Creating long lasting memories

Hi, everyone!

My name is Erda, an ERASMUS Exchange student from Albania. I would like to share my story abroad with you all, a story I never expected to have, but one that I'm grateful for despite its ups and downs!

Sitting here and writing this report has made me realize how fast this semester has come to an end and it is definitely because of the amazing experiences that made us forget about the time. Coming here for a summer semester, was one of the best decisions. Of course, the weather is one of the factors, but not the most impressive one, although here I was experiencing snow in the middle of April. Super angry with myself for not taking more winter clothes with me, but also laughed with the locals who used to say the quote “April macht was er will”, which means that “April does what he wants”. That was exactly what he did!

I used to live in Remagen, near the train station. Remagen is a small city, but warm. Watching sunsets while walking by the Rhine, was one of my favorite things to do in this city. Living near the train station, offered me the possibility to often visit these two cities, which became my favorites, Cologne and Bonn. I loved the chaotic Cologne, where as soon as you would arrive there, you would be amazed by its Cathedral every time.

I am a person, who believes that you could travel all around the world, but what would make your journey unforgettable are your travel companions. After, this experience I believe this more and more because of our group of international students like Brazil, India, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Latvia, USA, Canada, etc. We travelled so many places together, giving each other the possibility to have insight into each other’s cultures.

The dinners, that lasted till morning, with our mouths burning because of the spicy Indian food, and the conversations that made us realize that coming from different backgrounds, from different lifestyles we still can enjoy each other presence. On our first week in RheinAhrCampus, Laurence, one of our lectures, taught us that living in an intercultural environment, and having an open mind to receive new ideas is the key to cooperating with people.

Last but not least, trying to calm all the memories storms I am having I would like to express my gratitude to all the professors and friends at RheinAhrCampus who were always there for me during this ERASMUS Exchange Semester.

Yours sincerely,

Erda