Hello! I have been in Marburg, Germany for just under three weeks now, and am starting to get accustomed to life in yet another new city. As I get settled in my language classes, I thought it would be a good time to give you all an introduction to the International Undergraduate Studies Program (IUSP) at Phillips-Universität Marburg.
My arrival in Germany was nothing if not hectic. Because I had to go back to Oswiecim, Poland to pick up my luggage, my mom and I ended up driving all night to get to Germany for registration day. As we entered the city, though, we knew that everyone who had told us fantastic stories about Marburg were telling the truth – the whole city is visible on a sweeping landscape of hills, and looks like it was pulled directly from a period movie. As one of the only cities in Germany essentially untouched by World War II, the old German architecture is stunning, and makes for some interesting contrasts as you near the edges of new construction sites.
The registration process proved to be exceptionally well-organized. Despite assuring our group that they would not “hold our hands”, we were each given detailed schedules for the first two days, maps of the city, bus passes and more. We were led on a short walking tour, showing us where the most important stores were, and were told that we would go on a more substantial tour in the coming days. We were then brought to our various residence buildings, which are spread out on the edges of the small city and shown our rooms, kitchens, and laundry facilities. Compared to every move I’ve made before, this was by far the easiest.
The living situation itself is different for everyone, but I think what most worried the students upon our arrival was the unexpected lack of Internet. While there is wireless access for students in all school buildings, this is not true of all our dorms, and it has been a problem for some people in particular. While I am among those who doesn’t have Internet in my room, I am able to walk to a nearby residence with WiFi in the lobby, and have been doing so almost every day since I discovered it. While the lack of Internet originally seemed an inconvenience, it has forced me to get out of my room and meet people, which is after all the aim of the program. The community feeling is increased by the communal kitchens which (while not especially clean) are permanently full of neighbours from all over the world.
Shortly after our arrival, we returned to our classrooms to take our placement test – as it turned out, though, this wasn’t necessary for about 40% of the class. Like me, many of the other students are beginners in the German language, and we were split into two groups without having to take the test, based on whether we had any German experience at all. While I didn’t, I ended up in what’s known as the “advanced beginners” class, as my experience with other foreign languages helped me grasp concepts like grammatical gender and cases quickly. With three hours of classes a day and tests every Friday, all the classes move quickly, and everyone I’ve spoken to is thrilled to be learning so much (especially the beginners).
On Monday, we started our culture class, which promises political role plays, an introduction to German religions, and a visit to the local Dunkelcafé (“dark café”), where customers eat in absolute darkness and are served by blind staff. The class is sure to be filled with new experiences which I will comment on in my coming posts.
Rowan