By Ngan:

If you ask Asian people (especially Vietnamese) about whether they enjoy sunshine or not, you will receive 99% NO! It does not exclude me. Honestly, I used to hate sunshine until suffering the crazy cold winter in Germany. I gradually realized how much love I have for sunshine here. Thoughts might change time by time and so do I. Now being in Germany I absolutely wish everyday is full of sunshine instead of windy, rainy or even snowy. 

You may ask why Vietnamese people hate sunshine? Most people cover their face mask, sun glasses, sun hats, and wear jackets, long trousers or jeans, etc. There are some reasons around this situation, but basically we are scared of being burnt or brown skin. That ‘s why we have to cover our body as much as possible. Besides, Vietnam has tropical weather (the average head amplitude is from 25 to 33ºC), and it is really humid during the year. Furthermore, Vietnam is one of the typical motorbikes/ scooters country, so driving under sunshine is a very big challenge for us without covering long clothes (because it is super hot with the heat from sun and the reflection from roads) 🥵. And absolutely we have no sunbathing culture in Vietnam and we prefer to be in houses with air conditions. When coming to Vietnam, do not be surprised about our “covered culture” during hot days! ☀️

However, it seems totally different from the Western culture such as Germany. People love sunshine very much and so do I. At first, I asked myself how people in here are down for sunbathing directly from sunshine, and also with short clothes! And now I can fulfill my curiosity because of my experiences during the first summer in Germany and my suffering from the crazy cold winter. In summer, I wore long jeans on a hot summer day and omg help me! And during 3 more months of winter here, I definitely wished to see sunshine at the beginning of the day and also make me warm when I was outside. I realize how important sunshine is to me. I wish everyday is a nice sunny day and I can go picnic in Schloss Garden or enjoy my positivity from sunshine. It makes me warm and more energetic, so I have to say sunshine has changed me during these days. And of course, I love being under sunshine and enjoy my picnic food, and also wear short clothes to 100% feel sunshine! 

My simple cultural difference between Vietnam and Germany may reflect the various views of sunshine. This fact interests me a lot when I have fulfilled my curiosity about this situation. And now spring spirit is coming to town and I definitely enjoy my good vibe with sunshine here! 

By Ngan:

Honestly, I feel lucky because I have a passport since I was young. At that time, a passport seemed to me just like “a notebook” because I did not use it frequently in my childhood. Therefore, the definition of passport was truly vague for me. Nevertheless, I have realized the power of having a passport in the recent years, and it has broadened my way to enter the world with an aim to be a “global citizen”. 

Passport is definitely essential when you would like to go abroad, isn’t it? I always keep in mind one thing when I asked mom: “Why do we need a passport? I rarely or never use that.” She gradually explained to a questioned-girl: “Just in case you would like to travel abroad immediately, a passport is here for you. Instead of letting the grass grow under your feet, you would be calm to travel easily.” Oh well, she has brought me to the newer definition and encouraged me to explore the new world behind the passport. In 2019, my friends asked me to be their companion on the trip to Cambodia, the trip starts like at the blink of an eye (within a few days to make a decision), of course no worries about passport! Ah yahoo, at that time, I felt much more curious about the world around me, and I was able to feel the differences between two countries in many aspects. Therefore, it was a remarkable trip and it has also encouraged me to be a little Vietnamese ambassador to demonstrate the beauty of Vietnam to the world.  

Now, being in Germany and taking a reflection of the previous time, I was reminded by a professor who taught me at university in Vietnam with her questions: “How many people are there in this class who already have a passport?”. A few hands were raising and I was one of those in total of 18 students. She immediately told my class to make a passport as soon as possible. Her argument was that a passport is the connection of yourself to Southeast Asian -  if you are a low budget traveller, to go and see how Vietnam stands in this area. I was persuaded by her argument because of the thoughts towards the entering of the modern world. Last year, I received a question about how brave I was to go alone in Europe from a friend who is Italian. She told me that her family has not hesitated about having no passports because travelling around the EU is enough. If you were me, what would you think of?

In the fast paced world, our generations are being given much more opportunities to go abroad (for example: exchange programs, conference attending, studying abroad, etc). If you have read the requirements once, I believe that one of those is about having a passport which is available at least 6 months, right? From my perspective, I have seen many young that Vietnamese have chased their dreams and shared the Vietnamese cultures with the world. It is one of the best ways to approach the definition of “cultures without borders” for Vietnamese and the world. 

The further I go, the more mature I am! Being a young Vietnamese, I was given a chance to pursue my dream when I was young, and it lets me grab this opportunity to share with the other students. It is not a short distance, it lasts long but you are not limited to reach the world. One of the best doors opens when you have your own passport! Just grab this opportunity to enter the intercultural environment and see the world under your eyes!

By Phoung

I want to arrange my thoughts, I note all the messy thoughts down. I want to express my melancholy without bothering anyone, I cry out to my journal. I want to get away from mundane present, I write about the future fantasy. It occurs to me that I only write diary when I feel confused, uncertain, sad and disconnected from life.  

In this lockdown, I journal more than ever before. It is not just because there are so many uncertainties and worries in this period of time that I want to express but because I have learned to journal in a different way. I joined a few courses about writing for self-care on "Skillshare" and I realized there are more things I could do with my journal than just writing down my messy thoughts and melancholic stories.   

Now, I learn to write to reflect on myself. I write about what brings me joy, I write about all the interactions in my life that make me who I have become, I write about what I am grateful for, I write about my strengths, my weaknesses...I also learn to write to remember my life. I write how joyful and blessed I were when I found a wonderful shelter built by someone in the woods, how the sky was not as blue as the day before, how good I felt when one day I randomly woke up early with full energy. I looked at a tree and I drew it. I picked a leaf, painted on it and imprinted it on my journal. I do 4-quadrant exercise where I write what I did, what I saw, what I heard in a day and then I sketch my day in the last square of the 4 quadrants. For example, I wrote 'made a vegan taco' in the 'I did' quadrant, then I had a quick sketch of it in the 'Doodle' square. I want to remember it all, every detail.   

So, instead of waiting for this difficult time to pass, I learn to appreciate every moment and I have my journal to keep all these beautiful little things. There is one quote from the TV series "Anne with an E" that I really like: 'Take notes as you explore your life. It’ll help you make sense of it.'   

By Ngan

Along-e = along + alone. 

I am adventurous. 

I am curious about everything around me. 

I am a seeker who finds the “treasure of life”. Oops, treasure here means “the best experience ever”! 

Travel gives me opportunities to be a seeker as I wish. And travel makes my life better! 

When I was in Vietnam, my parents never let me travel alone. At least, I must travel with friends or with my sister. So it seems hard to have “crazy” ideas to travel alone. I understood that parents are scared of accidents or something bad happens. 

Now, being in my 20s, I finally chase my dream of being along-e in Europe! 

Studying abroad in Germany enables me to travel easily. Actually, I am a “cheap-traveler” which means that I prefer choosing cheap hostels, cheapest means of transport, and cheapest meal as well 😂 (depends on how broke I am). Most of my money is spent on museums. I love seeking new knowledge about history. The same as Phuong - one of my best travel buddies and also co-ambassador at Karls, we love being in a world of history and cultures. We usually spend most of our traveling time in museums, because it brings us tons of information and a step into understanding how miracles are! Or we are inspired by books, articles about the past of various nations around Europe, so we decided to pursue our style of traveling! 

Being in Karlsruhe, I find that it is super easy to get connections with the other neighboring countries such as France, Switzerland, Italia, etc. After only the first 12 days in Germany, I had a day trip to Strasbourg (France) which cost me only 25 EUR (all fee is included). Or I can easily take a 3-hour region train to Konstanz (it is located in the South of Baden-Wüttemberg) and travel to Switzerland within a few steps! OMG, it is much easier than I have ever imagined! Only an available visa, no worries to travel along different borders in a blink of an eye! I love searching transport tickets, whenever finding somewhere else is affordable, I am definitely down for it! It is how I select my dreamed destinations. No barriers in traveling along Europe, it has made me an open mind and seen how sceneric and miraculous the world is! 

Traveling alone is not a problem! As I said, I used to not travel alone until I came to Germany! I believe that life lets me travel as I wish! I prefer traveling with a few people to the large group due to the convenience of a small-sized group. My friends always ask me: “Are you scared of traveling alone?”. Of course, yes but a bit! My curiosity is much bigger than my scareness! I choose to travel alone because most of my friends here do not have the same free time as mine, or I love being alone in the museums and moving as much as possible (I believe that they hardly catch my speed of traveling 😂). Sometimes I feel relieved when being alone and breathing my own heaven! There are both pros and cons of traveling alone and I cannot avoid this. Nonetheless, I feel myself more mature and learn more things than ever! 

Setting foot on many destinations in Europe is one of my targets when studying abroad, so along and alone is not problematic! 

“Đi một ngày đàng, học một sàng khôn” - mình thích câu nói này và nó là động lực để mình đi thiệt nhiều! 

By Phoung

Here I am in the second lockdown recalling historical places I’ve been to in my first summer vacation in Germany. It was Nürnberg where the imperial castle of Holy Roman Empire based. It was Berlin – the capital of the kingdom of Prussia and later on of German Empire. It was München where Hitler began his political careers, where the Beer Hall Putsch took place and failed. It was Nürnberg where the National Socialists staged their vast marching procession. It was Berlin where Hitler committed suicide. It was Nürnberg again where the Nuremberg Trials were held after world war II for the prosecution of prominent members of Nazi Germany. Then, It was Berlin where the Berlin Wall was erected. And now, It is Berlin, the capital of united Germany.

Honestly speaking, I really appreciate the way how Germany deals with its past : many historical museums and Memorial Sites are free to public; things that are small but meaningful like ‚Stolpersteine‘ which are stumbling stones inscribed with the names of the Nazis‘ victims, they are placed in front of the houses from where the victims have been deported; Students are taken on school tours to museums and Places of Remembrance as part of their curricular activities. On my way to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial Site, I was so impressed to notice that Brandenburg University of Applied Police Sciences is located on the ground of the former SS camp. There I saw the sign which says the main educational objective of the University is commitment to the primary principle of the basic law: Human dignity shall be inviolable. During their studies, students learn about the history of what happened there and the crimes committed by the police under the National Socialist regime.

For me, travelling to a place is the chance to learn and understand about its culture and history. Reflecting upon this thrilling journey, I feel like I somehow indeed got on the time machine and traced back to many different milestones in German history. Of course, what I have learnt so far about it, is just a small portion in the vast sea of knowledge. However, isn‘t it true what matters at the end of the day is that you learn and understand more than you did the day before? To me, it is such an enlightened state of mind when understanding the things that I just vaguely knew before and then being able to connect them all together. And since there are many things to learn and memorize along the way, I always carry with myself my travelling notebook. I simply put things down in the shortest words, then organise and dig down into them later when being back home. Since I got all the notes and the questions down, the learning journey continues after every trip. First, I have a look at what I have written and arrange those areas of knowledge in different historical phases chronologically. I then search for more information and write down one more time as a way to remember and understand deeply. So far, I find this method of learning when travelling really works for me and I just hope the pandemic will be over really soon so that I could hit the road again and embrace my knowledge!

As an international student - like any others who choose to stay here in Germany, rather than flying back home (Vietnam), I found that managing mental health is as important as maintaining physical-health during this time. We are living far from family and the relationships we have mostly at the university (and where we work parttime). I don't know if anyone also encounters some issues about mental health, so I hope this post regarding some of my tips would be helpful. 

Tip 1: Eating "fine" food. I am pretty sure that you already read pieces of advice about keeping daily routine as normal or eating healthy food. I would add: trying to cook "fine" food or traditional food is also a great idea. For me, long for Vietnamese specialties every day, but normally I cannot cook them properly because many of them consuming so much time to prepare and cook. And I do think that Food is the easiest way that could bring the best "home"-feeling right now for international students, at least that's something calming yourself during this time. 

Tip 2: I personally like blossom flowers so I take time to draw it. My friends also tried learning to play Ukulele or baking muffins and decorate them. Just do whatever you would like to do. Do something artistic could help manage behaviors, process feelings, reduce stress and anxiety and increase self-esteem (someone said it :D )

Tip 3: Normally, I called home once a week but sometimes If I was too busy studying or parttime working, that would be once every two weeks. But now, I could call them every two or three days, to let them know I am doing ok, to show them the food I cook or which crazy things I did. If you do have young sisters, young brothers, nieces or nephews...talking and playing "online" with them do help!

Tip 4: "Hang-out" virtually! A group call at night to have a beer "together" (but-apart) is what we did too. 

Tip 5: It's not a real tip! But I found it's helpful to make yourself known that - what you have been through, even struggling a bit with your mental health, is OK. Everyone has struggled with this situation - big or small. It's Ok to do things a bit slowly, a bit unproductive as usual. :) (But do seeking for help if you feel it's needed)

So this is the first week that The Karls "goes online". How are your experiences? To me, I did see how much effort that the University has put and prepared for this online scenario. The good thing is that we are not necessarily delayed the classes. Even with some modules, there are changes need to be adjusted but in general, we can still keep up with the learning pace. However, besides technical issues related, for me, the realtime-direct-interaction and discussion, which a.k.a the unique of the Karls, is something that cannot be transferred online 100% and I really miss it. 

In such an extraordinary situation, I think the most important thing to keep in mind is to be empathetic. Normal learning settings/environments would encourage or endorse some typical types of characters (for example: introvert vs. extrovert). This online (and inside) situation is also the same. Some are techie, some are not (disregard how young you are!); some can cope with the change fast, some slow; some can speak during class but cannot really say anything during online class, some need to "see" and "feel" to discuss, not to only "listen" and "speak". 

Be patient, be empathetic. Maybe you can discover your classmates' special ability - to productively work and study during this situation ;)

Stay healthy and stay safe (and stay inside ;) )

So, we are back to school and I just finished the first week of the new Semester. in this third Master Semester, we are already considered "Senior" now since the "New generation" has already been here.

At this first week, we - "the senior" ones - have the chance to meet and greet all of them - "the fresh" ones. We are halfway through on our journeys and they just start. Meeting them reminded me a lots about me in the very first weeks being here at Karlshochschule. 

It is interesting to see those, who actually just like us a year ago - many coming from different corners of this globe and now starting their whole new journey here in Germany. They will have 2 years in their life to live and experience in another country, to learn how to adapt in a whole new "concept" ("Re-design" life is also a way of saying) with a different language, different culture with different norms and rules in general - and in more specific, without the comfort zone with friends and relatives. There would be ups and downs that you have to face completely individually. That is challenging but exciting (and even a bit scary) at the same time. It's too soon to say anything - I just want to wish you a good journey, come with who you really are and absorb as much as you can (but collectively). 

My second semester with Master class has just ended some days ago (with a final essay submission…). As some people asked me how it is as a Karls student, and even though I am not doing great great great, I could give you some of my tips. 

• Taking Academic Writing class. Talking a bit about my background, I am not a native English speaker, not even growing up or learning in a well-teaching English environment. My Bachelor is courses-based and required no Bachelor thesis to graduate (I learned 6 extra modules instead of doing the thesis). So, you understand how it was for me facing essays or academic research papers at Karls. I found it is extremely helpful taking Academic Writing class, especially for me and some people already took my pieces of advice. The course helps you to organize the ideas, choose and use the right academic vocabulary, build up proper argumentative structures and use linking words for more coherent paragraphs and cohesive texts (and also how to refer to sources properly…). 
• Read. Read. Read. I think this is an overused-advice. But I need to address it again. Maybe that friend you find so bright, so informative, so knowledgeable – though he or she said “oh I just knew it” or “Oh, I didn’t even learn or read about it” – has to read a lot at home too. 😉 
• Groupwork is un-avoidable. I am not a fan of group work, to be honest. But it is un-avoidable – No I didn’t mean at the Karls, I meant in working life. In time, I learned to work with people having not only different strengths but also working styles. You, as a team, need to accept it and have to find the balance between the group to deliver the most capable result. Not the best result. It is only the most capable result. Accept it. And accepting the fact that is also one of the successful goals of group work. 

I know it might cliché to some of you who come from a maybe better educational background. This is just how I, indeed, have survived during the last 2+ semesters and I hope these would be helpful for someone. :D 

This is the second time I celebrate the new year in Germany! Well, I meant my "New Year"! You’ve probably heard of Chinese New Year, which is celebrated by all of Chinese-speaking countries and territory, but did you know that the more accurate terminology is Lunar New Year?

Lunar New Year is actually celebrated by many non-Chinese Asian countries: Singapore, Korean, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei... and I don't know what exactly it is called in other language but Vietnam it is "Tết" (or to be precise "Tết Nguyên Đán") - this is the Name and there is no translation in English ("Tet"). It is the first day of the first month in Lunar calendar - which is not a fixed day in normal calendar but would be around end of January till middle of February (this year 2020, the first day is 25th of January). So normally: it’s time to reunite with immediate and extended family to ring in the new year, to give lucky money in red envelope to wish for a upcoming good fortune and prosperity year ahead, to pray for the god, to pay tribute to the ancestors too. That's why when putting Tet in Western context - it is like Christmas, New Year and Thanks Giving combined in one. 

This year, I had my last class, coincidently, in 29th afternoon, full day of 30th and the morning of first day of new year! (to explain, it is the same as you have class on 23rd, 24th and 25th of December :( ). I think many international students would have been through the same feeling - when you study in another country far from home, there are some certain things that you extremely miss and cannot be carried along with you - to me it is all the atmostphere that everyone in the family prepare for Tet.

P.S: And to be honest, as a Vietnamese, I would already be much appreciated if you say "Happy New Year" or "Happy Lunar New Year" (Happy Tet would be too awesome, I won't ask for that! haha) - hearing some people congrat me as "Happy Chinese New Year" is quite offended. :D  

This year is the second time that I celebrate Christmas and New Year's Eve in Germany. And only this year that I realize

Firstly, (I think) this is the first time that I really celebrate New Year's Eve in the right way. We have a small party - we had "Raclette" - the melted cheese with customizable variety of vegetable and meat, we drank "Sekt" - the sparkling wine, we played some boardgame, we watched "Dinner for One" and drank whenever the man said "same procedure", and we went out to see (play!) the fireworks. Back in Vietnam, in New Year's Eve, there is one or two certain spots that the government will put on the fireworks show properly and it is illegal for individuals to set off fireworks. So, playing with fireworks on my own here in Germany is also put in my First-time ever list. 

Secondly, yes the Festive Hype! I indeed didn't notice it last year. But this year, I understand what's people called Christmas fever - The feeling of not wanting to do anything but just waiting for the Christmas and new year holiday. I get it this year! And for me, it is even worse. As a Vietnamese (and I think it might be the same with any Asian students whose there country still celebrate Lunar New Year, who live and learn in another country), the Festive Hype is longer than that...

This year the first day in the lunar year is the 25th of January, and while in here - Germany, everyone starts working again, everything is fresh and ready, people in Vietnam start to prepare for the Lunar New Year. And just to let you know, Lunar New Year for us is just like a combination of Christmas, New Year and Thanksgiving rolled into one! How we celebrate it? Wait for my next two posts this month! 

Last weekend, I have a short travel to Bern - the capital of Switzerland (Attention: not Zurich, Geneva or Basel...). Bern is only 3 hours away from Karlsruhe by direct train. It fascinated me because Bern is no like other capital cities - it is small and compact with a really lovely atmosphere. (As a student-budgeted traveler, I always fall in love with any cities that have a well-structured public transportation network...). Actually, its landscape, ancient towns or the sweeping views of the Alps to me are just as impressive as the fact that Switzerland has never been an EU member, even though the government has signed several bilateral agreements with the European Union. And only by 2005, Swiss voters agreed by a 55% majority to join the Schengen treaty - a result that was regarded by EU commentators as a sign of support by Switzerland, a country that is traditionally perceived as independent and reluctant to enter supranational bodies. Another interesting thing is the high reputation of "Swiss Made". Switzerland has done a lot to really maintain the label "Swiss Made". The Swiss standard is often pejoratively referred to as the 60% Rule. This minimum rate of 60% was not chosen at random: it corresponds to the rate used in the free-trade agreement between Switzerland and the European Union. 

Been to Bern is also a...lovely experience with the languages. Switzerland has 4 co-official national languages which are German, French, Italian and Romansh so sometimes, even just saying "Thank you" you can hear "Danke", "Merci" or "Grazie" ... (no rule!). And even though more than 60% of people speak German - and I knew that they are speaking German - I cannot even guest what they are talking about :( 

"Global citizen" is a strongly increasing concept in recent years in Vietnam. However, the more I live here in Germany, get to know more people in Karlshochschule (which is nearly 50% are international), and some friends of my friends from other cities and regions around Germany, I realize that "global citizen" is a concept that me - a Vietnamese student who learns 100% in English in Germany - cannot really relate. 

I was confused all the time if something happens and I took any action - whether that action (or decision or even thinking behind it) comes from me - as a Vietnamese who carries all of Vietnamese background and culture with me? or as an Asian in general because we did share some common patterns? or it not really from both of it - it is just my personality? People talk a lot about Asian stereotypes - good at maths, shy, don't like to talk, traditional, skinny, look like 12 years old... - and others talk about "No, we are not your Asian stereotypes!". That is where I feel confused because I am exactly that stereotypes - I am good at Maths (because my major in high school is Maths...), I really don't like to speak (and don't talk about presentation, I hate it too), I am traditional and conservative, skinny...

And then people also talk about Westcentricism then Eurocentric or Eurocentrism, then the Raise of East Asian and ASEAN way... Well, not to mention my two best friends here at the Uni are Indian and Turkish, I also met a Korean whom I can share things and we are good friends since we found a lot of things in common - not only the habits but also the thinking toward things. And I and two other Taiwanese friends also called it a date as we celebrate this Lunar new year together this year. So maybe Pan-Asian is a thing? Is it also considered as an Identity?

I used to be afraid of confusion. Being confused is not good. Being confused means you are losing yourself. But I don't know how it is with the others, a big thing I learned here at the Karls is: it is OK to be confused. Being confused means you care and you didn't take things as simple as how it looks like. Being confused encourages me to read and explore more about it - (this is when I found Pan-Asia articles, surprised ;) ).

Nationality may indicate the home-country or state of one, but it is an essentialist or static representation of one’s background and does not take into account the changing nature of identity shaped by the experiences and world-views of one. And I believe generally just by traveling the world for a while, you cannot really have a real sense about "identity". I believe if you feel it enough, at the end of the day, you will define somewhere you belong proudly - even it is somewhere "in-between" or "hybrid-space" whatever it's called, but it would not be "global". 

The desire of changing your life (or just changing the way you live) can be considered one of our main characteristics that makes us human – and moving is indeed a human instinct. From a historical standpoint, if there was not immigration, the global population might not be as scattered and globalized throughout the world as it is today.

When people talk about immigration these days, normally at their first thoughts, would be someone crossing the national border. But I do believe it is not as simple or narrow as that. Internal immigration is also another type of it immigration people don’t often consider. I was born and raised in a poor fishery village in Central Vietnam. Since the age of 18, going from the countryside to the city and staying there for the following 10 years for my bachelor degree and for my working experiences that followed, to me, was also migration in itself. Some people (and many do) might do this the other way around - leaving the city to go to the countryside to live with a garden to start a family is also a way of migration. Internal migration is not necessarily less “dangerous” than external migration. The process of migration, crossing a border to completely new world, with new languages and culture is more challenging. It’s possible that the costs (and sometimes sacrifice) must be higher, but also means the opportunity for greater change, possibilities and even sometimes reward. Now I am here in Germany, in Karlsruhe – another move of my life, which 10 years ago I didn’t think I would make it, that I would go this far.   

I do believe that our decisions to emigrate sometimes does not depend on economic capability. Regardless of our economic status, rich or poor, we can always and will find a way to move. Economic capability only affects and define where and how to go, under which type. We have all been and will be immigrants. We are all immigrants.

Many Vietnamese people long for “The American dream” or, a life in the UK or German living standards or elsewhere. But the American, the British or the German are also constantly moving around the globe. 

There is one saying from a Vietnamese Prof. that I really resonate with me: “Migration is a process, not a problem. We can't stop it, we could only make it more humane with mutual benefit”.

*This is the thought coming from a conversation with my friends these days after a tragedy with Vietnamese immigrants in the UK recently. I hope (and do believe) that this thought is the common one among the Vietnamese people/students who are currently living far from home, to better acknowledge that we are also migrants – by this way or another – and to have more empathy for who/what is labelled as an “immigrant” or the perspectives towards “immigration”.

After Vienna, I went to Budapest by a 3.5-hours bus. Been to Budapest is always one in my bucket list (any George Ezra fan here?) and it's truly not making me down - I left my heart in Budapest.
The city is divided into 2 parts by the Danube river and to be honest, just by reading information about the city before really coming, I got to know that the two parts used to name Buda and Pest separately, just later being combined since 1873. The whole city has architecturally noteworthy buildings in a wide range of styles and from distinct periods, from the ancient times as Roman City which dates to around 89 AD to the most modern Palace of Arts, the contemporary art museum and concert hall... You can find here a diversified buildings - Gothic and Neo-gothic Architecture, Romanesques architecture, Renaissance architecture, Ottoman architecture, Byzantine architecture...Especially in Budapest, wandering around the cities only is also more than enough for the trip. Some places you should see are The Hungarian Parliament Building (photo), The Chain Bridge, Danube Promenade, Buda Castle Hill Funicular along with the Fisherman’s Bastion...Budapest landscapes are even more breathtaking at night. It has the most lively and energetic (literally, also, with lots of lights) nightlife within cities in EU that's I have been to. This time I need to admit that I have planned it quite badly with just 2 days here. Maybe it's a fair reason to come back?

The most frequently envy-saying that my friends always tell me is "Wow, you are in the heart of Europe, you must travel a lot then". It's understandable since there is a significantly huge amount of stories sharing about how Europe is a dreamland for international students who love traveling. "You just need to hop on a bus or train and the next hours you are in another country"- people said. 

Well... YES, but NOT REALLY.

YES - Germany, especially from Karlsruhe, you can easily reach to other beautiful cities of Germany in some hours: Heidelberg (30 minutes), Stuttgart (1 hour), Frankfurt Strasbourg (France, in 1.5 hours), Zurich (Switzerland, in 1 hour), Paris (in 3 hours) or even a little further to Praha (Czechia, in 10 hours). The Aufenthaltstitel card (or residence permit card) allow you to travel to countries within the EU. 

But NOT REALLY - It's true that you can travel, but not anytime and not all the time. Not to mention those short trips to nearby cities, travel to other cities/countries require time management and...budget management as well. You do need to balance the time for studying such as university class hours, group-working meeting time, self-study time, the due day of the papers, essays...and working time - as an international student, you are allowed to work maximum 20hours per week. Most of the university students have at least a mini-job to cover a part of the living cost (but if you are not studying and living in Germany on a certain budget each month and don't need to work even a mini-job, this is not the problem then). Even within the EU with a really good interconnected network for moving, transportation and accommodation do cost a certain amount. Semester breaks are the best time to travel but that's also the high-peak of seasonal tourism and the costs would increase too... 

Soooo, To travel (a lot) or not to travel (a lot) ;), the answer still really depends on how you manage the time and budget effectively. In the end, just keep in mind, why you are in Germany at first?

Soooo, following the Travel thread from the last post, the next 2 posts of my blogs would be about my last trip of summer before the new semester starts - A time-travel to Austro-Hungarian Empire (what a fancy name, but yea, it is a trip to Vienna and Budapest).

Let's talk about Vienna - the beautiful capital of Austria. From Karlsruhe, it's from 8 to 12 hours of transportation (depends on which way you choose to travel). The historic center of Vienna is rich in architectural ensembles, including Baroque castles and gardens, and the late-19th-century Ringstraße lined with grand buildings, monuments, and parks. There are many should-see places in Vienna such as Schönbrunn Palace (main summer residence of the Habsburg rulers, Rococo palace is one of the most important architectural, cultural, and historic monuments in the country), The Hofburg, Karlskirche (photo), MuseumsQuartier (Baroque district containing museums)... Most of those historic places need entrance tickets but walking around the cities with the picturesque surrounding would also be ok!

But Vienna is fascinating me not only by its sightseeings but also by its public-transportation. It's a super-friendly network. It has a well-developed, comprehensive and unified public transport network and proud to be one of the most efficient networks in Europe. Buses, trains, trams, and underground lines will take you almost anywhere in the city with a fairly cheap day-ticket. And since Vienna is the second largest German-speaking city after Berlin and just before Hamburg, sp, to be honest, I just feel like I was not leaving elsewhere, but just be in the version of tourism-and-easy-easy-Germany. ;)  

Last Wednesday, I went to the Untergrombach Lake (which is around 20 minutes by car and 40 minutes by train) with my dear colleague. This seems to be one of the most favorited activities of German people when the Summer's heat comes - from families with children to groups of friends to even people come here alone... Sunset time in summer is also around 9-10pm so it's definitely a good choice to pack some food, a picnic blanket, water, a book maybe and see enjoy yourself under the meadow within the cool and comfortable weather, even after work. But to be honest, not only this the first time that I am enjoying a German routine but also the first time I swim in a Lake...(well, not actually swim but...). Things are different in Vietnam. We are a by-the-sea country so we go either to the beach or...to the swimming pool ;)... It is really rare that people go to the lake to swim. Ohhh and one more, before coming here, I actually don't understand why the swimming-shoes are needed. Some of the Lakes in Germany are not natural but previously was the stone mining area. So actually people might need the swimming-shoes to better protect their foot while swimming here.

So this week I attended the 4th TEDxHeidelberg (this small but beautiful city Heidelberg will be in another post ;) ). The main theme of this time is "Who cares" - its actually meaning is "Do you care, about what?" The world is changing faster than ever before and companies, society and politics alike are confronted with a continuously increasing complex world - from Environmental issue, global heath warning (Ebola, as an example) or diseases treatments efficiency (Is it?), cultural diversity and conflicts coming along with the stronger and stronger immigration waves...One hype chases the other, buzzwords are floating around in today’s meeting culture and it seems nearly impossible to distinguish between a trend actually having an impact on society and one, which is entirely being built on hot air. Which problems to tackle first? Which opportunities should be prioritised? It should be awared that people - due to the differences in background, culture, countries, gender... - would care about different problems. And even, many already struggle to identify the most important problems of their own lives - It is not only asking "what do you care about?" but also resspecting "what other people cares about?". 

P:S: By the time you are here in the heart of Europe, try not only to gain knowledge from the University and richful experiences living in a different society but also attend and surround yourself with those fruitful events (with significant discount for students ;) 

So, follow up the thread "Sunday in Germany". One of the popular activities you could do on Sunday (and maybe plus Saturday) is going on an escape from the city. I am not talking about a really long travel but just one-day trip to any nearby regions around Karlsruhe. Last time, I was at The Hambach Castle. It is is a living site of German and European history of democracy. Awarded the "European Heritage Label", it symbolizes and exemplifies European unification and the ideals and history of Europe and the Union. Plus Plus Plus Typical things of Hambach area are numerous old winery houses (Winzerhäuser) and romantic, narrow streets with many fountains. Just 60km from Karlsruhe, So you can travel there by train, spend one Sunday here, visit the historical Democracy castle, have a short walk into the forest, see how people  “organize” the grapes-trees and finally, have some good food and wine at a restaurant (and if you're lucky, there would be good music, too)! Is it already saved your Sunday? ;)

Master Program at Karls is designed with 2 years (4 semesters). But in the last semester, we will work individually on our Master Theses. So technically saying, we have only 3 semesters spending time together. And our first one is just ended! To be honest, I haven't had that feeling of TIME while finishing my Bachelor in Vietnam (maybe because all of my classmates are Vietnamese back then ;)? ). We will have quite some time together still. Then, some will stay in Germany, some will go back to their countries, some will choose to stay for a while and move to somewhere around this world... (I don't want to sound cliché myself, but...) The more I think about this, the more I am grateful for all the moments that I still have with these people. Maybe we still think that we will meet again in the future, maybe we still think that we can arrange another time to hangout... There is a lot of Maybe because "we think we have time". And, maybe not. Well, living and learning in an extremely international and multicultural environment at the Karls somehow help me to really feel the TIME and appreciate the opportunity, the chance that I am having.

"Gaining advanced knowlegde to be more competent and be a better version" - Well, that is a "well-said version" while talking about goal too.

But my primary secret-but-not-secret-anymore-goal here is to have at least 1 or 2 years in life to live and experience in another country. Learn how to adapt yourself in a whole new "concept" ("Re-design" your life is also a way of saying) with a different language, different culture with different norms and rules in general - and in more specific, without your comfort zone with friends and relatives. There would be ups and downs that you have to face completely by yourself. That is challenging but exciting (and even a bit scary) at the same time. 

I am lucky enough to got the chance knowing the Karls beforehand. After somewhat 4 years working since graduated, I were kinda know what I should look for at my post graduate degree. A worth-investing program should not only provide advanced knowledge in both theory and practice but also give me a chance and space for personal development - to interact, contribute and grow. That kind of individual participation encouraging and group-working synergy focusing are the key things that make the Karls become unique to me (Well, with a size of class that is 25 maximum - so if it's not you, then who?). I has to be honest, choosing your education is never easy. You only have one or two chances in your whole life. And I think I gave my best shot to the Karls.   

By Ngan:

If you ask Asian people (especially Vietnamese) about whether they enjoy sunshine or not, you will receive 99% NO! It does not exclude me. Honestly, I used to hate sunshine until suffering the crazy cold winter in Germany. I gradually realized how much love I have for sunshine here. Thoughts might change time by time and so do I. Now being in Germany I absolutely wish everyday is full of sunshine instead of windy, rainy or even snowy. 

You may ask why Vietnamese people hate sunshine? Most people cover their face mask, sun glasses, sun hats, and wear jackets, long trousers or jeans, etc. There are some reasons around this situation, but basically we are scared of being burnt or brown skin. That ‘s why we have to cover our body as much as possible. Besides, Vietnam has tropical weather (the average head amplitude is from 25 to 33ºC), and it is really humid during the year. Furthermore, Vietnam is one of the typical motorbikes/ scooters country, so driving under sunshine is a very big challenge for us without covering long clothes (because it is super hot with the heat from sun and the reflection from roads) 🥵. And absolutely we have no sunbathing culture in Vietnam and we prefer to be in houses with air conditions. When coming to Vietnam, do not be surprised about our “covered culture” during hot days! ☀️

However, it seems totally different from the Western culture such as Germany. People love sunshine very much and so do I. At first, I asked myself how people in here are down for sunbathing directly from sunshine, and also with short clothes! And now I can fulfill my curiosity because of my experiences during the first summer in Germany and my suffering from the crazy cold winter. In summer, I wore long jeans on a hot summer day and omg help me! And during 3 more months of winter here, I definitely wished to see sunshine at the beginning of the day and also make me warm when I was outside. I realize how important sunshine is to me. I wish everyday is a nice sunny day and I can go picnic in Schloss Garden or enjoy my positivity from sunshine. It makes me warm and more energetic, so I have to say sunshine has changed me during these days. And of course, I love being under sunshine and enjoy my picnic food, and also wear short clothes to 100% feel sunshine! 

My simple cultural difference between Vietnam and Germany may reflect the various views of sunshine. This fact interests me a lot when I have fulfilled my curiosity about this situation. And now spring spirit is coming to town and I definitely enjoy my good vibe with sunshine here! 

By Phoung

Here I am in the second lockdown recalling historical places I’ve been to in my first summer vacation in Germany. It was Nürnberg where the imperial castle of Holy Roman Empire based. It was Berlin – the capital of the kingdom of Prussia and later on of German Empire. It was München where Hitler began his political careers, where the Beer Hall Putsch took place and failed. It was Nürnberg where the National Socialists staged their vast marching procession. It was Berlin where Hitler committed suicide. It was Nürnberg again where the Nuremberg Trials were held after world war II for the prosecution of prominent members of Nazi Germany. Then, It was Berlin where the Berlin Wall was erected. And now, It is Berlin, the capital of united Germany.

Honestly speaking, I really appreciate the way how Germany deals with its past : many historical museums and Memorial Sites are free to public; things that are small but meaningful like ‚Stolpersteine‘ which are stumbling stones inscribed with the names of the Nazis‘ victims, they are placed in front of the houses from where the victims have been deported; Students are taken on school tours to museums and Places of Remembrance as part of their curricular activities. On my way to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial Site, I was so impressed to notice that Brandenburg University of Applied Police Sciences is located on the ground of the former SS camp. There I saw the sign which says the main educational objective of the University is commitment to the primary principle of the basic law: Human dignity shall be inviolable. During their studies, students learn about the history of what happened there and the crimes committed by the police under the National Socialist regime.

For me, travelling to a place is the chance to learn and understand about its culture and history. Reflecting upon this thrilling journey, I feel like I somehow indeed got on the time machine and traced back to many different milestones in German history. Of course, what I have learnt so far about it, is just a small portion in the vast sea of knowledge. However, isn‘t it true what matters at the end of the day is that you learn and understand more than you did the day before? To me, it is such an enlightened state of mind when understanding the things that I just vaguely knew before and then being able to connect them all together. And since there are many things to learn and memorize along the way, I always carry with myself my travelling notebook. I simply put things down in the shortest words, then organise and dig down into them later when being back home. Since I got all the notes and the questions down, the learning journey continues after every trip. First, I have a look at what I have written and arrange those areas of knowledge in different historical phases chronologically. I then search for more information and write down one more time as a way to remember and understand deeply. So far, I find this method of learning when travelling really works for me and I just hope the pandemic will be over really soon so that I could hit the road again and embrace my knowledge!

This year is the second time that I celebrate Christmas and New Year's Eve in Germany. And only this year that I realize

Firstly, (I think) this is the first time that I really celebrate New Year's Eve in the right way. We have a small party - we had "Raclette" - the melted cheese with customizable variety of vegetable and meat, we drank "Sekt" - the sparkling wine, we played some boardgame, we watched "Dinner for One" and drank whenever the man said "same procedure", and we went out to see (play!) the fireworks. Back in Vietnam, in New Year's Eve, there is one or two certain spots that the government will put on the fireworks show properly and it is illegal for individuals to set off fireworks. So, playing with fireworks on my own here in Germany is also put in my First-time ever list. 

Secondly, yes the Festive Hype! I indeed didn't notice it last year. But this year, I understand what's people called Christmas fever - The feeling of not wanting to do anything but just waiting for the Christmas and new year holiday. I get it this year! And for me, it is even worse. As a Vietnamese (and I think it might be the same with any Asian students whose there country still celebrate Lunar New Year, who live and learn in another country), the Festive Hype is longer than that...

This year the first day in the lunar year is the 25th of January, and while in here - Germany, everyone starts working again, everything is fresh and ready, people in Vietnam start to prepare for the Lunar New Year. And just to let you know, Lunar New Year for us is just like a combination of Christmas, New Year and Thanksgiving rolled into one! How we celebrate it? Wait for my next two posts this month! 

Christmas is in the AIR! So this is my second Christmas in Germany. And someone said: “Nobody in Germany should come and leave Germany without a visit to one of the Christmas markets” – Yes. Christmas Market German-Style is a-thing you should not miss. 😉 What is waiting for you at a Christmas market? 

Food and drink take account of the fact that these markets, contrary to all logic, are held outdoors in the middle of winter. It leans to roasted chestnuts, hot sausages and hot spiced wine (Glühwein)

The stands, which also feature handcrafted items, ceramics, and wooden items, are where I think you could learn best about German culture.

Entertainment, this is I think usually around 5 p.m. and not every Christmas market has, can include choral serenades or trombone recitals from a balcony overlooking the scene.

A lot of children… (I meant a lot of stands specified for Children!) The eyes of excited, cherry-cheeked children, bundled in winter clothes, light up at the sight of the treasures they see. Toys, Christmas tree ornaments, and the candy are piled high in the rows of wooden stands hung with evergreen boughs and lights.

And more importantly, Christmas markets open also on Sunday, like, every Sunday in December! (Which is, trust me, really a big deal in Germany…)

 P.s: Here is Weihnachtsmarkt in Karlsruhe and I proudly introduce my “survival kit” in Germany – the two helping me to “survive” during this Wintertime.    

I am so sorry if this post is boring, because....I come from a country where there is not Christmas market at all. However, I can see a similar pattern of Christmas time and our Vietnamese “TET” (Lunar New Year) – which I will tell you in another post later. See you! 

After Vienna, I went to Budapest by a 3.5-hours bus. Been to Budapest is always one in my bucket list (any George Ezra fan here?) and it's truly not making me down - I left my heart in Budapest.
The city is divided into 2 parts by the Danube river and to be honest, just by reading information about the city before really coming, I got to know that the two parts used to name Buda and Pest separately, just later being combined since 1873. The whole city has architecturally noteworthy buildings in a wide range of styles and from distinct periods, from the ancient times as Roman City which dates to around 89 AD to the most modern Palace of Arts, the contemporary art museum and concert hall... You can find here a diversified buildings - Gothic and Neo-gothic Architecture, Romanesques architecture, Renaissance architecture, Ottoman architecture, Byzantine architecture...Especially in Budapest, wandering around the cities only is also more than enough for the trip. Some places you should see are The Hungarian Parliament Building (photo), The Chain Bridge, Danube Promenade, Buda Castle Hill Funicular along with the Fisherman’s Bastion...Budapest landscapes are even more breathtaking at night. It has the most lively and energetic (literally, also, with lots of lights) nightlife within cities in EU that's I have been to. This time I need to admit that I have planned it quite badly with just 2 days here. Maybe it's a fair reason to come back?

The most frequently envy-saying that my friends always tell me is "Wow, you are in the heart of Europe, you must travel a lot then". It's understandable since there is a significantly huge amount of stories sharing about how Europe is a dreamland for international students who love traveling. "You just need to hop on a bus or train and the next hours you are in another country"- people said. 

Well... YES, but NOT REALLY.

YES - Germany, especially from Karlsruhe, you can easily reach to other beautiful cities of Germany in some hours: Heidelberg (30 minutes), Stuttgart (1 hour), Frankfurt Strasbourg (France, in 1.5 hours), Zurich (Switzerland, in 1 hour), Paris (in 3 hours) or even a little further to Praha (Czechia, in 10 hours). The Aufenthaltstitel card (or residence permit card) allow you to travel to countries within the EU. 

But NOT REALLY - It's true that you can travel, but not anytime and not all the time. Not to mention those short trips to nearby cities, travel to other cities/countries require time management and...budget management as well. You do need to balance the time for studying such as university class hours, group-working meeting time, self-study time, the due day of the papers, essays...and working time - as an international student, you are allowed to work maximum 20hours per week. Most of the university students have at least a mini-job to cover a part of the living cost (but if you are not studying and living in Germany on a certain budget each month and don't need to work even a mini-job, this is not the problem then). Even within the EU with a really good interconnected network for moving, transportation and accommodation do cost a certain amount. Semester breaks are the best time to travel but that's also the high-peak of seasonal tourism and the costs would increase too... 

Soooo, To travel (a lot) or not to travel (a lot) ;), the answer still really depends on how you manage the time and budget effectively. In the end, just keep in mind, why you are in Germany at first?

Soooo, following the Travel thread from the last post, the next 2 posts of my blogs would be about my last trip of summer before the new semester starts - A time-travel to Austro-Hungarian Empire (what a fancy name, but yea, it is a trip to Vienna and Budapest).

Let's talk about Vienna - the beautiful capital of Austria. From Karlsruhe, it's from 8 to 12 hours of transportation (depends on which way you choose to travel). The historic center of Vienna is rich in architectural ensembles, including Baroque castles and gardens, and the late-19th-century Ringstraße lined with grand buildings, monuments, and parks. There are many should-see places in Vienna such as Schönbrunn Palace (main summer residence of the Habsburg rulers, Rococo palace is one of the most important architectural, cultural, and historic monuments in the country), The Hofburg, Karlskirche (photo), MuseumsQuartier (Baroque district containing museums)... Most of those historic places need entrance tickets but walking around the cities with the picturesque surrounding would also be ok!

But Vienna is fascinating me not only by its sightseeings but also by its public-transportation. It's a super-friendly network. It has a well-developed, comprehensive and unified public transport network and proud to be one of the most efficient networks in Europe. Buses, trains, trams, and underground lines will take you almost anywhere in the city with a fairly cheap day-ticket. And since Vienna is the second largest German-speaking city after Berlin and just before Hamburg, sp, to be honest, I just feel like I was not leaving elsewhere, but just be in the version of tourism-and-easy-easy-Germany. ;)  

Yes. Everyone knows that in Germany, people like cycling (to be precise, about 82 percent of Germans use bicycles, as a mode of transport for the journey to work or for leisure time or holiday activities) But there are more than that: German people and government take cycling really really seriously. Proofs?

1. There are cycle tracks along federal highways with a total length of 18,600 km (as at: 1 January 2017) and the maintain cost of this cycle tracks alone are 98 millions euro - according to the National Cycling Plan. The 2020 National Cycling Plan of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure makes cycling even more attractive for people!

2. Launch Annual German Cycling Prize for "Infrastructure", "Communication" and "Service".

3. Digital connectivity – always in touch with the latest trends within the cycling community. 

4. Cycling Tourism? Another level has been reached. When the 25th anniversary of German reunification was celebrated in 2015, the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure launched the German Unity Cycle Route project. The cycle route connects the cities of Bonn and Berlin and after you set out a trip, you will soon be able to use sophisticated service points with Wi-Fi access, digital touchpads, electric charging facilities and solar cell technology free of charge along the entire route!

Has these information fascinate you enough before you start your living in Germany ;) ?

--

And since it is the Innovation "made in Germany", For two centuries, the bicycle has been reinvented time and again bringing about a lasting change of our world and the way we live. From the day of its invention by Karl Drais, the bicycle has gone through a process of continuous development. And Karl Drais - the inventor who invented the two-wheeler principle 200 years ago is from Karlsruhe ;) 

Last Wednesday, I went to the Untergrombach Lake (which is around 20 minutes by car and 40 minutes by train) with my dear colleague. This seems to be one of the most favorited activities of German people when the Summer's heat comes - from families with children to groups of friends to even people come here alone... Sunset time in summer is also around 9-10pm so it's definitely a good choice to pack some food, a picnic blanket, water, a book maybe and see enjoy yourself under the meadow within the cool and comfortable weather, even after work. But to be honest, not only this the first time that I am enjoying a German routine but also the first time I swim in a Lake...(well, not actually swim but...). Things are different in Vietnam. We are a by-the-sea country so we go either to the beach or...to the swimming pool ;)... It is really rare that people go to the lake to swim. Ohhh and one more, before coming here, I actually don't understand why the swimming-shoes are needed. Some of the Lakes in Germany are not natural but previously was the stone mining area. So actually people might need the swimming-shoes to better protect their foot while swimming here.

So this week I attended the 4th TEDxHeidelberg (this small but beautiful city Heidelberg will be in another post ;) ). The main theme of this time is "Who cares" - its actually meaning is "Do you care, about what?" The world is changing faster than ever before and companies, society and politics alike are confronted with a continuously increasing complex world - from Environmental issue, global heath warning (Ebola, as an example) or diseases treatments efficiency (Is it?), cultural diversity and conflicts coming along with the stronger and stronger immigration waves...One hype chases the other, buzzwords are floating around in today’s meeting culture and it seems nearly impossible to distinguish between a trend actually having an impact on society and one, which is entirely being built on hot air. Which problems to tackle first? Which opportunities should be prioritised? It should be awared that people - due to the differences in background, culture, countries, gender... - would care about different problems. And even, many already struggle to identify the most important problems of their own lives - It is not only asking "what do you care about?" but also resspecting "what other people cares about?". 

P:S: By the time you are here in the heart of Europe, try not only to gain knowledge from the University and richful experiences living in a different society but also attend and surround yourself with those fruitful events (with significant discount for students ;) 

So, follow up the thread "Sunday in Germany". One of the popular activities you could do on Sunday (and maybe plus Saturday) is going on an escape from the city. I am not talking about a really long travel but just one-day trip to any nearby regions around Karlsruhe. Last time, I was at The Hambach Castle. It is is a living site of German and European history of democracy. Awarded the "European Heritage Label", it symbolizes and exemplifies European unification and the ideals and history of Europe and the Union. Plus Plus Plus Typical things of Hambach area are numerous old winery houses (Winzerhäuser) and romantic, narrow streets with many fountains. Just 60km from Karlsruhe, So you can travel there by train, spend one Sunday here, visit the historical Democracy castle, have a short walk into the forest, see how people  “organize” the grapes-trees and finally, have some good food and wine at a restaurant (and if you're lucky, there would be good music, too)! Is it already saved your Sunday? ;)

"Sunday in Germany" - as an international students (in general, and Vietnamese, to be specific) living in Germany, this is "a thing" I need to get used to. I have been here over 9 months and this was still one of those things that was "lost in translation" for me sometimes. Almost stores were shut down (due to the strict opening hours law here) and...normally you don't see many people on the street. Well, you will definitely have the feeling of Will Smith in "I am Legend" (this is absolutely true for a city like Karlsruhe as we have only around 300,000 in population). So what German sunday routines that you (might) pick-up (even against your will) when you move here? Just forget the shoping, you can go for brunch, or visit a flea-market, a Schloss, bake some cookies, cook and enjoy some good food at home, see a concert, do your laundry, do housework, take a hike, do some sport, or just wander around somewhere new nearby... Surprisingly, there are acutally a lot of things I realize that I can do on Sunday. On the bright side, if you consider Sunday as a Me-Time (time for yourself, to do whatever you want), then everything will be good.

One of my favorited weird habit that I got since I've been here in Germany is to notice how the season change everything around it - from weather to plant and even to people's emotion.

"Winter is coming" - I didn't know why this statement from one of my most favorited movie series has been so favorable until having been through my first-ever-real-winter here in Germany. My friend asked me: "Seriously, you have never seen snow, like, in real?" - "Well, have your ever seen super-tropical storm and flood?". It's quite quierd to me calling home and feeling the distance between us - not only the time difference but also nearly 40 celcius gap. Winter is also not only that first-time-snow, but also learning how to dress 'effectively' to keep warm, to self-care with vitamines without the sun, to use Heißwasser Beutel (cute bag keeps hot water) and even learn how to maintain daily routines with really short and causing-lazy days...But how many first-time-experience that you still have in your life then?

By Phoung

I want to arrange my thoughts, I note all the messy thoughts down. I want to express my melancholy without bothering anyone, I cry out to my journal. I want to get away from mundane present, I write about the future fantasy. It occurs to me that I only write diary when I feel confused, uncertain, sad and disconnected from life.  

In this lockdown, I journal more than ever before. It is not just because there are so many uncertainties and worries in this period of time that I want to express but because I have learned to journal in a different way. I joined a few courses about writing for self-care on "Skillshare" and I realized there are more things I could do with my journal than just writing down my messy thoughts and melancholic stories.   

Now, I learn to write to reflect on myself. I write about what brings me joy, I write about all the interactions in my life that make me who I have become, I write about what I am grateful for, I write about my strengths, my weaknesses...I also learn to write to remember my life. I write how joyful and blessed I were when I found a wonderful shelter built by someone in the woods, how the sky was not as blue as the day before, how good I felt when one day I randomly woke up early with full energy. I looked at a tree and I drew it. I picked a leaf, painted on it and imprinted it on my journal. I do 4-quadrant exercise where I write what I did, what I saw, what I heard in a day and then I sketch my day in the last square of the 4 quadrants. For example, I wrote 'made a vegan taco' in the 'I did' quadrant, then I had a quick sketch of it in the 'Doodle' square. I want to remember it all, every detail.   

So, instead of waiting for this difficult time to pass, I learn to appreciate every moment and I have my journal to keep all these beautiful little things. There is one quote from the TV series "Anne with an E" that I really like: 'Take notes as you explore your life. It’ll help you make sense of it.'   

By Ngan

Along-e = along + alone. 

I am adventurous. 

I am curious about everything around me. 

I am a seeker who finds the “treasure of life”. Oops, treasure here means “the best experience ever”! 

Travel gives me opportunities to be a seeker as I wish. And travel makes my life better! 

When I was in Vietnam, my parents never let me travel alone. At least, I must travel with friends or with my sister. So it seems hard to have “crazy” ideas to travel alone. I understood that parents are scared of accidents or something bad happens. 

Now, being in my 20s, I finally chase my dream of being along-e in Europe! 

Studying abroad in Germany enables me to travel easily. Actually, I am a “cheap-traveler” which means that I prefer choosing cheap hostels, cheapest means of transport, and cheapest meal as well 😂 (depends on how broke I am). Most of my money is spent on museums. I love seeking new knowledge about history. The same as Phuong - one of my best travel buddies and also co-ambassador at Karls, we love being in a world of history and cultures. We usually spend most of our traveling time in museums, because it brings us tons of information and a step into understanding how miracles are! Or we are inspired by books, articles about the past of various nations around Europe, so we decided to pursue our style of traveling! 

Being in Karlsruhe, I find that it is super easy to get connections with the other neighboring countries such as France, Switzerland, Italia, etc. After only the first 12 days in Germany, I had a day trip to Strasbourg (France) which cost me only 25 EUR (all fee is included). Or I can easily take a 3-hour region train to Konstanz (it is located in the South of Baden-Wüttemberg) and travel to Switzerland within a few steps! OMG, it is much easier than I have ever imagined! Only an available visa, no worries to travel along different borders in a blink of an eye! I love searching transport tickets, whenever finding somewhere else is affordable, I am definitely down for it! It is how I select my dreamed destinations. No barriers in traveling along Europe, it has made me an open mind and seen how sceneric and miraculous the world is! 

Traveling alone is not a problem! As I said, I used to not travel alone until I came to Germany! I believe that life lets me travel as I wish! I prefer traveling with a few people to the large group due to the convenience of a small-sized group. My friends always ask me: “Are you scared of traveling alone?”. Of course, yes but a bit! My curiosity is much bigger than my scareness! I choose to travel alone because most of my friends here do not have the same free time as mine, or I love being alone in the museums and moving as much as possible (I believe that they hardly catch my speed of traveling 😂). Sometimes I feel relieved when being alone and breathing my own heaven! There are both pros and cons of traveling alone and I cannot avoid this. Nonetheless, I feel myself more mature and learn more things than ever! 

Setting foot on many destinations in Europe is one of my targets when studying abroad, so along and alone is not problematic! 

“Đi một ngày đàng, học một sàng khôn” - mình thích câu nói này và nó là động lực để mình đi thiệt nhiều! 

By Phoung

Here I am in the second lockdown recalling historical places I’ve been to in my first summer vacation in Germany. It was Nürnberg where the imperial castle of Holy Roman Empire based. It was Berlin – the capital of the kingdom of Prussia and later on of German Empire. It was München where Hitler began his political careers, where the Beer Hall Putsch took place and failed. It was Nürnberg where the National Socialists staged their vast marching procession. It was Berlin where Hitler committed suicide. It was Nürnberg again where the Nuremberg Trials were held after world war II for the prosecution of prominent members of Nazi Germany. Then, It was Berlin where the Berlin Wall was erected. And now, It is Berlin, the capital of united Germany.

Honestly speaking, I really appreciate the way how Germany deals with its past : many historical museums and Memorial Sites are free to public; things that are small but meaningful like ‚Stolpersteine‘ which are stumbling stones inscribed with the names of the Nazis‘ victims, they are placed in front of the houses from where the victims have been deported; Students are taken on school tours to museums and Places of Remembrance as part of their curricular activities. On my way to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial Site, I was so impressed to notice that Brandenburg University of Applied Police Sciences is located on the ground of the former SS camp. There I saw the sign which says the main educational objective of the University is commitment to the primary principle of the basic law: Human dignity shall be inviolable. During their studies, students learn about the history of what happened there and the crimes committed by the police under the National Socialist regime.

For me, travelling to a place is the chance to learn and understand about its culture and history. Reflecting upon this thrilling journey, I feel like I somehow indeed got on the time machine and traced back to many different milestones in German history. Of course, what I have learnt so far about it, is just a small portion in the vast sea of knowledge. However, isn‘t it true what matters at the end of the day is that you learn and understand more than you did the day before? To me, it is such an enlightened state of mind when understanding the things that I just vaguely knew before and then being able to connect them all together. And since there are many things to learn and memorize along the way, I always carry with myself my travelling notebook. I simply put things down in the shortest words, then organise and dig down into them later when being back home. Since I got all the notes and the questions down, the learning journey continues after every trip. First, I have a look at what I have written and arrange those areas of knowledge in different historical phases chronologically. I then search for more information and write down one more time as a way to remember and understand deeply. So far, I find this method of learning when travelling really works for me and I just hope the pandemic will be over really soon so that I could hit the road again and embrace my knowledge!

 (Sorry for another #throwback post)

One of the good things of being a student in Germany (and in Karlshochschule) is that, you have the chances to attend a lot of events/concert/conferences… easily (and sometimes free). Last month, I have the chance to participate IAA 2019.

To be honest, I am not into cars industry (Vietnam is a scooter-country, you know, even worse…). I only personally get attracted by Artificial Intelligence while doing a research for one of my Master modules, especially how AI could support in finding a better mobility solution for urban and cosmopolitan areas. Besides, coming from an extremely fast-growing sharing-economy mediated by a rapid advance of SaaS but also facing the problems of fast urbanization such as heavy traffic jam, I am curious about some of the discussion at IAA as well. Is MaaS is the new future? and how to know if a city is ready for that (and if not, what should do to make it ready)?

But that is not the thing I remember most with IAA. That is, when the Internatonal Office sent out the free-tickets email. Immediately, one student replied to that email to the whole university “as a direct response to the IAA, a broad alliance of civil society organizations hosts a variety of rallies, protests and forums for discussions…” (Just to let you know, cars industry is under huge criticism here in Germany)

So I know, at least at the Karls (I am not German, I live only here in Karlsruhe and learn only here in Karlshochschule), I feel safe and I know it is ok to criticize things. And even it is also ok to criticize the criticism.   

#Throwback

Wow so I have been at Karlshochschule for a year! A Y-E-A-R!

Recall back the first week here in Karlshochschule – the Orientation week! Everything is new, everyone is stranger. At that time, we joined the orientation week as Pre-Master students – just the 3 of us. Our tutors back then have helped us a lot through the days even patiently answer our “newbie dummy dummy questions”. (And coincidently, I am so the Nachmieterin of one of my tutor, we even talked before I actually came to Karlsruhe without knowing it!). That’s why, though I am not really an out-going person, I still register to be a Tutor this new semester anyway. And I think I made the right decision to pay it forward.

Being a tutor for the new Pre-Master joining this year, seeing them coming from different countries and backgrounds (Law, Political Sciences…) working together under “required marketing and management” projects, assisting them somehow with any questions…make me feel excited somehow. Since I knew how it would be, what they need to overcome with such diverse group works, I also knew how thankful afterward - that we did “fight” and understand more ourselves and our differences. Don’t you believe? Be a tutor next year 😉 

So this week I attended the 4th TEDxHeidelberg (this small but beautiful city Heidelberg will be in another post ;) ). The main theme of this time is "Who cares" - its actually meaning is "Do you care, about what?" The world is changing faster than ever before and companies, society and politics alike are confronted with a continuously increasing complex world - from Environmental issue, global heath warning (Ebola, as an example) or diseases treatments efficiency (Is it?), cultural diversity and conflicts coming along with the stronger and stronger immigration waves...One hype chases the other, buzzwords are floating around in today’s meeting culture and it seems nearly impossible to distinguish between a trend actually having an impact on society and one, which is entirely being built on hot air. Which problems to tackle first? Which opportunities should be prioritised? It should be awared that people - due to the differences in background, culture, countries, gender... - would care about different problems. And even, many already struggle to identify the most important problems of their own lives - It is not only asking "what do you care about?" but also resspecting "what other people cares about?". 

P:S: By the time you are here in the heart of Europe, try not only to gain knowledge from the University and richful experiences living in a different society but also attend and surround yourself with those fruitful events (with significant discount for students ;) 

Last Wednesday, 5th Jun, Karlshochschule had its first ever KarlsPride. Coming from Vietnam, an Asian country where LGBT+, even though already received more opened-mind support from community, is controversal. This KarlsPride has widen my eyes. It is not like other usual event showing emotional support to LGBT+ but also taking it to another level - as it was hosted by our Professor Ella Roininen - Professor of International Management module as well as Representative of Equal Opportunities and Diversity. We got together to share share touching stories and have serious panel discussion about the real rights that LGBT+ people deserve. At the end of the day, you don’t need to be gay to be a LGBT+ supporter. Do it for your friends, your friends of friends, your relatives, your anyone around. KarlsPride, based on the support from the University, will be developed into a serie of events aiming to further spread this support and knowledge. To me, this is one of the small-but-not-small change makes it so...Karls :). 

Every single journey starts with one first step. Even small. I used to be that person - who dreamed to develop and excel myself by acquiring knowledge abroad but at the same time having so many confused, concern and even fears (in a really Vietnam-way). However, "When you really want something the whole universe conspires", it happens to me when I got strong support from my family, from a Vietnamese Karls' Alumni and also need to mention, from the Karls' crew. From Vietnam to Germany is a long journey both literally and figuratively saying. Being a part of Karls Ambassador Initiative, I hope that I could pay that support foward. 

So this is the first week that The Karls "goes online". How are your experiences? To me, I did see how much effort that the University has put and prepared for this online scenario. The good thing is that we are not necessarily delayed the classes. Even with some modules, there are changes need to be adjusted but in general, we can still keep up with the learning pace. However, besides technical issues related, for me, the realtime-direct-interaction and discussion, which a.k.a the unique of the Karls, is something that cannot be transferred online 100% and I really miss it. 

In such an extraordinary situation, I think the most important thing to keep in mind is to be empathetic. Normal learning settings/environments would encourage or endorse some typical types of characters (for example: introvert vs. extrovert). This online (and inside) situation is also the same. Some are techie, some are not (disregard how young you are!); some can cope with the change fast, some slow; some can speak during class but cannot really say anything during online class, some need to "see" and "feel" to discuss, not to only "listen" and "speak". 

Be patient, be empathetic. Maybe you can discover your classmates' special ability - to productively work and study during this situation ;)

Stay healthy and stay safe (and stay inside ;) )

So, we are back to school and I just finished the first week of the new Semester. in this third Master Semester, we are already considered "Senior" now since the "New generation" has already been here.

At this first week, we - "the senior" ones - have the chance to meet and greet all of them - "the fresh" ones. We are halfway through on our journeys and they just start. Meeting them reminded me a lots about me in the very first weeks being here at Karlshochschule. 

It is interesting to see those, who actually just like us a year ago - many coming from different corners of this globe and now starting their whole new journey here in Germany. They will have 2 years in their life to live and experience in another country, to learn how to adapt in a whole new "concept" ("Re-design" life is also a way of saying) with a different language, different culture with different norms and rules in general - and in more specific, without the comfort zone with friends and relatives. There would be ups and downs that you have to face completely individually. That is challenging but exciting (and even a bit scary) at the same time. It's too soon to say anything - I just want to wish you a good journey, come with who you really are and absorb as much as you can (but collectively). 

My second semester with Master class has just ended some days ago (with a final essay submission…). As some people asked me how it is as a Karls student, and even though I am not doing great great great, I could give you some of my tips. 

• Taking Academic Writing class. Talking a bit about my background, I am not a native English speaker, not even growing up or learning in a well-teaching English environment. My Bachelor is courses-based and required no Bachelor thesis to graduate (I learned 6 extra modules instead of doing the thesis). So, you understand how it was for me facing essays or academic research papers at Karls. I found it is extremely helpful taking Academic Writing class, especially for me and some people already took my pieces of advice. The course helps you to organize the ideas, choose and use the right academic vocabulary, build up proper argumentative structures and use linking words for more coherent paragraphs and cohesive texts (and also how to refer to sources properly…). 
• Read. Read. Read. I think this is an overused-advice. But I need to address it again. Maybe that friend you find so bright, so informative, so knowledgeable – though he or she said “oh I just knew it” or “Oh, I didn’t even learn or read about it” – has to read a lot at home too. 😉 
• Groupwork is un-avoidable. I am not a fan of group work, to be honest. But it is un-avoidable – No I didn’t mean at the Karls, I meant in working life. In time, I learned to work with people having not only different strengths but also working styles. You, as a team, need to accept it and have to find the balance between the group to deliver the most capable result. Not the best result. It is only the most capable result. Accept it. And accepting the fact that is also one of the successful goals of group work. 

I know it might cliché to some of you who come from a maybe better educational background. This is just how I, indeed, have survived during the last 2+ semesters and I hope these would be helpful for someone. :D 

"Global citizen" is a strongly increasing concept in recent years in Vietnam. However, the more I live here in Germany, get to know more people in Karlshochschule (which is nearly 50% are international), and some friends of my friends from other cities and regions around Germany, I realize that "global citizen" is a concept that me - a Vietnamese student who learns 100% in English in Germany - cannot really relate. 

I was confused all the time if something happens and I took any action - whether that action (or decision or even thinking behind it) comes from me - as a Vietnamese who carries all of Vietnamese background and culture with me? or as an Asian in general because we did share some common patterns? or it not really from both of it - it is just my personality? People talk a lot about Asian stereotypes - good at maths, shy, don't like to talk, traditional, skinny, look like 12 years old... - and others talk about "No, we are not your Asian stereotypes!". That is where I feel confused because I am exactly that stereotypes - I am good at Maths (because my major in high school is Maths...), I really don't like to speak (and don't talk about presentation, I hate it too), I am traditional and conservative, skinny...

And then people also talk about Westcentricism then Eurocentric or Eurocentrism, then the Raise of East Asian and ASEAN way... Well, not to mention my two best friends here at the Uni are Indian and Turkish, I also met a Korean whom I can share things and we are good friends since we found a lot of things in common - not only the habits but also the thinking toward things. And I and two other Taiwanese friends also called it a date as we celebrate this Lunar new year together this year. So maybe Pan-Asian is a thing? Is it also considered as an Identity?

I used to be afraid of confusion. Being confused is not good. Being confused means you are losing yourself. But I don't know how it is with the others, a big thing I learned here at the Karls is: it is OK to be confused. Being confused means you care and you didn't take things as simple as how it looks like. Being confused encourages me to read and explore more about it - (this is when I found Pan-Asia articles, surprised ;) ).

Nationality may indicate the home-country or state of one, but it is an essentialist or static representation of one’s background and does not take into account the changing nature of identity shaped by the experiences and world-views of one. And I believe generally just by traveling the world for a while, you cannot really have a real sense about "identity". I believe if you feel it enough, at the end of the day, you will define somewhere you belong proudly - even it is somewhere "in-between" or "hybrid-space" whatever it's called, but it would not be "global". 

 (Sorry for another #throwback post)

One of the good things of being a student in Germany (and in Karlshochschule) is that, you have the chances to attend a lot of events/concert/conferences… easily (and sometimes free). Last month, I have the chance to participate IAA 2019.

To be honest, I am not into cars industry (Vietnam is a scooter-country, you know, even worse…). I only personally get attracted by Artificial Intelligence while doing a research for one of my Master modules, especially how AI could support in finding a better mobility solution for urban and cosmopolitan areas. Besides, coming from an extremely fast-growing sharing-economy mediated by a rapid advance of SaaS but also facing the problems of fast urbanization such as heavy traffic jam, I am curious about some of the discussion at IAA as well. Is MaaS is the new future? and how to know if a city is ready for that (and if not, what should do to make it ready)?

But that is not the thing I remember most with IAA. That is, when the Internatonal Office sent out the free-tickets email. Immediately, one student replied to that email to the whole university “as a direct response to the IAA, a broad alliance of civil society organizations hosts a variety of rallies, protests and forums for discussions…” (Just to let you know, cars industry is under huge criticism here in Germany)

So I know, at least at the Karls (I am not German, I live only here in Karlsruhe and learn only here in Karlshochschule), I feel safe and I know it is ok to criticize things. And even it is also ok to criticize the criticism.   

#Throwback

Wow so I have been at Karlshochschule for a year! A Y-E-A-R!

Recall back the first week here in Karlshochschule – the Orientation week! Everything is new, everyone is stranger. At that time, we joined the orientation week as Pre-Master students – just the 3 of us. Our tutors back then have helped us a lot through the days even patiently answer our “newbie dummy dummy questions”. (And coincidently, I am so the Nachmieterin of one of my tutor, we even talked before I actually came to Karlsruhe without knowing it!). That’s why, though I am not really an out-going person, I still register to be a Tutor this new semester anyway. And I think I made the right decision to pay it forward.

Being a tutor for the new Pre-Master joining this year, seeing them coming from different countries and backgrounds (Law, Political Sciences…) working together under “required marketing and management” projects, assisting them somehow with any questions…make me feel excited somehow. Since I knew how it would be, what they need to overcome with such diverse group works, I also knew how thankful afterward - that we did “fight” and understand more ourselves and our differences. Don’t you believe? Be a tutor next year 😉 

So sorry that I haven't updated anything in the last weeks since the new semester has finally STARTED! (can you hear my *excited* voice!)

This is my 3rd Semester here in Karlschochschule (2n in Master plus 1 Pre-Master) AND just by now, I realize what "The Learning Experience" is. Recall back in Pre-Master semester, when apart of one of my final essays was about Higher Education and Customers Satisfaction (through a service logic and under consideration of Total Quality Management (TQM), to be precise). 

So if the "knowledge" and/or "learning" are the core services of a Higher Education Institution provide, then the learning experience (or "university experience") should be placed as the central focus. However, Higher Education is a special service. For me, (metaphorically) I understand it like if I come to a restaurant, the things to determine my pleasant about that place are basically the interaction between me and the waiter/waitress and the food. I will be less judging the whole restaurant services because of their other guesses, who were there at the same time with me (in a normal situation, of course, their presence is not affecting me). That makes education is different from all other services. Because the learning experience is co-created, emergent, unstructured, interactive, uncertain but hedonic ( ;) ). A Univeristy will indeed attempt to provide the best core services with materials, classes, professors, the knowledge you gained coming along with encouraging students to work in groups, to interact (like, put you into one group for the final examination ;) ), to develop a learning sphere together. But that's where the University role is limited. It is also you, as a student - the self-provider.  

It is also you, "to answer the call", to change what is needed, to contribute to your learning group, to step out and work with other people who are "different" from you.

That is reall a-thing that I cannot really explain with people from other university. Since the Karls is having nearly 50% international students in its pot, all what I need is to ask myself: when will be the next time in life that I will have the chance to work in a group with a German, an Indan or a Chinese together?

Master Program at Karls is designed with 2 years (4 semesters). But in the last semester, we will work individually on our Master Theses. So technically saying, we have only 3 semesters spending time together. And our first one is just ended! To be honest, I haven't had that feeling of TIME while finishing my Bachelor in Vietnam (maybe because all of my classmates are Vietnamese back then ;)? ). We will have quite some time together still. Then, some will stay in Germany, some will go back to their countries, some will choose to stay for a while and move to somewhere around this world... (I don't want to sound cliché myself, but...) The more I think about this, the more I am grateful for all the moments that I still have with these people. Maybe we still think that we will meet again in the future, maybe we still think that we can arrange another time to hangout... There is a lot of Maybe because "we think we have time". And, maybe not. Well, living and learning in an extremely international and multicultural environment at the Karls somehow help me to really feel the TIME and appreciate the opportunity, the chance that I am having.

I knew that I have already made a post regarding to Company Project but I cannot help myself to make another one. 

After 2 months finishing the project (and graded! ;) ), we got some gifts as products themselves from our client as a "Thank you" and he also gave some updated regarding to our work and report! 

"Your work and report definitely did! We do already have quite good contacts to some of the markets proposed by you. There have been several requests for samples already and a first installation is in the Miniature World in Baden-Baden"

Just some simple sentences but it's definitely even more valuable than our grade that we actually got from the Universiy.

My Business Analysis class had an excursion to Schloss Freundenberg at the very beginning of the semester. I am so thankful because the Professor had decided to do that. Schloss Freundenberg is a one-of-a-kind attraction. It describes itself as a 'discovery centre for sharpening the mind and the senses'. Its huge collection of equipment and experiments exploring the phenomena of hearing, vision and movement are really really help the main purpose of the whole excursion "everything is not what it seems, even you saw it with your real eyes. Let's have the urge and brave to ask ''WHY?''. And to whom it might concern, my batch has 4 German, 2 Indian, 1 Turkish, 1 South African, 1 Mexican and 1 China, 1 Vietnam (yea, me) and 1 Russian to come. ;)

One recommendation from the Karls crew that I validated myself is taking the Pre-Master semester. I have 1 semester taking some foundation modules related to business and management in general. Not only the knowledge helps but also the adaption-time prior the real battle called Master are also valueable. One module I had in my Pre-Master is Company Project in which we receive brief, requirements from real company/client and learn how to deal with a real project from A to Z. Here is my crazy buddies from the Company Project module (I won't mention that we spent months, with full of working, discussion, arguement, some sleepless crazy nights together to deliver a well-crafted project).