Dear MoHome,
For the last few months I have been living and studying in Berlin, Germany. And I have to say, it’s been quite the adjustment. I’ve had to navigate life in a completely different language, and learn different cultural norms. But I can safely say that I have had the time of my life so far. I’ve met so many new people: international students like myself, tourists, expats and locals alike. Through Meetup, a social media app used to meet new people with similar interests, I’ve found groups of people with the same hobbies and interests I enjoyed back home: for example, running, touch rugby, etc.
Through my time in Berlin, I have been living with a host, Marion. She is an older woman with two adult children, and she lives alone with her dog, Maya. Communicating was a bit hard at first, as she only speaks German, and my German language skills are, while improving, still somewhat limited. But as time went on, we got to know each other better. I learned about where she was originally from: a small, East German town, and I learned that she likes movies, like I do. She would regularly suggest places to go and things to see in Berlin, of which there is never a lack.
I’ll admit, I have had some setbacks since being here. It was a bit hard making friends at first, as most of the other students in my program had opted to live in student housing rather than with a host. At the beginning of October, I lost my bank card in an ATM machine and had to wait almost two weeks for a new one. Later that month, I broke the screen on my laptop and had to find a place that could fix it — and pay 500 euros. But in spite of these challenges, I tried to make the best of my situation and as a result, have really enjoyed my life in Berlin.
I would actually say I prefer Berlin to South Hadley, or even my hometown of Oakland, California. The transit system is truly top-tier, unmatched by anywhere else I’ve visited. I don’t even need a car here! And of course, in a matter of hours, I can find myself in a completely different part of Germany, or even in another country. I have regularly taken advantage of this, having traveled in the last few months to Hamburg, Munich, Dresden, Prague and Warsaw.
I will forever cherish the memories and connections I have made in the last few months. In fact, I think I might miss Berlin when I go home in December. But I will take everything I’ve learned back to Mount Holyoke with me.
– Max Rhoads ’25