treating me like I'm an idiot, so I just think the best way to get out of it is by not talking so much.

Similar situation has actually happened this week. Lee has actually got himself a job, working for Easyjet as a Cabin Crew. I just want to quickly congratulate him again, I'm so proud of him. <3 <3 But before he can start any training or work, he has to fill in all these medical forms, and has to see an optician. Which is why we went to Potsdam yesterday, and looked for an optician. We went to 3 different places and the first one has got me so stressed I felt like crying or just having a go at these woman's that was working there. I've practised in my head how to say everything properly. We only needed to get him an appointment with someone. Everything else that he needed to get done, was on the sheet. So I went up to these women and as soon as I started talking, they just looked at me like I was from another planet. It was so stressful and absolute lack of respect. The situation got me so frustrated, but I knew we had to get this sorted. In the end we ended up going to 2 more places, and the last one was actually successful. I managed to get him an appointment with someone. In the end, I felt good about it but situations like that just make me think, I can't wait to be able to live in a country where I can communicate with everyone, say exactly what I want to say, without having people looking down on me. At the same time though, when situations like that happen, Lee always reminds me that the more I try, and the more stressful situations like that, I go through, the better understanding I'll have for the language. So deep down, I know I have to go through this, in order to learn, but it's just so hard sometimes, and I think I'm just missing home a little bit.

At the start of January, one of Lee's friends Kouri has came over to see us for a couple of days. And it was so nice to have him around. On one of the days we went to Berlin to show him around, and of course randomly decided to drive to Poland, which is what we do with most people that come over to see us. I don't know what it is. I think it's just because I feel so safe and happy in Poland, it's like a little break for me from all this language stress, I like to go there once in a while. This time around we actually went to Poznan, which is not where I originally come from. I wanted to see something new after being in Poland for 2 weeks, with my family. And to be honest with you all, I was so shocked with how beautiful Poznan is, and how similar it is to Wroclaw. Absolutely crazy. The square in Poznan and the buildings look exactly the same. It was amazing. Definitely enjoyed this city more than Szczecin. So if any of you guys are planning to go to Poland, Poznan is the place to be at  <3

Tomorrow I'm off to Hamburg, to celebrate my birthday there, so my next post will be more about the German cities, and the differences between Hamburg/ Berlin-Potsdam.

Thank you for reading my post, MR x