Janna Bauermeister spent a semester at Mumbai University – one of the largest universities in the world. Hyo-Jei Cho from Seoul is studying for an international Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics in Oldenburg. Two personal accounts.
“My goal is to have lived on every continent for half a year.” Janna Bauermeister has been pursuing this ambitious plan since her teenage years. At the age of 15, the Master’s student spent a school year in New York; during her Bachelor’s degree, she spent a semester in Johannesburg. When she learnt about the new co-operation with India through her job as a student assistant at the International Student Office (ISO), she knew straight away: that’s where she wanted to go next. No sooner said than done: together with two other women from Oldenburg, the 24-year-old spent four months at Mumbai University.
In Oldenburg, Janna is studying English and subject-specific teaching for a primary school teaching qualification. Once she’d been accepted, she let out her room and applied for a visa. Getting started in India was straightforward: “They sorted everything out for us, even the flat,” she says. Mumbai University has an incredible 770,000 students, whilst the city itself has a population of 22 million. Janna lived with four other German female students in a flat on the Kalina campus. “It’s one of the most beautiful. The buildings may be older and not as grand as the Victorian structures in the south of Mumbai, but the campus is green. It’s the city’s largest green space!”
“I’ve become much more relaxed”
Although Janna is already nearing the end of her studies, she was able to take a lot away from the seminars in Mumbai. “We looked at online courses – what they are and how they can be used in the classroom. That was new to me,” she recalls. Her experiences with a different school system were also formative. As part of a project, Janna taught in a remote village. “Despite seven years of English lessons, the children could barely get to grips with the language. That’s when it first dawned on me that it really is a foreign language. In Germany, we take it for granted. Since then, I’ve been more understanding towards pupils.”
In any case, she has become much more relaxed. “Before India, I was always really punctual and quite strict. That’s changed.” When travellers in Germany get upset about a train being 20 minutes late, the Wolfsburg native can only smile: on her travels, she’s often been on the move for 15 hours or more. Communication with the lecturers was also more relaxed. “Everything was done via WhatsApp. If a class was cancelled, the lecturer would post a message in the group chat. It was really straightforward.”
As one of nine exchange students in a relatively small class of students, it was easy for Janna to get to know the locals too. “We went out for meals together, went to parties, and were invited home by the Indian students.” She spent Christmas in Goa with a friend’s Catholic family. “Seeing how they live in their little village – that was something completely different.” The lecturers also encouraged her to travel and to get to know the culture and the country. “Back in Johannesburg, it was different; I was completely focused on university.”
After graduating, Janna’s next destination is another continent: Central and South America. She hasn’t had her fill of India either: “Even though I was there for so long, I haven’t seen everything yet. India is as big as Europe and has just as many cultures and languages.”
From Seoul to Oldenburg
Two years ago, Hyo-Jei Cho from South Korea came to Oldenburg to study – despite being only 24, he already had plenty of experience of living abroad under his belt. As a teenager, he attended high school in the USA, after which he began studying environmental sciences at the University of Oregon. However, he had to put his studies on hold to complete his military service in his home country, South Korea. For him, this was an opportunity to look around for alternative places to study. “Studying in the US is extremely expensive, and I was also dissatisfied with the course content,” explains Hyo-Jei. He learnt about the opportunities in Germany through a consultancy agency. On the website of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), he searched for degree programmes in the field of renewable energies: only two universities do not require proof of German language proficiency, as the course is largely taught in English. One of these is Oldenburg.
He is now in his fourth semester here, studying for a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics with a specialisation in Renewable Energies. “Studying in Germany is more challenging than in the US. But I think that’s precisely why it’s better,” Hyo-Jei notes. After all, he explains, the material here isn’t just learnt by heart, but is also worked through independently. “The material from the first semesters comes up again later on. So you really have to understand it,” he says.
Hyo-Jei also enjoys student life in Oldenburg. Thanks to the orientation week for international students, it was easy to settle in at the university and get to know people. “We did a lot together – went on trips or just popped out for a drink,” he recalls. During term time, the International Student Office (ISO) regularly organises games evenings, karaoke, group dinners and other events. These events are a great opportunity to chat, “and lots of German students enjoy coming along too,” he explains. “As I’m not an exchange student, it’s naturally easier to build closer contacts with German fellow students too.” He can’t confirm the stereotype that Germans are reserved or even cold: “It does sometimes take a while for them to open up, but once they do, you’ve made some really good friends.”
“A great city for studying”
Hyo-Jei now feels right at home. The only thing that bothers him is the bad weather – especially in winter. Otherwise, Oldenburg is a great city for studying. Neither too big nor too small, and above all very laid-back. “In a bigger city, I probably wouldn’t spend so much time on the campus,” he smiles. He’s also pleased that Oldenburg is a cycling-friendly city: “I’m used to that from Oregon – one of the best cycling cities in the US.”
What he appreciates most about Europe, however, are the travel opportunities: “The infrastructure is better than in America; flights are very cheap, or you can travel right across Europe with an Interrail ticket. The ease of getting around is really cool.” In future, Hyo-Jei definitely wants to see more of Germany – so far, he’s only managed to visit Bremen and Hamburg. There’s still plenty to discover even alongside his studies.
