Looking back to the last semester brings back a whole lot of memories. We can now proudly say that we finished a term at a foreign university and created an extensive network with people from all over the world.
The best experience was probably living and studying together with multiple cultures. We became partners, teams and friends with people from other continents despite different traditions and values. This has not only extended our horizons, it also had a great impact on our thoughts and views.
At ICMS everybody had to wear business attire during class. This effected our learning behaviour, because we felt much more professional and grown-up. Dressing up is also an important learning point for our future, when we have to dress up for our jobs. At ICMS we learned how to dress appropriately to every occasion. There were several events on the campus and arranged by the ICMS where we were supposed to look fancy. The girls wore dresses and the boys were dressed in suits, for example at the end of term party, which took place on a boat. We passed the Opera House and the famous Harbour Bridge while the sun set. This special moment will probably be in our minds forever.
After that it was time to say goodbye. People started to leave the campus which was not only sad for us – it was also hard for the campus staff and our teachers.
Our time in Australia was one of the best semesters we had so far and we will always look back to all the good experiences and memories.
ICMS, it was a pleasure being a part of you.
Many weeks or even months passed since most of us leaved Malaysia, or, to be more precise, Southeast Asia. The last of us returned only a few days ago. Now that everyone found his way back to normal, we want to draw a conclusion.
It’s probably best to continue where we stopped the last one…
Right after our variously and creatively spent mid-term break, the first final exams hit with much work to do than before. As we can tell from the designers, most of us were working insanely often and long on our projects. Even though, the assignments where unexceptional interesting and fun, the work that came with them made us spare lots of our time. In the end however, all of us can tell how proud they are about what we have created in that little time. But not only have we, as designers, worked hard and often, but the managers as well.
Nonetheless was the level of difficulty set high due to the unfamiliarity with some of the programs used to realize our tasks. As an unfortunate consequence, this circumstance forced us to concentrate on a even wider ranged field of tasks, including the understanding of our tools. During that period some of us felt disappointed by the sometimes little help and advice we received from teachers. But this applies only to the stressful part of the semester that, as all of us know, is kind of meant to stress the students in order to learn how to solve problems and finish projects in a certain amount of time.
Talking about our classes, we soon discovered that the engagement of other students was way lower than we are used to here in Germany. As long as students deliver the work they were asked for, the teachers don’t even bother to motivate them and we were surprised by that behavior.
Unaffected by this however, all of us put a lot of effort into the assignments which is definitely noticeable in the outcome.
Right after the last exam, our group began to split and spread itself all over nearby places like Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia or others. Even though most of us continued to travel and explore Asia, a little part head homewards already.
Thanks to the semester’s early ending we had enough time to spend for traveling and the like before Christmas came, what turned out to be the main reason for finding the way back home.
Speaking of myself, I made a trip through Southeast Asia for a month and in retrospective I can only say it was worth every cent. We travelled in a small group of four and went to see Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia for one month. Airasia offers a cheap way – the ASEAN ticket – to get everywhere for some hundred euros in total. In these four weeks, we could experience much of these other cultures that are all very different compared to the Malay life and something special for itself.
(Isabell)
Whereas a great friend of mine and I have chosen to stay in Malaise for a little longer. We returned to the beach called Cherating once again and spend three weeks of pure relaxation and adventure alike in our very own hammocks. Thanks to the amazing people there those days turned out to be one of the most precious ones I ever had. Friends and experiences we made during that time are truly priceless.
After leaving our new gained home, we continued the travels in Bali, where we had the great pleasure to meet our families and spend the holidays around Christmas together with them.
All in all I can’t think of an better way to spend the time that was given!
(Benjamin)
When we think back to the time we had in Malaysia and around, even counting the negative aspects in, we are pretty sure to be able to rightfully say, without being corrected by our companions, that we had a hell of a trip everyone is happy to have made.
The Germans have proven their ability to stick together, work together and live together without any major complications. That connection stayed strong even after meeting up with individually chosen new friends from all around the world, what makes us proud and happy.
We would be lying, if we’d say we weren’t happy to finally check out of our accommodation. But being stuck there and held together only strengthened our connection as a group. You wouldn’t believe how strong a bound can become when there is a common obstacle to face.
To name only one of those obstacles, the house’s condition is to criticize in a way of cleanliness and organization, even though it only exists since merely a few years. What makes is even worse is, that the management hardly made a move to change that.
Concerning the University, at lest we as Designers ended up pretty satisfied. We were confronted with new programs and essentials to improve our skills. Unfortunately the Managers couldn’t be pleased the same way. Their classes turned out to teach only basics and knowledge all of them already knew, what didn’t help the to evolve themselves.
As we are already kind of used to from our former semesters in Germany, the organization of Limkokwing could be improved. All the students have to manage their ways through the struggle of signing in, finding the classes and delivering the assignments correctly.
Even though the list of points of criticism could be much longer, we don’t have the aim to talk that negatively about it, since we owe it all, the positive and the negative, what we got in return: An absolutely amazing Semester full of new experiences and memories.
As this blog is my last, I would like to tell less about my studies, but more about my favorite adventures in beautiful Mexico.
As I mentioned in the earlier Blogs, in my eyes Mexico is underestimated. It has the friendliest people, most diverse nature and can be an adventure for a lifetime. But if people actually travel to Mexico, they most likely travel to Cancun or Playa del Carmen, which are the well-known hotel and party places. Because of their popularity, these places became really touristy and the true charm of Mexico is nearly gone. So here is my top 4 of traveling through Mexico and experience the real Mexican vibe and nature:
You most likely fly into the capital city Mexico DF, when you are traveling to Mexico. This lends itself to discover the city for a few days, but be prepared that it might take a while to get around, but what else to expect from a city with a population of more than 21 million people.
If you are looking for a fun experience next to all the history of Mexico DF, I totally recommend the floating gardens of Xochimilco, located only 30min away. You book yourself and your friends or family one of the beautiful colored boats and float down the rivers, where they offer you lots of entertainment. You can bring your own drinks and by the time smaller boats show up all around you offering to buy cloths, plants, food or souvenirs and you can even delight yourself with some traditional Mariachi music. It’s simply fun!
Another place to mention is Teotihuacan. Also not far from DF, this is one of the most important places of the Aztec history and the pyramids are still in an okay shape to actually climb them and get an idea of the earlier times. As this place is huge, they also offer hot-air balloon tours, which must be incredible by sunrise (if you can afford it). Understandably this is quite a touristy place, so try to go as early as possible to enjoy the silence and also to avoid walking around in 40 degrees heat on middays. Also make sure, when you are in this area, you visit one of the many typical Mexican towns, such as Aguascalientes or Guanajuato. Only here you experience the real beauty of Mexican life, including delicious food, friendly people and hot Salsa-Rhythms.
Something you can only experience in very view places of our planet: in La Paz, Baja California, on the West Coast of Mexico, you can snorkel with whale sharks and sea lions in the wild. As whale sharks are vegetarians, they only eat plankton and actually don’t care about you in the water at all. But anyways, your pulse will fasten and adrenaline is guarantied when they swim up right next to you with an open mouth and a length of up to 14meters. You can go snorkeling with whale sharks in Cancun too, but here it is nearly half price, less touristy and so you get as much time with the sharks as you wish. And there’s another advantage of going to La Paz:
Just one hour further by boat, you reach cliffs on open water. Here is the home of nearly 400 sea lions. This is one of the only kind of sea lions, which is not dangerous, but very playful and you can decide if you prefer to dive or snorkel with them. It nearly seems like the sea lions enjoy the company, so they come up to you, crap your fins and try to play with you. Most times, you will also find sea turtles, dolphins and rays here and to the right season whales as well.
I hope you agree, that there’s not much more to explain why I chose this place of one of my top 4 places in Mexico.
Matacanes is a specific area 2 hours next to Monterrey, where our University is placed. Outdoor agencies offer cannoning day trips, where you follow a river through the mountains by a mix of climbing, swimming, waterfall jumps and slides. As I am personally experienced with outdoor sports, the advertising of “Extreme sport – physical health necessary” didn’t really impress me. After the first meters already, I changed my mind. This was one of the most extreme and amazing experiences you can do if it comes to action and outdoor sports!
You slide down into darkest caves, swim through turquois water, jump waterfalls up to 12 meters, climb huge walls and all of this in great company of about 10 people. I have never thought, there will be a moment in my life where jumping down a waterfall is just another thing, but on this day it became just something super normal. All day long you are surrounded my the most beautiful nature and it gives you time to forget about everything else and just feel full of life. There are different places around Mexico, which offer cannoning, but in my experience, Matacanes is the most extreme you will find here.
In the middle of nowhere in the Mexican dessert, there’s a little town called Real de Catorce. Only reachable with a good car, make sure you also bring enough cash, because the only ATM in town might probably not even work. All houses seem to be ruins and you wonder who’s even living here, but in the morning the whole town awakes and the streets are full of life and colorful markets.
Real de Catorce is perfect for a weekend-trip to escape normal life and having a blast, because there’s something else, that makes this place famous: peyote. Known as a holy hallucinating cactus from the early Mexican history, trying peyote today is a great laugh for alternative travelers. You can rent horses to take a ride into the dessert and find yourself some peyote. Dig it out of the ground and try it yourself, but be prepared that it has a horrible taste and might even make you throw up. You can also book a dessert tour for the nighttime to experience millions of stars on the sky. A pictured moment you will never forget.
….positive! On Wednesday my semester abroad will be over. A great time full of experiences and impressions is now over, but I am looking forward to new challenges in Germany.
My semester abroad was an unbelievable experience, in short it was awesome most of the time. The Irish people are very open-minded and open-hearted people. Ireland is not that different from Germany, it is still a European country, but it has its own charm. I recommend everyone to travel to Ireland and to see this beautiful country and to get to know the Irish culture.
Never before was I away from home for such a long time, but it was worth it. I realized on my semester abroad once again, that this world has so much more to offer than just my hometown. Even if Ireland is not as sunny as Thailand or Australia, the weather was not as bad as I expected it to be. I learned, that it does not matter where people come from, we all have something in common. I will miss the good pints of Guinness, because the Guinness that is sold in Ireland is different from the Guinness in Germany. Compared to Germany the courses and exams at Griffith College are very easy. I will remember the fresh air at the Cliffs of Moher or the Wicklow Mountains.
I believe I never breathed in air that was fresh like that. If you want to get in a good mood, speak to an Irish person in a pub, they will always cheer you up. In Dublin, there are cool and helpful people everywhere. I also enjoyed the free Wi-Fi/internet access (almost) everywhere, on that score Ireland is much more developed than Germany. Even the public transport with the double-decker busses and the LUAS are much more fun than German public transport. Dublin is perfect for young people, because 50 Percent of Dublin’s population is under 26 years old. I learned that it is not that complicated to live in another country.
The only bad experience I had during my semester abroad was the accomodation at Griffith Halls of Residence. I highly recommend anyone to search for another accomodation, because it was just overpriced and you can get a better accomodation in that price segment. A whole semester in one little room with another person is possible, but quite difficult. If you decide to stay at Griffith Halls of Residence plan with 100 Euro in the first month for kitchen gadgets from Ikea.
To conclude, I am thankful for my journey to Ireland. Time passes so fast, especially when you are on a semester abroad. I will keep some good memories on Ireland and Dublin and I will definitely visit again some time. There are still a few pubs and sights left that I have not seen. After all, it was the right decision to choose Ireland for my semester abroad. Like I wrote in my post before, I will never forget the wonderful time that I had during my semester abroad.
Once again, I can just repeat myself: I highly recommend choosing Dublin and Ireland as the place for a semester abroad, because the people are nice and welcoming, nature is beautiful and Dublin as a city is perfect for students. I just love this country and you will definitely too, I promise. I expanded my horizons, changed my views and gained experience. It was a total success! I did not regret my decision to take Dublin for my semester abroad. I recommend travelling through the whole country, because you can travel fast and see much beautiful and fascinating things when traveling through the Irish country.
Best regards,
Marian
What can I finally say about Mexico after going abroad for over six months? If you aren’t blessed with that bad luck like I am referring for example to the gun fight I stepped in during my travellings in the beautiful barranca del norte or the fact that i was lying in hospital in Cancún for 10 days because of a car accident – you just need to visit this wonderful country.
Obviously going abroad for such a long time is awesome in every case – and I’m sure every student that took the chance to be part of another culture during his studies will tell you this. You need to adapt your behaviour to the local way of living, regarding different food and especially housing conditions. But you will be fascinated how fast you change your daily routines and needs, assimilated to the other culture.
Mexico will surprise you by presenting itself totally different from the way our expectations are back in Europe. People are welcoming and friendly and there are no donkeys walking on every pavement. There is a variety of delicious food and the landscape is just awesome and super diversed. But I think we’ve already been through that!
In the surroundings of Monterrey for example there are plenty possibilities for hiking, rock climbing and Mountainbiking. The temperature is hot and dry, but there is also a raining period. The more southern you go, the more jungle and wild nature waits for some awesome outdoor experience.
How you want to experience your semester abroad is totally up to you! I met a bunch of great people, travel companians and party crashers. The university in Monterrey is very exhausting and really gets in between your travelling plans – but on the other hand the campus offers an amount of activities which you can join – I for example joined the boxing team for half a year and in this class I met many locals.
And I just recommend to travel to experience the beauty of this country. Sure, there are things getting in your way and moments on your travellings that will pull you down, when something is not working right, in my case for example that somebody hacked my creditcard to buy some expensive christmas presents for his children. But the majority of your moments on travel will show you why it was worth it to do it.
Speaking for myself I defined some goals which I wanted to reach during the semester abroad. Speaking a different language, getting to know more oft he country than many locals and finally having the best time of my life!
Am I missing something from México, right now after coming back home? Well obviously yes, let’s start with the awesome mañaneros, the morning tacos you want to eat every pinche secondly after the first try! And second you will miss the welcoming and friendly way of speaking in contrast to the kind of cold and distanced behaviour in Germany. And thirdly of course I miss the warm mexican temperatures, which means for example sitting in cctober next to the pool or on the balkony in a shirt without freezing.
What’s left to say? I hope you don’t get in some of my worst situations because of bad luck and furthermore I hope I can eat the real tacos, flautas, enchiladas or mole poblano very soon. I actually found a super nice mexican restaurant in Hamburg which owners and employs are directly coming from Mexico City. It’s not possible to serve more authentical food – but i hate the german prices: 3,30€ for a single taco is just cruel.
Saludos,
Nick
A few weeks have passed since our term has ended, Christmas is also over and our wonderful journey as well. Two months after the semester abroad, we were looking forward to for so long, we are back in our cities, sitting in our rooms and wondering where the time went. But first things first.
Our Christmas party was awesome! We rented a room at a pub nearby, called “The Lost Hour” and lost some hours there, for sure. We talked a lot about our stay and also played some English Pool before we went to a club in central London to celebrate the end of term – and the end of all the assignments. The next day we met at the Southbank Christmas market where we had mulled wine which helped to say goodbye much faster, if you know what we mean. After our student Ambassador Lauren left us, our group split up and we decided to do some things on our own for the last days.
So some of us went to places which became our favorites during the time in London, like the Trafalgar Square or Covent Garden, others went to the European Premiere of Star Wars the Force Awakens and although they had no official access to the Premiere they got into the first row at the main entrance where Harrison Ford, George Lucas and J.J. Abrams came by.
That was amazing!
Then suddenly our group was no longer a group: Some of us went back to Germany very early whereas others stayed over Christmas, so almost every day meant a new goodbye. This was of course very sad, but we had some lovely evenings in our usual pubs in Greenwich, which was very nice.
Despite of all the goodbyes, we tried to enjoy our last days in lovely London and went sightseeing. Some of us went to the department stores Fortnum & Mason or Harrods to absorb the charm of Christmas in London for the last time. At Fortnum & Mason, we took the elevator to the highest floor and enjoyed a cup of tea in a lovely, exquisite restaurant with pastries and live piano music which was a typical British and therefore great farewell experience for the last days in London.
As you can see we really enjoyed our stay in London and hope that we won’t miss that time too much next year. Despite the fact that we are back at home and everyday life takes place again, it feels like we pushed the “Stop” button when we left home and now everything goes on as it was before. But we aren’t the same anymore. We studied in London, in one of the liveliest cities in the world and made experiences we will never forget.
