This a interview I did with my friend Aditi a couple years ago. I liked it so I decided to keep it and use it again for this article. The interview is about German schools in comparison to schools in America and German culture. I hope you enjoy!

Aditi is a girl who moved to Berlin a couple years ago. She was born and brought up in India, and lived there for 12 years. After seventh grade, she moved to New Jersey and lived there for two years. She’s been living in Berlin since 2014. Aditi loves photography, traveling, and other forms of art and music. If you want to find out more about her, check out her blog here.

INTERVIEW

1. How is American culture in comparison to German culture?

Cool Paintings in the U-Bahn Stations

Aditi: I think American culture is heavily influenced by and based on media. And that can really drive America in the wrong direction sometimes. I haven’t lived long enough in Germany to have a round opinion of German culture, but I can tell that media plays a miniscule part. I think it’s the people and their passion and spirit that drives the culture in Germany, at least in Berlin. Berlin is always filled to the brim with history, art and an openness to different cultures, and that’s what I think makes Berlin’s culture so different from America’s.

2. How does international school work?

TV Tower in Alexanderplatz

Aditi: Exactly the way it sounds. The school I go to has a wide range of students who are born and brought up in Berlin to the ones that have traveled all around the world. It’s always interesting to learn about new people because their stories are always different from yours. The curriculum is school follows is the IGCSE/IB curriculum (http://www.cie.org.uk/.) It’s extremely vigorous and demanding, but also rewarding at the same time.

3. Describe Berlin.

Aditi: Berlin is breathtaking. It’s an extremely artsy city, and so you can see that the architecture changes from street to street. It’s very diverse in its cuisine and history. There are so many museums and monuments to visit. One thing I like the most about Berlin is its ability to seamlessly mix the modern culture with it’s past. Old museums and monuments never seem out of place, and the modern culture seems to evolve everyday.

DB Building in Potsdamer Platz

4. Are there any German stereotypes that you think are true?

Aditi: I’m not really aware of any German stereotypes, but the Bavarian outfits with the braids and the typical dresses is true. But that’s not in Berlin; it’s down south in a state called Bavaria. I was also always told that Haagen Dazs was a company started in Germany, but apparently that’s not true. I also used to always think that German, the language itself, sounds hostile and unfriendly, but that’s far from the truth. It’s the complete opposite. German can sound like a very beautiful language, and Germans are generally kind.

5. Was it easy/hard to transition? Why?

Aditi: The only obstacle about living in Berlin is the language problem. German is not exactly the easiest language to learn, but it adds to the fresh experience of living in a new place. My friends in school, and outside of school have made it very easy for me to acclimate to the culture, and now I can easily identify and be part of the culture. Otherwise, it was extremely easy to transition, getting back to living our lives as we know it, part by part.

Brandenburg Gate

6. Describe the public transport system in Berlin.

Aditi: The public transport is very safe. You will never be lost in Berlin, because the buses, trains, and trams are so intricately connected, there’s no way you wont find your way home. I think the public transport system is the only thing that sets itself apart from other European cities – especially the train system. It’s so idiosyncratic with all its eclectic and expressive art in every train station; it’s always interesting to see how every station is built. It feels like every station has its own story to tell, and it’s so much fun to travel by public transport in general.

7. What are some funny German words/sayings you have learnt?

Train Station at U-3 Breitenbachplatz

Aditi: I think one word everyone needs to know, and is too understated is “gemütlich.” There is no fixed definition for this word, but it’s a nice word to know. Gemütlich loosely means familiar, comfortable, and friendly. So, a evening by the fire with your family could be gemütlich, or a summer outing with your friends could be gemütlich. For me, I think of anything that gives me warm feelings inside could be defined as gemütlich.

8. Are there any negatives to living in Germany?

Aditi: The taxes are the only thing, I would say. Things are expensive here, too. I have to keep reminding myself that the Euro is a more valuable currency than the dollar, and so I don’t shop in the mall that often, like I used to in America.

9. What is the typical workload in international school?

Aditi: I get a good amount of homework everyday. Of course, a lot more homework in some subjects than the others, and some subjects are a little more challenging. But it’s enough to keep me occupied from two to three hours a day. Sometimes there’s really no homework. So it keeps changing in my school, and there’s no predetermined amount of homework one can get on any given day.

10. How does German college/school work in comparison to the education system in America?

JFK Platz

Aditi: So, here, most of the colleges are free. Most, except the fancy, important ones that do ask for a fee over the taxes everyone is paying to fund secondary education. There is also tough competition to get into colleges in Germany, compared to America, and academics matter a lot.

But I remember in my time in America taught me that you also needed to be active in your extracurricular activities to get into college. But one thing that’s nice in Europe is that colleges here don’t place a higher importance on your other activities outside of school. Volunteering, raising money for charities, sports, working in your school newspaper is not at all mandatory here.

But it sure does add some promise to your application. But it does not give you an advantage over a student who is academically as able as you are. So that’s one thing I like, because I had a really tough time managing clubs and sports with my regular studies.

11. How diverse is Germany in terms of different cultures and languages?

Aditi: Berlin is extremely diverse. I, of course, cannot speak for the whole of Germany. But Berlin is full of different cultures. All of those cultures stand out in their own way in the city.

No one discriminates over the other. One thing I love about Berlin is that it boasts it’s diversity. Everyone’s proud of where they come from. No one’s ashamed or threatened by anything, because there is widespread religious acceptance in Berlin. German is the predominant language here. Everyone speaks German, and there is a significant Turkish speaking population. But the German speaking population outweighs them by far.