My happy days in Remagen

Hello there!

As I approach the final week of my stay here in Remagen as an exchange student from India, I already feel sad about having to leave this place. At the same time, I understand that to be somewhere in the future we have to travel through our present. 28th Feb 2021 is my last day here and in this write up you will get an idea of my life in the past 6 months here.

It was during the middle of the pandemic that I reached Remagen. Zoom classes had become the new normal and it was the only option for me to meet international friends from around the globe. It was not my first time being on my own but I kind of missed being with people, play outdoor games. One thing that fascinated me during this part of my stay was the Autumn season here in Germany. So many colourful trees in and around the campus. The so-called perfect places to get clicked and to be remembered for a lifetime.

As days passed, we were approaching Christmas. I had heard a lot about Christmas celebrations in Germany and especially the Christmas markets in Bonn and Cologne. I had easy access to both these cities with the help of my semester ticket. Speaking of Cologne, the mesmerizing Koln cathedral is a must-visit place here. It inspires everyone to stand tall in life throughout dawn and dusk. As lockdown kicked in during November, I along with my other International friends had to celebrate Christmas online and was equally lively and fun. We played online games and heard about Christmas tales. I had never thought why Santa dressed in red or what were the names of his 9 reindeer before the event and I got answers to all my questions there.

One more cherry on the cake was the Managing Cultural Diversity seminar on Technology and Authenticity, an International Seminar with students, faculties from more than 10 different countries, different time zones. Contributions from all presenters forced me to reconsider what I had learned over the years. One of the presenters showed us how easily fake news can be created and sent to millions at the push of a button.

I must thank the entire team of the Sprachen/Internationales who amidst everything made sure these days were memorable for all of us and at the same time, everyone stayed healthy. I still regret of not being able to travel to nearby countries like the Netherlands, Belgium, or France but this unsatisfied desire will stay with me and keep me pushing to come back someday when everything becomes normal again and re cherish my days here in Remagen, Germany.

- Sukhendu