On top of Nürburg Castle
Author: Ryan Rau | Majors: Computer Science and German
With classes now in full swing, I quickly realized how different classes were here in comparison to back home. The biggest difference was the scheduling of classes, instead of having lectures for a given class multiple times a week lectures are only held once a week lasting a couple of hours. This made forming a routine a bit difficult as going a full week between lectures seemed like an eternity, but after a couple weeks it became manageable.
As for coursework and the courses themselves, the courses here require a good amount of self-accountability to stay on top of things. Since there isn’t assignments/homework in most of my classes it’s up to the student to keep up with the material. This hasn’t been a problem for me, but I do miss graded assignments as they’re a good metric to see whether I’m understanding the material or not. It’s a bit scary that the only metric I’ll have is the final exam and at that point it could be too late. That said, I’m not too worried, I’ve kept up with lectures and have spent time outside of class working on the material. All in all, classes here are just different enough to feel weird but after 4 years taking courses back home it’s not too bad.
Content wise, the courses have been quite interesting. Since I didn’t have any required courses, I decided to take courses that would expose me to different aspects of my future career as a software developer. I’m taking a couple of courses that deal more with the business and architecture side of development these have been quite interesting. With my prior internship experience these courses have given me insights to the bigger picture of the projects I’ve worked on in the past. I hope these insights will in turn make me a better developer and give me a better direction of where I want to end up in my career.
Other than classes, I have spent my time figuring out my residence permit, going on weekend excursions, and dealing with the ever-changing covid situation. Since arriving in Germany, I’ve been working on getting all my ducks in a row to apply for my residence permit which has not been a straightforward task. Between a lack of reliable information and the extended response times due to covid, the process can be summed up as a cycle of hurry up and wait. I’ve spent the month sending many emails, clarifying what’s needed to get responses shortly before the material is needed. It’s without a doubt been a bit stressful but it’s done and now I’m just waiting to receive my official residence permit.
Nürburgring
Stressful things aside, since living in Germany I’ve been trying to take advantage of its proximity to everything. As I’m a fan of motor racing, I had to go see a race at the famous Nürburgring. So, me and few others rented a car and spent a day driving on the autobahn and waiting the race. German roads are a joy to drive on! Though the price of gas at the end of the day is less of a joy to pay for. Public transit is for sure the more affordable way to get around.
Looking to next month, I look forward to the opening of the Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas markets) and the holiday season. Hopefully the recent rise in covid cases won’t cancel many of the planned holiday festivities, but only time can tell with that.