Interesting Experience in Germany (Part 2)

1996 (23 May - 23 August 1996)

Visited Places: Bahlburg, Beedenbostel, Betzendorf, Eisleben, Giessen, Hamburg, Harburg, Heidelberg, Herzberg am Harz, Hiddensee island, Luhdorf, Luhmuehlen, Lueneburg, Moellenbeck, Osterode, Putensen, Ruegen island, Salzhausen, Stuttgart, Tuebingen, Winsen an der Luhe.

Thanks to Mr Diedrich who had arranged the tourist visa for me. It took only 2 days. I just needed to pick up the visa on the next day.

So was the trip:

I stayed with family Diedrich in Luhmuehlen. The temperatur was 14 - 17 C. scale. Mrs Diedrich just needed that I introduce her Indonesia and take care of their sons Daniel and baby Carl, especially if she should take care of the horses. However, Tine (Mrs Diedrich) found it is not so effective if she learns Indonesian language, but she is still in Germany. She noticed that I had many friends everywhere in Germany, she just let me go visiting my friends.

I got new friends from the church. Every Sunday I joined the service at Johannis church in Salzhausen (-+ 1 km from Luhmuehlen). It was Marita who the first invited me to a coffee drink at her home in Salzhausen. We met each other at a Sunday school (church service for children). There were Christiane, Gabi and the reverend Heiner Frank.

Carole, whom I also met in the church, lived in the neighborhood in Luhmuehlen. What a surprise. She invited me to dine on grilled steak at her home. I met Reinhold, her husband, their daughters Amy & Alice. There were also Juergen & his wife Susanne, whom I already knew before. They lived next door to Carole. Juergen & Susanne invited me also to a grill on the other day.

Further there were Holger & June from the neighborhood, who invited me also to a dinner. June, Holger's wife, is an Indonesian. What a surprise! In a small village Luehmuhlen I could find an Indonesian. Christiane, a friend I knew from the Sunday school at the church in Salzhausen, invited me also to a coffee drink & dinner at her home in Garstedt.

These new friends were very friendly. They invited me not just for once, but often. Reinhold & family had once invited me to their family gathering & journey in Lopausee, which was ended in Betzendorf to play football: Betzendorf vs Lueneburg. It made a lot of fun.

It was a pleasure that I could visit my old and new friends, Indonesians & Germans, in Tuebingen, Stuttgart, Heidelberg, Giessen & Hamburg. They were Avi, Lely, Erwin, Faby, Faisal, Ilona & her friend Christiane, Betsie, family Diederich, the family of Dr Matthias Diederich, my previous lecturer at University of Indonesia, who was assigned to be my skripsi advisor. (skripsi is the paper as a final task, which should be prepared by students at universities in Indonesia to achieve their title)

Interesting Experience in Germany

I share with you some of my experience related to my stay in Germany. Maybe you find some places you never visit before and therefore you are interested in visiting those places.

Thank God that I could go to Germany. I never expected it before. Thanks to my boss as I worked in DAAD Jakarta. She permitted me to go there for 3 months. It was my first trip to Germany. Thanks also to my Alma mater, German Dept., Faculty of  Letters, University of Indonesia which thought of me and offered me to go to Germany.

Further, I also never expected that after the first trip I easily could decide to go again to Germany. This has happened 3 times. Not because of a scholarship, not because the Company sent me there due to a business trip. I myself have made it. Thank God.

Especially for you, who will study in Germany, I hope my experience can motivate you more in learning German, until finally your dream comes true: studying in Germany. Enjoy the story!

2006 (28 April - 12 May 2006)

Visited places: Karlsruhe, Bodelshausen, Stuttgart, Greven, Garstedt, Salzhausen, Putensen, Winsen an der Luhe, Lueneburg, Luhmuehlen, Hildesheim, Giessen.

Thanks to Reinhold who had taken care of the sponsorship from Germany for me, which enabled me to apply a tourist visa without any problems in the German embassy Jakarta.

So was the trip:

In Karlsruhe: Family Engelhardt invited me to see "Das Leben der Anderen" in a cinema. It was an interesting film, which shows how the life was under control of the government of the East Germany. On the other day the family took me to Rheinland-Strandsbad, Karlsruhe. In Karlsruhe I joined the Sunday service in the Stadtkirche.

In Bodelshausen near Tuebingen: to visit Ilona & Ruprecht, who invited me to dinner in a bavarian restaurant.

In Stuttgart: to visit Karstadt Dept. Store, as I was an employee of KarstadtQuelle Jakarta.

In Greven near Muenster: to attend Ita & Stefan's wedding. Never danced European dance before, nevertheless nice gentlemen asked me to dance with them respectively: Jan (our business partner), Olliver (Stefan's brother in law), Theo (Stefan's father) and a guest of the party.

In Winsen an der Luhe: Christiane & her daughter Franzi took me visiting Landesgartenschau. Marita bought Indonesian vegetables in an Asian shop. We wanted to make gado-gado (a kind of Indonesian food which consist of various kind of vegetables with peanut sauce). I already brought the peanut sauce from Indonesia.

In Salzhausen: to attend Sunday service in Johanniskirche.

In Lueneburg: Christiane bought so many presents for me & my family in Karstadt Dept. Store.

In Hildesheim: Dr Wehmann took me to see Andreaskirche, Michaeliskirche, Marie Himmelfahrt-Dom.

Do You Know, that ... ?

... It's Roentgen, Not Ronsen?

The young female doctor in Puskesmas Cengkareng (Puskesmas is a state small clinic, which spread out in districts in Indonesia) looked at me strangely as she heard me saying Roentgen with German pronunciation. Then she confirmed, "ronsen!" We just spoke about a result of Roentgen photo. Of course, I didn't have time to "teach" her German at that time, how to pronounce the umlaut o. We, Indonesian, don't know this German sound. But it is strange why "roentgen" is pronounced [ronsen]. Why does [g] become [s]? It is difficult for us to say the umlaut o [oe], but we still can say [g]. Therefore the possible Indonesian pronunciation of "roentgen" would be [ron-gen] or [ronggen], because it is also difficult for us, Indonesian, to pronounce 3 consonants [ntg] respectively.

As I worked in KarstadtQuelle Jakarta, I have once asked my German boss, whether my pronunciation of [roentgen] is right. He confirmed then my right pronunciation [roentgen]. So, it is not [ronsen].

The original German alphabet for this umlaut [oe] is described by "o" with two dots on it. But if such alphabet is not available in your computer, you may describe it by "oe".

Further, if you speak about Prof. Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, the finder of X ray, with a German, she or he wouldn't understand whom you are talking about, if you pronounce his name [ronsen].

(the umlaut o in his name "Roentgen" is originally described by the original German alphabet of umlaut o)

How can you produce this umlaut o? Please say [e], then hold your tongue. With this tongue position then please round your lips and say [o], that will sound [oe], the umlaut o.

Now, you know how to pronounce the following cities in Germany: Koeln, Goettingen, Goeppingen. (all umlauts o of those 3 cities are described by the original German alphabet of umlaut o)

... The Unity of Alphabets e and i Describes Diphthong ai?

A female reverend just mentioned the name of the famous German physicist, Albert Einstein, in her sermon. She pronounced it [einstein] not [ainstain]. After the Sunday service finished, I asked her why she didn't pronounce it rightly. She knew the right pronunciation, because she had taken a German course at Goethe-Institut. She answered that she just didn't want to do that. It is strange. To pronounce [ainstain] is easier than to pronounce [roentgen].

The other reverend was different. This young male reverend likes to learn. As he pronounced the name of the famous German reverend, theologian and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was against Hitler at that time; he asked me how the right pronunciation is. I told him and he tried to pronounce it rightly.

If you find the alphabet e and i together in German words, the pronunciation should be [ai], because they describe the diphthong ai.

Now, you know how to pronounce the following cities in Germany: Freiburg, Heidelberg, Hildesheim, Mannheim.

... Nouns Have 3 Kinds of Gender?

A Conversation in A German Lesson

Pupil:

What? Nouns have gender? Chair is masculine, flower is feminine, and book is neutral? It is strange. I just heard that nouns have gender.

Teacher:

That is so in German. But, no need to worry. You like the language, you will have fun in learning that. Try to learn 2 nouns of each gender including the plural form, everyday. Then you will be amazed there are so many nouns you have learnt.

Pupil: I don't think I can do that.

Teacher:

Don't say that. Try first what I told you, then we'll see whether you can do that or you can't. Besides, it is an interesting thing you never knew before. I'm sure you will learn it with pleasure, Think of this: you want to study in Germany. Isn't it your dream? Now, open the next page and we will hear a German song.

... There Are Some Learning Materials You Can Use?

Study Books

Here some good books you can use for learning German: Studio d, Passwort Deutsch, Themen Aktuell. Usually there are course books, exercise books and test books.

You can also visit this Schubert publisher and try to do the provided exercises online. Interesting.

Dictionary

Need an online dictionary? Please visit this Hueber dictionary.

You have read text 6.
Please read text 7: Interesting Experience in Germany
Back to text 5: Scholarship

Scholarship

Studying in Germany is maybe a dream of some people. The fact is: some people can financially afford to do that, however there are lots of people who financially cannot afford that. They need scholarship. However, it is also not easy to get scholarship. There are some requirements to be fulfilled.

As I worked for DAAD* Jakarta, 1995 - 1996, I had no chance to apply for a scholarship from DAAD. The scholarship was determined for university lecturers, especially from state universities and private universities, which had the status of "disamakan", and for researchers from governmental institutions. However it is not useless to check whether DAAD extends its scholarship scope. Maybe you have chance to apply for a scholarship from DAAD.

Thanks to the modern technology you can further seek so many information on scholarship in internet.

Not only in Germany, you can also study in Austria and Switzerland, because they are German speaking countries. However in Switzerland there are certain regions, where people speak German.

In Autumn 2003 German time I applied for a scholarship from the Embassy of Switzerland, Jakarta. Its scholarship was more restricted than DAAD scholarship. If DAAD Jakarta offered the scholarship to the whole Indonesia, Switzerland offered it only to regions, which involved some countries. It means Indonesia get only a few percent of the whole portion. Further, it means also that you should compete with other applicants from other countries in the determined region. Unfortunately, the confirmation letter from Professor  Dr.Dr. Hess-Luettich of the University of Bern dated 8 October 2003 and 2 reference letters from 2 lecturers of my Alma mater, German Dept., Faculty of Letters, University of Indonesia, (J. Darman, M.A. & Dr. Setiawati Darmojuwono) could not accompany me to Bern, since I didn't get the scholarship.

You may contact the Embassy of Switzerland, Jakarta, for further information. Maybe you are more lucky than me. For the Austrian scholarship please visit the website of OeAD (Oesterreichischer Austauschdienst). And of course, you can search more information on scholarship in internet.


*DAAD = Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst / German Academic Exchange Service

You have read text 5.
Please read text 6: Do You Know, that ... ?
Back to text 4: Preparation for Trip to Germany

Preparation for Trip to Germany

For you, Indonesian wives, whose husbands are Germans, maybe your husbands will tell you everything you should prepare for your trip to Germany, You also won't worry about the place where you can or will stay.

But for you, teens, who will study in Germany, it sounds terrible if you still don't know what you should bring, where you can stay in Germany. You also have no family or relatives there, who maybe can accommodate you for temporarily at their home until you find your own home. What should you do?

Find A Home

No other way except you must find a home if you have nobody in Germany. Please contact your university. In many universities in Germany there is usually a department which takes care of foreign students. Its name can be Akademisches Auslandsamt or other similar. This bureau can give you further information how you can find a student apartment, etc.

You can also try to contact the Indonesian embassy in Germany. Maybe they can help you giving useful information.

Thanks to the modern technology you can find so many information in internet. Maybe you can find a website or a weblog of some organizations, which arranges room or house rental in Germany and then you can contact them per email, which is cheaper than if you must contact them via telephone. To contact via email is also faster than if you must send a post mail to Germany. It is very practice. You can choose the best living place for you.

Here some sites for you as examples, which you can find in internet: WG-Gesucht, Studenten-Wohnung, Wohnung Jetzt. There are still more sites.

Immigration Documents

Entering other countries needs complete and right immigration documents. You should know the immigration rules of the respective country and you should obey them. Otherwise you will have a problem in entering this country. It may cause you pay more or the worst is: you can be deported. They send you back to your origin country. Imagine the lost you will suffer from.


Prepare your immigration documents accordingly. There are various types of visa. Students, tourists, Indonesian wives, whose husbands are Germans, will need different visa. You should consider also the visa application period: how long it will take from submitting of the documents needed for the visa application until you receive the visa in your hands. Don't let it happen: tomorrow you will fly to Germany, but until today you still don't have the visa. Then you call the German embassy and the clerk over there tells you, you may pick up your visa in the next 2 days!!

You need also to check the expiry date of your passport. If your passport will be expired in one month, maybe the embassy won't issue a visa for you. For further information, please contact the German Embassy.

Academic Documents

As a future student at a university in Germany you must already know what documents you should bring to Germany which are required by your university and which you should submit to your university upon your arrival in Germany. Make a list and prepare everything precisely.

Don't let it happen: you are already in Germany but you forget an important document. Then you ask your family to find the document and send it to Germany. How would it be, if your family can not find the document?

Clothing

In Indonesia your car can use the tires for the whole year. It can happen, that you still don't need to change the tires even they are already 5 years at your car. But in Germany you should change the tires in winter. Otherwise it will be dangerous driving a car on a thick ice with 'summer' tires. If winter is over, you can use back your 'summer' tires.

Similar with that fact, in winter you will need winter clothing. Due to your study you will stay for a long period in Germany. Therefore you should prepare everything accordingly, so that you will survive over the winter.

Many socks and gloves, some thick jackets will be all right. Good shoes from Indonesia should be OK. You see, if you can survive over the winter with those shoes, you don't need to buy additional winter shoes in Germany. If some stuffs are already provided from Indonesia, the other important things related to winter need you can provide in Germany. It would be very expensive, if you should provide all in Germany, however it is also not easy, if you would bring all from Indonesia. You can get overloaded and you should pay the charge due to overloading in the airport.

Here a site in which you can check the weather in cities in Germany: Wetter.de

Simply type the name of the city you will stay and find the result.

 

You have read text 4.
Please read text 5: Scholarship
Back to text 3: Indonesian Students in Germany

Indonesian Students in Germany

It is good to know how Indonesian students' life in Germany is. Especially for you, who will study there. You can get more description. Maybe you can also learn something from their experience.

Love Story

This is an interesting story. Ela (not her real name) was student at a university in Germany. She graduated from a famous university in Indonesia and got a scholarship to study in Germany. However she found her love there. She decided to marry the German guy and be housewife and didn't come back to Indonesia, to the university, which had sent her to Germany hoping her coming back as a lecturer at that university. Such was her life choice.

I Am Indonesian, I Eat Rice

Leni (not her real name) was student at the University of Hamburg. She brought a rice cooker into her apartment so that she could cook rice and eat rice. She didn't believe that she could live without rice. But sometimes she could eat Broetchen or any other German food. Although the scholarship was finish, she still could survive. She worked as a nurse for old people who lived alone in their apartments. Finally she finished her study and achieve the academic title and back to Indonesia. Thanks, rice!

Oops, It Doesn't Belong to Me!

Vivi (not her real name) was student at University of Tuebingen. She had lived in a special apartment for students (Wohngemeinschaft). There were students from many countries, who lived in that apartment. An interesting thing for Vivi was: everybody in that apartment honors everybody else' property. Nobody wants to steal something from the refrigerator, even if it is a small and cheap thing. You put something in that refrigerator, until it is expired, it is still safe there. But, in a student apartment in Indonesia, this can happen: you can loose your ice cream from the refrigerator. Maybe it will take only several hours and you cannot find your ice cream anymore in the refrigerator.

You Must Help Yourself

Ian (not his real name) was student at a university in Berlin. He had the most terrible experience in his life. One day he was sick and needed to go to the doctor. Nobody could take him there. Maybe nobody was in his apartment, I couldn't remember again. The fact was: he must go on foot. He was so weak and sick, but he must go. Sometimes he must creep because he couldn't walk and also nobody helped him on the way. Of course, he couldn't notice whether there was nobody on the street or there was somebody, but he won't help him. Thank God, he could finally arrive safely in the doctor's practice. How he went back home after that, I don't know anymore.

Oh, Oh, Everything Is Big!

Edwin (not his real name) was student at a famous university in Indonesia. He went to Hamburg because he dreamt a better life there. His interesting experience was: he must go to the teenager department if he wants to buy clothes, shoes, etc.. Sometimes he was so sad, because he could not find his size in a sale, which offered very big discount. It is very expensive if he always must buy those things in a department store, which currently doesn't offer a discount.

Just for fun

Please watch a short nice funny story about Indonesian students in Germany.

You have read text 3.

Please read text 4: Preparation for Trip to Germany

Back to text 2: Privater Deutschunterricht