Isaac I am a student of administrative management, I am in Frankfurt and this is my first Erasmus experience and I have to say that I am really enjoying this experience, a good welcome in the workplace and in the student residence where I am, but let’s talk more about it.
Let’s start by mentioning what my expectations of the country were and then I will tell you how it has really been for me.
We have always seen Germany as a cold country, both the people and the temperature, an expensive country and with a language that at least for someone from Spain is very difficult. Basically, I was looking forward to it because the Erasmus experience was something that has always attracted my attention, but at the same time I was a bit scared because of what I mentioned before and that in the end you go to a country where you have never been without any acquaintance in the area.
Well, once settled in the country I was pleasantly surprised and now I can speak from experience instead of what I thought it was going to be like. The first thing I would like to mention is how beautiful Frankfurt is, having everything from skyscrapers that make you think you are in Manhattan, to more traditional areas that remind you of Germany itself.
Is Germany an expensive country? although it is true that the rent can be high, everyday things (food, restaurants, clothes...) are very similar to Spanish prices.
If we talk about the weather, we have to admit that it is not Spain, but it is not as cold as I might think, and about people being cold here, as in any country, there will be people who won’t even say hello, and others who will want to talk to you and get to know you. It is true that being in a student residence has made it easier for me to make friends of my age and of all nationalities, getting to know all kinds of stories and cultures, that is something I have loved.
I have to mention that I am not a good example, because the people I interact with are young people from other European countries and the colleagues I work with in the office, but even so, the Germans I have interacted with have not given me any problems for speaking English, in fact, they have quite good and fluent English.
Finally, I wanted to talk about something that has fascinated me and that for an Erasmus student I think is the best investment you can make, we are talking about the “Deutschland Ticket”; it allows you for 50€ a month to take any public transport and travel anywhere in the country, if you come and travel with the people you know here, I assure you that you will have fun like a little kid, for me the best thing I could do, and also in a country that I had never been.
In conclusion, if you are thinking about going on Erasmus do it, I didn’t have Germany as my first or second choice and I wasn’t sure about it, but once here I know that it has been one of the best things that have happened to me so far, I am improving my English, meeting people from everywhere and visiting a totally new country for me, I am very happy and I haven’t missed Spain at any time.
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EUPY was a real celebration of democracy! Created to bring the European elections closer to young people, this event transformed politics into something dynamic and fun. It was also the first time 16-year-olds were able to vote, and what better way to celebrate than with an epic event!
From Europa Union Frankfurt, they set to work to make EUPY unforgettable. They contacted different entities to set up the perfect stage, called amazing artists, negotiated with potential sponsors, and deployed an advertising campaign both on social media and in the streets. The effort was worth it, because the event was a resounding success: the square was packed and EUPY appeared in the newspapers in the following days.
Soumaya and I were in the thick of the action. We spent our time searching on social networks for the different artists and selecting interesting candidates to participate in the event. In addition, we did street interviews related to the European Union and stamped 3000 raffle tickets one by one. Now that was a fun experience!
On the day of the event, our work did not stop. We helped the audience with their questions, set up the stage, handed out tickets for the raffle, offered drinks to the audience and made sure everything ran smoothly. The energy of the event was incredible and seeing so many people enjoying themselves and learning about democracy was really rewarding - EUPY was a celebration of youth participation at its best!
Soumaya
In this school year, I decided to apply for the Erasmus project, which is a European educational project that involves doing internships in another European country. I was selected and I got Frankfurt, Germany. At first, I was undecided because I had never traveled alone, but when I did, I was glad I made this decision because it teaches you to be independent for the future.
The accommodation I booked is not in Frankfurt, it’s 40 minutes away by train, in a town called Dietzenbach. It’s a bit inconvenient to have to travel every day, but the good thing is that there are trains every hour and this makes transit much easier.
If you come from a small town like me, at first you are impressed by the inequality that is seen in the city, as there are very rich people, other very poor people, if you are sensitive it can affect you, but after a few days you end up getting used to it.
Frankfurt is a city where there is a lot of multiculturalism, people from all over the world living together. In the shops, what I liked is that there are different people working, of different ages, origins, and that is not usually seen much in other places. Here you can see that there is a lot of integration whether in the academic or work environment. Also, what impresses me here are the cars, there are many high-end cars, if you are a car lover, you will have a great time here. This weekend I visited a car event. There were all kinds of cars, from the oldest to the most modern. I liked it a lot, the people at the event were very friendly, you could ride in the cars and take pictures.
Concerning the internships, we usually work a lot on the values of democracy, whether in events, attending talks or making documentation about it. We have also met prominent personalities, such as the Vice Mayor of Frankfurt.
On a personal level, I am really enjoying this experience because I am gaining knowledge and independence, which is what I need. You also get to know yourself better and know better what you want to achieve in the future. One of the difficulties I have here is the language, since my English is not at a high level but little by little I am improving, if you are shy like me it becomes more complicated but you must try even if you make mistakes because otherwise you will never learn.
If you are undecided about participating in the Erasmus program, I encourage you to do it. It is true that you will have your concerns, but I assure you that it is an enriching experience that you will always remember.
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EUF is a non-profit organisation, which is made up of volunteers, whose main objective is to raise awareness about democracy.
From Europa Union Frankfurt we have been part of the organisation of an event about democracy, advertising the event, both on social media and on the street.
The event was very successful, we were on the front pages of the most famous newspapers in the city, the audience enjoyed the event and people left satisfied, knowing more about democracy and the European elections. The days before the event were very busy because everything had to be set up, tickets had to be stamped, the stage had to be prepared, the artists had to be talked to. We also had meetings with the different politicians running in the European elections.
At another event on Europe Day, we prepared an information table, where we gave information to the people who were there about politics and the European elections.
Another thing we did at EUF is to interview people in the street, asking them what the EU means for them, what it represents and what their concerns are, in this way we were able to solve their doubts and encourage them to participate in the elections because their vote counts.
At EUF we have a team specialised in social media, where we create different digital content, teaching democratic values and also using humour to capture the attention of young people.
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