We can be German, just for one semester

Shalom to all!

My name is Watslav (but you can call me Slava), I am an exchange student from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. My field of study is Political Science and Journalism, and though my exchange in LMU Is through political science, I am extremely excited to take part in the interesting courses the communications department has to offer.

I am extra excited for the semester because LMU was actually my first choice of university for the exchange. I had to choose 3 universities that interest me, and I was told that I would get one of them. Munich was really the only choice I was fully confident and happy with – a city I’ve heard much about, in the Bavarian state that I’ve heard much about.

I can’t explain why, but Germany has always spoken to me in some way – with no apparent reason whatsoever – since I was born and raised in Israel, my parents are from a former-Soviet Ukraine, and I don’t even speak German! (Though my 410-day streak on Duolingo might say otherwise). Something about Germany draws me in, I always knew I wanted to spend some time here – perhaps a trip, a temporary job, or, well, a student exchange – the perfect opportunity!

A little something to know about me is that I am a huge music fan, I listen to all sorts of different genres from Rock to Jazz, to Hip-Hop and to Classical. Perhaps this can contribute to my mysterious love of Germany – a hub of musical history, concerts, operas, parties and shows of all kind. Just this week I’ve seen The Strokes, one of my favorite Rock bands of all time, perform in Berlin, and the day before I’ve seen an Israeli band, Father of Peace, perform in Hamburg.

Hamburg is of particular importance to me, as my favorite band of all time, The Beatles, spent 2 years in the very beginning of their career from 1960-1962 playing various clubs in the city – so visiting these clubs was a big deal for me.

All members of the band attribute much of their success and musical growth to the time spent in Hamburg, though by many accounts the 2 years were quite rough for them – playing hours upon hours without a break, taking the stimulant drug Preludin just to stay awake. Not to mention that Paul McCartney, Pete Best (the original drummer), and George Harrison all got deported at different points.

Aside from that, don’t think I’ve forgotten Berlin – a city bursting with all different kinds of musical history. Mainly of note for me is that it was the residence of David Bowie from 1976-1978. During this period he recorded what is known as the “Berlin Trilogy”: “Low” (1977), “Heroes” (1977), and “Lodger” (1979), my favorite being “Heroes”, which is the only one recorded entirely in Berlin.

The “Berlin Trilogy” isn’t only significant because of the albums, but it is an incredibly important period in Bowie’s life – a period where he reinvented his sound, creative direction, and personal life.

I hope that I’ve sparked some interest through this blog post to have a fresh look at the significance of Germany through music history. I hope that throughout my time in Munich I get to explore and experience Germany in many ways – musical and all.

May we all have an interesting and fun semester!