My first few weeks of classes have passed and I’m astonished at the fact that I don’t have any assignments to do yet. Part of me feels this is strange, as I am used to having assignments to complete before most classes. However, the other part of me feels free. Class work comes in the form of reading instead of labor-intensive assignments. This is one of the cultural differences I have noticed whilst being in Germany. This aspect of the higher education system is interesting and something I’m growing to love.
Fewer assignments and more readings put students under less pressure and stress, whilst simultaneously placing more responsibility on students to work for their grades. You can choose how much you want to engage with the given readings and how much time you want to put toward a class. For example, I am in a class about the United Kingdom and another class about China. As I am from the UK, I don’t need to necessarily spend as much time looking over the texts for the upcoming class. This is because I’m already well versed in the country’s political landscape.
However, when it comes to my class about China, I like to sit down and take comprehensive notes over the readings because I’m not as familiar with Chinese history and politics. In my opinion, this system gives students more free time for their personal hobbies and academic needs.
Naturally, when being in a new city, you want to explore new surroundings. Being here in Freiburg, it is easy to do that. Freiburg offers a public tram network all around the city, so getting around is easy. You’re probably wondering how much it costs to use the tram. I don’t know exactly how much a single ticket costs, but the international office here in Freiburg offers a “SemesterKarte,” or a semester travel pass, which is ninety euros and allows students to use all forms of public transportation for the whole semester. I’ve found myself using the tram every day, sometimes multiple times a day.
America really needs to adopt a public transit system. With the tram system, I can get to my classes in around 10 minutes. If I were to walk there, it would be around 25 minutes. This is another cultural difference that has helped me acquire more free time while in Germany.
What do I do in my free time that one could call quintessentially German? Well, I love going to the Munster, which is the cathedral in the old town or “Altstadt.” In the Altstadt, I enjoy visiting all the stalls during lunchtime. If you like pasta, chips, falafel or the famous Bratwurst then you’re in luck. All of these stalls are there nearly every day during lunchtime, with my personal favorite being the Bratwurst.
Another interesting aspect of German culture that I found interesting is the Mensa. The Mensa is basically the school cafeteria, however it is a lot more popular among students than I would say the cafeterias are at The University of Texas at Austin. I’ve only been a few times, but it’s enough to know that the lines are massive. If you get there at peak lunchtime hours, you could wait 30 minutes just to get to the buffet line to get your food. However, I do understand why the queues are so long.
When I first tried the food, I was genuinely surprised at how much I enjoyed it. My first meal at the Mensa was “currywurst mit pommes,” which is a traditional German dish of pork or veal sausage and french fries in a curry-infused ketchup. A German staple and a good one at that. I like to draw the conclusion that the Mensa here in Germany is more popular among students than UT Austin cafeterias are because of the lack of an actual campus.
The University here doesn’t have one large plot of land where all buildings are situated. Instead, everything is built around the Altstadt with some additional buildings around Freiburg, which is the opposite of “life on the Forty Acres.” With this fact, students aren’t able to go home during the day to cook lunch because they live too far away to go home and come back multiple times during the day. Instead, students here have to look for options for lunch around the city. If you’re a student, you understand the struggles of restaurant prices, so naturally, most students deviate to the Mensa with their three euro per lunch prices, which is a good deal if you ask me.
My time in Germany has only just started and I am still a beginner in the different cultural aspects that Germany offers compared to the United Kingdom or the U.S. However, I am excited to discover these new cultural differences over the next months and share it with all of you back home on the Forty Acres.
This post was contributed by Ciaran Chambers, a Global Ambassador for Fall 2023. Ciaran is a junior international relations and global studies major studying abroad in Freiburg, Germany.
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