A life-changing experience

Hello everyone!

My name is Carolina, I am 19 years old and I am from the University of Campina Grande, located in the northeast of Brazil. I am a computer science student in my home university and I am currently spending the ERASMUS Exchange winter semester of 2021 at RheinAhrCampus.

When 2021 started I would never think that I would have the opportunity to Study abroad but here I am in Germany writing about this amazing experience.

I can say that I am a completely different person from before I came to Germany. I went through a lot of struggles specifically at the beginning of the ERASMUS Exchange semester but going to them helped me a lot to grow as a person and learn from my mistakes.
I faced a lot of cultural shocks during these months - especially with the language - It was hard to go to do simple things in a different language for me, like simply doing groceries, for example. But now I have completely adapted and I can do all my weekly tasks by myself in german, something I thought I could never do before.

Coming to Germany was an experience full of unique moments for me. It was the first time I lived alone and the first time I had the chance to travel completely alone. I made friends from all over the world and I had the chance to visit 7 different countries in 5 months.

Having contact with people from so many different places and backgrounds certainly was a very meaningful experience for me. I learned to see things from outside the box and learned a lot from my friend's cultures.
I have always considered myself an introverted person but coming to Germany helped me a lot to be more open to meet new people and be more comfortable speaking up in an environment that I am not used to. It also gave me the confidence I needed to realize that I can achieve anything I want If I dare to pursue it.

By making the Academic Internship at RheinAhrCampus I have learned how to organize myself to be more punctual with my tasks, how to give constructive feedback and how to work more efficiently in teams. Even though I made a lot of mistakes during my time at the Campus every single one of them taught me a lesson that I will certainly take with me to my future workplace.

I would like to thank the team of Sprachen Internationales for giving me this opportunity and for receiving me so well in Germany.

Carolina