What Six Months can do to a Person

Hello,

My name is Abdelrahman Issa from Jordan. I came to Remagen for my first semester as a part of my German Year program in my home university. I remember before arriving here in Germany, I was very concerned about my social life and how am I going to make my stay here as pleasant and purposive. I had no idea how I would fit into this completely new environment. Remagen was my home for six months, where I spent the semester, it’s an old town by the Rhine River, but thanks to the RheinAhrCampus, you can get to know the youth that revives this small town with its activities and events. But let us don’t forget how friendly and helpful the people of this small town are, allowing you to easily integrate into society by making you feel like a part of this nice district and getting to know Germany better.

The most important aspect of my time during this semester were the memories I made here, particularly with the international students I met, and coming to terms of the difficulty of saying goodbye. To say goodbye to the people you shared experiences with, their traditional dishes, perceptions, and the people you went discovering new areas with. I grew to appreciate those days, because I never expected to share so many interests with people from the United States, Georgia, Bhutan, India, and of course, Germany. These are memories that I treasure and will stay with me for the rest of my life.

We know a lot about the world thanks to the internet, and we gain knowledge through university and school, but it’s completely different experience when you meet people from every corner of the world, which a semester at RheinAhrCampus gave me that opportunity, but unfortunately, I couldn't do much traveling during my time here. Why? Due to the amount of effort and studying you must put in and perform in order to get what you seek and make the most of your time here, but it's also a part of the overall experience, as Jane Birkin once said, "who wants an easy life? It's boring". It doesn't change the fact that I had a great time exploring new places such as Cologne, Bonn, Düsseldorf and Koblenz, which allowed me to see the most beautiful landscapes and ancient sites. And I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all the people that made my stay in Remagen more pleasant than I would have imagined especially to Selsela and all the members of the international office in RheinAhrCampus.