Journey of unlearning and relearning!

Hi everyone! My name is Surya and I am an exchange student from India.

Germany is the first country I am visiting outside India and I can definitely say that within few months of living here, I have loved this place so much. Remagen, with its beautiful Rhein River and welcoming people have showered me with so much love and care. Moving to Germany for my exchange semester was the most exciting and adventurous six months of my life. As a person coming from an Asian country, everyone and everything here is new. In the beginning, I couldn’t find anything here to connect to what I have lived by for the past 21 years. I really felt that I have reached a completely different dimension.

Then, I started to unlearn things I have learned before and slowly started to adapt with the atmosphere. Well, clearly it was not easy but I definitely enjoyed learning step by step to coup up with the difference. From living alone at the dormitory, shopping at the supermarket, taking care of my expenses, traveling only by trains and bicycles, etc. I could see myself being independent and confident. I could see myself growing and adapting to everything around me. It was definitely a proud and positive feeling inside me.

Meeting and finding new friends were the best experience of this exchange semester. I made friends from many countries and tried interesting homemade cuisines too. As we were having online classes due to the covid situation, all meetings were special and memorable for us. We all tried best to make it unforgettable and fun. We celebrated many festivals like Holi, Easter, and Eid together. Some of us also went on trips together to Luxemburg and Amsterdam. I personally enjoyed bicycling and want to say thank you to the International Office for offering the bicycles to international students.

Also, with GreenErasmus Challenge Program I got to know even the small changes I make in my life will reduce carbon emission, which is a lesson I will continue to follow in my life. Supporting each other and working together for the International Week, planning excursion trips and the list on. I will definitely stay connected with my friends here and hope to visit them in our own countries soon to explore more. I believe these six months were just the beginning of the intercultural journeys in my life. I will cherish every moment and person I met here with a warm smile and definitely want to come back to Germany again. This beautiful country has opened up many doors of opportunities and lots of memories for a lifetime.

Mit Liebe,
Surya :)