Interview Wiebke

I was a teaching assistant at the Department of Foreign Languages and Cultures. This included working for and with the professor of German at this university. I even had to teach classes on my own but the performance of the students in those classes did not have to be graded.

Besides that I also took some classes myself in literature, history, psychology and economics.

Whenever we had a break from school I travelled a lot within the USA.

I taught some high level German conversation classes. I had to work for the German professor which included class preparations, corrections of homeworks etc. I also had weekly office hours at which students could stop by and ask for help or just chat with me in German.

I applied for the exchange program at the Leuphana's international office. The documents needed included a CV and a motivational letter but also my result of the Oxford Online Placement Test. At the end of the application process I also had to do an interview in German with one of the employees at the international office.

I had to apply for a J1 exchange student visa. The process took a long time so I recommend starting as early as possible. There are fees to pay and forms of the embassy to fill in. At the end, you have do an interview at either the embassy or one of the consulates.

All five teaching assistants are offered a house very close to campus. 

Everyone has his or her own room. Two or three people share one bathroom. You have your own kitchen, a dining room and living room.

I bought an additional health insurance in Germany because the free student's heath insurance of the American university just covered rudimentary care.

The costs of living are very low as you are supplied with (up to) four meals a day in the cafeteria for free. Plus, you do not have to pay the rent.

The people are very friendly, polite, outgoing and helpful.

The distances in this country are huge compared to what we are used to in Europe.

The food is not as healthy as it is in Germany (or at least much harder to find). Fast food restaurants dominate the cuisine.

You have to be aware of the fact that some (!) things that are said are nice but only empty phrases. 

Bread! Plus the christmas markets and advent calenders during Christmas time.

The Amish country in Ohio or Pennsylvania.

Driving to the Niagara Falls was also worth it!

The Southern state are otherwise interesing multicultural regions to see and visit.

I became more and more confident in teaching (German) and speaking and writing in English. I also learned how to deal with different cultures and ethnicities within a classroom.

I got the nuances of the English language which you can only experience once you stay abroad for a longer period of time.

Do not expect to live a city life in Alliance. If you like rural areas, this is a place to be for you.

I had to prolong my studies at the Leuphana for a whole year because of my stay abroad as there is no vocational education in the USA like there is in Germany.