During the June / July holidays Chante Jansen van Vuuren attended the Innovation|Finance|Entrepreneurship summer school at the University of Hohenheim.
Pre-departure:
Nothing can sweeten recess as much as a long-awaited email from the PGIO. The news that you have been accepted to study abroad and broaden your horizons has the power to completely eradicate test week stress. Application forms, video-making, letters of recommendation and weeks of patiently checking and refreshing your inbox are all worth it once you realise you are in for the adventure of the year.
Staying in contact with the PGIO office is vital during the pre-departure phase. Besides final application forms to complete, banking details to supply and emails to respond to, the information evenings introduce you to other summer school participants. Meeting up with those who will be joining you and exchanging contact details is makes for a great start to the planning process.
A reality check came to me in the form of my visa application. Past travel experience taught me this is not an aspect to take lightly and therefore I arranged it well in advance. A generous two months before departure, I arrived at the German Visalink office in Strand street, Cape Town, file in hand, documents stamped and certified, check-lists checked and double checked.
To my utter dismay, my planning and organisation was simply not good enough. Due to a petty mistake on my insurance document (my initials had not been stated) I was forced to return to Stellenbosch defeated and to re-book my appointment during the exam period, dangerously close to the cut-off date.
This experience taught me that we are not in control. No matter how well you plan ahead, life will inevitably happen. It is how quickly we recover from setbacks that will determine our success.
Do your research regarding flights, public transport and accommodation — especially if you’re travelling on your own before the summer school. Make use of any and all resources available to you — your dad’s Voyager Miles, cousin’s Skywards Membership, the Emirates and Discovery Vitality discount, that friend whose dad flies for British Airways — be creative! Booking.com, HostelWorld, TripAdvisor and countless other sites can guarantee you value for money accommodation.
If you decide to travel afterwards, however, keep your options more open. You are bound to meet marvellous people to travel with and others may even invite you to their hometowns. Experiences with locals trumps any tourist attraction.
Planning travels abroad boils down to organisation. This is an experience that will enrich you beyond any institutional education, so take it seriously. Be thorough, read the fine print, ask questions, confirm, re-confirm, double-check and triple-check! Yes, it may take time away from studies and socialising, but the reward is more than worth it in the end.
The Experience:
Maximise your time abroad. Embrace the long days and sunshine, eat too many gelatos and live like a local. We are still young and brave so be spontaneous, explore and let your hair down. These are the stories you’ll be telling your kids one day.
After exploring Germany for a few days on my own, friendly student assistant Katarina welcomed me on Stuttgart’s Hauptbahnhof platform and guided me to our spacious apartments at the Internationales Studentenhotel. Fortunately, it is centrally located — close to the vibrant city centre and within 40 minutes from the University of Hohenheim by U-Bahn (subway) and bus. This scenic route has been ingrained in my memory — what a pleasure to get to class and start the day in a lush “green lung” south of Stuttgart!
Universität Hohenheim is the largest university in Germany — area wise, of course. We were treated to a guided tour of the grounds, the botanical and exotic gardens and the main attraction, the Palace of Hohenheim. We learned of its scandalous history, prime location as an agricultural hub and took in the 360-degree view of sprawling gardens, trimmed vineyards and mysterious forests from its tower.
As is the case with many experiences in life, it is not so much where you go or what you do but the people you share it with that make it memorable. Our group was a colourful one — Americans, Chinese, Belgians, Vietnamese, Italians, Germans, French, Swiss and Portuguese. We were quite a sight out as a group! The vibrancy of our different personalities blossomed that first night as we got to know each other over traditional Schwabian dishes and German radler.
Of course it was not all play and no work. Lectures were held in the palace rooms — only after you grow accustomed to the intricate details of the Blue Hall can you begin to focus on the 3 hour long lectures. These were based on the topics of innovation, entrepreneurship and finance and presented by experts in these fields. We were in the company of brilliant business minds and hung on every word they said!
Frequently, we would attend industry visits in lieu of lectures. An absolute highlight for me, they ranged from the Mercedes-Benz Virtual Reality Centre to ZF, Bosch, BASF, hte and other corporates as well as the Ministry of Finance of Baden-Württemburg. Visits to start-ups like Simpleshow and RegioHelden got us chatting to their CEOs — brilliant entrepreneurial minds inspiring us to dream, fail, fail and fail until we succeed. No amount of class work can prepare us for the exhilarating world of entrepreneurship out there!
We also enjoyed weekend trips to mesmerising Meersburg and Lake Constance, a Stäffele tour of Stuttgart’s city steps, wine wandering through Uhlbach, visits to the Porsche and Mercedes museums and enchanting Tubingen (Germany’s version of Stellenbosch), Ludwigsburg and Esslingen.
The healthy open space lifestyle Stuttgart offers is a treat. Any place is within walking or train distance and the expansive palace gardens stretch for 10km. Culturally rich, there is not a week without a food festival, jazz concert or open air performance. Stuttgart is the birthplace of the automobile and a series of innovative feats since — now it lies in my heart as the city of start-ups, summer festivals and endless staircases.
Return:
After 36 hours in transit, arriving in Durban was a relief. Greeting the border official with a friendly “Sawubona” (a small delight after a month away), I could not wait to be reunited with my loved ones. We genuinely learn to appreciate family, friends and the intricacies that make our country and its people so unique.
From Stuttgart’s 40°C to Stellenbosch’s 14°C is a shock to the system, albeit a welcome respite. More of a surprise is the amount of work covered in a mere week at university – playing catch up becomes a hobby! Not to worry, it is not as daunting as it appears – terrific lecturers and friends make the task lighter.
Not surprisingly, one becomes much more aware of the differences between South Africa and Europe. It becomes tempting to compare, but we are worlds apart and each nation fantastic in its own right. The grass is not greener on the other side, merely a different shade.
For example, European infrastructure allows for a professional and reliable public transport experience (depending on what the partner university arranges for you, obtaining a temporary train and bus student pass is a worthy investment. The freedom it allows you is priceless).
Culturally, alcohol is regarded more lightly in Germany. Beer and wine is available on campus and there is no legislation against “open containers” in public spaces. It was a shock to see people openly drinking on trains and buses without consequences. Interestingly, this freedom has not led to increased crime rates or violence, as it has possibly removed the taboo and the inclination for substance abuse.
Friends and family are fascinated by your adventure and want to know the story behind every photo. Reliving triggered memories is wonderful, yet bittersweet. Those around you cannot fully relate – there is an understanding only experience can bring.
Hindsight is a perfect science, they say. Looking back on a month abroad, I would not change a thing – every mishap, unplanned event or unexpected situation was an opportunity. There is no such thing as a perfect trip, but this came incredibly close. It was an honour to represent Stellenbosch abroad and be welcomed everywhere thanks to our university’s excellent reputation. Thank you, PGIO team, for the opportunity and the relations you nurture with partner universities, enabling us to have these experiences of a lifetime.
Not only have I gained innumerable memories, expanded my knowledge, horizons, friendships and networks, I have learnt more about myself in a month than I could have in 10 years. This I regard as priceless and has certainly whetted my appetite for international studies. One month done – bring on a semester exchange!