Rikki
BA Modern Languages (German and Spanish)
Albert-Ludwigs Universität in Freiburg, Germany
My study exchange challenged me in many different ways and I believe it forced me to be the most independent I’ve ever been, in a good way. From taking my first flight alone, to navigating around a country and city I’d never even been to before.
Since Freiburg is in a great location for travelling, it also meant I got to visit other German-speaking countries like Switzerland to practice my German. A friend and I took a 2 hour bus to Zürich, where we explored the shops,the views, and museums. Since my exchange was during the Winter semester, we decided to also take a trip via bus and train to Colmar in France to see the Christmas market here as it was rumoured to be amazing and definitely lived up to its reputation.
I was living in student residences in Freiburg. There was a park called Seepark right next to my building, which was ideal for walks, picnics, and swims, which some people still did even in Winter. The residences also held weekly gatherings and there was also a student club on site. It was the perfect location for easily getting to supermarkets, gyms, famous German bakeries, and for transport to the University.
Although it is fairly cheap in Freiburg in terms of food etc, the Santander grant really allowed me to make the most out of my exchange as it gave me that bit of extra money to go out and try German cuisine and culture. It also made my time much easier in terms of putting myself out there and making new friends as it meant that I could join in on more events and activities organised by the Erasmus student network in Freiburg. For example, one day we went to the Badeparadies in the Black Forest and we also did hikes to Scholssberg and Roßkopf, as well as barbecues and pub crawls.
My classmates at university were always welcoming and friendly and helped me to fit in since I was often the only exchange student in my classes and were always open to helping me improve my German. My classes at university were very interactive as they included a lot of group discussions which gave an insight in to how people and other students like me think in other countries and cultures. With my German classes, as well as being constantly surrounded by the German language e.g on the trams and in the shops, I feel as though my German improved a lot from when I first arrived in Freiburg. It even felt weird to speak English in shops when I arrived back home!
Overall, I had one of the most fun times of my life all while studying. I have experienced completely new things and met new people not only from the German culture, but also people from cultures all across the world, and I’m thankful that I was able to receive the Santander grant as it allowed my experience to be the best it could’ve been.
*Please note that Santander grants are no longer available to students going abroad but there are other scholarships and bursaries that students can apply for. See the Funding page for more information.
