CV + Portfolio

It sucks to say that they are right when they tell us to


DO THEM BEFORE YOU COME TO GERMANY .

you will have time to do them here but they are just a hassle and you are never in the mood to look at all your old projects and arrange them and bla bla bla...

PLUS there may be some documents like the Anlagen for the CV/Lebenslauf that you may need to bring with you from Amman! So it is important to prepare them before you leave...

Classes in German ?

Man oh man..what can I say?

Sorry to break it to you guys but...its almost impossible to walk out of class with full confidence of understanding.

I really really really wish that GJU prepared us better for german in our field! If I had a say, I would vote for them to at least start giving us vocab from our field majors from DEUTSCH I!

Advice: I'm actually still trying to figure out how to learn all the architectural terms in German myself. The best way I learn is watching other students in class speak and learn from them... but I would also suggest:

- list words you know you will use, translate them, and memorize them!
- watch youtube videos of lectures or anything that has to do with your field in German.
- follow german written blogs/tweets.

If you have any more ideas please add them! I think all of us GJU students could use some good advice...

Speaking German

2 and a half months in now...I would say my german has improved from a 1.5 to a 1.9. Depending on the ILR (FSI) proficiency scale: http://www.sil.org/lingualinks/languagelearning/mangngyrlngglrnngprgrm/TheILRFSIProficiencyScale.htm I would say in general when GJU students first arrive in Germany we are at level 1.5 (done with German V/B2). I think it is physically impossible to become a level 4 in only one-year's time here but I think it may be possible to reach a good level 3! BUT...you must put effort from your side EVERY SINGLE DAY!

My personal advice:

1. Have some sort of regular German channel on the radio, tv show, or songs playing as regular as possible.

2. Invest in children's books to help you get in touch with the fundamental social lingo. (I recently received "The little Prince" from a German friend and it is a very easy read and makes me giggle! I feel silly pulling it out on the U-bahn and reading but people you are sitting next to will forget you once you step of the U-bahn! :P)

3. Create a list of terms you think you will need related to your major and memorize them so you have some kind of idea what the professor is talking about in class for a starter! 

4. Speak German to the Erasmus students you meet! It is very comfortable to speak with other Erasmus students because we are all on the same level of German! Once you start out in English, it is very hard to switch back to German!

5. If your Uni offers programs of pairing you up with another student to practice german with and them english with you for example, then do so! 

6. Mingle with germans at parties, outings, dinners etc. and ask them about phrases and words you doubt and have trouble with. Also tell them to teach you local phrases!

7. Hang posters, flyers, random words, signs, lyrics on your wall in german so you see it everyday!
9. Take the German courses they offer at uni! Even if your too lazy to..push yourself and you will feel better and most confident. I take C1 now on Wednesday at 18:15-20:45...its a crappy time, but I feel much better every time class finishes!

8. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY....Review what you learned at the end of each day (even if it was just 2 words...repeat them as many times as you can to hammer them in your memory :P)

Think Smart...

Sometimes you will be rushed to think that you must purchase something RIGHT NOW or else you can't live like the others around you. That is usually not true. For example:

Moving in...: you should wait to move into your apartment to buy all your necessities for your new "home". When I first moved in, I was in a WG with three guys and was not comfortable with the living situation. Therefore, I asked to move to another WG with 3 other girls. I was tempted to buy kitchenware, and a microwave, and a vacuum cleaner etc. but I waited to see how the situation was in my new apartment. Thankfully, the girls I moved in with had almost a full kitchen set up and very generously let me use all the kitchen products. As for the vacuum cleaner, one of guys in my old apartment was moving out and gave me his! 


Another thing to consider is to bring the right things from you from Amman to "ikhtasir" buying here. Here are a list of things I found myself saying "thank God i brought this with me":

1. extension cord
2. electricity plug converters (in germany, the outlets look like this)
 
3. internet cable.
4. different size suitcases in case you travel somewhere in your time here.
5. a rolling back-pack or anything that has wheels. Why? For putting your groceries in! You do not want to haul around big bags by hand, trust me!
6. All the programs you need for university downloaded on your computer. For example, Architecture students could need Autocad, Photoshop, and a 3-D program.
7. Make sure to have anti-virus on your computer for the whole year so you dont have to pay for it here!
8. Some over-the counter medicine just for back-up in case you catch a cold or have small pains. (Ask the nearest doctor to you for more advice on that).

Can't think of anymore right now. If you have any doubts before you leave, just write me here and I will do my best to help!

Sports

There are endless possibilities of sports for you to do with the university! I will always refer to my experience in Hamburg but I'm sure smaller city universities have the same options. In HCU (HafenCity Universitaet) students have an option to pay 50 euros/ semester and have access to almost all the sports you can think of. Here's a link to see for yourself: http://hsp-hh.sport.uni-hamburg.de/sportangprogramm.htm

I've tried so far Volleyball, Beach Volleyball, Rueckenfitness, Fat-Burner class, Ballett, Modern-Jazz dance, and Yoga. They were all really fun and i still take part in as many as I can!

If you still are not satisfied with the classes offered or the amount of payment, then there are other gyms and fitness programs you can apply for like Sport pass for 8 euros a month.

Tip:

1. Take advantage of trying new things because chances are you won't find the same opportunities in Amman! The classes are run in German but all you have to do is look at the person next to you if you don't understand and you'll figure it out easily :P.

2. If sports are really that important to you, try to work out your schedule so that you can be take the class you want in uni as well as comfortably go to sports so you don't have to haul your sports bag with you all day!

Semester ticket

You will receive your semester transportation ticket from the IO probably on the first day of orientation which will cover all forms of public transportation in your city for the semester...usually including U-bahn, S-bahn, Buses, and Ferries.

Make sure you know when to pay for the semester ticket as to get it on time and not waste money buying daily or weekly transportation tickets.

IF you happen to have paid for a weekly/monthly ticket, and you receive your semester ticket before it is expired, you may be able to get your money back for the overlapping days/weeks you paid for in your monthly/weekly ticket from the transportation center (in Hamburg the Hamburger Verkehrverbund (HVV)).

Orientation

ORIENTATION IS VERY IMPORTANT.

What is Orientation week?
It is basically a week set up by the IO giving you help and guidance for settling into the city and getting ready for University. Make sure you arrive in time for it as to benefit from the generous help that is offered by the IO and the volunteer students.

If you arrive before orientation, you may be worried about doing all your paper work on your own but don't worry...either you will be assigned a "buddy" to help you and/or the IO will help you during orientation week.

HOWEVER...if you know something should be done before a certain date or you need it to be done as soon as possible, do not wait for someone to help you, go out and TRY to do it on your own (Ex. activating your bank account or getting an Anmeldungsbestaetigung). Other things like getting health insurance is a bit confusing so you can wait for someone to help you.

Usually there will be a schedule sent to you before of the orientation week content so you will know what to expect.

Do not be shy and stick to your own group. Mingle, make new friends, practice your german! (Most of the other erasmus students are on our same level of german so don't be intimidated)

3 weeks in

Note: Posts will be short and sweet.

Arrived in Hamburg 3 weeks ago.

   - transportation within the city: takes a week to get used to.
   - financially: similar to Amman. Rent is more expensive.
   - weather: expect "all four seasons" in one day. Sept. 2011 has been avg. 15 degC.
   - people: very nice and helpful. Try to speak german with them and they will appreciate your efforts even if its khabayis. Hamburgers mostly speak german (unlike Berlin where lots of people speak english)
   - food: you can find anything you want, just have to know where to look. (I will be posting my favorites as I find them!)
   - things to do: lots of things to do...you just have to look for them. Don't wait for them to come to you. In general, people stay in during the week or do something chill and go all out on the weekends.


Advice: ASK! ASK! ASK! Do not be afraid to ask about anything you doubt. If you don't understand something, keep at it until you do.

Introduction

Hello everyone. My name is Farah Abu Alia and I am starting a blog for those of us who travel from Jordan to Germany in order to share our experiences and help guide each other through questions and difficulties.

I am a student at the German Jordanian University studying architecture. My main goal of starting this blog is to reach out to my colleagues at GJU as I feel it is important to share our experiences to benefit as much as possible from each other and to inform those who have no clue what they're doing!

I hope this iniative will be educational and informative and hopefully help you feel like you have a better grasp on your future journey to Germany.