Hey everyone, thought this might be an alright place to ask this, seeing as their are some well traveled people around here. I'm looking to do a semester abroad program at my school for next FALL (it will be my senior year) and have been looking at the programs my school offers, I looked at all the "usual" ones (England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand) and while my #1 choice is Christchurch NZ (I have family in Invercargill, a few hours away) I was thinking I want to go somewhere a little.......edgier maybe, less familiar (language, culture in general) and a few that stood out to me were the programs in Moscow, Berlin, and Prague The Berlin program is by far the most expensive, (roughly what I pay for a year at school I'd pay for 1 semester) but I'd assume the "safest" and most comfortable environment. This program is 16 weeks, with 12 weeks of classes, and 4 weeks on an internship. One of the classes is a German class, the others are taught in english. You do a homestay residence with 7-8 other international students with each host family. The Prague program is moderately expensive, coming in at around a regular semester for me including airfare and all. You live in apartments nearish to the school, and have classes on Czech language and in english on Czech history/art/cultural topics. The Moscow program is the cheapest, and you stay in either dormitories or home stays. The school is an international school, on a larger Russian university campus (if that makes sense). Why this would probably have the most culture shock, and the easiest to afford, I am a little apprehensive about the safety aspect of Moscow, I've heard things aren't quite rosy there at the moment. (also learning to speak/read Russian probably would be much harder then learning conversational German I'd think.) Anyone ever been to any of these places? Anyone ever did a semester abroad? Whats it like? Is it worth the price?
1. Practically everyone I know who's done a semester abroad in Prague loved it. The beer is cheap and flows like wine. Err....you get the idea. That being said, it has begun to pall, so to speak, as its overrun by tourists. 2. Do not for a second think Moscow will be cheap. Moscow is hideously expensive unless you're a local. Yes, the program itself might cost less, but unless you plan on being a shut-in (in which case you miss 90% of the fun), Moscow is going to get very pricey, very fast. There's an effective surcharge for being a foreigner, so unless you hang around with enough people who're natives, is going to be difficult to keep costs down. Russian is harder to learn, yes; its a difficult language. However, languages are easiest to learn when you drink, and if there's one thing you'll be doing in Moscow, its drinking. Safety......Moscow is actually a fairly safe city. Its no Ann Arbor, but then again, its also no Detroit. There are so many more attractive targets to rob than foreign students that you don't really present an especially tempting option. (Sorry.) That being said, the police might hassle you once. And the above advice goes out the window if you're dark-skinned. I hate to say it, but that's the truth. Makes your life in Moscow harder. 3. Berlin - personal admission, I don't like the place all that much. But I can see how people would. Its a Bohemian sort of city (government but no heavy industry/finance) and is very schizophrenic. People I know have had mixed feelings about it. I'd let someone else talk about Berlin seriously.
I can't speak for Moscow or Prague as I've been to neither. I went to Berlin when it was still divided, so I expect it's changed quite a bit. As for the programs and your desire to learn another another, immersion is your best option, so the fewer opportunities you have to hang with other English speakers, the more you'll learn. I agree that you'll use the language more if you do a lot of drinking. When I was in Germany, I lived in a dorm with other German students. We had a fridge on the floor stocked with bier (wink) and when you took one, you put a tick mark next to your name. That led to lots of evenings around the kitchen table drinking and speaking in German with the natives. If one of the programs sounds like you'll be in a situation like that, then you're likely to learn more of the language than one in which you spend nearly all your time with fellow Americans.
Oh yeah, I forgot one thing. If you want to still remember the language you learn during your year abroad, I don't recommend any of those cities unless you expect to working where you'll use the language you learn. Head for Spain.
Christchurch is a nice place, but I wouldn't want to live there. Well, not during university. It's a collegiate town, but if I was doing a semester abroad I'd prefer to do it somewhere with more going on.
Thanks for the help, I'm gonna talk to some people at school that have been abroad a semester, see what they have to say. I'm leaning Prague, Berlin would be great.............but the program is a bit.........pricey
I'd do Prague. Cost of living should be comparable to Berlin, and you can go to B for a few weekends to check out the parties.
Some people learn languages for reasons other than job opportunities... To the OP. I absolutely hate every thing about Berlin (except the Doener Kebabs! ) Prague is beautifull, has lots of very friendly people, great beer and good food. It is very similar to Bavarian cities IMHO. I loved it there.
Wow this is a tough topic! I have been to all three, and I personally would say Berlin. I really think it is a great city and has a lot going on. But I haven't lived there, so I would defer to people who have. I just had a great weekend there, and thought it was great. On the other hand- I have lived in Russia. And Russia is a different beast entirely. I spent most of my time in St. Petersburg, so I can't say too much for Moscow, but if you are going for a typical European experience- it won't be in Russia. Russia is its own. And police will hassle you. You will get your passport checked to see if you are dodging the military. I had only one incident in Russia where I was drinking outside of a club with some Russian guys and they knocked me down and took my money and my cell phone. One bad break, but it was my fault for being irresponsible and letting my guard down. I think you have to have your guard up more in Russia than Prague or Berlin. Regarding Prague- I enjoyed my visit- but not as much as Berlin. I have a family friend that lived there 3 years after college and absolutely loved it. And I have had 2 friends that did study abroad programs there and had the greatest time of their life. So 3/3 for great great great.
I don't know Prague or Moscow, but I did spend some time in Berlin a couple years ago. I'll put it this way: I love Paris and feel more at home there than anywhere. I enjoyed Berlin so much that I actually felt guilty for cheating on Paris.