The day I set off for Germany on my Erasmus was one of the most exciting experiences of my life. To find out more about the Erasmus programme and what it is please follw this link www.uhi.ac.uk. I knew I would miss my family and friends, but you can’t let little fears hold you back from great adventures. It proved to be a wise decsion, before I tell you a little about my year have a look at the video I made for my Erasmus friends at the end of semester one.
There were eight of us going to Germany from DKIT six of which I knew quite well. One of the main reasons I picked Germany was because of its great position in Europe, I knew it would be a great point from which to travel, and academically it has a great reputation. There were so many places I was eager to explore because of this I worked two jobs in the previous summer.
Map Of Europe
This extra money subsequently lead to me travelling to Berlin, Hamburg, Portugal and France as well as camping in the black forest and an inter-railing trip between semesters to Poland, Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna and Prague, This doesn’t include the countless day trips around Germany to picturesque towns and villages such and Nuremburg and Heidelberg which host breathtaking Christmas markets. Heilbronn itself which is the name of the town I stayed also has a renowned Christmas market. Of course I didn’t forget the famous beer festivals such as Oktoberfest and Frühlingfest.
oktoberfest In Munich 2009
I lived in a ten bedroom apartment. It was big and had two kitchens, the people were very nice, especially one German boy name Sven who became one of our best friends.
Myslef and Sven
He considered himself adopted Irish and came to the train station our on last day with his eyes filled with tears. I was told when I moved in that three others girls lived there, after a week of only seeing boys around the apartment I asked were all the women were. It was then I was told actually it will be nine boys living here. If this year thought me nothing else it defiantly thought me how to put up with boys. I have to say they were all lovely ( well most of them ) but if at least one of them had of looked like David Beckham that would have helped!
My NOT-flatmate
My experience in Germany was not at all what I expected it was better than I ever imagined. You will meet German people that fit into their rigid and strict stereotype but the majority of people will surprise you. All the other students on Erasmus are there for the experience and they want to make friends just as much as you do so don’t be afraid to talk to new people they might even end up becoming your best friends. The German people were also a lot more fun loving than I imagined, and I never realised just how beautiful Germany would be, Especially at Christmas when the snow begins to fall and the extremely hot summers. I would defiantly recommend the year abroad to anyone. You will come out of the year a well rounded and confidant person. It will look excellent on your CV and the academic activities and experiences will give you not only the ability but also the confidence to work with people from a wide diversity of cultural and social backgrounds.
