RheinAhrCampus Study Abroad Program

My "Cercle de francais" at RheinAhrCampus

2011-12-21T14:57:00.006+01:00

I have been living in Germany for three months now. My German and my English are getting better and better!! The German way of life doesn’t have any secrets for me anymore!!

Now I help RAC Students, who didn’t have the opportunity yet to discover the French way of life, to practice and to improve their French. Indeed, we meet on Wednesdays from 1:15 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. for the “Cercle de français”. This is an occasion to meet people who love France, and to discuss topical subjects, cultural subjects, or to read French newspapers. For example, the subjects discussed go from the French school system to cinema, via French table traditions or the image that French people have abroad.

I appreciate meeting people who are interested in French culture, and I feel helpful and useful. What a pleasure to meet each week the same people again!!

Cheers from Jochen Djamel

Rhein AhrCampus Experiences

2011-12-12T15:36:00.007+01:00

RheinAhrCampus forms a square which gives you the impression of hugging you and involving you in all campus activities. Life passes quietly and creatively while everything runs smoothly. University is full of friendly young people willing to help you and talk to you. Professors are close to us and helping us with our problems and uncertainties.
Apart from learning new things and expanding my scientific knowledge, I have learnt how a foreign University operates which is much different than mine. In addition, I am meeting every day people not only from Germany but from all over the world which opens my horizons and makes me more open-minded. I am getting familiar also with the German culture which is much different from mine.

In the beginning, I had difficulties in interacting with German people but now I am getting into their way of thinking. Even if my German is very poor everybody speaks perfect English and I do not feel like an outsider. Of course, with the German courses and everyday use of the language, my ability of communicating gets better and better.

Greetings from Io

Hallo!

2011-11-28T14:42:00.004+01:00

It`s Mark again, just after the first half semester closing and the world famous Kölner Karneval, where two million people celebrated together. The reason of the celebration is still unclear for me, but it was fun, because almost everyone got some fancy dress. I was a cowboy, which was a quite good decision, because contrary of so many Top-Gun pilots, and police officers, I felt myself like a special one.

Before the carnival, I visited a Champions League game in Leverkusen, and also a local Kölner football match. Yes, there are so many good teams in this area, so I have a great variety of choices thanks to the prosperous German football. Apart from the football part, which is obviously an indispensable part of my foreign semester, I have learned a lot as well. During the course of International Business Simulation we set up a simulated company, which offers online consultancy services. I occupied the Vice-President seat in this firm, so I have experienced so many obstacles and challenges, which my colleagues and I had to cope with to become more successful. Luckily, we did our job very well, so our customers were quite satisfied.
Furthermore, I also organized and took part in Managing Cultural Diversity, a weekend intensive seminar where around 14 different nations were represented. We participated in various workshops, where we were able to practice what we had learned before. I am looking forward to see the Christmas period here in the Mittel-Rhein region.

Greets,
Mark

2 Months!

2011-11-22T14:37:00.002+01:00

Hey it's Jochen here...already 2 months in Remagen! Time flies! But I feel very good here.

As regards the courseseverything is also well. The courses are interesting and the professors arereally good. In my opinion the course "Inter-cultural Communication“ is very instructive and enriching. I alsoattend Master's degree courses of the Sports Management programme in the Germanlanguage. It is good but more difficult and that asks for more work. Howeverthey help me to progress quickly.

Moreover I have written my first examination thisweek. It was the examination of "Human Resource Management" (Master'sdegree). Even if I needed the dictionary it was less difficult than I thought!

Happy Fall!!

2011-11-22T14:34:00.003+01:00

Hey guys it's Megan here, I can’t believe it’s already fall! I am loving thisfall weather; mostly the colors of the trees and the sunsets… The weather is ofcourse a little bit colder than I am used to but it’s not hard to keep warm ifI wear the right sort of clothing!

The first half semester was very busy and Ilearned a lot. Toward the end of the semester I attended the MCD Seminar oncampus and it was very interesting. Avariety of speakers from different universities around the world were there tomake presentations. I have to say itwas not at all like the typical seminars which I have attended before. Everyonewho attended took part in small workshops that were very entertaining and Ilearned about many things to expect while traveling to different countries.

I am spending part of my internship in the Sprachlaborwhich is great because I have the opportunity to help students with theirEnglish if needed. It also helps me to learn because I have the opportunity to speak German with them as well :-)

First Semester in Remagen

2011-11-22T14:31:00.003+01:00

Hi everyone, it’s Gabriella here and I amwriting to tell you about my learning experiences. In the first half semester Ihad some courses, International Business Simulations, Advanced InternationalStudies and Intercultural Communication taught by Dr. Borgmann.

First of all Iwas afraid it would be difficult to express my ideas in English. But, after thefirst class Dr. Borgmann told us that the level of our English won’t play arole towards the final grade. That is why I let my fears go and I started to activelyparticipate in the seminars. We worked in a big team, we did presentations, wehad a lot of writing homework, and thus I could improve my skills in manyfields. These courses were very interesting and interactive. I had a chance toknow better the exchange students and I could find German friends too.

Of course I had more courses. For exampleI had two German language courses. These were thought by Adelheid Korpp and ElenaGermann. These courses will continue in the second half semester too. From mypoint of view these courses are very useful for us, because here we can developour German communication and writing skills too.

Finally, I take part in Business Englishtoo. Here we can practice English grammar. We had to do two presentationsduring the semester. We often did group work, where we had to speak aboutdifferent business situations.

To sum up: in my opinion this semester wasvery useful. I am sure that in the future I will often use these new skills andapproaches.

Hey!

2011-10-18T15:35:00.004+02:00

I am Io Taxidou from Greece. I am following a master course in Computer Science and Mathematics and I am an Erasmus student at the Remagen campus for the winter semester 2011.

Rheinahrcampus seems to be very well organised and people from the international office were very close to us from the first time helping us with the exchange procedure and making us feel comfortable.

The Middle-Rhein region is a really beautiful place to live with many interesting cities around. We have already visited some cities and I hope to travel more in this semester!

My competence in the German language is poor and my aim for this semester is to ameliorate my skills. Contact with native speakers and the German language course at university help a lot.I think this is going to be a very interesting semester both from a scientific aspect and the activities.

Bonjour

2011-10-18T15:29:00.003+02:00

I am Jochen Aouabed, I am 24 years old and I come from Paris (France). At present I am studying for a Master's degree in Sports Management at the University Paris Nanterre -La Defense.

I will stay to study here all year long. In my opinion this is better for learning German. I’ve been in Remagen for a month and I already feel at home. RheinAhrCampus is a very good place to study. The university is modern, not too big, and everybody is helpful. I am really happy even if I know Germany already well.

Even if Remagen is very quiet, which is quite different from my home, I find that it is a very attractive town in a very beautiful region. At weekends I like visiting the other cities in the area.

I am sure that I am going to spend an unforgettable year here.

Jochen

Hey!

2011-10-12T13:45:00.004+02:00

My name is Megan and I am studying for the winter semester here at the Rhein Ahr Campus, and doing a Praktikum with Sprachen Internationales. I'm from the United States, and I lived in Southern California. I have been learning to speak German for 9 months now, it's a pretty tough language but staying in Germany has made it a lot of fun to learn and it's easy to practice everyday.

Germany is so different from California. My first time taking a bus or train was here, and it was sort of intimidating because I had to read the schedules and maps- which seems normal, but in California if you want to go somewhere you type it into a GPS in your car and don't think about it too much. I have a GPS here in Germany but it doesn't help so much if the train is going the wrong way :) I have to say that I have discovered some very nice places while getting lost so it has its advantages.

One funny difference that I found between the Universities here and California is the "academic clapping" I think that's what it is called…where for a job well done everyone knocks on the desk with their hand... I had never heard of it before and it surprised me because I had no idea what everyone was doing. At the end of my first class, the whole class did it and it was such a loud noise I jumped out of my chair a little, but I asked some students and found out that this is clapping university style…which makes sense because you can just use one hand instead of two and it makes a louder noise…so I can see how it works :)

So far I enjoy going to the Rhein and I went hiking in the Siebengebirge mountains a few times. Hiking is one of my favorites and the nature is so green here! I'm mostly used to Palm Springs desert night hiking so it's nice to see really green trees and forests. The food is really different but it's very tasty…I never knew there were so many ways to make potatoes! But they are delicious...

See you around! *academic clapping*

Megan

Mark from Hungary...

2011-10-11T15:44:00.009+02:00

Hey, I am Mark Feigl, one of the small Hungarian contingent here. I arrived three weeks ago with the airline who give you wings. By the way, they gave me an additional pair of wings because they accepted my oversized and overweight hand luggage, so in return I provide publicity and marketing. After my arrival the early days were a little difficult for me, but I have beaten the obstacles quite soon, and now everything is fine. My German has been improving each day, but obviously I have to learn a lot to become fluent speaker. Besides these, I have started to work for the Languages / International Affairs office, and my courses have also started, so I do not really get bored.

Anyway the locals are very friendly with me. I mean not just students, but the local people as well. For instance, in the grocery shop, when a man realised that I had only a few things to buy, he offered me his place in the queue. As many people have already known, Remagen is not a big city, but during the week it does not matter at all. Students take their social life to the city, which make it so vivid. I live in the campus dormitory, where I make friendships and lot of fun with the German students of RheinAhrCampus. At the weekends, we usually visit the surrounding cities; we have already visited Köln, Koblenz and Bonn, and we also aim to go dozens of places J

Thanks for your attention,
Macht’s gut
Mark

Sziasztok!

2011-10-05T14:38:00.008+02:00

This actually means Hello in Hungarian. My name is Gabriella Nagy, I am from Budapest, Hungary. At home I study International Relations at the Corvinus University of Budapest.

I will be studying this winter semester here, in Remagen E-Business and Logistics. I think, the RheinAhrCampus is a good place for me, because I can improve here my language skills, German and English too. I hope that my skills will be better at the end of the semester. I arrived 3 weeks ago and this is my first visit in Germany.

After my first experiences, I think everybody is very helpful and friendly, it isn’t difficult to find new friends. Remagen is a very beautiful, nice and quiet place. It was for me a big change, because my hometown is very crowded with a lot of people, but I am sure, that I will enjoy my time in Germany!

Gabriella

I'm glad my luck allowed me to come

2011-07-12T09:53:00.002+02:00

Hallo!
I am Hyunji from Korea and until now I can’t believe that this semester at RAC is almost finished.

In my case, before I came here I could not imagine studying in a Germany especially in Remagen. Because I have never studied German before but luckily I got a place as an exchange student in RAC for English lectures. Still now my German level is not so good but during this summer vacation I will study hard and when I come back Germany in winter semester I really hope to communicate in German!

And at first my life in Remagen was totally different in Seoul and only a few international students were studying in here so I wondered if I can adapt in here and enjoy the semester. But during the 5 months here I met amazing friends and I could experience not only beer but lots of typical German cultures! It was more than I expected.

In my opinion, Germany is a great country for those who want to study, for example, cheap registration fee and many scholarships. I also could get the scholarship in this semester and the semester ticket was very useful. At last, I want to say thanks to you my friends and RAC I will really miss my precious life in Remagen!

Hyunji

Goodbye Germany and see ya' later RheinAhrCampus

2011-07-11T12:00:00.003+02:00

I can’t believe the time has come. In one week it would have been one year since I packed my bags and left Australia a vulnerable, uncultured 18-year-old. But after a year of living abroad, gathering new experiences left and right, I am proud to say I am going home a better me.

Studying abroad was always a driving motivation for me during my studies and deciding to study at RheinAhrCampus was a decision I made in a day. I knew I wanted Europe and Germany as my destination and RheinAhrCampus turned out to be my home away from home.

My first semester was full of meeting new people, traveling, starting a new internship, learning in a new environment and the scariest, living by myself. However, once I was able to settle into everyday life, I was able to make Remagen my home and feel comfortable being independent. So comfortable in fact that I had to stay an extra semester.

The support here at RheinAhrCampus was so overwhelming and really came in useful when I felt homesick. Because RheinAhrCampus is quite small, all the students know each other, and your friends became my family.

That is why I am writing this while feeling a touch of sadness. After spending a year here I feel as though I am kind of leaving my “German family” behind (No offense to my real family, I still love you too!)

So in closing, I would like to thank every single person that made my stay in Germany and at RheinAhrCampus unforgettable – from my closest friends Markus, Gintare and Emese to the man who made getting my visa a hellish experience – I’ll never forget any of you.

Bis Später,

Lucy

What an ending to my semester abroad...

2011-07-11T11:55:00.004+02:00

Hello everyone,

I am jiyeon kang from South Korea. Sadly in one month, I will go back to Korea. I have gotten unforgettable memories during 2011 summer semester atRheinAhrCampus. Thank you all :)

A few days after arriving in Germany, I felt as though I was in trouble to find the classroom and didn't know how to make German friends. Especially for me, I had a trouble with my home university about credits and wrong information.

But as time went on, I enjoyed Remagen life. I met very nice German and international friends and had really good times with them. They taught me that I can meet good people everywhere without dividing nationality, not only some german sentences :) I will really miss them. I got more confidence through hard times, as well. I overcame the problems and made this semester a success! Through those experiences, I can expand my horizons towards the world and life.

But I can't explain my feelings as good just by words. But one thing is obvious, I WILL MISS REMAGEN A LOT!

Thanks everyone, again.
Hopefully see you again in somewhere in the world.

Jiyeon

Dear Germany, don't miss me too much as I'm going to come back

2011-07-11T11:52:00.003+02:00

Now I am so glad that I stayed one more semester here! As it turned out, first semester was just warming-up…

Why I am saying it? Because it’s truth…

This semester I have done a lot, not only studies but also other stuff…. In the beginning of the semester I have to say I was so busy. I felt like hell (during examination period in the middle of semester)…But actually I can’t complain too much, everything what I have learnt here is going to be useful for sure in my future and I am really proud of it.

Afterwards I enjoyed being here fully: friends, parties, grilling, traveling, going to the cinema, sitting by the Rhein, playing basketball (I even had one accident!). I have also seen Luxemburg, the Netherlands but I could say I am in love with Germany’s cities like Berlin and Munich, which I have visited during this semester. There I had a great time with awesome people... and I still have to visit Hamburg!

While I am here even my personality has changed! No worries, the good way... J I don’t have any more barriers to communicate with foreigners and became more open compared with the previous semester. Generally I became more tolerant and international...

Many thanks to the people who made my time here unforgettable! I am sure without them I wouldn’t have enjoyed as much as I did. It’s such a good feeling to go through campus and to know, that you know a lot of people you see, and also to speak with them...For sure we will keep in touch and visit each other.

All in all: I am addicted to Germany and I am planning to come back (not only for the pool party!) I love the German language and won’t give up until I can speak fluently without many mistakes!

See you…!
Gintare

Dear Remagen... this is not the end

2011-07-11T11:46:00.003+02:00

When I spent my very first night in Remagen, I was wondering how I would survive the following four months here. I remember that I was missing my family and friends so badly, the lights of the city and even the noisy traffic of Budapest. Then everything changed and I learnt to love this small place with all of the cute coffees, friendly people and stunning landscape. I found my “German family” straight away and I am sure that my friendship with Lucy and Gintare won’t end with our goodbye to Remagen - our German experiences have bound us to each other for life.

The planned four months turned into ten, but the time flew by so fast, I didn’t even realise that this is almost a YEAR. Thinking back to the experiences, this space in the blog seems too short to tell everything, so I won’t even try it but I would like to share my most memorable ones. I was lucky enough to take part in the Cologne carnival and see the normally moderate German people going crazy, have a trip to the beautiful capital, Berlin, see the famous BUGA in Koblenz. I had fun on several parties, such as the Erstiparty in the beginning of the semester, the Poolparty with the members of the Sprachen/Internationales department and on a massive music festival, the Rheinkultur. I gained numerous experiences at RheinAhrCampus and managed to improve my skills as well; I learnt how to use social media, the basics of Photoshop and how to organise a press conference. These events have contributed to my learning curve (and will look good in my resume!)

I am extremely thankful for all of the members of the Sprachen/Internationales for providing a lot of help and all of my friends to make my stay in Germany absolutely unforgettable. Even though the goodbye is approaching, I am sure that this will not be the last time when I eat the famous Pommes of RheinAhrCampus’ Mensa and will come back one day…

Emese

The BUGA in Koblenz

2011-06-27T17:04:00.007+02:00

On the weekend the weather was so beautiful so I decided to go check out the BUGA in Koblenz with a friend. The BUGA is short for The Bundesgartenschau, which is a biannual Federal horticulture show in

Germany. Every two years it takes place in different cities – this year was Koblenz’s turn!

The 2011 BUGA is able to be visited from April 15 to October 16. One of the attractions of this show was the Koblenz cable car which is Germanys biggest aerial lift.

Going to the BUGA was quite a nice day out because for students it only cost 5 euros which was very good value because there was so much to see. There were lots of flowers and plants spread across a large landscape next to the Rhein in Koblenz and also you are able to catch the aerial lift over the Rhein to another part of the BUGA (which is in the castle of Koblenz).

Since the weather was so nice, there were many people there. It was a very family-orientated event with lots of families going ranging from young kids to grandparents. It was also nice to enjoy an icecream, sitting down next to the Rhein watching all the patrons.

Throughout the day there were also concerts and entertainment spread throughout. This was extremely nice because that meant wherever you walked, there was always something happening. Also one corner of the BUGA was at the “Deutsches Eck” – which is the famous corner in Koblenz where the Rhein meets the Mosel river.

All in all, it was a great day. I am definatley glad that I was able to find the time to visit the BUGA before I leave in just under a month!

Lucy

Trip to Munich!

2011-06-14T11:10:00.012+02:00

Last weekend on the first weekend of June - I, Hyun Ji and Ji Yeon took part in an excursion to Munich with other exchange students from Koblenz. Actually it was weird to travel without Em and Lucy because almost all the time we are together, but I really enjoyed getting to know other people from Koblenz. We were such an international group!

We stayed in the Hostel and got always breakfast and lunch (it was great). In the room I stayed with Hyun Ji and Ji Yeon and two more Chinese girls. Actually I felt like living in Asia, because girls were speaking a lot of time in their own language and obviously I could not communicate with them. Anyway it was funny to listen to it.

The main point of the excursion was to see the Munich architecture buildings but we also had free time and could visit places which we wanted. My Highlights were Hofbräuhaus, Schloss Neuschwanstein, Englischer Garten. In the Hofbräuhaus and Englischer Garten you could feel real Bayern Soul: Schweinshaxn, Maß Bier and Brezeln. People really liked to drink beer there!

Munich has two Rathaus’: old one which looks like new and new one which looks like old. I know, it´s such a paradox but this is truth. Anyway the Altstadt is beautiful, I just liked to walk around and watch everything...

Schloss Neuschwanstein is two hours away from Munich, we needed to catch the train and after the bus. We spent all the day there, it was great time, we saw lot of amazing views...But afterwards we missed the bus and the train home. We got back so late to Munich and everyone was so tired, didn‘t even want to go out except me and three more guys! To be honest we were the only who went out to explore the Munich nightlife. I really enjoyed it and we had such a good time!

All in all I am glad that I took a part of this excursion. I had opportunity to meet new people (we are planning to get together one more time), to get to know more about the one of famous Germany’s city – Munich - and to get out of the normal routine!

- Gintare

RAC exchange students - helping to bring the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq to Germany!

2011-06-07T13:33:00.006+02:00

Most of the exchange students at RheinAhrCampus participate in the “English Program”, which is offered by the International and Languages Department. Most of these courses are held in English and relate to improving intercultural competence and working in international teams.

One of the classes, which has been mentioned on the blog before “International Business Simulations”, is designed to get students out of their comfort zones by simulating a real life company and working on projects that are close to, or are, real world.

This semester in International Business Simulations the course is helping out with a real world project; helping to bring the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq to Germany later this year for the famous Beethovenfest in Bonn. The class has a real life client, Paul MacAlindin, who is a well-known conductor and conducts the Orchestra from Iraq.

In the project, the class has been aiming to create “buzz” online about the project and the orchestra itself. Different teams within the class have been working on such projects like:
+ creating buzz on the International/English NYOI Facebook account;
+ creating buzz on the German NYOI Facebook account;
+ driving more traffic to the official NYOI Youtube channel and emphasizing the most prominent videos
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Li5MsPiNC3I
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS5rA7FZNrg
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNq36mDrZ2k
+ creating flyers/brochures; and
+ even suggesting content for the official NYOI website

Through the course, not only have students learnt how to work efficiently and what works and what doesn’t in real-life business, they have learnt and gotten involved with a project that sells peace, and really pulls the heart-strings.

Even the way the orchestra started is quite an emotional story. In 2008, a young pianist Zuhal Sultan from Iraq appealed to the British public in able to win support for a unique idea: the foundation of a national youth orchestra in Iraq. She gained a large response from the British press and won the support of the Scottish conductor Paul MacAlindin, Raw TV in London and the British Council. Together they started work from scratch - they found instrumental music coaches, the first summer workshop was advertised, auditions were held through YouTube and further financial support acquired.

They have certainly come a long way since 2008, and later this year in October the NYOI will play at the famous Beethovenfest in Bonn. This is a huge achievement for the orchestra, and a well-earned performance. Anyone who is lucky enough to be able to attend the performance will be lucky enough to hear the raw emotions played through the pieces of music.

Camping - German style!

2011-06-06T14:25:00.001+02:00

Hi everyone, it’s Lucy here and I am writing to tell you about our latest exploration: German camping!

On the weekend from 3-5 June Emese and I went camping with 8 of our friends in Freilingen, Germany. The weekend was really fun and I am so thankful that we were able to get the chance at doing something this fun with all our friends. And, I was able to form a comparison between the Australian and German camping because back home I have camped quite a lot (and to be honest, I think I enjoyed the way the Germans camp more – well at least the way my friends camp over here).

We left on the Friday around 2pm and we met outside the Student accommodation to pack the cars and drive together. The car ride was quite fun and only took a little over an hour. It was supposed to take an hour but we all had to stop once because traffic was halted while a man cut a tree down. We all got out of the car, and of course the boys had to walk to take a look at the action. Luckily it didn’t take long, maybe 5 minutes, and then we were on our way again.

After checking in and seeing where we would be camping we decided to set everything up. One of our friends had really cool camping gear so we had EVERYTHING we needed. Under a pavilion we set up tables and chairs with a Grill and a music table. On the music table we had someone’s laptop, and a big stereo which ran on batteries that played music either from a CD or from the Laptop. Very cool in my eyes!

Our first activity was grilling dinner. We cook some meat, potatoes and drank some beer and coke. Later that night we just chilled, talking and listening to music. It was also a really clear night so we went up to the top of a hill and laid down watching the stars for a while.

The next morning everyone woke up SO early, which is pretty usual for camping. We all got up around 8, had some coke and bread for breakfast and discussed the days plan. We decided we wanted to go down to a big lake for the day. We had a big blow up boat which fitted 4 people and we were able to have fun with that. During the afternoon we were tanning, chilling, swimming and playing in the boat. At one point Emese and I got into the boat and just drifted to see where it would take us. Then unfortunately we had to row back against the current which was pretty tough.

The weather then was starting to get a bit cloudy and windy, and it looked like it would rain. Strange because at the lake it was SOOO hot. We put up walls on the pavilion so we were sheltered and nothing would get wet. Later in the evening it started raining a bit and then it turned into a massive storm and we took down one wall of the pavilion and watched the lightning and thunder across the sky.

In the morning we all woke up feeling good, quite early again at like 9. We didn’t really have anything for breakfast so we decided to pack up straight away. Everything was so organized and went smoothly it didn’t take that long. We also had showers and packed the cars. On the way home we stopped at a Subway and we all ate there for lunch. After we all got home, we were so exhausted and everyone just wanted to sleep pretty much.

All in all, camping was a blast! It’s always nice for a change of pace on the weekends and I definitely recommend going camping during the German summer!

Auf Wiedersehn, Lucy

Hej from Sweden - Hyun Ji

2011-06-02T10:19:00.003+02:00

Hej,

This actually means Hello in Swedish! As you can see I visited Sweden and Denmark last weekend. It was very special because I could meet my Korean friend who was studying in Sweden!! And most of all, I had to go th

ere alone even worse I had to ride the night train which took 11hours Köln to Copenhagen. But the guys who used same room in the train were very kind and all of them were not German so we talked about some experiences in Germany when they came here first.

The train passed Hamburg and finally arrived Copenhagen the capital city of Denmark. I stopped over there for 8hours because my friend’s university is in Halmstad the city of Sweden which is much closer to Copenhagen than Stockholm. So I went the city hall of Copenhagen. It is very famous of its height because in Denmark no one can build anything higher than the city hall. So if you go up the top of

city hall you can see everything in Copenhagen. And then I went Nyhawn the most beautiful harbor in Copenhagen. It wasn’t very clouded due to the nice weather and there were a lot of cafés and restaurants which were painted with vivid color. After that I saw many historical and cultural things in the national museum.

I took a train again for a couple of hours and then I could arrived in Halmstad where is my friend is living now! It was such a long journey but I was so happy because my kind friend cooked some Korean food for me. And after that we went some party in the dormitory for a farewell party for someone who had to leave Sweden. At that party, I could make a lot of friends - they were very fun and open minded but the problem was in Sweden we cannot buy alcohol in the market only in the pub is possible. And drinking alcohol in the street is illegal. So we had to move out and find a student day pub!

The second day in Sweden I visited Göteburg the second largest city in Sweden. They have the biggest shopping mall in Sweden and a lot of museums which are free to Youth. And Old Street called Haga is very famous. Actually, in Sweden almost everything was more expensive than Germany so we just visited IKEA and ate a cheap lunch. But it was quite delicious I choose meatballs, the most traditional food in Sweden.

The last day in Sweden my friend and I made Korean style sushi. And we went near beach in Halmstad with some Singaporean and Korean students. Everything was going well be

cause the Korean style sushi was successful and the bus ticket to go beach was free only in that day (the machine was suddenly didn’t work). But!!!!! The weather was getting worse and finally

it’s raining. Even though, we arrived at the beach and jumped in the sea!!!! It was so cold but we did not care about that! And we came back to dormitory and watched the Champions League with the hall students in the dormitory.

Most of all, It was such a nice trip because the people I met in Sweden were very kind and so friendly to me. So I could enjoy all the days in Sweden even though, I really do not want to live there. I will miss my friends!! Good bye Sweden!

Hyun Ji

International Day 2011 at RheinAhrCampus

2011-05-19T14:43:00.004+02:00

Hey Everyone, it’s Emese again.

I would like to tell you a bit about our latest important event on campus, the International Day. It took place on the 11th of May, but all of us started to prepare for it much earlier. Even though we had so much work with creating the posters and the presentations (oh and Lucy and me also made some pancakes and took some photos for our mums as evidence…), we were so excited about promoting our home- universities.

So, what was this buzz about? Every member of the Sprachen/Internationales gathered at 10.30am to set up all of the stands, hang the posters and welcome the early “clients”. I can tell you that everything went smoothly (which wasn’t surprising if you consider how much we worked over the last weeks) and we managed to finish the stand construction within an hour. After a quick lunch (there is no way to miss the Pommes Day on the Mensa…), the biggest excitement was getting started.

Lucy, Gintare and I were also involved in some other presentations and information- sessions with one of our courses, which meant even more work- but the result was definitely worth the efforts. We informed the visitors about the scholarship possibilities, made a comparison between the German and Hungarian lifestyles, gave information about the Hungarian EU Presidency and the Liberalistaion of the Labor Market and provided countless information about the partner universities. Honestly speaking, I have no idea how did we manage to do everything within only two hours!

The exchange students’ presentation took place at 15.00. I would like to thank everyone, who took the time and participated on our little information session. I hope we answered every question and could give you a glance what kind of experiences can you get in our home countries!

Congratulations to the whole Spracehn/Internationales department, the Strategic Business Communication Master class and especially Barbara Neukirchen for organizing such an excellent event. This was real teamwork guys and we all wish you the same success next year! Now it’s time for packing up the stands…and eating some leftover cookies!

My European life as an exchange student at RAC

2011-05-09T17:01:00.003+02:00

Hallo, ich bin Hyun Ji.

It took almost 17hours when I flew from Korea to Germany. It was such a long journey.

And when I arrived in Remagen with my buddy, the city of Remagen was unfamiliar for me. The campus was neat, and inside the building was modern and clean. And I could use internet not only in the PC labs but also with wifi.

After I went to my dormitory at RAC I could now breathe freely but the first day was busy because I had to buy some household items for my 6 month life in Remagen. The main street of Remagen is not so big but it has several markets and cafés and most of all the riverside of Rhine is the best place for rest. So me and my other friends sometimes drink coffee at the cafés near the Rhein.

People in Remagen are very kind to me even though I cannot speak German. But sometimes people look at me up and down because only a few Asians are living on campus as well as in the city so at first It was little weird to me but now I can say “Guten Tag” to them. And the safety of Remagen is very good! Actually Remagen is a small and peaceful city which is located on the river Rhine. But Remagen is close to other big cities such as Bonn or Cologne. In my case I really like the garden of Bonn University on sunny days and I also like Cologne Cathedral. And if you climb up the tower of the cathedral you can enjoy such a nice view of the whole city.

First impressions - Germany

2011-05-09T16:56:00.006+02:00

Hallo zusammen, ich bin Ji Yeon Kang.

I am an exchange student from South Korea, EWHA Womans University.
I am studying Educational Technology, Business Administration and Multimedia in my home university and International Business and Communication at RheinAhrCampus.
I arrived in REMAGEN on 16th March, and already about 2 months have passed :)

I was really looking forward to be here. Because it is the first time to study in EUROPE for me!
I can remember the first day in Remagen. After 20 hours of a long night flight and heavy luggage, I felt almost knocked out. We (me and Hyun Ji) arrived at Frankfurt airport, took an ICE train to Koblenz and met Daniela who brought us to Remagen. We unpacked our things and went to Mensa with Frau Korpp and ate “Pommes mit Currywurst” (chips and sausage).. It was my first food in Germany and it was good.

Remagen is different from Seoul where I have lived my whole life. It is peaceful and people look calm and composed. At first, it was a little bit unusual but now, I enjoy and love it! The Rhein River is close to the dormitory so it is very easy to get there whenever I want. And at night, you can see lots of stars in the sky. And I can go to Bonn or Cologne with my semester ticket for free.

In this semester, I take Intercultural Communication, TOEFL preparation, Business English 3, Knowledge Management and International Business Simulation courses. They are all in English. I am used to taking lectures in English so it is not hard to understand the lecture but the speaking is the problem. I hesitated to speak up. But as time goes by, it's getting better and I am getting used to it.

In my opinion, Knowledge Management and International Business Simulation courses are good. They are a different type of lecture. Knowledge Management is more like a lecture so you can learn theories from a teacher but International Business Simulation is more like a 'simulation', more practical (except that this semester’s project is a REAL one!)
If you come to RAC, you will decide which lectures which are good for you with Frau Korpp, lecturers from Sprachen/Internationals office and also with German friends. They are very kind and helpful.

These days, the weather in Remagen is so good. I often enjoy sunshine and travel to other European countries. (I went to London last weekend!)
And on 11th May on International Day, I will do a presentation about my home university, EWHA.

If you are interested in studying and internship abroad, please come and see us!

Germany's beautiful Hauptstadt - Berlin

2011-03-23T21:08:00.005+01:00

Hi everyone!

Last weekend we (Gintare, Emese and Lucy) were lucky enough to visit Germany’s beautiful Hauptstadt!

We were very lucky in Berlin because our hostel was really nice and the weather was beautiful! It was an old Government building with large windows and high ceilings. Even though we booked a 6 person room, there was noone else sharing with us, so we had 3 bunk beds and 2 bathrooms to ourselves. The location was also really good and we just bought Daytickets on the transport and used them to get into the city and around.

On the first day we went to the Bradenburg Tor and did a Walking Tour. Our leader was pretty cool and made the history quite interesting. We saw the Holocaust memorial, lots of old buildings, East Berlin propaganda, Museum Island, Checkpoint Charlie and some markets. We also stood in the carpark above Hitlers bunker where he killed himself – which was very surreal for us. Then we did a bit of shopping and went out clubbing.

On Sunday we decided to visit the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp about 35km away from Berlin. This was really interesting, learning about the history and seeing everything right infront of us. It was also interesting to see how the East Berlin Government had tried to make the memorial site very one sided and only dedicated to the Political prisoners.

On our last day, Monday, we first walked along the East Side Gallery – which is the longest standing peice of the Berlin Wall decorated with artwork. The artwork was absolutley stunning. So many different interpretations and colours. We took lots of photos! After then we decided to walk into the city, so took ages but we had the time. Then we just really explored the city - the true Berlin where the Berliners have coffee and shop, not just the tourist, commerical stuff. We also sat for a while in the park on Museum Island because the sun was shining so beautifully.

All in all it was a really good holiday and we are all so glad we were able to experience it together.

Until next time,

Lucy, Emese and Gintare xx

My holiday back home to Lithuania

2011-03-22T12:30:00.003+01:00

Hey everyone, Gintare here… I‘m back!

I am here to tell you about the such long holidays during semester break! I used the semester break as an opportunity to go back home as I hadn’t been back for 5 months! My holidays were really amazing, maybe because I was missing my family, friends so much. Let me share my experiences.

At first when I came back to Lithuania I was shocked. Outside -20 degrees! It was such a big difference between Remagen where was +10 when I left. What a surprise, after two days I was ill and lying in the bed. This is why I spent first my week at home. To be honest, it wasn’t bad. Because everyone took care of me (like made a cup of tea, brought soup in the bed and so on), it was such a good feeling...The food from my mum is the best thing ever!

When I became fit again, I started to visit my friends everywhere in Lithuania, because they already were studying at their universities. I started with Klaipeda, where are studying most friends from my village. We had such a good time together! Nevertheless cold, we visited the sea. Awesome!

The next part of my trip was Kaunas, where my studying friends live, who came back from doing their exchange semester. That was such a strange feeling, they all look the same, but I felt kind of distance between us. But anyway we did the same things together like always (smoking shisha, watching basketball, party, long and honest talking about everything). I really missed it...

The last but of course the best stop – capital of Lithuania – Vilnius! There I visited a few my friends. We haven’t done anything special (I was ill again...), but I really enjoyed being with them (going for walks to Altstadt, watching movies and talking).

After visiting my friends I was so exhausted and sick again. Awesome!... But doesn’t matter I wanted to spend last days with my family, I became more closer with to my sister, cousins and parents. I told them all of my experiences which I forgot to include in my emails or skype talking. They were proud of me, because I changed a bit but obviously in the good way!

I missed my family, when I was in Remagen, but I missed also my Remagen friends when I was in Lithuania! That’s why I was glad to come back and to start a new exchange semester living in a new apartment!

All in all my holidays at home were unforgettable but I got such a good feeling when I came back to Remagen!

See you at RheinAhrCampus!
Bye!

P.S. by the way I got so many presents from my birthday (which was 29th of October :D) and Christmas. I think I deserved it!

Luxembourg

2011-03-17T20:01:00.003+01:00

Hi Everyone,

it’s Emese writing and I would like to let you know about our latest excursion. Lucy, Gintare and I were lucky enough to visit one of the most significant city of the EU: Luxembourg. The excursion was organised as a part of the „European Studies” workshop (Lucy and I were lucky enough to tag along).

However the bus went awfully early - but all of us were wide awake and were looking forward to exploring the city. After a two and a half hour drive we spotted the first houses of Luxembourg. I mentioned the buildings first oon purpose, as the architecture is really modern: basically everything is made out of glass! Even though I am not a huge fan of the modern art (I should get educated, I know…), I found the „Altstadt” amazing and definitely worthwile to see.

The weather was also favourable. I could not imagine a better place to have your lunch than in one of Luxembourg’s beautiful parks, under the blossoming trees!

We could also attend to two interesting presentations about the country and the EU institutions located in Luxembourg. Though our German is not the best (even after four weeks of an intensive course), they weren’t too hard to understand and concentrate on.

In the end of the day we had two hours of free time, so we were able to look through our favourite shops.

Luxebourg is a small, but extremely multicultural state which is full of energy (and fashionable businessmen…)- give it a go!

Emese

Karneval - Part 2

2011-03-15T20:04:00.004+01:00

A couple of weeks ago Cologne was taken over by crazy Germans, all dressed up in different costumes.... The Karneval was back!

As you might know, last year Gintare, Vaida, Emese and myself conquered the start of the Karneval season in November. Since it was so much fun Emese and I (and some of our German friends) decided to also end the season with a bang.

So on the Thursday Emese and I dressed up, took the train to Cologne where there were quite alot of "happy" Germans drinking and singing at 9.30 in the morning. We were told that some started partying even earlier at 8am! The day was quite fun and interesting to run into lots of people and see all the different costumes.

We also went on the following Monday, which is usually reserved for the traditional tourists. We really wanted to go this day because of the huge Parade. We and some of our friends found a really great spot to watch the parade from a high part of the street near the Cologne Dom. The parade was amazing... but really really long. It was great to see all the colourful floats and lots of candy being thrown to the crowd.

All in all it was a great experience to see how dedicated the Germans are in celebrating their Karneval :D

Ciao, Lucy x

Few tips you need to conquer the German lifestyle

2011-02-15T19:08:00.002+01:00

Hi everyone, Lucy here.

Here I am… still in Germany. Turned out I ended up loving RheinAhrCampus and Europe too much – I couldn’t say Goodbye. So I will be staying an extra semester, and so will Emese from Hungary and Gintare from Lithuania.

Now to point of this blog contribution. It recently came to my attention that I have one piece of crucial advice to people that are thinking of going abroad (and especially to a country where they’re not so great at the language).

I have figured out that the things you think will be the most difficult to complete are the simplest, and the things you think nothing of – turn out to be a small nightmare.
My advice is to grab a native speaker when embarking on the following errands:

- Applying/extending your Visa.
Definatley take a native speaker with you for this one, you don’t want to accidently say the wrong thing and get kicked out of the country you’re in! Still can’t believe I said “du” instead of “Sie” to the worker at the Visa office. Embarrassing much?

- Getting a haircut
Now, I didn't think this would turn out so horrible, but turns out I can’t speak another language under pressure and neither can anyone else! With no common language and misunderstandings bound to happen, I suggest you definitely take someone along, or at least get someone to write down exactly what you should say!

- Opening up a bank account
I have no bad experiences with this one but luckily I had a native speaker with me when I originally opened up my German bank account. Phew, crisis averted… for now

- Buying a long distance train ticket
IC ticket or MRB/RE ticket? Who knows if you’re not used to catching the public transport.. and if you try and do this by yourself, you should be prepared to be facing the back of the train with your worst seat preference possible.

- Going to the Pharmacy
Do you have a dry cough, a wet cough, a head cold or a chest cold? I wasn’t even sure what kind of “cough” I had, let alone was I able to specify which cough in German. My advice, tell a native speaker your symptoms beforehand and what your after and let them do the talking.

Just a few tips from me. The above situations have proved the most stressful for me here in Germany, but also the things I thought would be most difficult have been the easiest. Going shopping – no problem. Buying a coffee – absolutely no problem. And making friends? Not even worth worrying about!

Auf Wiedersehen

Goodbye Germany - Vaida

2011-02-15T15:46:00.000+01:00

My exchange semester has now come to an end... But I’ll remember just the good times!

Before I came here I had heard some stereotypes about Germany. E.g. they are punctual, precise and serious. I am convinced that this is true! When they work, they are concentration to the work. I had make project with student and it was nice to work with them, because they were always prepared and motivated. But when is time for relaxing, they are amazing! I had here one of best students party’s ever. They are crazy and very funny.

And also here are nice people. Everybody in dormitory greets each other. At the beginning for me was a bit unusual, because we never do that at my country, say “hallo” for man who you didn’t know. But I liked to do that!

One of the highest differences between Germany and my home country is the weather. Now I’m coming back to home, where there is a cold winter, from here where now is almost spring. I don’t really want that…

Thanks guys for the good time here!

Vaida

How to handle the "Deutsche Prüfungen"

2011-02-05T09:56:00.002+01:00

Hi everyone, its Vaida here.

In the beginning of exams session, I was really afraid, because I didn’t know about assessment, what kind of things would be in the exam and so on.

But later I got the information and I was a bit calmer. The harder work was to prepare for exams. It was pretty hard, because I had to understand what is writing on slides and put this in my head. And in German!!!

And a night before my first exam I couldn’t sleep well, because I nervous (if I will forget everything what I had learnt, or I was learning not very important things, or it’ll be not much time and so on). But first exam went well and another also.

All in all, I worried unnecessary and now I am just awaiting my results and I hope that everything will be ok!

:D Byeee, Vaida

What to do in Rheinland in the constant rain?

2011-01-27T17:51:00.001+01:00

Hey Everybody, it’s Emese writing. I would like to update you about my very recent experience: how to introduce your friends from back home to your new friends in abroad!

I guess, you have already figured out the topic of this week’s contribution: my two friends from Budapest visited me on the weekend to finally get to know a bit about my “new life”.

The first shocking realization was seeing the student residences: they were pretty impressed by my own bathroom, as it is absolutely not usual in Hungary. Not going too far: the campus and the Mensa got a lot of praise from them (they were lucky enough to eat there on the “Pommes Day”…).

We explored the surrounding cities as well: first of all Cologne. The city is still beautiful even though it was raining heavily all day long. We saw the Dom, walked on the narrow streets in the Altstadt and managed to taste the world- famous chocolate in the Chocolate Museum!

The following day Bonn was on our agenda. Even though in the morning we had a bit of sunshine, it started to rain immediately after we left my room. The city is really nice anyway: we could draw parallels between our home university and the Bonn University’s campus and we were all amazed by the historical buildings and shops. We finished the day with some cocktail- God bless the Happy Hour!

Surprisingly, the last day started exactly the same way, as it did the past few days (the dark clouds were scary, as we expected a blizzard…”fortunately” we ended up in a simple storm…). We didn’t allow anything to distract us and discovered Koblenz: the deautches Eck, the Altstadt and the bank of the Rhein were also spectacular.

I really enjoyed the past days that I got the chance to show my friends all around here. Oh, RAC perhaps gained two Hungarian exchange students in one of the following semesters…

Christmas holiday

2011-01-17T12:26:00.007+01:00

Hey Everyone,

After the Christmas holiday, things got back to normal, so we had the time to sum up our busy and adventurous time!

Emese:

I was lucky enough to go back to Hungary and see my family and friends. Do I have to stress how excited was I to spend my favorite time of the year with the most important people of my life? I got an awesome surprise party with all friends invited, just on the night I arrived. I have never got so many hugs and greetings before.:)
The Christmas Eve was quite relaxing- cooking (oh, I would never swap Mum’s turkey with even loads of Currywurst...) and wrapping the presents with my mum was wonderful, I just learnt to appreciate hanging out with my family whenever I want.
I also had a great (and extremely cold...) time with Lucy, who visited me with her cousin before the New Years Eve- I could introduce them to my friends and see Budapest from a tourist’s point of view!
Moreover, I spent 4 days in Austria at a ski resort with my Dad and some friends, so I am over on my exercises of the year...:)

Gintare:

This year’s holiday was totally different than usually. I was in Belgium and spent time with one of the best friends of mine. She is in Belgium as an exchange student as well. I had the chance to see an other ERASMUS life and I can tell you, it’s different from our life in Remagen: they go out all the time, live together in houses and have classes only with other exchange students. To be honest , I prefer living in Remagen and going to the classes with German guys. However, I spent the Christmas Eve there, I traveled to Antwerp, Brugge, Lille (France) and celebrated New Years Eve (it was very international). All in all: my holiday was awesome!

Vaida:

For the holiday I went back to home, to my family. It was really nice to see them all and I also met my old friends. I had a really good time with them. My New Year’s Eve was pretty calm. I could not go anywhere, because of the snowy and slippery roads surrounded my hometown. But it was fun to wade through a big snow drift! When I got back to Germany, I was shocked how warm is here- the spring is approaching!

Andre:

I returned to Spain to see my family and friends on this Christmas. It was such a good feeling to saw them because of course is not the same to be there or to talk on phone. Basically, this Christmas we only talked about everything I've done here in Germany, but I only spent 10 days in Spain and then I came back to Germany with a friend to spend New Year's Eve here. I thought, that I can always spend the New Year in Spain and that is somehow different. It was unusual, because this was the first time that I didn’t eat grapes (which is a Spanish tradition), but all in all it was great to be with my family and finish the year in a different way.

Lucy:

My holiday break was quite action-packed. Just before they started, my cousin from Western Australia came to stay with me for three weeks. I showed her all around Remagen and Cologne – and of course the Weihnachtmarkts. We celebrated Christmas here in Remagen with my roommates and their family. It was really nice to see how the Germans celebrated Christmas, especially because we just celebrate the 25^th of December back home, but here it is a three-day-celebration over the 24^th, 25^th and 26^th. Kaitlyn and I then flew to Budapest to visit one of the other exchange students, Emese, and we got an amazing tour of the city and were lucky enough to be able to stay with her and her mum. After coming home we celebrated New Years here in Remagen with friends and then flew to London for a few days. The big after Christmas Sales were on, so we thought “Why not?” and booked the tickets on a whim. And now here I am, one week into semester and already glad to be back in the RheinAhrCampus routine!

After the recharging of our batteries, it's time to concentrate on our exams...! See you later!

A Spanish visitor to Germany!

2010-12-14T14:59:00.003+01:00

Hi everyone, it’s Andre here.
I would like to tell you about a visit I had during the last few days; something I was very pleased about. My friend Juan Carlos came from Spain from the 9th to the 13th December. I was delighted to see some of my best friends as I hadn’t seen any of my Spanish friends for a long time.
I went to Hahn airport to pick him up and on the way home I forgot the way and we had to cross the river by ferry to reach Remagen. It was interesting because it was something I had not yet done and of course it being his first time in Germany as well. From that moment I started to realize how things that surprised me seem normal now, and then I remembered what Frau Korpp told us at first, write down your experiences immediately because later you’ll forget what that feeling was like. This is not exactly the same as my friend was only visiting me for a few days, but still was surprised. And so I could remember things that surprised me and while they are explained to him.
During the long weekend we did several things.
The first day, since my friend was very tired, we just went around the university. Then we went to Dursty because as this is Germany he wanted to try different beers, that made us to have a lot of fun in the evening even when we were so tired.
The second day we went to a little party with friends, and he was surprised about all the people I know here. I told him that to meet people and make so many friends is usually not so easy, but this university has something very special and apparently everyone knows everyone and when you know someone it immediately starts a chain of friendships.
The weekend was dedicated to seeing Cologne and Koblenz, where he became fascinated, especially in the first, loved the cathedral. Also he liked the Altstadt, as this was his first time in a Christmas market and drank Gluhwine.
It was sad to say goodbye to my friend as I had so much fun with him and he wanted to stay longer. But as they say in Spain, good but if brief it's twice as good (Lo bueno si breve dos veces bueno). Now I look more forward to a couple of days when I’m going back home for Christmas to see everyone who is waiting for me after this short visit because i’m so comfortable here that I hardly remember Spain ...
See you / Bis zum nächsten Mal / Hasta la proximas /
André

International Business Simulations

2010-12-03T10:03:00.003+01:00

International Business Simulations is a class taught by Dr Borgmann at RheinAhrCampus, in which all the exchange students take part in. It is a course held in English and has played a huge part in our German integration helping us make friends.

Why am I telling you this? Since we have just told you about the Managing Cultural Diversity seminar below, I feel its only fitting that we share our IBS story and its connection with the MCD over the last couple of weeks.

In this class we started a real company called "inteRACtion" and decided to connect one of our projects to the MCD. Some of the students were a part of a Social Program Department, which was run by one of our very own exchange students Emese Bognar, and a Logistics Department In these departments, the students were responsible for organising the pickup and transport of the international guests and the free time activites in the week leading up to the seminar.

Some of the activites included: coffee with the guests, an excursion to the Bonn Christmas Markets, an excursion to Cologne, an invitation to our IBS Press Conference and a Meet and Greet Party.

Press conference? What press conference? WELL, this was a very big achievement for the class and especially us as exchange students. Last Thursday, our class held a press conference to showcase our work, learning curve regarding starting a real life business and some of the exchange students even shared their integration stories.

Check out the articles that were written about us:

http://www.rheinahrcampus.de/Pressemeldung.1597.0.html?&tx_ttnews[backPid]=2031&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=651&cHash=0e9e447a956cd80ad13db39f580bbcfc

and

http://www.regionrhein.de/wirtschaft/102-wirtschaft/5905-ein-wahrhaft-praxisorientiertes-studium.html

Overall, it was a great event and a fantastic way to remember one of classes from our semester exchange.

Managing Cultural Diversity

2010-12-03T09:27:00.003+01:00

Hi everyone!

Last weekend a very special event took place: The Managing Cultural Diversity seminar 2010! The event was organised by the Sprachen/Internationales department at RheinAhrCampus and was held over 3 days.

We were lucky enough to have guests from all over the world join us, including Australia, Hungary, Lithuania, Germany, Poland, England and Denmark. The guests were invited to not only participate but conduct a workshop over the duration of the seminar. The workshops were aimed to be interactive with the students, while raising awareness about different countries and the differences in culture.

These were great fun, I must admit. Theoretical learning often is able to translate into practibility, but the guest lecturers really were able to achieve this goal in their one hour workshops.

All in all, the seminar was a great success, with a useful feedback session held by Dr Borgmann (Head of Sprachen/Internationales at RheinAhrCampus).

Check out the 2010 MCD participants:

Bonn Weihnachtsmarkt

2010-12-03T09:25:00.002+01:00

Hi Everyone,

It’s Emese writing: I couldn’t wait longer to share you our recent German experience, occured just week. If you are as obsessed with Christmas, as me, you already know, what I am talking about!
The Christmas market in Bonn opened last week and we were lucky enough to visit it immediately. The train was more crowded than usually and the excitement was felt in the air. Eight friends volunteered to introduce us the market and I can easily admit, that it lived up our expectations!
The first surprising thing we came across: the lights of the city. Even the smallest houses were decorated, not to talk about the main square, where the whole event was organised. First of all we faced one “Glühwein” place (out of the thousand), to warm up and create a good atmosphere. Then we walked to explore the market and the creations that were sold there (you are able to buy literally everything from the most exclusive spices, until the hand- made jewelleries and clothes). Moreover, a classical orchestra plays Christmas songs in the background. As it cannot be enough from eating: believe me, after a typical German “Currywurst” the whole world becomes more cosy. All of the people were extremely friendly: I accidentally stepped a guy’s foot, then he wanted to give me his Glühwein as a response...:)
It was the first Christmas market for Vaida, Lucy and Gintare and even though, there is a similar one in Budapest I have to admit, that it isn’t even close the one in Bonn.
All in all: it was a perfect start of the Christmas season and I can’t wait to visit all of the “Weihnachtsmarkt” nearby! Hopefully, with snow...

Ciao,
Emese

KARNEVAL!

2010-11-12T17:43:00.003+01:00

Hey!

This is Gintare here, as I would like to update you about our trip to the “Karneval” in Cologne on the 11th November, 2010.

We went to the train station at 8:30 am, which was extremely early! At the train station there were so many people, who all wore costumes (like people from TV shows, builders, animals). Lucy was a hippie-girl, Emese - a bee, Vaida – the devil, and me - Rudolf, the red nosed reindeer. We had red hearts over our eyes as well. It was a perfect united mark, so as you can see we prepared for the offical start of Karneval at 11:11am. The train was so full as well, I couldn`t ever imagine, that people could be drunk in the morning and celebrate. But believe me, this is the ugly truth!

To sum up: the whole day was awesome and unforgettable. I haven`t ever seen so many people in one place dressed up as various characters! Everyone was really friendly and open, and spoke with us even though they didn’t know us.

But this special event didn`t take too long, because Emese and Lucy had classes from 3 o’clock. But to be honest, it was enough! It was one more chance to get informed about the German traditions. We really enjoyed the whole chaos and agreed that it was one of the biggest experiences since we arrived!

Bye for now!

Gintare

Internship at RAC

2010-11-05T09:42:00.002+01:00

This is just an insight into my RheinAhrCampus internship...

During my stay at RheinAhrCampus, I am lucky enough to be able to participate in an internship with the Sprachen/Internationales department.

This means, that while taking some international university classes (in English) I also have the chance to learn the business side and all the “behind the scenes” work that goes into preparing these classes.

Even though I have only been working for Dr. Borgmann and the Sprachen/Internationales team for a couple of months, I have already learnt so much. The internship is very focused on individual learning and personal growth – rather than just the boring “getting coffee” routine.

At the beginning of my internship I was asked to think about what I would like to achieve through the experience and to start with I was really quite unsure. Of course I wanted to use computers, organise documents and interact with students – but was not sure how I could phrase this into ‘professional language’. So after a few introductory internship meetings I decided that my three main goals for the internship would be:

1. Expand my computer knowledge using online platforms and more advanced software

2. Create, modify and organise necessary documents for the Sprachen/Internationales team

3. Become not only a student assistant, but a tutor available to students that need any help to do with the course, or with their English etc.

I can’t believe it’s only the beginning of November, but I am already fast-tracked to achieving all my goals for my internship and probably exceed them.

The internship has been an amazing opportunity for me, as I have already learnt so much and continue to learn new things every day. My professional skills have been dramatically improved in a nurturing environment, where everyone in the department is happy to help. I would encourage anyone that has the opportunity to participate in such an internship, to take it - because not only will your CV grow, but you will personally as well.

For more information on the campus internship, you can visit http://www.rheinahrcampus.de/Campus-Internship.3994.0.html

Bis später,

Lucy

PS. I also have my own office, how cool is that!

Brussels Excursion

2010-10-29T13:04:00.001+02:00

Here is an update about our recent excursion! We managed to visit the unstoppable European capital, Brussels.

The bus went awfully early (at 6.00am), but after surviving the first shock we could start the trip on time. The first destination was the famous Atomium, which provides a stunning view about Brussels and an interesting example of the modern architecture!

The next station was the lovely main square! The Rathaus is a very beautiful, old building and the “Altstadt” was captivating with its charm.

In the afternoon we visited the European Commission and the European Parliament. In the Commission a presentation was held about the main institutions and contracts of the EU (it was in German). We were lucky enough to listen to some of a parliamentary discussion.

It was almost dark, when we got out from this “glass cube”, because an important task left in the end: taking pictures with the different flags. As it was an international group, it took a while, but worth it, definitely! The flags represented the essence of the EU: providing a bridge between the different nations and cultures!

Overall we enjoyed ourselves and got overloaded with information (not to mention the tonnes of world-famous Belgian chocolate, which made the excursion unforgettable)!

Tscüss,
Emese, Andre, Gintare, Vaida & Lucy

Excursions: Bonn, Köln & Koblenz

2010-10-22T13:02:00.003+02:00

Hi everyone, Emese and Lucy here just letting everybody know about our recent excursions...

Since the RheinAhrCampus semester has started we have taken a few excursions. We have been lucky enough to be able to explore the surrounding cities and towns.

In Bonn we tried to get out of our comfort zones and tried the local Starbucks. We also explored the Bonn University garden, AltStadt, the Rhein Promenade and were even lucky enough to see the Bonn lightshow (which only happens once a year!).

In Koblenz we met up with the other exchange students from FH Koblenz and participated in a sight seeing tour. Although the tour was in german... the sights were quite interesting ;)

We were also lucky enough to be involved in a "behind the scenes" tour of the Köln Dom. We went up into the attic and roof and saw the most amazing view of Köln! The tour was kindly organised by Herr Borgmann, Head of Sprachen/Internationales at RheinAhrCampus. Thanks Herr Borgmann!! We also explored the main streets of Köln and even had a wander through the AltStadt.

We are so thankful that we have been able to participate in these awesome opportunities and hope their are more adventures to be had (actually, we're certain there are more adventures to be had.... so we'll keep you updated!)

Ciao Ciao,

Lucy & Emese

Lucy - First Impressions

2010-10-22T12:57:00.004+02:00

Scared. Anxious. Exhilarated. Excited.

This was how I felt when I first arrived in Europe.

Hi, I’m Lucy and I am from the Sunshine Coast, Australia. Back home I study at the University of the Sunshine Coast (and yes it does have Kangaroos hopping around on campus). I am undertaking a Bachelor in Public Relations with minors in Marketing, Politics and International Relations. But over here I am studying Business, participating in an internship with the International office and learning German for the very first time.

Coming to Europe was like arriving in another world for me because Australia is so far away and isolated. But my first impressions were all positive! I actually arrived a couple of months before university started so I could travel and explore before the hard work started. I was lucky enough to be able to visit Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Paris, Amsterdam, Czech Republic and the Greek Islands.

But I must say Germany is my favourite by far. I can't believe how lovely and welcoming everyone at RheinAhrCampus is. My university back home is quite small as well so the size wasn’t a shock but the way everyone is friends with everyone really surprised me – in a good way.

I can’t wait to continue my classes and meet more people. And thank you to everyone who has made my experience so much fun so far :)

Ciao,

Lucy

Emese - First Impressions

2010-10-22T12:56:00.003+02:00

Hi Everyone,

My name is Emese Bognár, I study at the Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary. In Remagen, besides studying E-Business and Logistics, I am doing an internship as well. This is a great opportunity to improve my German and English at the same time, and gain some working experience.

After the boring details, I would like to talk a bit about my first impressions in Germany. To tell the truth, I didn’t know what to expect before I came here (apart from beer, wurst and more beer). OK, I was aware of some stereotypes, but I prefer to explore a country on my own. After three weeks, I can honestly say: the belief that the Germans are reserved and unhelpful is totally fake (except that nobody wants to sit with us in the Mensa... :). The punctuality and the constant planning are absolutely true, but it is certainly not a problem. After my first experiences, it helps in the organisation of life and I will get used to it (hopefully...).

A few words about the town: Remagen is not big (small!), with a beautiful location, on the banks of the Rhein, surrounded by hills (which is a new experience for me, Hungary is totally flat). I am also fascinated by the well- equipped campus and the tiny club, where everyone is “best friends”, with each other.

All in all: “alles klar”!

Tschüss,

Emese

Andre - First Impressions

2010-10-22T12:54:00.001+02:00

Hi I’m André Lüders Bono

I’m from Vila-real (Spain) and I study at the UJI (Universitat Jaume I) from Castellón. I will be studying this winter semester here at RheinAhrCampus Logistics und E-Business and I want to share with you my first impressions.

The first day when I saw the university I was thinking “What? Is that all?” I was thinking this because I had only seen it in pictures. Maybe RheinAhrCampus is not a big university but it has all the things that you need.

The international department has made a great welcome for us and has shown us the university and they invited us to have lunch at the Mensa. Then the first week was orientation week which helped us orientate ourselves.

One of the most important things I think is the events that the Students Union, the AStA, organize, because they offer parties, meetings, tours… a lot of events where you can meet new friends. And another thing is that here at RheinAhrCampus everyone knows each other so if you come here and you meet a new friend you will know a lot of new people in a short period of time. Usually the people are friendly but there everybody is always more friendly when they are involved in some activity. This is why I think that the AStA is so important.

I can’t tell you much about the classes because I’ve just begin it but my first impression is that you have a personal relationship with the professors and I think that’s really good for my studies. I hope I will improve my German and English skills here, and of course enjoy my studies.

André

Gintare - First Impressions

2010-10-22T12:52:00.001+02:00

Hi, everyone!

My name is Gintare Godelyte. I`m from the University of Technology in Kaunas, Lithuania and am studying logistics and e-business at RheinAhrCampus. This is my first time in Germany and I only arrived 3 weeks ago. I like it here!

Remagen is a small town but really beautiful. It is strange for me when you go down the road and unknown people say: Hallo! In Lithuania there is a stereotype that German people are unfriendly and unhelpful. I don`t think so! When I need help, I get help.

I think Remagen is a great place to improve my languages! My German isn`t perfect and I never learned English. But here I have English classes. I hope, that at the end of the semester I will be good in not only German, but also English. I can do it!

One more thing that I like it here – German punctuality J I`m punctual and I like punctual people. So, Germany is just for me! So, I will enjoy my time in Germany!

Gintare

Vaida - First Impressions

2010-10-22T12:49:00.003+02:00

Hi!

I’m Vaida from Lithuania. I am studying Business and Social Management here. I came to Remagen three weeks ago.

My first impression was “I like this town”! It’s small but very beautiful! All people smile and are glad to help. A lot of them are riding bicycles as well! It‘s unusual for me, because in Lithuania this is not fashionable. So, when you are walking you must be beware of cyclists!

Also, lectures began last week. I attend lectures in English and German. It‘s difficult but at the same time it‘s great - I am learning two languages at once! The approach in some of the lectures is completely different from Lithuania, and I find it extremely interesting! I’m glad that I get to gain such a wonderful experience, get to know people from different cultures and maybe in the future we will create a common business with them. So, I hope very much, I will have a really good time here!

Vaida

Kennst du Litauen?

2010-06-29T16:47:00.002+02:00

Labas! It’s Caitlin here, just wanted to tell you a story about a trip that Vaida and I took to Lithuania, her home country.

One night Vaida and I were having some beers and talking nonsense as per usual when we came across the subject of cheap flights. She told me that you can fly from Germany to Lithuania return for only 50€. I was impressed and had heard so many wonderful things about Lithuania from Vaida that so I just said ‘We should go there!...?’. Suddenly we were checking out our schedules and found a free weekend. We then booked online and eagerly awaited the weekend of our trip.

I had no real expectations of what it would be like, as I find this is probably the best way - hope for the best, be prepared for the worst. Over the course of the weekend I visited Vilnius (capital), Kaunas and Šakiai which is Vaida’s hometown. Vilnius and Kaunas are incredible because they are large cities but they are so green, you can always see trees and grass everywhere. I met Vaida’s friends and family who were able to speak either English or German with me which was quite handy! I also ate Vaida’s favourite traditional Lithuanian dishes such as cepelinas which is potato with meat inside with a creamy sauce, and beetroot soup with hot potato.

I had such an amazing time and I guess what I would like to say is that I am so glad that I have gone on exchange and met these different people. I would also like to add that it is also such a great opportunity to visit countries that are not typical tourist destinations such as France (although Paris is fantastic as well) and also it was certainly cheaper.

Wein(Ahr) Culture

2010-06-29T13:34:00.003+02:00

Hey Everyone,

I know the timing for this is not the best as we are in the middle of the football World Cup 2010 madness, but I really want to do a bit of advertising for cultural life in and around Remagen.

If those not particularly interested in theatre or classical music are planning to stop reading now, please don't, I have something for you this time.

As you might know, the valley of the river Rhein is famous for its wine culture. Surprising to some, Germany is not only a country of "Bier" – it is a great power of beers though -, and especially here around Remagen, in the Valley of the river Ahr, it is red wine that draws both attention and respect from our side. The famous Rotweinwanderweg, starting in Bad Bodendorf (just 3 km from campus), goes along the Ahr-valley and provides you with the perfect chance to wander around wonderful scenery. Make a stop in one of the many wine villages, such as Ahrweiler. Some highlights of medium bodied, fruity red wine are waiting for you at dozens of vineyards, while the pretty old town makes you feel as if you had travelled a few hundred years back in time – just to arrive at the right place for your taste.

So when in Remagen, please, do not forget to put aside your Kölsch at least once and give a try to red wines from the Ahrtal. And for those who are actually interested in opera and classical music: don't worry, an entry is already under construction.

2010-06-08T10:28:00.005+02:00

Hi Everyone,
This is me, Asia writing. I would like to tell you more about our free time we had recently.
ASTA (the student organization) – organized for us many student events during this semester
We were at the Grill Party a few times and it was great!
However, the best event was the First Semester Party!!!
During the weekends we are traveling a lot. We were in Frankfurt last time. During the week we usually have meetings with our new friends. Here you have some photos from the Grill Party and Bowling- we were there a week ago.

2010-06-08T10:22:00.003+02:00

Hello everyone,

during the semester break I went to Munich to visit a friend. I spent four days in the third largest city in Germany with approx. 1.35 million inhabitants. We did a lot of sightseeing including the Peterskriche, Viktualienmarkt, town hall and Marienplatz, Frauenkirche and Maximilianstraße. We enjoyed the fantastic atmosphere in the “Englischer Garten” and the “Olympiapark”. Of course I needed to try Augustiner beer as well as “Weisswurst” and “Brezel” ;)! I only have six weeks left before the semester ends but I am looking forward to the FIFA World Cup and a lot of public viewing in Cologne!

Jennifer

First half of the semester at Remagen

2010-05-31T23:01:00.004+02:00

Hi everyone, it’s Vaida writing. It’s about 3 months since we came here, so I want to share some information with you about our life and studies here in Remagen.

I didn’t expect that I’d have so much to do. For the last two months I was really busy at my studies. But I enjoyed my classes in the first half of the semester, overall, it was a most worthwhile experience and now my attitude to studies is totally different. Now the second half of the semester has started, so I’m ready for the new projects!

I’m really excited to let you know about our projects for the International Business Simulation class. For the first project we had to make a video about students, who are going abroad and are afraid of some issues. For the second one course members will produce a brochure about RheinAhrCampus. I’m on the video project, so we filmed already our video and I was one of the actors on that video and that was a brand new experience to me! We had a lot of fun during this filming workshop and now we’re waiting for the last version of this video that we can present it to our classmates and even to uni.

Anyway, last weekend Caitlin, me and Joanna decided to go out somewhere we haven’t been yet. So we chose Frankfurt am Main. So, let me say, we spent a really nice day over there! Frankfurt is a really nice and big city (it’s the fifth biggest city in Germany). We took the bus tour around the city and then a boat tour along the river Main, took a lot of pictures, had a lot of fun and in the evening we had a real German dinner: sausages, spare ribs, mashed potatoes and sauerkraut. Yummy! So now we’re planning to go to Mainz – the capital of Rheinland-Pfalz. Can’t wait!

First Impressions

2010-04-19T15:47:00.009+02:00

The exchange students for the summer semester have arrived and are having their first experiences of campus and in Germany. For the first session of the German language course they were asked to bring along their favourite German words, ones that they found funny, strange or interesting. You will find a profile of each of the new students along with an explanation of their three favourite German words.

***

My name is Vaida Svobunaite, I'm from the University of Technology in Kaunas, Lithuania. I study at RheinAhrCampus business administration, that's the same, what I study in Lithuania. I'm happy that there was no problem to choose subjects which I need. I came here in the middle of March so it's about a month when I'm here. I already can say that I love this place! Remagen is a really nice town, doesn't matter how small it is. Besides we can go by train whenever we want to other big cities like Koblenz, Bonn or Köln. Anyway, last week we started out classes at RheinAhrCampus already. I realised that the way all classes go here is pretty different than in my uni and I'm really glad about it. It will be interesting to have some other experience at my studies. In the end I want to say, that i came here because Germany my whole life was like a dreamland. I always wanted to study in Germany, so my dream comes true! My biggest wish is to learn to speak German fluently and to have different experience in my life! I'm pretty sure that I'm on my way already.

My 3 words

Betriebswirtschaftslehre: I know, it's a difficult word! But I chose it because that's how business administration sounds in German and I use it often too. Also it sounds pretty cool for me, I love the German accent!

Genau: It's a really flexible word! You can use it everywhere. Funny fact, even if you don't understand what Germans said to you, you can answer 'genau' and then everybody will think that you are really good at German.

Keine Ahnung!: I chose this one because I use it really often! It means, when you don't know something, you can just say 'keine Ahnung' and once again everybody will think that you are really good at German.

***

Hi Everyone,

My name is Asia, I come from Poland. I study sociology at the University of Computer Science and Economics in Olsztyn. Study abroad is a big change for everyone who wants to meet new people and learn more about a new culture. I chose RheinAhrCampus because of its really good programme for exchange students. I also heard that Remagen is a very beautiful place. I'm really lucky that I came here. During this semester I would also like to learn German, and I hope that my langauge skills will be high.

My 3 words

Arbeit: most people in Poland use it when they are giving somone a difficult job to do. Of course it's a joke, but very common, probably we use that because most German words sound for us a bit hard.

Kaputt: this is a funny word, we sometimes use it in colloquial language.

Ordnung (must sein): this is my stereotype about German people. Before I came here I thought that everyone is organised but now I know that it depends on character.

***

My name is Jennifer Ives and I am from the Saxion University of Applied Sciences in Enschede, Netherlands. I am studying International Business and Management and will finish with a Bachelor of Business Administration. During my semester at RheinAhrCampus I will follow courses in Sports management. I moved to neighbouring Sinzig in March, and I enjoy the time here very much. Last week my classes started and luckily they are not that much different to what I am used to in the Netherlands; small classes and lots of group work. I already liek the Mensa. The food is good and cheap. At my school we pay for a menu about 4€ without dessert. I also enjoy the wide range of sports offered by the Students Union, it is fun to try different sports!

My 3 words

I am very happy to study my minor phase in sports management at RheinAhrCampus! RheinAhrCampus is a lovely, small university with a good reputation among students in Germany.

Wohngemeinschaft: During my semester I live in a big house with 5 roommates. I enjoy being around so many people because you have always someone to talk to and hang out with.

Kaffee: I love coffee :) and so do my roommates. We meet at least two times a day for a coffee in the kitchen and make plans for the evening.

Igel: Two weeks ago we got a new roommate. His name is Stefan but his nickname is Igel (hedgehog in German)

***

My name is Caitlin Woods and I come from the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia. I study Business and major in Human Resource Management. This is my second semester abroad at RheinAhrCampus Remagen. I decided to stay to continue with study and working in the International Office because I loved it so much! I study a mixture of subjects here and I also work as an inter. Before I came to Germany at the end of August last year (2009) I had never studied any German. I have taken a total of 12 weeks of intensive German classes plus a weekly German class with Frau Korpp and every day I am hearing new words and learning from the conversation around me. I can now say that I can speak German and I am really proud of myself :) You can see more about me in the earlier posts in this blog.

My 3 words

Chef: when I first came to Germany, some people would mix some German words in to the English conversation. I would hear people talk about their 'chef' and I thought that they were so lucky to have someone to cook for them. Later I realised that they were actually talking about their 'boss', which is chef in German.

Asozial: usually means antisocial or someone from the lower levels of society, however it is now frequently used by young people to describe something that is bad or out of order. You can also hear people saying 'Assy'. Pretty amusing!

Es Klappt: meaning 'it works'. This is always a good thing to hear!

***

Sziasztok!

I'm David from Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary. At home I study International Relations and I think this is just the right time to experience the practical side of it, studying and doing an internship at wonderful RheinAhrCampus. Fod of culture, especially classical music and theatre, and looking for any chance to improve my German, in which you could also help me a lot by just talking to me (mostly) in German. As for RheinAhrCampus, I'm really fascinated by its nice location and up-to-date facilities as well as all the charming students on and off campus.

Have you been to the Language Lab? If not, then give it a try! I'm there every Thursday from 10:00 til 13:15.Bis bald!

My 3 words

Rechtsstaat: this word is particularly important for me as it is closely related to the concept of the rule of law - an ideal that many countries lack even in the 21st century. Freedom, for me, is what it's all about!

Günstig: a must know word for students in Germany. Everytime I hear or say it, I can be sure that there is something pleasant going on.

Nationalelf: a word that soccer fans all over the world have learned to admit. Respect!

2010-03-18T14:07:00.003+01:00

Hi everyone and welcome to the new semester at RheinAhr Campus! It's Caitlin here, back for my second semester studying and interning at the FH in Remagen. Originally I had planned to study for just one semester abroad however, a couple of months before I was due to leave I was asked if I would be interested in staying for a second semester. I had some time to think about this and I decided that I shouldn't waste this amazing opportunity to continue studying and working in Germany.

I went home to Australia for four weeks to see family and friends and had a wonderful time, although I must admit that I was missing Germany! I arrived back in Germany yesterday ready to start the Summer Semester 2010. It is a bittersweet moment as I had to say goodbye to Marta and Victor but I now get to meet 4 new exchange students and show them around campus and the district as apparently now I am the 'expert'. You will hear more from these lovely people in the coming weeks.

The best news yet is that Spring has sprung! The weather is lovely, the sun is warm and the first flowers of the season are blooming. I thought that I was spoiled with all the beautiful snow last semester but I can see that the Summer Semester will also be an amazing time in Remagen. I can tell you that I am very happy to be back! I went for my morning run along the Rhine River and lunch on the terrace at the University cafeteria and now it is time for some work in the office, as long as my jet lag allows at the moment anyway! Until next time...

About the History of Remagen

2010-01-15T12:28:00.002+01:00

Hi everyone, this is Victor writing. I would like to tell you briefly about the history of Remagen, as I'm a history fan. One the reasons is that Remagen and León, my home city, were founded more or less at the same time (Remagen in 3 B.C. and León in 29 B.C.) during the the Roman Empire so I feel a kind of connection between my home town and Remagen.

So, as I said, Remagen was founded by the Romans, as Caesar wanted to establish the Rhine river as a natural border, so the Commander Drusus built a series of fortresses, one of them in the ancient celtic town of Rigomagos - the name was later latinized to Rigomagus. The Roman Empire also built some bridges in the aerea but all of them were destroyed to hold back the German tribes.

It is again a bridge, which is the most famous element in the history of Remagen - The Ludendorff Bridge, commonly known as the Bridge of Remagen. The bridge was built during WWI, so the German troops could move across the Rhine and reinforce the western front. Ironically the same bridge was used by the U.S. army as the first point of crossing the Rhine during WWII. The German army tried to destroy the bridge, but failed. Thus the U.S. forces had the chance to get a small group of soldiers to the other side of the river. Ten days after the bridge finally collapsed because of the many air strikes of the Germans. Even V-2 rockets were used against the bridge. The collapse itself was not produced by a direct strike.

Nowadays you still can find the remains of the bridge, turned into a Museum for Peace, and a memorial for those who died, Americans and Germans, in this battle.

I almost forgot, if you are also a fan of motor racing, Remagen is the birth town of the famous racing driver Rudolph Caracciola, the most successful racing driver of the 1930s and one of the best in history, but this is another story ;).

'Tis the Season to be Abroad!

2010-01-02T22:31:00.010+01:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY! It's Caitlin here again. I was really privileged to be able to experience a German Christmas over the break. It was so different for me as I am used to cold food and hot weather for Christmas at home in Australia. I was even lucky enough to see snow here in Remagen just before I left on my trip to stay with a friend for this special holiday. Remagen is such a beautiful place and around Christmas the whole town gets into the spirit with lights and decorations. The entire town and campus was covered in snow which was really beautiful. It was the first time I had experienced it snowing like this and I stayed up all night to watch it outside my window.So on Monday it is back to school and back to work! I am looking forward to getting back to my German course. As I finished my subjects in the first half of the semester I have been attending a German class in Bonn. Everyday I travel to Bonn and attend a class for 4 hours each day. It is an intensive course but I love learning the language and I am really enjoying it. I can't wait to be back in class and back in the office to catch up with everyone.