Historic towns, regional culture – and a lot of fun
Discover the Franconian vicinity and a lot more together with the FAU Volunteers for Internationals and international students! The FAU Volunteers for Internationals organize trips for international students at FAU – a great opportunity for you to get to know your new home and meet new people at the same time.
The Marienburg fort is majestically set on a cliff above the Franconian town of Würzburg and offers a spectacular view of this historic city and the Main river. Hira, who was born in Pakistan and grew up in Saudi Arabia, studies for a Master of Arts in ‘Physical Activity and Health’ at FAU, and took part in a trip to Würzburg together with other international FAU students. After an informative city tour, including such famous sights as the Residence or the cathedral, Hira and the others climbed up the hill to the fortress and enjoyed the gorgeous view of the city. “I really appreciated the little anecdotes about the history and people of Würzburg the tour guide told us in English”, Hira tells keenly. The trip was organised by the FVIs (Facebook), the FAU Volunteers for Internationals.
The Volunteers are a group of students who put their hearts and souls into organising ‘Sprachstammtische’ (regular meetings where people can practice their language skills), parties, and hiking tours – in addition to the trips throughout the year. “It’s important and helpful that there is somebody on-site who makes sure that people make friends and have a good time in their new country,” explains Christina, who has been actively involved with the FVIs since 2015. Having a good time is one of the group’s main objectives. “Anyone can participate who wants to. Some international students have even become part of the organising team. Actually, there are no fixed positions. Anybody can contribute where he or she feels most comfortable. Of course, everybody can bring their own ideas to the table. We discuss them and try to realise as many activities as possible,” says Christina. Besides the trip to Würzburg, Hira has also taken part in other FVIs excursions. She tells us: “That´s how I discovered many different places and their history, which is great!” Hira also visited Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a medieval town to the West of Nuremberg. Before Christmas, she ambled through the narrow lanes of the historic city together with the other International students and was enchanted by the Christmas markets’ romantic atmosphere. Of course, she made the obligatory visit to Käthe Wohlfahrt, a shop that sells Christmas decorations throughout the year.
El Mehdi from Morocco, who is a student in the Master´s programme in ‘Communication and Multimedia Engineering’, also went to Rothenburg. He was impressed by the Medieval Crime and Justice Museum, but what he liked most is the fact that he made contact with other students during the excursion: “I met a lot of new people. These acquaintances helped me to settle in and find my way through German culture.” The German students who help to organise the excursions and take part in them also benefit from the mutual exchange, as Christina knows: “I most like meeting many people from different cultural backgrounds during these excursions. You also get to see your home country from a completely different perspective.”
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frisch! 2019
Congratulations! You’ve decided to study at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. That’s a great choice! Plus, you’ve just found the perfect companion to show you around: Our magazine frisch! an der FAU can tell you (nearly) everything you need to know about our university.
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