A Big Challenge

Hello, my name is Huriyya Salimova, I am from Azerbaijan. I was studying in Germany, at the RheinAhrcampus, Hochschule Koblenz University. My major is a translator and this is my 4th year in Azerbaijan. Last semester I have studied as Erasmus In Germany. It was my first exchange. I am here to share some of my personal experiences about this university for those who are interested in studying here.

 First, I want to write why did I choose Germany?  Germany is a really beautiful country and sure, some things make a difference. Germany is really the best option to study there. First of all, Germany is a higher education paradise.  We had a chance to improve the German language. Actually, language is not a big problem in Germany. I found that German people can actually speak English quite well. They mainly use simple, or at least uncomplicated words, which makes me feel pretty easy to follow and understand what they are trying to explain. Germany has a long and rich history. Main part If you study in Germany, you’ll have the option to travel through various parts of Europe including Italy, Spain, and Portugal.  I traveled to 13 countries during this semester That helps to learn more history and to know a lot of people from other countries.  These all the things pushed me to choose Germany. We did a lot of o events like Nikaloshare that we gave presents to each other we were getting to know new friends, also we have Managing Cultural Diversity we learned to organize events. Each month I got a scholarship that first time I manage my money for food, clothes and traveling. First time I was so nervous how can I control everything at the same time. But now I think, I can live in any country without my family. I had a chance to share information about our countries, cultures and so on. Not surprisingly, Germany is ranked among the world’s top destinations for international students.

 In the beginning, everything was difficult for me. From time to time I was getting used. I made many friends from all over the world.  Our teachers are more than welcome to help the students and guide them through their studies. We did group projects it helps to make new friends and to know each other very well. First, at the German presentation, I was more self-confident. Also each week we made a presentation and it made me a self-confident person. Another main part was carnivals. All of the carnivals held in Bonn, Cologne we can spend a good time with friends we have fun. I faced a difference in education, culture, and everything. " That’s something that at the beginning I thought I would never experience, but then it hits me, just like it did to everyone else. I think that the moment when I overcame the culture shock and I understood everyone is different from each other. I tried to get used to this situation. We have a chance to meet a lot of people from other countries

As I mentioned, it was my first experience. First of all, studying abroad at the beginning was a little bit challenging, you don’t have that many friends and you don’t know the places very well. But of course, the exchange experience was definitively a good experience. Now I am an open-minded and self-confident person.