About me…

Hey! I’m Matthew and as a part of my French and German Joint Honours Degree I get to spend my third year abroad and thanks to Swansea University I get to share my journey with you! Where am I going you ask yourselves? Regensburg, Germany (its just above Munich on a German map). Ever since year 7, I have always had a passion for languages and since then I have always dreamt of spending a long amount of time in a different country that didn’t have English as the first language.

With only 12 days to go before I make the big move, I thought that I would explain what I have done so far to get to this point, since this process is not as simple and deciding to go and just going.

Why Germany, why Regensburg?

The first part of this question is actually straight forward. When I arrived at Swansea University, I started in the German for Beginners class. Therefore I have chosen to study in Germany for the year to improve and bring up my German language skills to those of my French.

Now the trickier answer, why Regensburg? Well, there are quite a few reasons why Regensburg is the university for me rather than the other options I was given. Firstly Regensburg isn’t as big as places like Berlin, Munich or Cologne, which for me is amazing as I can get lost very easily in new places. As well as this the city itself is very picturesque with amazing architecture. Now a more important reason for why I wanted to go to Regensburg, is the level of German I would be learning. In Regensburg, they have a very good and highly recommended language centre, which offers courses that appeal to all levels of fluency, so for me being from the beginners class this is very helpful. They can also offer me French modules to study here which is what swayed me to Regensburg, as I can have a heavy focus on German without forgetting the French I already know.

How did I get here?

Now I will not bore you with all the paper work that took hours to complete (there was a lot) because I know you would fall asleep. However what I will mention is that I have selected my classes for the coming winter semester after talking with my coordinator and reviewing what Regensburg has to offer. I was also very luck to have spoken to someone who has just come back from their year abroad and hear from first hand what Regensburg can offer, allowing me to hear about the accommodation, the university and they courses on offer as well as what life is like out there. One of the easier parts I must say was booking my flight from the UK to Munich, although this step made me feel very nervous as I knew that there was no backing out. However I know that there is nothing to be worried about. There is also a service that allows me to get straight from Munich to the University. What could be better!

Thoughts, feelings and expectations.

Now I am not going to tell you that I have not got any nerves or that I am not anxious about the move because whenever you start a new journey there are always those sorts of thoughts. However what I must do is look to the good things that are awaiting me there, the trips I will be able to go on and the new people I am going to be able to meet. Don’t worry I am not all doom and gloom though, I am looking forward to this experience as well and my feelings of excitement and curiosity definitely outweigh the nerves and anxiousness.

Expectations wise, there are many thing I plan to see while in Germany – the Berlin Wall, the Christmas Markets, the Brandenburg Gate… – so I doubt for one second I will be bored!

Well that is it from me from this side of the world, hope that my first post wasn’t too much! Hopefully you enjoyed reading it and will carry on following me through this wild and crazy adventure!

Auf Wiedersehen!