What's life like as an international student in Berlin?

DW (English)

Germany ranks among the top three places to study among international students. One in five students in Berlin comes from abroad. A portrait of a Chilean architecture student in Berlin.

Transcript

00:00I always saw Germany as a paradise, but on my first day here in Berlin, I got mugged.

00:06My name is Max, I am from Chile, I am in an exchange here in Berlin, and I study architecture.

00:12I came with certain expectations, and this is how I see Germany now.

00:17We have the assumption of thinking that Germany is a paradise, because of the way that they reconstructed themselves,

00:23because of their technology, because of products that they do in architecture.

00:28Living in Berlin, it's not that much a paradise.

00:31It's not that easy to find a job, as you would think.

00:34It's not as clean as you would think it is.

00:37Now I can see the more real face of Berlin.

00:40It may be more casual, less formal, but that's what I like, actually, from the city.

00:48All of those aspects you would think about Germany, some are reality and some are not.

00:53The first day that I arrived here, I went to a coffee shop.

00:57I didn't know that it was a sketchy place to be in Berlin.

01:00Three guys approached me, asking for money.

01:03I said I had no money, but then they took knives.

01:06And at that moment, I gave them the money, I started running.

01:11My dad is German.

01:13My parents both wanted me and my brother to learn some German.

01:18They thought that having the third language would be an amazing plus in our lives.

01:41In Chile, the difference is that they push you to study, and that's how you learn.

01:47They push you.

01:48Especially in architecture, you're under almost the command of the teacher.

01:52And here in Germany, you're more free to do what you want and find your own path.

02:00It was less demanding than I expected.

02:03I had time that I didn't expect to have here in Germany.

02:06I had time that I didn't expect to have here in Germany.

02:09I was expecting something way more intensive.

02:12Here in Germany, they enjoy the process more.

02:15They use the free time to learn by themselves.

02:27There's not much competition between students.

02:30Here in Chile, it's way more like trying to compete to get the better grade than the other or whatever.

02:43German people are sometimes grumpy, especially in the street.

02:48Riding the bike, they are quite grumpy, yeah.

02:52They scream to me because of riding too slow or making a turn in the wrong way.

02:58So, yeah, it's quite common.

03:10Knowing German, living in Berlin, is important.

03:14I think you have to learn at least the basics of German.

03:17It's a sign of respect, basically.

03:21They're really interested in knowing what I'm doing here as an international student.

03:26They like to talk, they like to ask questions about where I come from.

03:34Germans have been treating me really well here, and they're really accepting me.

03:38So, yeah, I feel at home.

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