Pre- departure
We were two students from the Civil Engineering department (Construction and Engineering Management) applying for a course in Forecast Engineering. This course was presented by the Bauhaus University in Weimar, Germany. At first we just applied to see whether we will be accepted or not as it was still in the far future. As soon as we got accepted the next step was to gain funding. We applied for a travel bursaries from our own department as well as the international office. When we got informed that we will receive funding from both departments the possibility of going on the exchange program got a reality. Also, thanks to a healthy relationship between Stellenbosch University and other international universities our study fees were covered by the Bauhaus University where we intended to study. This really put us in a situation where we realised that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
The next step was to apply for a visa, but first we needed to know where we want to go and where we were going to stay as this information is important when applying for a visa. After we decided where want to go and on what dates we will depart and return, we searched for the cheap flight tickets. Flight tickets are also very important for the visa application. The departing airline we chose was Emirates, having a stopover in Dubai for 6 hours. The return flight was with Turkish Airlines with a stopover of 9 hours in Istanbul. These stopovers were a bit inconvenient but for half the price of that of the direct flights it was worth it.
With the tickets booked, we decided that while in Europe we will travel by train. The pass we used was a EURail select pass with a total of 8 travel days. We booked the pass online and within five working days it was delivered to our doorstep. The EURail select pass enables you to travel to four bordering countries. The cost of this ticket was R5300 but if you travel long distances by train, this pass works out much cheaper than buying the tickets separately.
We planned the trip with the use of various websites and apps such as: TripAdvisor, HostelWorld, EURail etc. Also we found it very useful to download “offline” maps which you can use with a smartphone without having access to the internet. If your phone has an internal GPS this can be of great benefit. A very useful app to have while abroad is that of the public transport services. Every public transport system in the European countries has a smartphone app which enables you to see the exact time the busses, trains and trems are leaving and from which station. This app can really come in handy.
Finally before we did our visa application we made sure that we ticked all the boxes on the list of things needed. This list you can find on the website of the embassy. It is very important to apply for a visa at the country you are visiting for the longest duration of your travel abroad.
Experience at Summer School
Arriving in Weimar we were welcomed by the friendly staff of the 2014 Bauhaus Summer School. From the train station they transported us to our accommodation where we would live for the next two weeks. We lived in a two man flat about 3km from Weimar. Thus we needed to take a bus every morning to attend class and in the evening we needed to take one back. In the cases where we attended functions after class we were not able to take the bus due to the busses not running after 21:00. This forced us to take cabs now and then which were quite expensive. Thus, if you’re attending a summer school you should consider asking for accommodation walking distance from the university of your studies. Apart from this there is really nothing negative to say of my studies abroad.
The night prior to the beginning of our studies we were invited to the welcoming function where we had a Barbeque and some local Weimar beers. It was interesting to meet the students from across Europe, Asia and America. This really broadens one’s view of the world and the people living in it. The functions held by the Bauhaus staff was great opportunities to meet and build relationships with international lecturers as well as students sharing the same interests.
The lectures were done by Professors from across the world which really made the discussions interesting as we all have different backgrounds due to the internationality of the course. After the first day we were assigned to projects which we would be working on in the evenings for the next two weeks. At the end of the two weeks our project group presented our results and findings of our certain project. Every student attending the course also gave a brief overview of their respective field of study at their local university. This was a great way to gain knowledge on how far developed other universities across the world are. It was very comforting to know that Stellenbosch University can compete with the best. Some of the lectures were really technical and specialised. With only what we have learned in pre-graduate we were still able to get most of it which meant that we really covered a wide field in our BEng (Civil) program.
We also attended an excursion the one day where we visited and studied some impressive bridges. The bridges were a great example of some of the work we covered the previous week which made it very interesting. The following were taken at the bridge excursion
At the end of the summer school we had an farewell party with a live band, great food and obviously some German beer. At this function we were also presented our certificates. The following picture is taken at the farewell party, with me being on the left and an international student from Macedonia on the right.
After our studies we travelled for another week and halve where we visited Frankfurt, Paris, Barcelona and Nice. Seeing these places together with studying abroad really enriched me as a person. I am really grateful for this great experience and that everything went smoothly without any hassles. The only thing that I acknowledged was to be aware of pickpockets in Paris. The picture below is of the Eiffel tower in Paris which is really a great example of structural engineering.
Return
The trip back to Stellenbosch was a long one. We flew from Nice, France via Istanbul to Cape Town. With a stopover of 9 hours on Istanbul we knew it was going to be a long wait to get back home. We coincidently met one of our friends on the airport in Istanbul and found out that he was on the same flying on the same plane as us. This was really nice, and shortened the stopover somewhat.
It was great to arrive back home, I really missed the great meat, biltong, braai, and my family and friends. But after a month away from Stellenbosch there was a lot of work waiting on me. It still has not really settled in that I’ve been studying abroad as well as travelled a nice part of Europe. The international exposure and experience I gained in this month will stay with me for the rest of my life. It really changed the way that I look at our own country. Appreciating what we have South Africa.