I'd say I'm back into the swing of things, now. I've been going to class, reading, meeting with professors, planning, and all those things you do as a graduate student. I have to say that overall, I'm still pretty much the same ol' Will.
Have I changed at all? Sure. I think I'dve done myself a disservice had I not. I learned lots of German. I sat down and talked with people from all across the world. I make conscious efforts to conserve energy (and am seriously considering contacting the City of Tuscaloosa to see if I can get some recycling bins). I think the contact I had with Berlin and with Europe was substantial, enough to make a considerable impression on me. Now that I'm back, I can look at myself and really see how much of an impact Berlin had on me aside from improving my German.
Being back for only a week, it is difficult to make big, sweeping analyses of myself. I think those will come with time. I can say, though, that I've had the "perspective widening" experience. After being to places like India and Vietnam, I didn't think something like that was possible anymore. But what is unique about Germany is that it is so much like America. It is so similar, yet it is so different at the same time. Politics in Berlin are different, culture (to some extent) is different, religion is different, and of course history is different.
What kind of impact will these differences have on me over the next few months? How can one know these things? I like to think that it can help me professionally and personally. I can say that I have a better sense of the German people. I've seen where they live, work, and play. I've seen how they remember what I study. I've seen the places that I study. I don't think I could have ever asked to experience so much in two months, and because of that, I have enriched the basis from which I can work. I've acquired a perspective that will help me think about my topics more appropriately and more completely.
Personally, it is a little more difficult to say. I can't say that I'm now a raging socialist or have picked up some new, bizarre European political views, but I'm more aware. I've learned how to interact (and deal) with all different types of people from all over the world in all different types of circumstances. I don't think I would have gotten the same experience anywhere else. I think studying in Berlin gave me a great opportunity to not only learn about German and Germany but also learn about people. I think that's just as valuable as the academic achievements I accomplished.
One more day, ladies and gentlemen.
Deutsches Wort des Tages:
die Verwandlung -- metamorphosis
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