Joseph W., Bachelor of Information Technology
TU Darmstadt, Germany (Semester 2, 2016)
It all started one day when I was at home thinking about how cool it would be to go overseas to Europe. I thought how cool it would be see and experience the Alps, European cultures, the different languages and, well, whatever else! I thought, “What the heck? I’m going to apply for exchange”, and so I did!
I had some exchange student friends and had often seen the stalls set up for Study Abroad but had always thought “Nah, that’s not me”. I hadn’t travelled much. I had been overseas when I was very young and had more recently travelled for two weeks with my family in Canada and so I was by no means a seasoned traveller. I contemplated the idea of going on exchange for about three weeks and so I knew I could and yet I just keep putting the idea to the back of my head until it could stay there no longer.
Fast forwarding six months later to my arrival in Darmstadt, Germany. The first month was at times challenging as there were so much to do to become registered in the TU Darmstadt and in Germany as well as making financial arrangements. During this time, the TUD exchange team were taking very good care of us to help us sort out everything we needed to do and were hosting social events and parties for us. With over 200 exchange students from everywhere around the globe and the exchange team to meet, there was never a dull moment.
The university exchange team arranged a two-day trip to a beautiful old town in Germany called Rüdesheim along the river Rhine. After a night’s stay in a hostel, tasting local wines, we woke up bright and early the next morning for a boat ride along the river Rhine viewing the many castles that marked what was once a border separating France and Germany.
As the Semester started and I settled down to a relatively stable routine, I went on several short trips around Germany and Europe. Laying almost in the very centre of Europe, Darmstadt is a great place to travel from, especially for me, coming from Australia which is far away from everything. Some highlights would have to include a hike through the foggy Black Forest while trying not to take the wrong track, the Miniature Museum in Hamburg, Mount Teide volcano in Tenerife, Spain and my first experience of a snowfall in the beautiful town of Salzburg!
Finally, after an incredible experience overseas, came time to go home. The Last two months had some challenging moments doing a lot of last minute study, getting ready for the final exams. However, without a doubt, the most challenging part about leaving a semester abroad is saying goodbye to friends that I had spent so much time with and done so many cool things with. But it’s okay. I will be back!
