A Day in the Life: Joanna in Berlin

What is it like to study German Literature as an exchange student at Humboldt University? Follow Joanna’s adventures on 24 Oct. to find out. Spoiler alert: it’s more than just study!

Hey, friend! I’m so glad you’re coming along. The weather today is unusually nice for
Berlin in October, isn’t it? That’s how you know our trip to Müggelsee will be amazing. It’s not
that far at all, but I will admit that I did not expect a capital city like Berlin to have so many
lakes and forests. From Adlershof where we live, we can take Tram 61 to Bahnhofstraße,
and Bus 169 will take us straight to Rübezahl, followed by a nine-minute walk - mostly in the
woods! You won’t have to buy a ticket since you’re a student, but make sure you have your
campus card with you at all times. And don’t worry, you’ll know what Rübezahl means in a
few hours.

Mesmerising way to start your day, isn’t it? If we had more time, I’d take you to the
north bank, where the view gets even better. But it’s probably time to head back now, since
class will begin in about an hour. Here’s a tip: you might want to familiarise yourself with
Fraktur alphabets, since some of the texts are printed in this font, and it can be confusing at
first. But don’t worry, after several pages, you’ll get the hang of it!

Well, here we are! This beautiful building on Dorotheenstraße 24 is where most of
the literature classes take place. Our first seminar is about - guess what? - Rübezahl, a
legendary mountain spirit in German, Czech and Polish cultures on whom numerous texts,
films and music are based over the years. Rübezahl is a magical protector of nature and will
severely punish anyone who attempts to exploit it, but he remains friendly to good people,
helping them in whatever ways he can. How did you find the discussions? I quite enjoyed
looking at early illustrations and interpreting the different connotations that were associated
with Rübezahl.

We’ll have a thirty-minute break before our second course begins. This is a lecture
series given by different scholars each week, all centred around the theme Anfängen, or
beginnings. How do genres, epochs or any works of literature begin? We’ll learn about
momentous authors, such as Goethe, Kleist and Keun, and the importance of their texts for
the literary world. The topic of this week is Das Nibelungenlied, a mediaeval epic poem
about the tragic tale of Siegfried and Kriemhild and the latter’s murderous revenge of her
husband in a masculine heroic society. The lecturer, Andreas Kraß, does a meticulous
reading of the first stanza and analyses with incredible insight the significance of every word.
I hope you’ve found it as interesting as I do!

Congratulations, we’re done for the day! The view of Campus Adlershof is just as
delightful as our Campus Mitte, isn’t it? Well, I suppose I’ll go home and do some work while
there’s still time - I’m hoping to attend the flat party tonight, where we’ll make pizzas and
watch a film together! Enjoy the rest of your day, and see you tomorrow!

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