Life Outside my Comfort Zone

My name is Elene Sokhadze and I am from Georgia. I have spent one summer semester in RheinAhrCampus in Remagen. When I remind the first days here in Germany I see a really big difference in myself. My experience was challenging, exciting and at the same time educational. You should always remember that ‘’The life begins at the end of your comfort zone’’. When you challenge yourself outside of your daily well-experienced life you feel more independent and learn more.

I had never lived in a different country alone. From the beginning, to tell the truth, I was a little bit afraid to see so many differences between being German and Georgian. From the Polychronic culture, I had to adapt to the Monochronic culture and be more aware of the concept of individualism. This whole adaptation period wasn’t so long but it influenced me a lot. I have realized some concepts which are so important for intercultural communications. I will definitely use this knowledge in my future life and carry on internationalization.

One of the most interesting experiences throughout my semester was working in a simulated company as an event manager and contributing and encouraging the relationship between the refugees and locals in Remagen. It gave me the opportunity to get to know many different cultures and be aware of how interesting life is when the language barrier doesn’t exist and you can freely exchange culture. In addition, I improved my skills in planning events, meeting deadlines and also flexibility.

The most challenging for me was working for the international office and studying at the same time in the first half of the semester. I have learned to multitask and I feel more organized now. The small team is really helpful and always finds time to help you.

I will always remember the time I spent in Remagen. This small city is in one of the most beautiful regions of Germany. Just riding the bike alongside the Rhine is the best way to relax and take pleasure from the view. In your free time, you can go to bigger cities, like Cologne, Koblenz, Bonn, which is really close by train and you don't have to pay because of the semester ticket. Cologne is such an international city that you can see many cultures if you observe faces in the city, also you have the opportunities to listen to different type of music and see artists in the streets. Every time I went to Cologne with my friends, it was the best time. There are many festivals which you should see. One of the most memorable for me was Christopher Street Day. This day serves a purpose of demonstrating and celebrating the equality, acceptance, and rights of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transsexuals, transgenders, and intersex. You can see the world without any border between people, full of colors and lots of fun. Even though Georgia is a really friendly country and tries to be open to everybody, you will still never see such an event where politicians, all companies, celebrities will be united for this purpose. It was really impressive.

Overall, I have learned a lot about German culture, improved my language skills and feel more confident in my future career. Being international is really addictive if you start you will have to carry on for your whole life. German policies tend to the healthy lifestyle (bicycle-the most appropriate transport) and being sustainable (separating trash) it seems really inspirational for me. It makes me willing to share this knowledge and experiences in my home country. I will miss every corner of Remagen, all the International friends and amazing team, Sprachen/Internationales. Thank you them for creating such memories.