Fanni - University of Applied Sciences, Berlin Charlottenburg

Introducing the host university

My receiving institution, the BBWUniversity of Applied Sciences is located in Berlin Charlottenburg. It has two buildings, the main one is on Leibnitzstrasse, the other, the Haus der Wirtschaft is am Schillertheater. All of my lectures take place in the main building, which is very modern, well-equipped. My favourite place is the 7th floor, the rooftop cafeteria – the view is spectacular from the top of the Hochschule.

My first week at the university was very eventful.

All international students were invited to the „Welcome Days” on 9th and 10th of October. On the first day, Tuesday we participated in the matriculation event. The official opening ceremony (for all the new students) took place in the Haus der Wirtschaft. The dean held a speech about how will we conquer the Kingdom of Knowledge together, which was equally funny and inspiring.

After that we had to go to the main building to the matriculation for the international students. (It turned out that Enikő and me, the two Hungarian girls are the first and only Erasmus students at the university.) The whole event was very „tüchtig”, it was coordinated by two lovely ladies from the Student Center. Both of them were – are – very helpful and kind. We got all the most important information in a big white binder. (We also got a black bag, a pen, a highlighter, a notebook and a 4 GB flash drive, all with the uni’s logo.)

They answered all of our questions about the courses, the exams and the administration altogether. They also explained to us how can we apply for a monthly ticket for public transport with a student discount. On this first day we’ve already had our schedule for the whole semester including the time, place and type of our exams. Because of this I can easily plan ahead, I’ve already brought my plane ticket back to Hungary for Christmas time.

Here the whole process of administration is very quick and easy. When we applied for our student ID (all we had to do was send them a picture of ourselves), three days later we received an email that we can go pick it up. Also we had some overlapping courses in our schedule, but they fixed that right away. The open and helpful attitude of the Student Center made this whole „I’m in a new place in a whole other country”-stuff way less stressful and terrifying.

Social life as an Erasmus student

On the second day of the Welcome Days the program for all the international students was going sightseeing. But not just any sightseeing: each year in October, Berlin turns into a city full of light art. The artful displays on the famous landmarks, monuments, buildings and places are turning the Festival of Lights into one of the best known light art festivals in the world. National as well as international artists are presenting their brilliant light installations and thus, transform the city into a huge stage. They tell stories, draw attention to the special and present their cultures, arts, crafts and messages. Berlin landmarks, historical places, streets, squares, trendy neighborhoods and hotspots of recent history are staged with light.

The meeting point was at the university, we met up at 6 pm. Most of the international squad could make it, so we were around 20 of us. Our first stop was the Berliner Hauptbahnhof, which is the main railway station of the German capital. After that we took a walk tot he direction of the Reichstag – Bundestag. Both of the buildings looked fabulous, all lit up in the dark. Then we arrived to the Brandenburger Tor, it was the first time we saw the infamous light art. It was truly amazing. I took so many pictures and made videos as well, but they can barely show the true atmosphere of the whole experience. Our last stop was the heart of the city, Potsdamer Platz. There were some breathtaking lights as well, but my favourite’s still the Branderburger Gate.

After the sightseeing tour we headed to a Mexican restaurant called Que Pasa, on Oranienburgerstrasse, where the program coordinator booked us a table. The place had a wonderful ambiance, the food was amazing – and most importantly, the first drink was on the house! :D I mean… the university.

This was a great opportunity to socialize with the other international students. We learned so much about each other’s backgrounds, cultures and cuisines. They were fascinated by the Hungarian language :D

I met so many cool people, so I must say it’s gonna be an awesome half of a year!

#erasmusperience #fanniinberlin