Our exchange advisor told us that he has arranged a meeting with a local newspaper from Bergisch Gladbach. The purpose was to interview the exchange students from his agency, which were us. The topic was us and our stories. Although this was in the very beginning from the exchange year, you will find a few interesting ideas; keep reading!
This post and many more are related to my Exchange Year in Germany from 2008 to 2009. In this country I lived with various host families and learned German too. Click in the link below to read more.
Table of Contents
What is an exchange student program?
The exchange student program is an experience about going to live the culture of a foreign country. Usually you have to be between 15-18 years old and live in a native family. This trip could take from 3 months to 1 year. You can read about this topic in my blog post.
Meeting the local newspaper
On August 19 of 2008 I went with my other exchange program mates, Caihong from Taiwan, Sand from United States and me, Juditova from Ecuador. The place of the meeting was Bergisch Gladbach. This town was to the right of Cologne, in a few minutes away using the S-bahn (Rapid train in German), after my german classes.
The Interview to the Exchange Student Group
Since I didn't speak much German at that time, Sand was my interpreter. When I got to the interview, we introduced ourselves cordially and sat down. Our interviewer was a woman called Agatha Mazur from the newspaper Kölner Stadt Anzeiger. You can learn about this journalist by visiting her on her website and social profiles.
She asked us (the exchange student group) about our countries, our decision to come to Germany and of course, our opinion and experiences. I don't remember all of them but I have saved a copy of the newspaper.
What I liked
To sum up, I said that Germany was a beautiful country, for its architecture and cities. The trains and trams was one of the features that I loved the most; they didn't exist in my country (at least, not well established). The food (like the German breakfast with Mettwurst) was delightful. I didn't mentioned that I LOVED beer because my exchange advisor was nearby.
What I didn't like
What I shared was something I noticed right away: the germanic tribes do not show smiles right away. This behavior was cold for me and I interpret it as if they put a barrier in front of you. This does not mean that they are mean, unsocial or rude. It is just their way of behave.
After the Interview to the Exchange Students
Once our meeting ended, we thanked her for everything and viceversa. I took a picture with her just for remember the moment later.
The article were posted on the newspaper issue on August 29 of 2008. It went viral and I became very popular… just kidding.
Our exchange advisor invited us all to have ice cream. When I saw that I received an ice cream with a glass cup, of all colors and flavors, I couldn't help but smile at him with an immeasurable smile translated into a “Thank you.” That was a nice gesture on his part. Because the refined ice cream was a bit pricey, I always abstained and decided just to go for the ice cream cones.
voyageLlama's Index of Content
Click on the following link to browse likewise content in the blog in voyageLlama. This index will help you see what you are looking for in a bird's eye view.
Keep Reading!
- How do Americans think? A letter from an expat
In this letter, an expat living in USA tell us how do Americans think through his eyes and experience. Click here to read. - Study in Portugal, an exciting journey in this whopping World?Find reasons to study in Portugal from the perspective of Juditova. Is it appropriate for you too?. Click here to read.
- Phantasialand, an immersive theme park in GermanyPhantasialand is a theme park located near Bonn. The exchange students went there to enjoy the ride. Click here to read.
- Independence of Mexico nostalgic party in GermanyThe Independence of Mexico was celebrated by classmates during a nostalgic party in Germany but I had to avoid neonazis. Click here to read.
- Visit from a friend, a short connection back to homeDuring the exchange year, I faced loneliness a few times. Luckily, I got a visit from a friend from my country. Click here to read.
