Memorial University in St. John`s: Alan Scott

"Semester abroad?"- "Yes, of course, but how do you organize something like that? And where do I want to go?". These were the first two questions I asked myself before one of my greatest experiences.

When I walked into the sports hall one morning and saw the notice about a semester abroad in a foreign country, I immediately wanted to apply for one of these places. Thanks to the kind help of Mr. Kibele and other fellow students who had previously gone through this application process, it wasn't too difficult to master this bureaucratic part of the preparation. The closer it got to the application deadline, the more excited I became, because I was hoping for a unique opportunity to study abroad. It was an easy decision for me to apply for the place in St. John's, because I love nature and Canada was and still is one of my dream (travel) destinations.

After I received confirmation that I had been offered the place in Newfoundland, my joy was boundless and the preparations began.

What do I need to take with me? Where should I stay? How cold will it be? And do I have to apply for a visa? These were just a few of the questions that popped into my head, but they were answered and explained to me in detail by my predecessors. I was also lucky that a Canadian exchange student (Josh Howard) had just started his semester abroad at our faculty. Thanks to our very good and close friendship, I was relieved of many tasks and questions on the other side of the "big pond".

When I sat on the plane on August 2 and left Germany behind me, the excitement and anticipation was huge. I could hardly wait to get to know the culture and people of Newfoundland. I had already been told beforehand that Newfoundlanders are some of the nicest and most helpful people on earth and this statement was confirmed to me every day of my exchange. After arriving in St. John's, I went straight to the apartment, which Josh had rented in advance and which had all the furnishings I needed.

As I arrived in St. John's 4 weeks before the start of the semester, I had enough time to explore the city and the surrounding area. The next and most important step after my arrival was to introduce myself to Memorial University and to sort out all the formalities. After a few days, all these issues were resolved and I was now an official student at MUN (Memorial University of Newfoundland). On the advice of Sebastian Plewe, I enrolled in five courses for the Fall Session. I took 2 practical and 3 theory courses, in which I was warmly welcomed. All my TAs and professors introduced me and new friends were made very quickly. In my opinion, this number of courses is the right amount for a student abroad to get to know the way of life and to make and maintain social contacts. I either shared books and other materials I needed for my courses with my classmates or bought them second-hand from other students. In this context, buying and selling used teaching materials from the previous semester is a good way to ease the burden on your vacation budget.

The first campus tour was very impressive and I couldn't believe the environment I would be studying in for the next few months. Thanks to the tuition fees there (which we fortunately didn't have to pay), a beautiful and very appealing campus could be built. We sports students in particular had great opportunities and conditions, not only in our practical courses but also in the theory courses. The Physical Education Department has the latest technologies in research and the equipment needed for the practical courses was at a top level. Dr. Behm, who was the contact person for me, always helped me and showed me the entire campus. The openness and helpfulness of all the staff at the faculty was more than impressive and a great help in getting off to a successful start. One of my greatest and most unique experiences was playing for the Sea~Hawks, the university team. After a tryout, I joined the Sea~Hawks soccer team and was part of a great community. We trained five times a week, even twice a day in preparation. You can imagine it just like you see in American movies. The support and recognition as a university athlete is absolutely amazing and I have never experienced such support as an athlete before. We flew to away games, stayed in hotels and I even had to memorize and sing the Canadian national anthem for our games. All my teammates supported me during my time and it helped me a lot to integrate into society. I think being able to play there was one of the best experiences I've had in my life so far. It also helped me to pursue my hobby and develop my sporting skills. To this day, I still have very good contact with my coach and all my teammates.

To sum up, I can say that this six-month period was one of my greatest and most exciting experiences and every student should seriously consider taking this opportunity. In addition to developing my cognitive skills, this time also helped me a lot as a person and broadened my horizons in a wide variety of subject areas. I am available to anyone who would like to realize this goal and adventure and you are always welcome and encouraged to ask me your questions.