Hi! My name is Savanna King and I just finished my second year at College of Charleston. I am a biology major on the pre-health track with a minor in German. I am currently in Berlin, Germany studying at the Carl Duisberg Center. The extensive language course meets every day Monday through Friday and we all just finished our first week at the school. I really enjoy both the teachers and the environment, and have made many friends in my class already!Being completely immersed in the culture both in and out of the classroom has been an amazing experience. When I first got here, I was a bit overwhelmed with the change but acclimated quickly 🙂 There are a countless number of museums, restaurants and other must-see attractions and I have enjoyed keeping my days busy with the city sights. I chose this program because I have always wanted to visit Berlin and when the opportunity presented itself, I was so excited. After Berling, I will attend my internship in Erlangen, which is a few hours south of Berlin, so I know the language course and speaking German in public will prepare me well. Some goals that I have set for myself was to develop confidence in speaking the language and getting myself around in the city. I want to push myself to develop in literacy and read German as much as I can. Being open-minded and putting myself out there are also what I would like to keep in mind. Before coming to Berlin, I honestly did not do much research but after being here for a week, I think it would have been helpful to research common courtesies in Germany and mannerisms that may be different here than in my home country. I looked into things to do in Germany which helped give an idea of what I would want to do while I am here. One of the main differences from the United States is the public transportation in Berlin and even though I didn’t research how to use it, after only one day I was able to get the hang of it. I am so grateful to be here and look forward to the rest of the month in Berlin!