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At the end of last year, I decided to move to Germany to start a Master’s at a university in Berlin. Under my belt, I had that very basic knowledge of German that only language Apps give you, but being in Berlin, I knew it was very easy to get by speaking only English. So, I didn’t worry too much.
A few months into it, that mindset changed a little. The reality is that while most people were indeed able to speak English, there were always some that couldn’t, which made doing mundane tasks, like going to the bank, sending a letter, dealing with documents, etc super challenging. I saw myself living in a state of constant stress, having to always rely on someone being able to speak English.
In addition, I felt constantly like I was alienated from society, not being able to understand what is going on around me, not being able to help strangers that would ask for directions, and not understanding random ads and things written on the streets. Those things may sound trivial and unimportant, but to me, they pushed back the feeling of belonging that I still hadn’t felt since moving to Germany.
Besides, on a more academic and work-related side, I wanted to make the most of my experience studying in Berlin. And internships in my area of study are a bit part of it. And while…
