The Berlin Diaries Part 7 - Final Tips for Studying Abroad!

Hello, hello, hello! We have reached the end of my journey in Berlin and this is my final blog. I'm going to share, as well as revisit, some of my biggest tips if you are going to study abroad! As I said in my last blog, I have learned so much from being in Berlin for these past four months. I believe that these tips are what really made my time better and got me through not being at home for such a long period of time. I am so grateful for the experience and I hope that you too will be able to take in the study abroad opportunities for all they have to offer!

• Take time for yourself
  • I genuinely cannot stress this one enough. This experience is meant to be for YOU! So I urge you to really take the time you need for yourself to reflect and just take in everything the city has to offer. I took myself out on so many solo dates to new restaurants and stores I’d never been to before. Some of those moments became the highlights of my time here and I wouldn’t change anything about that. To quote myself from one of my first blogs, “You don’t need to spend every minute with other people so it’s ok to say no to certain things! You are here for YOU! Remember that!” 
• Meet local people
  • I had some of the best times with the people who are from Berlin. I found that in my IES Abroad Berlin program, since you are usually with students who are mostly from American universities, you can sometimes get confined to only hanging out with them. So go out to cool bars, clubs, dance groups, etc., and find some people from the city who are willing to make new friends! I learned so much from my newfound friends from Berlin and they gave me so much insight into what else I might have been missing in my time there.  
• Engage in the art scene 
  • Museums, theaters, public performances, jazz clubs, exhibitions, stores, you name it! I have never been more inspired and excited by art than here in Berlin. As an artist myself, I’ve gotten so much inspiration from the art scene here. It’s rich with creators who are young and old and I believe that it’s some of the most free-from work I’ve seen ever. I think art has the ability to heal and change people for the better so engage with whatever you can! Go see that play or opera. Spend hours strolling through that one museum. Grab a drink and sit by the river while a live performer is debuting their new music. The art is beautiful and only amplifies how great of a city Berlin is. 
• Journal, Journal, Journal! Vlog, Vlog, Vlog!
  • I got this tip from my older cousin and couldn’t recommend it more. I started journaling in early December and haven't looked back since! It is so nice to put your thoughts somewhere tangible so you can look back on them and reflect on the past and how much you’ve grown. For those who don't like to write, I highly recommend vlogging to your computer camera (which I also did lol). Even looking back on what I was writing in February was so fascinating. It’s a little memento you can have for the rest of your life as a good memory. 

With that dear reader, I wish you all the best and I hope that your time, wherever you may choose to study abroad, is one filled with wonderful experiences!
 

Signing off,

                 Myles M.