I will want to go abroad again

I majored in German at my home university, so I was planning an exchange to Germany. I heard about the Global Exchange Program at the University of Bonn at a presentation organized by my university and had the impression that the program was well planned and aimed at international students. I found most of the information about what to prepare for living abroad on the internet. In addition, the University of Bonn also sent emails to remind international students what they should prepare and what procedures they should follow. If one has questions, simply send an email to the International Office of the University of Bonn. They have always been quick to give a response.

I was assigned to the dormitory Römerlager. The dorm is about 15 minutes by bus and about 30 minutes walk from the main train station. There are two bus lines that run past the dorm quite frequently. The dorms are a bit older, but are designed so that you have your own room with a bathroom and kitchenette and don't have to pay for the laundry room and dryer on the first floor. It is surrounded by residential areas and a nursing home, so it is relatively quiet and relaxing. House 1, where I lived, is only a three-minute walk from the bus stop and a small community supermarket, and supermarket is a 15-minute walk away.

After the nomination is accepted, the University of Bonn sends emails informing exchange students what to do and how to choose courses before arriving in Germany. In addition, the International Office of the University of Bonn invites all students to an online pre-arrival seminar give valuable information. There are two ways to choose courses: First, you can choose courses in your exchange subject area directly from the BASIS system of the University of Bonn. Second, you can choose courses that are not in your exchange subject, but you have to send a letter to the professor to ask him/her if he/she is open to foreign exchange students. The advantage of sending a letter is that you can ask the professor about the rules for classes, how the exams work, and the conditions for awarding credits, and sometimes there are credits for auditing. The main difference between the universities in my home country an the universities in Germany is that the teaching in Germany is different. Many parts of the lectures and especially the seminars are discussions between the professors and the students, and there is less time to listen to the professors.

During my exchange at the University of Bonn, I mainly attended the German courses offered by the International Office. There are two types of German courses: every day German and special topic German courses. The special topic German courses are more active, such as Business German, German and Art, German Presentation Training, etc. You can also learn German according to your level. learned a lot from it, not only German knowledge, but also German culture. I think my German is much improved.

After I came to Bonn, I also traveled around Germany and stayed in my friends' from my home university. I think that the University of Bonn is very well adjusted to international students. Bonn is very close to Cologne, but it is much safer than Cologne. The traditional festivals in North Rhine-Westphalia and Christmas were very interesting. There are also many events on campus. I attended a concert of the symphony orchestra of the University of Bonn.

All in all, I am very satisfied with my stay abroad. I am very grateful for this year to get to know Germany and Europe. Thanks to the good organization of the University of Bonn, I had a wonderful stay. I will want to go abroad again.