Willkommen in Berlin!

My STEP Signature Project was a study abroad trip to Berlin, Germany, where we got to learn about the history, politics, and culture of the city. Most of our time was spent on tours of various historic sites and having discussions about the important meanings that sites still hold today.

After studying abroad, it has become much easier to see how America as a country fits into the economic and cultural scene of the rest of the world. When we are here at home it is easy to forget that everything we do impacts others, and that others around the world have an impact on us. It has also become much easier for me to see the ways in which different ideas and ideals affect the laws and the lifestyles of those who live and think differently than some people do at home in America. As far as my understanding of myself, I have become much clearer in some of my ideals and clarified in many ways how I want to live my life, both in the near and distant future. In order for me to become my own person, I had to separate myself from many of the things that I knew and take myself out of my comfort zone, and as a result I am more comfortable than I ever have been before with myself and the future that I want for myself and others.

One experience that had a big impact on me was touring the Jewish museum and on of the concentration camps that were in and around Berlin. Being able to see the lives that were affected and see some of the conditions that these people had to live through really puts into perspective the facts that we have been learning since elementary school. This history has drastically affected how the city functions today, with these ever present reminders that too much power is never a good thing. I felt the strong fear of those who were presenting the tours that this is something that could happen again, and the urge from those people to teach as many people as possible of the dangers of such thinking. There are people throughout Germany, and throughout the world, who still believe in the same ideals, and in order to prevent them from repeating history, it is important to be knowledgable and be aware.

A second experience that I took quite a bit away from was a huge flea market that takes place every Sunday inside the city. While this may not seem like an important experience after everything else that we learned about and saw, the most important thing I took away from this place (which we visited multiple times) was the lifestyle. While there may still be hustle and bustle in the city, there are many more opportunities to just sit back, relax, and enjoy the beautiful city that surrounds them. You can spend hours here walking around trying new foods, looking through history in the things people sell, and experiencing art and music in ways you might never expect. People spend hours there pouring their souls out into music that people can listen to for free if they wish and others spend hours listening to people make fools of themselves at karaoke and no one seems to have a care in the world, and the relaxed feeling that I felt there is one that is hard to replicate anywhere else.

Lastly, my experiences with language while abroad are something that are impossible to ignore. When you go abroad you initially think that language could be a huge barrier. As you learn about certain countries you learn that this may not be the case. In my experience, I believe there were only two or three times in the entire month that I was gone that I encountered someone that I was not able to communicate with in English. While I do know some basic German, which helped me and my new friends out along the way, so many people spoke English and some of them did not even attempt to speak German with us. As an American, or in general an English speaking person, this is a privilege that many other people do not have. Somehow, English has become almost universal language that allows us to travel and explore without having to worry about not being able to communicate and allowing us to get off easy without having to learn another language. This is something we take for granted when we are here at home, but you do not truly realize how lucky you are until you travel somewhere else only to find almost everything still printed in English alongside the native language.

This transformation has opened my eyes to so many things. I have a much better understanding of the way the world interacts with each other and why that matters so much. I have been able to better see the impact that art has on people which has inspired me even more to continue to create art and be a part of bringing that experience to anyone and everyone. I have become more aware of the political climate that surrounds us and the impact that it can have, and therefore more willing and interested in learning about current events. Without this experience, I do not know if I would have the same knowledge I do know, or the hunger to do more, learn more, see more, and experience more that the world and life have to offer.

Link to blog that was kept up during the trip: https://u.osu.edu/schmidt.928