Indeed I was very much flattered being chosen as part of Hiwar-fanni program. It has been an eye-opening experience in many ways. I have had good guidance and leadership during my stay. I have learned that Germany is different from Egypt in many ways. It has been wonderful to realize how much our countries can learn from each other.
This was the most valuable experience I have had as a young artist. The lessons of cultural differences I witnessed I will carry with me home and I hope to pass it together with my views of Germany to my students.
The Hiwar-fanni exchange program snuck up behind me and grabbed me before I could think twice. My Egyptian Professors at the time, Doctor Ahmed Shehata and Doctor Abdel Aziz Gouda, had been trying to convince me to apply for what at the time seemed like far fetched exchange program in some remote part of Germany called “Leipzig? I thought to myself. But I decided it was worthwhile for sure, even if it was a bit of paperwork. Like always, I finished everything at the last minute.
So a month later, I got the visa and started looking for a winter coat.
Fast forward: I arrived at Leipzig after an 8 hour journey (Cairo-Vienna) (Vienna-Leipzig). It’s about 11 PM I am here and the only thing I want to do is to get some sleep. Mr. Edgar Blume and Mr. Moritz Remé from Eurient association. Those wonderful people were very helpful and sincere. hop! in the car crossing Leipzig at night, (What’s that? Black, the entire city is sleeping? So early). Arrived to the flat, a girl called Kathrin is waiting (Oh! How good, she speaks French).
The first weeks were a blur, but very important. First off, I had a large amount of paperwork out of the way before starting anything. And the second and probably most important reason is that I met people. People who study in the same major like me. Among them I made a lot of friends who made my stay more bearable. We got things done together, and I practiced some German with them without any embarrassment besides I look forward to seeing them again in the future.
In HGB (Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst) so called: Fine Arts School which is really famous by its Leipziger Schule (Leipzig School of Art) with its famous artists – I met many professors who seemed for the first sight very busy (I have not seen busy professors like them before). I chose the class of painting and the class of drawing in the beginning; by my second week I discovered how much the graphic department is developed, by knowing professor Best, (His name is Best and he’s really the best), a graphic artist who generously accepted me in his class of wood cut and afterwards in the class of silk screen. And he was supervising me all along my stay.
Life has taken place; I became more and more adapted to this small city. And I enjoyed very much being “exotic”. Being found out as a foreigner is unavoidable, but I always strived to “not” be found out.
I went to the Hauptbahnhof. When you arrive at the Hauptbahnhof (Main Railway Station) you realize you've never seen anything like it. It's a mixture of a train station, a mall, with several restaurants and 2 supermarkets thrown in. It's then that you realize, you're not home anymore, but maybe that's not such a bad thing.
"Mein Leipzig lob ich mir", Goethe once said while describing the years he spent in Leipzig. I could not sum up my experience in Leipzig more succinctly. It is a city that leaves her visitors in complete adoration. Leipzig is a cultural capital of Europe where numerous historical figures such as Bach, Humbolt, Leibnitz and Goethe have cultivated their trade. And hey! I’m living beside Schillerhaus, I’m his neighbor.
A small description of the city from a foreign student’s point of view:
The cost of living in Leipzig is minimal in comparison to almost any other city in Germany. New apartments in wonderful old architecture are coming up for rent all the time, and one can easily find a comfortable room for under 200 Euro per month (with all expenses paid), oftentimes furnished by a student wishing to leave his(her) room during an absence for study abroad or an internship. Transportation is brilliantly organized, with students paying 54 Euro a semester for an all-inclusive ticket for trams and buses, and it may be in ones best interest to purchase a low-cost used bicycle. Infrastructure for bike riders is omnipresent; one sees almost as many bike riders as car drivers! Supermarkets, many bakeries, flower shops, optometrists, Asian takeout, and Döner joints. A Döner is beyond description, so the best way I can introduce one would be to imagine a Shawerma as we call it in Egypt.
Actually, the time I spent abroad was the most enriching experiences of my life. I benefited from my semester in Leipzig culturally and intellectually. I adore this city.
First of all, I learned a lot of techniques in Graphic and video art. I also made a short movie. HGB is definitely a great source for studying art. I’ve visited all the classes and watched the techniques applied, and have chosen five of them in which I was exposed to several new ideas.
Before finishing my scholarship I decided to take a German language course in the Volkshochschule, and this was also quite a great experience, I met a lot of foreigners from a diverse spectrum of countries. Learning German is very necessary for me as I was suffering to see the mountains of books which are only in German. (Seeing all these books and not being able to read them was a torture). Although I was working on my short movie and painting I was learning German.
A friend of mine helped me in several ways to get adapted in a way with Leipzig lifestyle; also worth mentioning that living with Germans in a WG is very valuable to know the Germans closely.
I also must refer to WILMA or WillkommensIniziative für in Leipzig Mitstudierende Ausländer as a major source of organizing and easing the stay of a foreign student in Leipzig. This organization is there to give you both a crash course in German culture first hand, by organizing cheap trips throughout Germany and the Czech Republic, and to organize the biggest international festivities and gatherings in Leipzig. And through and by help of WILMA I went to several cities around Leipzig including Goerlitz in Poland and many other spots.
As a result, I became a new person filled with much confidence to tide over any bad situations that I may encounter in the future. Of course this is not an easy revelation as not to show off humble haughtiness to other people.
I am not who I was anymore.
July 16th 2007
This was the most valuable experience I have had as a young artist. The lessons of cultural differences I witnessed I will carry with me home and I hope to pass it together with my views of Germany to my students.
The Hiwar-fanni exchange program snuck up behind me and grabbed me before I could think twice. My Egyptian Professors at the time, Doctor Ahmed Shehata and Doctor Abdel Aziz Gouda, had been trying to convince me to apply for what at the time seemed like far fetched exchange program in some remote part of Germany called “Leipzig? I thought to myself. But I decided it was worthwhile for sure, even if it was a bit of paperwork. Like always, I finished everything at the last minute.
So a month later, I got the visa and started looking for a winter coat.
Fast forward: I arrived at Leipzig after an 8 hour journey (Cairo-Vienna) (Vienna-Leipzig). It’s about 11 PM I am here and the only thing I want to do is to get some sleep. Mr. Edgar Blume and Mr. Moritz Remé from Eurient association. Those wonderful people were very helpful and sincere. hop! in the car crossing Leipzig at night, (What’s that? Black, the entire city is sleeping? So early). Arrived to the flat, a girl called Kathrin is waiting (Oh! How good, she speaks French).
The first weeks were a blur, but very important. First off, I had a large amount of paperwork out of the way before starting anything. And the second and probably most important reason is that I met people. People who study in the same major like me. Among them I made a lot of friends who made my stay more bearable. We got things done together, and I practiced some German with them without any embarrassment besides I look forward to seeing them again in the future.
In HGB (Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst) so called: Fine Arts School which is really famous by its Leipziger Schule (Leipzig School of Art) with its famous artists – I met many professors who seemed for the first sight very busy (I have not seen busy professors like them before). I chose the class of painting and the class of drawing in the beginning; by my second week I discovered how much the graphic department is developed, by knowing professor Best, (His name is Best and he’s really the best), a graphic artist who generously accepted me in his class of wood cut and afterwards in the class of silk screen. And he was supervising me all along my stay.
Life has taken place; I became more and more adapted to this small city. And I enjoyed very much being “exotic”. Being found out as a foreigner is unavoidable, but I always strived to “not” be found out.
I went to the Hauptbahnhof. When you arrive at the Hauptbahnhof (Main Railway Station) you realize you've never seen anything like it. It's a mixture of a train station, a mall, with several restaurants and 2 supermarkets thrown in. It's then that you realize, you're not home anymore, but maybe that's not such a bad thing.
"Mein Leipzig lob ich mir", Goethe once said while describing the years he spent in Leipzig. I could not sum up my experience in Leipzig more succinctly. It is a city that leaves her visitors in complete adoration. Leipzig is a cultural capital of Europe where numerous historical figures such as Bach, Humbolt, Leibnitz and Goethe have cultivated their trade. And hey! I’m living beside Schillerhaus, I’m his neighbor.
A small description of the city from a foreign student’s point of view:
The cost of living in Leipzig is minimal in comparison to almost any other city in Germany. New apartments in wonderful old architecture are coming up for rent all the time, and one can easily find a comfortable room for under 200 Euro per month (with all expenses paid), oftentimes furnished by a student wishing to leave his(her) room during an absence for study abroad or an internship. Transportation is brilliantly organized, with students paying 54 Euro a semester for an all-inclusive ticket for trams and buses, and it may be in ones best interest to purchase a low-cost used bicycle. Infrastructure for bike riders is omnipresent; one sees almost as many bike riders as car drivers! Supermarkets, many bakeries, flower shops, optometrists, Asian takeout, and Döner joints. A Döner is beyond description, so the best way I can introduce one would be to imagine a Shawerma as we call it in Egypt.
Actually, the time I spent abroad was the most enriching experiences of my life. I benefited from my semester in Leipzig culturally and intellectually. I adore this city.
First of all, I learned a lot of techniques in Graphic and video art. I also made a short movie. HGB is definitely a great source for studying art. I’ve visited all the classes and watched the techniques applied, and have chosen five of them in which I was exposed to several new ideas.
Before finishing my scholarship I decided to take a German language course in the Volkshochschule, and this was also quite a great experience, I met a lot of foreigners from a diverse spectrum of countries. Learning German is very necessary for me as I was suffering to see the mountains of books which are only in German. (Seeing all these books and not being able to read them was a torture). Although I was working on my short movie and painting I was learning German.
A friend of mine helped me in several ways to get adapted in a way with Leipzig lifestyle; also worth mentioning that living with Germans in a WG is very valuable to know the Germans closely.
I also must refer to WILMA or WillkommensIniziative für in Leipzig Mitstudierende Ausländer as a major source of organizing and easing the stay of a foreign student in Leipzig. This organization is there to give you both a crash course in German culture first hand, by organizing cheap trips throughout Germany and the Czech Republic, and to organize the biggest international festivities and gatherings in Leipzig. And through and by help of WILMA I went to several cities around Leipzig including Goerlitz in Poland and many other spots.
As a result, I became a new person filled with much confidence to tide over any bad situations that I may encounter in the future. Of course this is not an easy revelation as not to show off humble haughtiness to other people.
I am not who I was anymore.
July 16th 2007
1 commentaire:
Happy Birthday, my dear Mira!!!!!!
Thank you for being here, in Leipzig, at this time. Without you, it would indeed be just a remote part of Germany :D
You definitely belong here :)
Rik
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