This week has flown by. Every person I’ve talked to has told me how study abroad goes by really fast and to cherish the time in your host country, and they are totally right. I cannot believe that it is already week 7 and that I only have two more weeks in Berlin. I will say that this city has definitely grown on me. Now that the day to return home is approaching faster and faster, I will be very sad to leave this incredible city. It has offered so much to me, and I have definitely come out of my shell a little bit during my time here. I still cannot believe that six weeks have flown by and I am flying home so soon.
One thing I especially love about Berlin is the weather. I can see the temperature back home in America, specifically in my home state Pennsylvania, and it is so surprising to me how hot it is there. Last week, I saw that it was over 90 degrees in Pennsylvania and only 70 degrees here. I am someone who cannot handle heat or humidity, so I am very glad that I have not really had to deal with the overwhelming heat that a lot of my family and friends are experiencing back home.
However, this past week it was over 90 degrees in Berlin, and let me tell you, the minute I walked outside I wanted to immediately go back inside. The thing about Berlin, and a lot of European countries as I have realized, is that they do not have air conditioning. Some stores or offices might have AC if you are lucky, but a lot do not. This has been a completely new experience for me as an American. At home, you walk into any store or office and there will always be AC blasting. So that was definitely an adjustment for me.
Another adjustment for me was the communication differences and preferences in my host country. One thing that was very different was my boss giving me her WhatsApp number on the first day I met her. At most other jobs I have had, I mainly communicated with my boss through email, as that was seen as more professional. So it was a bit of an adjustment just texting my boss because I feel like texting is a more relaxed space. I was so tempted to format my text like an email and end with “Best regards, Alina.” However, over time I realized that here in Berlin things are a lot more informal, and for them it is just more convenient to text. A lot of people here would prefer to reach you faster over WhatsApp than through email.
Another communication difference I noticed was the use of WhatsApp in general. I already had WhatsApp installed on my phone before coming to Berlin because a lot of my family who live abroad use it. But in America, a lot of people do not use WhatsApp and mostly just use iMessage. Here in Europe, and honestly almost everywhere else outside of America, WhatsApp is the primary app people use to message each other. That was one major communication difference I noticed.
Luckily, there have not been a lot of miscommunication issues that I have had to overcome in my office. I am very grateful that a lot of my coworkers and my boss have very good English-speaking skills. There have been some moments when my boss and I were working on the research project and she tried to explain something but had trouble finding the right word in English. So there have been a few of those moments of miscommunication. Other times, I will say something in English that she has not heard of because we speak American English and there are different words for some things in America compared to other countries.
Overall, I would say I have encountered some small communication challenges in my hybrid work environment. On remote days, I am not in the office and usually work from a café on the research paper. If I come across a question, I might have to wait until I go into the office the next day or just text them. Sometimes it can be hard to explain a question over text if it is long or complicated. Other than that, I feel that my boss is very good at giving direction.
