Hallo! My name is Esmay, a third year French and German language student who had the amazing opportunity to study at Potsdam University in Germany for this past academic year.
Many of you have probably never heard of Potsdam – some history students may remember the Potsdam Conference in 1945 from their WW2/ Cold War studies, however I would imagine that this is pretty much the extent of their knowledge of this city. Therefore, I would like to start off by introducing Potsdam and why it has been a great city to live in.
What initially attracted me to Potsdam was its closeness to Berlin and its multitude of castles, palaces and parks. With travelling to the capital only taking 45 minutes on the S7 train (which runs every 10 minutes), you can enjoy the advantages of living in a big city while being in a calmer, safer and much more green area. Many Prussian Kings used Potsdam as their secondary summer residence, therefore Potsdam is full of history and magnificent looking buildings.
Potsdam was an inspiring place to live, however it was the people in this city which made me love my time in Germany so much more. Potsdam, just like Berlin, is a very multicultural city, with the University being no exception. After arriving early and taking part in a two-week language course hosted by the university, I had already met so many people from all over the world. I had expected to make friends with many Germans, however my time here was enriched by the knowledge that I learnt from my friends coming from nearby countries such as Belgium, France and the Netherlands, to far afield, like Argentina, South Korea and Australia.
I was lucky enough to find these friends early on, as adjusting to life in Germany did come with its challenges! I come from a small town in the Midlands, where not saying ‘Morning’ to someone in the street is considered rude, therefore the more private, closed-off attitude of many Berlin residents did make me miss my hometown initially. After having only started German two years ago in first year, the language difference and unfamiliar customs did also make me feel out of place at times, however I learnt that I am more adaptable than I thought, and I soon began to see Germany as a home from home.
Settling into Germany may have come with a mix of emotions, however I was reassured in knowing that my new-found international friends were also living through these highs and lows with me. It was a struggle to get my visa approved before my start date, and being the only person I knew who was going on this exchange to Potsdam, I felt quite uncertain about how the process of getting a residence permit would work, once I was out in Germany. These bureaucracy issues were unfortunately quite complicated, but I soon realised that I was not fighting these settling-in issues alone, which gave me the reassurance that I needed.
Thanks to most of my classes being tailored specifically for international students studying German and French, I found that my lectures were a very warm and welcoming environment. The lecturers were also aware of the struggles that international students face and adapted the classes to make the process of studying and settling in as easy as possible. From speaking with students studying with other departments, I found that this experience was mostly shared! Unfortunately the university does not create a tailored timetable for you, and the system for booking classes was slightly confusing, however the ability to choose my classes allowed me to enjoy a three-day weekend, take modules that really interested me and go travelling a lot more!
Even before starting my year abroad, I was very keen on going to different cities in Germany, as well as visiting neighbouring countries. Being a student at a German University meant that I got a public transport semester ticket, meaning all public transport (except high-speed trains) in the whole of Germany were essentially free, after I paid the compulsory semester fee of around €300. This gave me more of an opportunity to explore nearby cities like Dresden, Leipzig, Magdeburg and Hamburg and get close to the border of Poland, Austria and the Czech Republic without worrying about the cost. Many of these trips were made with friends I found in Potsdam, and I would recommend everyone to take advantage of cheap Flixbuses too!
When I wasn’t travelling around, I stayed at my student accommodation provided through the university. The process of getting a place to stay was a bit stressful, as the company dealing with the accommodation (Studierendenwerk West:Brandenburg) only allocated out all the places a month before my arrival, however I learnt that international students get priority when it comes to rooms, and I was very pleased with my little apartment right in the middle of Potsdam.
With Potsdam University being spread across three campuses, the accommodation locations were also quite spread out. Saying this, the maximum distance between all buildings was around 30 minutes on the bus or train, meaning that it was easy for me and my friends to celebrate birthdays, have movie nights and cook together in each other’s dorms, without worrying about the journey home. With buses and trains running throughout the night, I was very impressed by Germany’s transport system and very much miss that now that I am back in the UK!
Studying in Potsdam did require hard work, and as a language student, this year was important for me in order to prepare myself for the German language level required for final year. In addition to the classes I took, I found I was speaking German everyday, whether to a German friend, a shop assistant or while taking part in additional speaking clubs hosted by the uni (Sprachcafe Deutsch). I can’t ever imagine having that many speaking opportunities in a week in Southampton, so I found this to be greatly beneficial.
Although not everyone I knew spoke German, with many relying on English to communicate, lots of my international friends enjoyed learning German as an addition to their studies. It served a great way for them to feel more integrated into German life (alongside trying out every German beer possible!) and meant that they had a new skill to bring back home. Even with prior language knowledge, integrating into German culture was still difficult for me, however I realise that I have become much more of an open-minded person by being able to adapt to these cultural differences.
Overall, this experience was truly one of a kind, and I feel so lucky when I think back to all the friendships I made, the places I visited, and my own personal growth throughout this year. A piece of my heart will always belong to Potsdam (and Berlin), and I hope this magic will carry on to the next Southampton students who choose to make this city into their temporary new home.
I hope this post has inspired you to go on a semester/year abroad, maybe even to Potsdam or Germany!