Not sure what I expected from my 3 weeks in Hamburg but I definitely got more than I ever expected… an introduction to a new subject, adventures in a new city and friends for life!
Two HISS programmes ran this simultaneously this summer – physics & health economics. We both started at the same time and with a week of German language courses (beginner or advanced) with a few sightseeing opportunities sprinkled in. After the week of perfecting the German language (kind of anyway) we split up and settled into our respective courses. As someone who has never really been exposed to economics the first week, whilst hard, was very easy to get to grips with (at least the general gist of it all). The second week focused more on the variety of healthcare systems seen in Europe, comparing those of the UK & Sweden with Germany & the Netherlands.
One thing I cannot stress more is the friends I’ve made in the last few weeks, friends from all over the world – good for holidays! We spent most the time together, and yes whilst kind of intense, it was totally worth it. Each weekend the course had organised an outing for Saturday, either a visit to Lübeck or Berlin, so we had the Sundays off to explore Hamburg – museums, row boating and so much more.
Totally worth the trip…would completely recommend if given the chance!