Studying and Travelling and Speaking French

My name is Jochen and I spent the winter semester 2011/12 at RheinAhrCampus. I am studying Sports Management in Germany to have a better level of German and because my mother comes from a city not so far from Remagen. At the beginning it was a little complicated because we had a few administrative procedures to do. But Ms Korpp and the international office helped us and it was not so difficult after all.

Remagen is a town situated on the Rhine and the Ahr (then I understood the name of the campus: RheinAhrCampus), a nice place to visit and the perfect place to concentrate on your studies. If Remagen is not enough for you, you can go to Bonn, Coblence or Cologne, big cities that are between 20 and 50 minutes from Remagen. I lived in a shared flat, near the station, with three German students. It was a nice experiment to speak German and they helped me when I needed it.

During the weekends I travelled to many cities in Germany, Belgium, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Remagen is a good depature point to visit many of the large cities in Western Europe. Furthermore I used to go to Coblence or Bonn with the other Exchange Students to have a drink and chat together. The train is an easy way to get there, it is free and fast for students. And we don’t have to drive, so you can drink!

I helped students, who didn’t have the opportunity yet to discover the French way of life, to practice and to improve their French. We used to meet on Wednesdaysat lunchtime for the “Cercle de français”. This is an occasion to meet people who love France, and to discuss topical subjects, cultural subjects, or to read French newspapers. For example, the subjects discussed go from the French school system to cinema, via French table traditions or the image that French people have abroad. I appreciate meeting people who are interested in French culture, and I feel helpful and useful. What a pleasure to meet the same people again each week!

My experience at RheinAhrCampus was very good and I recommend to come here to study. The winter semester was too short, but it this is not a problem for me because I’m staying here for the next semester.

Jochen Djamel