With about a month remaining until I make the long flight to Germany the nerves are still yet to kick in for me, although the excitement is well and truly building. Due to the German university summer semester starting in April, I will be the last of our first semester exchange cohort to depart. Not that I\u2019m complaining, the current average temperature over there is a crisp 1\u00b0C so the closer to that European summer the better.<\/p>\n
My exchange partner, European University Viadrina, lies in the town of Frankfurt (Oder) in the far east of Germany and is situated alongside the Oder River that also borders Poland. With only an hour\u2019s train journey to Berlin I expect regular weekend trips there to experience the city\u2019s culture, history and of course, nightlife. I am also planning to make the most of its central location in Europe by travelling to many of the neighbouring countries in any breaks away from Uni I may have.<\/p>\n
Regarding the actual University experience, I\u2019m not too sure what to expect in terms of classes and study load. The general stereotype of the Germans is usually that they are very organised and punctual. Two areas that certainly are not strengths of mine, but who knows, maybe I can learn something from them. I have also heard that the university receives many students not just from Germany but from all over Europe, which I\u2019m hoping will add to the overall cultural experience.<\/p>\n
This upcoming exchange will be my second trip to Europe after heading over with a few friends in 2015 and absolutely loving it. I know this time I won\u2019t have my friends to fall back onto and although that is a little daunting, I feel it\u2019s also half the challenge and will ultimately help me to grow as a person. Although I\u2019m expecting this trip to involve somewhat less partying and quite a bit more studying than my previous trip I don\u2019t doubt this experience will be anything but more rewarding.<\/p>\n