In this post I just want to give some of you tips and guidance on how to survive a year abroad placement, without having a complete breakdown. I will outline some of the most important things that you need to consider and do while you're here by linking it to some experiences that I've had to go through. Hopefully this will help you decide whether Potsdam is the place for you, or whether the year abroad option is the right one for you.
1 Language
Firstly, I would say that the most important thing about your year abroad placement is practising your language all the time, in any possible way you can. At first I was really scared to talk to native Germans, as I always feared that they would laugh at me if I made a mistake. And I have struggled with this problem for a long time. But I've realised that it's impossible to ever learn, unless you practise it. The one thing that I have avoided was, talking in front of large groups in for example: my seminars and lectures, but I'am willing to work on that in my second semester. And on top of that it feels so good, when you talk to someone and they can actually understand you. I don't know about the rest of you, but every time I've spoke to a German person that could understand me, I was so proud of myself in a way. It's like an achievement in a way, because that's the whole reason why I'm here in first place, to learn a new language. So I would definitely advise all of you planning to do year abroad, or those that are coming to Potsdam, to speak as much as you can. It will help you so much in the long term. And although yes it's hard to speak German, when you're in Berlin, as everyone or most people reply to you in English, you should still try. I did that a few weeks ago while I was in Berlin. A shop owner realised that I can speak fluently in English, so he just kept replying to me in English every time I said something, and I thought you know what, I'm here to learn. Not to speak in English, so I carried on speaking in German. It's like we was both practising our language skills and it was so fun. Potsdam is a bit different. If you're going to a shop, doctors or bank, they will speak to you in German, which is fine by me, but it can be so much harder, especially if their accent is a bit different, or if they speak really fast. But I would definitely say, do it as many times as you can!
2. Friends/ Socialising
Second most vital thing, would be making a lot of friends, and socialising. When I first came to Potsdam, I was really nervous that I wouldn't make any friends, or that I would be completely on my own at uni. But luckily, I have met some great people. And although most of them are English or speak in English, I've had some great times with all of them. It's important to always socialise as it makes your year abroad adventure so much different, than if you just came here without talking to any people. And yes it is hard at the start. You feel like you don't want to irritate people, especially when they already have their group of friends. But I honestly wouldn't worry. A lot of the Erasmus students, are in the same boat. They had to leave their friends and family back home, so it's hard for them to settle in as well. Therefore, if you feel like you don't want to do this because you're scared of being alone, or you want to go to the same place in Germany where your friends from back home are going, then I would honestly advise you not to, and to always look out for yourself, what you want to do and where you think would be the best place for you to go. I was the only person in my class that was moving to Eastern Germany. Everyone else wanted to go to the West, so in a way they are closer to UK. At first I was really concerned about moving to Potsdam. It seemed more ideal to be closer to the people that I know. However, looking back on this semester, I don't regret coming here one bit. It was the best decision even though I didn't know anyone, when I first moved to Potsdam. At the start of uni, we've had a freshers week just like back in UK, and every Thursday there was student nights out at Nil, where you can literally meet so many people. Surprisingly, most people that actually went there were Erasmus students. So honestly don't worry, you will meet great people, and have the time of your life. Make sure you're more open though, to actually meeting them and always involve yourself. Because it will be hard to go through this all by yourself, when you can share this experience with so many great people, that are also probably feeling homesick sometimes.
Another reason why it's so important to socialise in Potsdam, is for the pure fact that the international office and the professors will not help you and support you to the extent that you think they will. When I first came to Potsdam, on my first day we had to go to the Griebnitzsee campus, to collect our cards and meet our buddies. I believe, that was the only time I've seen someone actually going out of their way, to explain to us what on earth is going on, and what we are expected to do. I think I have mentioned in my other posts already, but just to remind, everything is so much different here, in terms of picking the right modules. On that day, they gave me my card, some paper work and a TAN list, which for about a week I had no clue what it was. They said we had to log into the PULS system, where we would be able to create our own timetable, but no one has actually said to me, that we needed this TAN list, to actually register into some of the lectures and seminars. It was all so confusing. So I wrote an email to the international office, which I never even got a reply from. I spoke to my tutor, and he was unable to explain to me what needed to be done. So it was all just crazy and messed up. I had no idea who I could go to, to ask for help. And up until this day, I'm not entirely sure how many credits I have done this semester, because no one was able to tell me exactly how many credits my modules are worth. Crazy! Luckily, I've seen my buddy on the campus one day and she explained to me exactly how I need to register for modules, so it all made sense to me after. Which is why I think, making friends and actually taking advantage of the fact that you have a buddy at university, is so important. The professors or the international office will not help you when it's urgent. Unless you knock on their door every single day. But even then, they will probably say 'you need to go and talk to a different department' like they've said to me a few times. Throughout the whole semester, I've had some other issues and questions, and if it wasn't for the fact that I had some friends, that I could talk to, then I would have struggled so bad. Because the actual uni will not help you out as much as the universities and tutors in UK do, they will just leave you to it, and let you get on with your studies, and with everything that needs to be sorted before that. So make sure you socialise and don't leave your timetable till last minute!!!!
3 Weather
The weather here in Potsdam, will definitely surprise you as it's so much different to the UK one. The main thing to remember is, that the summers are really really hot and the winters are really cold. I came to Potsdam with one winter coat, no scarf, no gloves and no hat. Which was definitely a stupid thing to do. I do admit that September was really hot in comparison to UK. It was so lovely to get out of UK that was already quite cold, to enjoy some beautiful weather for like a month or so. October wasn't so bad either, but you could no longer wear shorts or dresses. However, the winter here has been awful. It probably started off in November, and it's still so cold now. In fact it's actually snowing at the minute. There was so many points within those months, that I felt like I was going to freeze to death, especially when my lectures were finishing quite late and I had to wait for buses/ or trains. Therefore, don't forget to bring some warm clothes with you for your year abroad placement. Yes, Germany is really warm in the summer and you will get to experience some of that as well, BUT the winters are soo cold here, you can't even compare it to the winters in UK. So make sure you're all prepared for that!
4 Money/ Student Finance
In terms of money, your student finance and the Erasmus grant. You will get a bit more money this year, which will be very ideal to actually do more exciting things, like travelling to other cities/countries, treating yourself but always balance your expenses. I went a bit crazy at the start of my year abroad placement, as I've never seen so much money, and I believe anyone would be the same. But make sure you know exactly, what you can and can't afford. I'm grateful for the fact that I've seen so many places since September, been to some amazing parties and actually got to see more things in Poland. But I do think, I went a bit crazy with spending my money at the start, so now I limit myself more. I would recommend, that you should all maybe make a list at the start, with like how much money you would need to pay for rent and things like that, then maybe that would help you figure out what things you can afford to do, and which ones you can't. I've actually started doing that with food that I buy. I make a list of what I'm going to make for like a week, which helps me to save money on unnecessary food that will probably go out of date, before I eat any of it. Hope that helps :)
5 Accommodation
I would advise all of you to probably to start looking for accommodation, a couple of months before you leave, so it gives you that extra time to prepare for this properly. I've actually started looking way earlier than any other students, purely for the fact that I knew Lee was moving to Germany with me. It was impossible for me to stay with him at halls, so we had to look for other alternatives. After a few months of searching, we decided to go for Basecamp. It's a decent place, you have access to free gym, cinema room and there is a huge study room. There are also people at the reception most of the time, so it's good to have that when you're struggling with something. They also speak English. However, the rooms are not so big, especially when you're sharing it with someone and they actually just left concrete floors in every single room, so if don't mind that, then you should go for it. You can share the studio with a non student. That was the most important thing for me, and it was a lot cheaper than flats in Berlin. Some of you will probably find it easier to live in halls, mainly as it's affordable and really close to uni. There is a block of student halls right next to the Neues Palais and the Golm Campus, which is ideal for all of you that want to live close to uni and pay cheaper rent. I think you have to apply for them through Studentenwerk, which is a service provided by the university. They will most likely message you more details on how to apply through that, closer to your arrival. By living at halls you also get to meet quite a lot of people from uni, not just international students so it's also good for socialising and practising your language skills. If any of you want to live in Berlin, I personally wouldn't advise it as the accommodations are so much more expensive there, and it takes about 30-40 minutes to get to Potsdam from central Berlin, so it would be more convenient to actually live in Potsdam. However, you do get more choices in Berlin and it's more lively there. There is also the choice of looking for a flat, that you can share with other people, not through university, and you do get a bit more space than you would in halls, but I don't know much about this option. I'm not a big fan of sharing flats with people, so I never really looked into it. But if you don't mind it then there is a special website, where people advertise flats or look for international students that would want to move in with them. So there is quite a lot out there for you. Don't panic. You will not be homeless. Just make sure you do some research a few weeks before your departure :)
6 Travel/ Trips
Travelling to as many places as you can and visiting everything that Potsdam and Berlin has to offer, I would say is also important. Maybe not as important as getting everything sorted in your university, meeting the right kind of people, and finding a flat but it would be so good for your knowledge and awareness. Not only you have a chance to learn something new but you also have the ability to explore and discover new things.
In Berlin and Potsdam- If you don't know much about History, DDR and about former German royals, then these cities have so many great museums, castles, beautiful parks that will literally take your breath away and that are definitely worth visiting while you're here. There is also a concentration camp not far from Berlin, that I still haven't had the chance to see, but from what I've heard it's worth a visit. You have to see all of it! I literally feel so lucky sometimes that I live in such a beautiful place. Can't wait to see what it will be like when it's warm again :). Same goes with Berlin, but it's just so much bigger and busier. Last week me and Lee was bored at home so we decided to drive to Wannsee, which is just on the outskirts of Berlin, closer to Potsdam and there is a beautiful lake there, with boats that you can hire when it's warmer. And this place was just so cute. We also finally got around to seeing Park Babelsberg properly, and the castle and so far this is probably our favourite place in Potsdam. I don't think this park gets as much credit as the Park Sansoucci one, but it is so nice! Nottingham doesn't have as much to offer, in terms of beautiful big parks, lakes and boats so if you're into nature, history and that kind of stuff, then Potsdam is the right place for you.
In addition to that the university card that you receive at the start of the semester, is basically also classed as your travel card. I did have to pay like 200 euros at the start of uni for it, but it was so worth it. I basically got a free travel for 6 months not only around Potsdam and Berlin, but also the whole Brandenburg county. So I took the advantage of having this card, while being off uni and did a bit of travelling around the county. Last Monday I went to a beautiful town called Lubbenau, which looked a bit like a small German- Venice. There was lots of small lakes everywhere with boats, which were not available at the moment due to the weather conditions, but in the summer they will probably be ongoing. I also went to Frankfurt Oder at the weekend, as it borders with a small Polish city- Slubice, so I had the chance to cross the border and see some lovely sights, by basically just using my student card. It was wicked! I don't know how it works in other parts of Germany, but in Potsdam everyone has to pay for this student card. It's so worth it though. I have so many other places I would love to see in Brandenburg, just didn't really have time to do it all this week. So I suppose that's the advantage of being in Potsdam uni as well :)
Wannsee
Pictures from last week- when my family from Poland has visited me in Potsdam.
Park Babelsberg
Lubbenau
Frankfurt Oder/ Slubice
7 And last one- Don't be afraid!
I know what is probably going through some of your heads. 'How on earth am I going to live in another country, so far from my friends and family. I'm going to be homesick all the time. What if I don't meet any nice people. How am I going to look after myself ' I know how terrifying this is. And I know, how scared you must be. But honestly, I can promise you now, it's not as bad as it seems. As long as you're open to new friendships, you are willing to speak the language and have everything sorted, you are going to have an amazing time. And you are not alone in this. The tutors from Trent are very helpful and are always there to support you when you're struggling with something. So don't worry. Before I came here, I was convinced this experience was going to be like my first year at Swansea University, which was an awful experience. But it was nothing like it this time. I feel more happy here and I know that what I'm doing at the moment will be so beneficial for my future and towards my goals. Even though I had to leave a beautiful flat in Nottingham and a job as well. So maybe that will be the case for you as well. You never know unless you try it :)
Thank you for reading my post, MR x
