A Great Start to My Year Abroad in Leipzig, Germany

By Miranda Dreisin (Universität Leipzig, Germany)

Like many language students, I had eagerly anticipated my year abroad since the start of my degree, and it was a key reason as to why I decided to study a language at University. However, with the end of second year, and the progression of summer, I quickly became daunted by the prospect of moving to a city where I had never been before, where I didn’t know anyone, and where I was to be studying a degree in a different language.

The main thing that significantly reduced my stress was the bureaucratic preparation I did in advance and it allowed me a much smoother transition from England to Germany. While the process can be complex, I would recommend that every year abroad students finalise their paperwork before they move, and become familiar with what still needs to be done after arrival in their host country (for example, I had to register my address with my city in Germany very soon after my arrival).

In September, I ended up coming a week early to Leipzig, my host city, to get used to speaking German everyday, and I took part in my University’s language course for international students, which started three weeks before the beginning of the semester. It was a mix of German speaking and writing lessons, as well as daytime activities that the University organised to show us Leipzig’s culture. I would strongly recommend for all international students to take part in a course like this if your university offers one, as it allowed me to get my bearings with the different university system and make lots of new friends!

Our first day on the language course started with a city tour. Pictured above is the Völkerschlachtdenkmal (The Monument to the Battle of the Nations), which commemorates the Battle of the Nations fought in 1813. The day ended with a free dinner organised by the University at a cultural centre called Moritzbastei (pictured above).

The language course also included a weekend trip to Dresden, a city a couple of hours away from Leipzig. After a city tour, we spent most of the day in an area called Neustadt, which I would recommend, especially in summer, for its architecture and gorgeous views (pictured below).

One of my favourite memories of this three week period was an organised hike my friends and I did with WILMA, a society under Leipzig University which helps connect international students through arranged events. We spent a day hiking through the Sächsische Schweiz, a national park about 2 hours south-east of Leipzig in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, which adjoin Switzerland and the Czech Republic. Hiking is extremely popular in Germany, and I was initially surprised when I saw that around 100 other students had also turned up. Some pictures of the hike are included below.

During these three weeks, the time that I felt most immersed in authentic Leipzig culture was when we went to a football game at our local grassroots stadium, the Alfred-Kunze-Sportpark. It is home to an original GDR team, BSG Chemie-Leipzig, which my friends and I are now supporters of. Below are some pictures I took of the enthusiasm of the crowd during the game.

To conclude, these first three weeks were a great start to my year abroad, and I am very glad that I get to be a student at host university which made all international students feel so welcome.