While I may be one of the approximately 50% of 3rd year MML students who are actually abroad right now – yes, that is an accurate statistic; no, it’s not great – I haven’t quite made it into the office yet. Cambridge has, in many ways, prepared me well for a working-from-home, 9-5 life: although as a humanities student, I’ve never had a 9am, the rower in me has “got used to the early mornings” (and Berlin’s low temperatures), and the self-motivation to sit myself down in front of my computer for hours at end comes fairly naturally. The main distraction is the kitchen and its snacks being so close, but this is offset by my watch telling me to get up and move around every hour, or so I’m telling myself.

There are a few other similarities: I’m working in my room, so the constant temptation to crawl back into the bed right behind me is still there. Usually, this could be solved by heading out to a library or cafe, but firstly, they’re all closed, and secondly, I know from experience that’s not always a definite way to avoid a spontaneous nap. However, I am a working woman, and so I instead battle my way onwards with a wifi connection marginally better than Eduroam. So far it has only completely given up on me once, but as this was in a pretty important call with various project managers across the world, I’m still distrusting.

Although I’m one of the lucky ones to have made it abroad, working from home isn’t exactly great when it comes to fully immersing yourself in your target language, which is apparently what a year abroad is all about – not just one massive, year-long party. Most of my day is spent listening to an eclectic mix of lo-fi beats, classical chill and drum and bass, with a semi-regular catch-up call, so I’m not exactly speaking a lot of German. Never mind, though: the faculty has thought about this, and enrolled us all in online courses produced by other universities. To make up for the lost language immersion, I’ve started listening to podcasts on my daily “commute”, aka a walk round the block, and my computer is now in German. This is all well and good until I need to do something and don’t actually know the word for it.

“My work is truly awesome and I love it”

There are advantages, though. My work is truly awesome and I love it – for an NGO and digital health technology, doing incredible things, go check them out – and I rave endlessly about it, including in the occasional, spontaneous call home when I need a break. With more flexible hours I can make time for other things, like a midday bike ride through Berlin (arguably flatter than Cambridge), just to get my heart rate up. Turns out the Cambridge housing market can also have this effect, with one afternoon of work being put on hold as my heart rate went into the “fat-burning zone”, trying to squeeze in an offer on a house before it was snatched away. But at least working from my room gave me the freedom to do this, right? Lots of people also rave about the freedom they now have in their wardrobe – I, personally, am still trying to wear more work-appropriate clothes, partly so I don’t feel they wasted space in my suitcase, and partly because I need to dress up for something and, quite frankly, there’s nothing else to dress up for.

Working from home has its ups and downs, as I’m sure a Cambridge term from home does too. I’m still thrilled to be in Berlin, even if the photos of me in front of the Brandenburg Gate will have to be taken with a mask. Although this year abroad is mostly happening from my room, did it ever happen if you don’t post about it endlessly? It’s an age-honoured tradition handed down through generations of MML students, despite the differences of this particular year. In any case, we just have to make the most of the current situation – and I guess the experience is made all the more memorable for it.