‘Déjà vu’ - A Sneak Peek
I still remember
the day I was leaving India for Berlin
for my exchange programme ,My brain too sleepy to board the midnight flight
while my nerves rushed with excitement and curiosity ..Looking forward to learn
and explore the new land awaiting me roughly 10 Hours away!
"Hitlers,
Nazis, Concentration Camps, Tear-Gas” were words in History I had mugged
scratching my head during school days. The excitement was unexplainable!
I landed in
Berlin and received a warm welcome from my officially assigned Korean buddy
Ingo Duelwebber who had visited Alliance University as an exchange Student and
fallen in love with the Indian Culture.
The journey was
way too tiring and happening than expected! I was given a map of the city metro
lines...Which seemed Latin to me since I had never pronounced such words before!
So here it comes -- "Deutsch" or "German" the language
welcomed me !
Things settled
down gradually in my assigned pretty flat and loads of housework and legal
formalities followed in the first week .These minute things taught me how to be
responsible for even the uncounted stuffs in our daily life!
Germans are known
to be perfectionists and punctual by nature and profession! This killed me in
the first few weeks and gradually, with my German study mates, I never realized
how this culture made me a part of itself.
Coming down to
academics and internship, my interaction with my fellow bachelor classmates,
who were exchange students from all over the world, during my initial German
course days was so different! Each day I had a new person to know...a new
language to hear...and not to forget the long discussions we had together about
their culture and stuffs with coffee and muffins (Germany is known for great
bakes too! )
This initial
phase rushed away & was followed by my core subject classes which took
place with full time Masters Students in Berlin School of Economics And Law.
.The subjects that I had, involved a lot of group activity, paper submissions, exams
and interaction with the professors! I observed during my course how the German
education system works. They loved discussions and topics which involved
serious political issues from around the globe. During a presentation with my
study group mates from Lebanon, Africa
and Pakistan certain frictions cropped up since the audience involved people
from all over the globe who gradually became aggressive to stick to their points
of view ...I guess this had been the most difficult situation I had ever faced
as a student .. But that’s where the challenge was! We managed to sail through together, turning
grins into casual smiles and finally bagged in the highest marks for the paper
of Business Ethics. The vigorous Group and individual activities involved
writing Thesis or compilation of final papers to be submitted at the end of
semester for the chosen subjects. This was an all round and crisp approach of the
professors to get an insight of how much input we, as students are capable of
giving when it comes to restriction - free thought flow .It was not only a
creative system of education but also helped the students cover up the entire
subjects chosen few weeks before the final exam papers.
My interaction
with Professor Gert Bruche during my
internship made me understand the corporate culture of Germany
"So ShweDa,
When do we start our Euro trip together?" and that’s how it started... mind
it the "D" is not a mistake...but was a temporary Name change by my Singaporean
pal Wan Ching Huang continuously for more than a week during my stay.
It all started
after the study stress was over... we planned to travel across the German
States of Hamburg, Cologne, The Sleeping Beauty Castle of Fussen , Financial
hub of Germany - Frankfurt, Munich and
off to Czech Republic, the 'Old Town'
lanes of Prague, orthodox church views, Poland, Spain, Madrid, Granada, Barcelona,
Leon, Portugal, the beautiful port and varied sea-food of Lisbon And not to
forget how we fell for The Eiffel Tower
and Disneyland of Paris where there was "Disney in the Air" for us in
the City of Love !
Together we dived
into varied cuisines, culture and loads of discovery of places ranging
from Antoni Gaudis’ wonderful architecture in Spain
“Déjà vu “ used in the title of this article ,is a word from French which literally means "already seen,relating to the phenomenon of believing an event or experience that has occurred in the past,a false sense of familiarity .It signifies queer instances where i felt of having already Germany before i landed there. However to live is to experience new things and not
sit still pondering the meaning of life .Obviously not everyone needs to cross
Asia and see the seas to be contented and live life. True happiness lies where
one feels belonged.
While the temporary refuge from my land added on to new experiences and learning... an abstract attraction pulled me back to India each evening I spent away from my colleagues and family!
While the temporary refuge from my land added on to new experiences and learning... an abstract attraction pulled me back to India each evening I spent away from my colleagues and family!
In a nutshell the
international exchange programme to Berlin School of Economics And Law not only
contributed educationally but also brought a lot of changes in my personality
with a pinch of entertainment. During the travel I often wondered how good it
is to be a little kid, feeling the blood flowing in my veins and my eyes
glitter at the sight of crowded new places, smell of good food and the feeling
of getting away soon from the prolonged study stress!
Now I am back
from Germany to my own people and college and have memories of Berlin its
beauty and the things it imbibed in me...
I thank my Professors and colleagues for their continuous support
and my college for molding me towards a
brighter future.
Also much love and thanks to my readers :) have a good time !!
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