For two weeks in August, I studied German at GLS in Berlin-Mitte. I was able to see the incredible history of Berlin from the World Wars while learning to speak the language, being exposed to German every day.
I traveled to Berlin to visit my father, who lives just one block away from the GLS campus. I went with my younger sister and her friend, and we walked around for hours. This picture was taken (I think) on Museumsinsel. The lines were too long to actually visit any of the museums, as we went during the summer during a busy time, but it was very cool to just walk around the island and look at all of the buildings.
We were mostly in East Berlin, as that is where GLS is and where we lived, but we went to West Berlin a bit. We saw Brandenburg Tor and the Holocaust Memorial and remnants of the Wall. It's incredible to see all that history around you every day. It's something you definitely can't find in New York City, which is where I live during the rest of the year.
Walking in Berlin is great. It's so easy to get around. However, it is also very easy to get lost, as we discovered the first day. The streets aren't organized in a nice and clear grid pattern like New York City, but rather feels like a bunch of streets were just clumped together. If you know where to go, though, walking is very nice.
The GLS campus was very well located, and was close to two good bars that we went to a few times. Odessa and Schmittz! There were also clubs to go to and plenty of restaurants around the campus. The train was easy to use, and there was more than one train station close to there.
GLS put me in contact with young adults from all over the world. Having people around my age to interact with was great. I had people to explore Berlin with. We went out together a few nights, and it was really nice meeting new people from other places.
Biking is also great in Berlin. It's one of the best cities I've ever biked in! You just have to watch out so you don't get stuck in the tram rails–it's more difficult than you would expect! But since the blocks are so long in Berlin, biking is much faster and feels so much more effective than walking. The bike paths are also very clear and easy to find. I recommend renting a bike if you stay in Berlin when the weather is nice–totally worth it!
There are great sights to see in Berlin and a lot of places to go. The Reichstag Dom is nice when the weather is good. Berlin has a large botanical garden. Teufelsberg is an abandoned listening post. Pergamon Museum has ancient art.
The food in Berlin is great and cheap in comparison to NYC. Late-night street food is fantastic. I would often go to Rosenthaler Platz and get a kebab at any hour of the day, and it would be equally great every time. Often, it wouldn't surpass 5 euro.
There are a lot of really beautiful places to see in Berlin, along with the solemn memorials of sad things. Tiergarten is great when the weather is good.
It's incredible to see the bullet holes still in the walls of old buildings. There is history all around you. The East Side Gallery really put things in perspective for me–that wall, just a bit more than a foot wide, separated the two sides of Berlin.