Agata Borzestowska did like it a lot to learn German in "Mainhattan"

It has been a few months since I returned to Poland from my visit in Germany. Although time passes so quickly and so much has happened since then, I still think back fondly on the International Summer Course in German Language and Literature at the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main.

The course lasted for exactly one month. Before my trip, I wondered whether one month would be enough for me. I had been to Germany before, but never for such a long time. That’s why it seemed to make sense and be sufficient to spend all of August there. But as it turned out, the visit was much too short in the truest sense of word!

The Ilse Müller Scholarship of the DAAD-Stiftung allowed me to put my German to use and improve my language skills, not only theoretically at the university, but also very practically in everyday situations. Aside from the normal lessons, the language course organised numerous events and excursions. I had never had the opportunity to meet so many different students from all around the world. For me, it was a wonderful and unforgettable experience.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible to get to know all of the participants. Around 140 people attended the course – too many to really meet everyone and become a close-knit team in such a short of time. Apart from that, all of the organisers and instructors were very friendly and helpful.

The German class in Frankfurt - a great team
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I had no problems as a foreigner in the city or the surrounding region. Every German I met, whoever I approached to ask for directions, was open-minded. They all smiled at me and were thrilled that I was learning German. It probably also played a role that Germany and Poland are not so very different in terms of their culture. Of course, there are differences, but communication between us is likely easier on the whole than, say, between Chinese and Germans.

I’ve been learning German since I was a kid and I’ve always had fun with it, and that was why I decided to look into ways to improve my language abilities. That’s when I heard about the scholarship from the DAAD-Stiftung and applied for funding so that I could attend the university summer course. I am extremely grateful for the financial support.

Learning German in Germany is incomparably more effective and offers far more benefits. In order to take advantage of this opportunity to the fullest, I even spoke German instead of English with my fellow course participants. It certainly helped our progress with learning, but it also resulted in some funny situations with interesting language combinations!

I think that the experiences I gained will have a positive impact on my future experiences and decisions. Since I’d like to continue improving my language skills and strengthening my relationship to Germany, I plan on doing an internship in the production engineering sector in Germany after I finish my studies in a few months. That will allow me to spend at least another year there.