Joanne Campbell - Summer Language Programmes

It was an unforgettable experience.

Memorable Moments

Attending a summer university in a foreign country was very exciting. We had German classes every morning, and we were put into classes based on our German level. I was in an A2.1 class. My class had around 16 people in it, and Susanne, our teacher, was great! The classes were pretty much entirely in German, which forced me to become immersed, paired with also living in Germany for the month. I had studied German for A level and struggled to find anywhere to keep learning it here at home, so I hadn't really used it for two years. However, being completely surrounded by German language and culture really helped my German come back to me.

I have lots of memorable moments from this trip: swimming and sunbathing at Seepark, a lake park located beside Stusie, the student accommodation I was staying in; the Japanese Gardens at Seepark and the viewpoint tower were also lovely; I enjoyed my first currywurst, and also enjoyed having döner (more than once of course!). I even got to try a yufka döner (kebab wrap). You can get döner/kebabs in Northern Ireland, but a kebab wrap wouldn't be something that would be readily available here! Chilling outside with some new friends at one of the many restaurants in the bustling Münsterplatz, with a view of the Freiburg Münster; visiting a Biergarten (beer garden) in Germany is also a rite of passage — even though I’m not a beer drinker at all, it was all about the atmosphere!

Experiencing German Culture

The people in Germany were friendly and also helpful — I was struggling with my suitcase, and a man and his wife approached me and asked if I needed help, and they helped me find where I was going! However, in Northern Ireland, people are very friendly to strangers, like saying 'hi' to people you pass on the streets, even if you don't know them, which wasn't so common in Germany.

In Germany, Sundays are Ruhetag (Day of Rest), so it is very common for most of the shops to be closed. Some smaller convenience stores or shops in the Bahnhof (train station) are usually open, but most bigger stores and supermarkets are closed. In Northern Ireland, there are limited trading hours on a Sunday, but shops are still open, so this was a shock to me.

In Freiburg specifically, walking and especially cycling are extremely popular modes of transport. Everyone owned a bike! I love how walkable Freiburg is. Belfast city centre is walkable, but once you go a bit further out from the centre, perhaps not so much. Freiburg also has trams — I was a big fan of the tram system in Freiburg. So even when venturing out of Freiburg city centre, the tram system was very easy to navigate and was very handy!

In Germany, Brot/Brötchen is very popular. There are lots of bakeries in Germany, and in the supermarkets there are many different types of Brot (bread). Brezeln (pretzels) are also very popular! I unfortunately couldn't find English breakfast tea in Germany — even in coffee shops, they only sold herbal teas. I forget that the tea culture is mainly an Irish/British thing. I certainly savoured the first cup of tea I had when I got home, after a month of no tea!

Challenges During My Stay

I had some difficulty settling in in Freiburg. It was just a change: being in an unfamiliar environment, surrounded by a different language and culture, not really knowing anyone. Before I arrived in Freiburg, I made sure to sign up for activities offered by the university, as I knew they would be useful to help me get settled into Freiburg.

On the first day, I took a walk around Freiburg city centre with the other girl from Ulster. This was nice to help us familiarise ourselves with the area. As previously mentioned, my classes were pretty much entirely in German, which was definitely a challenge, especially at the start. Being completely surrounded by the German language was a bit overwhelming at times, but I was able to pick things up pretty quickly, and some of my previous German knowledge started coming back to me. When you understand bits and pieces, you are able to put the pieces together and understand a bit better.

Friendship and Finding Connection

In my morning German class, there were people from all over the world: the USA, Japan, South Korea, China, and then myself and another girl from Northern Ireland! We spent three hours a day in this class, so it was easy to get familiar with one another.

I also met people through the university activities. I did make some friends, but with over 200 people on the course, you're never going to meet everyone. I would be quite shy and sometimes found it a bit difficult to talk to people - especially those I didn’t know! I wish we had the opportunity to ‘meet’ or have contact with others before the course commenced, just to get to know each other briefly beforehand.

Signing up for the university activities was definitely one of the best ways to meet other people on the course!

Advice to others

If you are considering doing a trip abroad or even studying abroad, my advice would be to just go for it! I met so many people from all over the world and got to experience so much in just a month-long trip away. I wish I was staying in Freiburg for longer! It was a bit daunting, but I’m very glad I got to experience it.

Put yourself out there is another piece of advice. I’m quite shy and sometimes find it a bit difficult to talk to new people, but everyone on the trip was in the same boat as me — and likely feeling the same! These experiences teach us a lot, and they also push us out of our comfort zone.