Part of my heart will always be here

My name is Nino, I am 21 years old and I come from Georgia. Everything has started in March 2018. For us, Georgians, to be an Erasmus student is harder than for any other students. There is a very intensive and difficult selection process in both, home and host universities. We have to prepare several documents, have interviews and if we have a little bit of luck, we will be chosen. And here I am!

At first I had no idea what would happen. With the help of Dr. Rajah, I prepared everything and arrived in Germany in the middle of September. I should say that I am the luckiest person, because I am living exactly in front of the train station (I have a nice view of the train station from my window) This is the greatest thing, especially, in winter when I do not need to wait for the bus, or to call the taxi, because at night buses do not work.

In the first week, we went on a night excursion to Cologne with Dr. Borgmann. We walked a little on the riverside and had an amazing pizza picnic at the end. It was surprising for me because at my home university we never spend time with professors outside of the classes.

The courses I took in RheinAhrCampus were very interactive and interesting. My favorite subjects were International Marketing and Intercultural Communication in the Global Workplace. To compare German and French markets we went for the excursion in France and got to know different hypermarkets.

All the professors were very supportive and they were trying to help us to integrate in the international environment.

One of the most significant advantages of doing an exchange semester in RheinAhrCampus was the possibility of studying and working at the same time. This was the great chance for us to work in an international environment, acquire new skills, and test our abilities in a different culture. This was a fantastic opportunity for me to work on my weaknesses and improve my leadership skills.

The most valuable that I gained are my friends, international and local students from all over the world. We spent time together, traveled and had fun. One of the most memorable was an excursion to Luxemburg, in very tiny, but at the same time amazing city with breathtaking sightseeing. I exchanged my knowledge and experience with students, so I became more aware of different cultures.

Speaking about cultures, I must mention workshop “Managing Cultural Diversity”. In this workshop I met students and lecturers from 25 countries; it broadened my knowledge about cultures and different traditions. This seminar was important for me because I was the head of Logistics and so I had to be out of my comfort zone and challenge myself!

For me traveling is one of the main advantages of Erasmus. I love traveling and Remagen is the best spot for this. Because of its perfect location, you can easily travel around Europe and visit different cities. With our semester ticket, we had a possibility to go to Cologne, Bonn, and Coblenz or nearby cities. The reason why I love winter semester is the Christmas market. In my opinion, Cologne Christmas markets are the best in the whole Germany. There you can feel the real spirit of Christmas.

To sum up, one semester at Remagen was like a dream. This semester gave me a lot, as I experienced a new environment and culture, I grew personally as well as professionally. This period of my life was super crazy, unforgettable and full of memories. Part of my heart always will be here. This is the price we all pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place. Every ending has a new beginning. So, I will wait for a new start!