Almost one year ago, I knew that I was taking part in the IFC. At the beginning I could only think about coming to Germany and learn about the German culture, but when I thought about the IFC, I didn’t realize that it was not only German culture. When I came, I started learning about so many different cultures from all over the world. Australian, Italian and Polish are only three examples of the cultures I have learnt about. The great thing about the IFC is that people from different continents with different languages can communicate by speaking one language: English. Every time I think about that, I am really surprised. Before I came, I thought I was going to feel alone in school. I had the idea that the Germans are supposed to be cold and unfriendly people. I don’t know who had that thought or who started saying that, because it’s definitely not like that. Germans can be like that (or even worse) but that doesn’t mean that they are not friendly, kind and honest. Another thing I learnt being in Germany is the punctuality. In Argentina we are not punctual at all and I knew how the Germans were, but I didn’t think that they were so strict with the time. If you’re an international and are thinking about coming, keep in mind that when someone tells you to meet at 3, you will have to be there at 2:57 or you will be late. Just a little tip I can give you after being here for 7 months. To be honest, I thought that I couldn’t be 11 months in another country without my family, my friends, my language and especially my culture. I won’t say that it’s easy; it’s the opposite. You will be many days asking yourself if being like this is worth it. Believe me, it is. The internationals have a big enemy called “homesickness”. What is homesickness? It’s one of the worst things I have experienced in my short life. Homesickness is more than just an emotion, you literally feel how everything hurts because all you’ve lived with is too far away. It’s one of the worst (if not the worst) disadvantages of doing an exchange. But I can tell you that it’s totally worth it. Doing an exchange is not “leaving your life for a whole year”, it’s just pausing it. I am sure that, sometimes, everyone wants to create a new life from the beginning without knowing anyone. This is a great opportunity to do that. You will have time to go back and live your life the way you did again. But right now, go study abroad, learn new things that will help you your whole life, discover places and, last but not least, meet extraordinary people to live this new experiences with. 7 months went by and I cannot believe how fast this was. Right now, I’m really glad I applied for the IFC and I don’t want to imagine leaving
Germany and all the great friends I made here. I am sure that this is one of the decisions I’ve made in my life and that the experiences and things I’ve learnt will help me my whole life.