Germany through the eyes of a Belarusian student
The theme of emigration and just living abroad is extremely popular in recent days on Habré: Australia , New Zealand , Canada , Holland , so meet one more story: Germany!
I publish at the request of Habrayuzer denim , which he himself does not have the opportunity to publish for a reason that cannot be called% in Habré) Therefore, the pluses are for him.
Further narration from his person.
After reading about Canada, Australia and New Zealand, I wanted to share the peculiarities of life in a closer world. At the moment I have been living for more than four years in the Federal Republic of Germany, the first cultural shocks and astonishment have passed, I will try to describe everything with facts and deliberate impressions.
Why did I actually choose Germany? There were many opportunities to go somewhere, but distance was the deciding factor. America, Canada is all very far away. The opportunity to see my parents and friends once a year and the expensive flights that lasted many hours confused me very much. In addition to that, studies at that time in Germany were free, even for foreign students (in principle, it remains almost as such at the moment) As a minus, there is a complete lack of language skills. This problem was solved in about 6 months of attending a language school, DSH was taken to the mark “2” - a level quite sufficient for communication and study.
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Learning is hard. Such a thing as a freebie is completely absent. Semesters start on April 1st and October 1st. The first three or three and a half months are lectures. Then begins the “time free from lectures” - an analogue of our session. Passing two or three exams per semester is already a great success, you need to prepare for a long time and thoroughly. It is not necessary to attend classes in principle, the main thing is to pass exams normally. There is a choice in almost everything - which lectures to attend, which exams and when to pass - everything can and should be solved independently. At first, this is all very relaxing, but in the end, you quickly learn responsibility and get rid of laziness.
You can work, and need. It is necessary because the university provides, in my opinion, too “academic” knowledge. The rules about work are the same for everyone - a maximum of 20 hours per week. In my opinion, this is quite enough, otherwise there would be no time to study :) Salary varies from 8 to 16 euros per hour. Maybe someone gets more, but 16 is the maximum that I know. Life, in principle, enough. After graduation, you can count on 40-45 per year, depending on the diploma, experience, and so on. Taxes are quite serious - in some cases, up to 50% may disappear (including insurance, pension deductions and other things). Work in IT is still enough, both for students and for everyone else.
Germany has never been a country based on immigrants and this is felt immediately. For a couple of years, I saw how crooked faces about my accent, and I heard quite aggressive phrases “go home to your place in Poland, what are you doing here.” This does not happen often, but the sediment remains. In general, people are smiling, polite and friendly. There are a lot of Russian speakers, but basically this is a specific contingent and it is rather difficult to communicate with them. There are exceptions, of course, and as you know, this confirms the rule.
I live in a city with a population of about 300 thousand people. One-room apartment costs about 300 and more euros per month, two-room apartments - from 400. Food prices are comparable to Belarusian ones, only fuel is more expensive. At the moment, a liter of gas costs about 1.29. In East Germany, housing prices are slightly more pleasant, but also with the work there is harder.
In general, life in Germany leaves a double impression. On the one hand stability, income, order. On the other hand, it’s very boring, too much pompous and rotten. For myself, I decided that it would probably be very good to live in old age.
If you have questions, I will gladly try to answer. I can also advise on the conditions for obtaining a student visa :)
I publish at the request of Habrayuzer denim , which he himself does not have the opportunity to publish for a reason that cannot be called% in Habré) Therefore, the pluses are for him.
Further narration from his person.
After reading about Canada, Australia and New Zealand, I wanted to share the peculiarities of life in a closer world. At the moment I have been living for more than four years in the Federal Republic of Germany, the first cultural shocks and astonishment have passed, I will try to describe everything with facts and deliberate impressions.
Why did I actually choose Germany? There were many opportunities to go somewhere, but distance was the deciding factor. America, Canada is all very far away. The opportunity to see my parents and friends once a year and the expensive flights that lasted many hours confused me very much. In addition to that, studies at that time in Germany were free, even for foreign students (in principle, it remains almost as such at the moment) As a minus, there is a complete lack of language skills. This problem was solved in about 6 months of attending a language school, DSH was taken to the mark “2” - a level quite sufficient for communication and study.
')
Studying at the University
Learning is hard. Such a thing as a freebie is completely absent. Semesters start on April 1st and October 1st. The first three or three and a half months are lectures. Then begins the “time free from lectures” - an analogue of our session. Passing two or three exams per semester is already a great success, you need to prepare for a long time and thoroughly. It is not necessary to attend classes in principle, the main thing is to pass exams normally. There is a choice in almost everything - which lectures to attend, which exams and when to pass - everything can and should be solved independently. At first, this is all very relaxing, but in the end, you quickly learn responsibility and get rid of laziness.
Job
You can work, and need. It is necessary because the university provides, in my opinion, too “academic” knowledge. The rules about work are the same for everyone - a maximum of 20 hours per week. In my opinion, this is quite enough, otherwise there would be no time to study :) Salary varies from 8 to 16 euros per hour. Maybe someone gets more, but 16 is the maximum that I know. Life, in principle, enough. After graduation, you can count on 40-45 per year, depending on the diploma, experience, and so on. Taxes are quite serious - in some cases, up to 50% may disappear (including insurance, pension deductions and other things). Work in IT is still enough, both for students and for everyone else.
People
Germany has never been a country based on immigrants and this is felt immediately. For a couple of years, I saw how crooked faces about my accent, and I heard quite aggressive phrases “go home to your place in Poland, what are you doing here.” This does not happen often, but the sediment remains. In general, people are smiling, polite and friendly. There are a lot of Russian speakers, but basically this is a specific contingent and it is rather difficult to communicate with them. There are exceptions, of course, and as you know, this confirms the rule.
Prices, standard of living
I live in a city with a population of about 300 thousand people. One-room apartment costs about 300 and more euros per month, two-room apartments - from 400. Food prices are comparable to Belarusian ones, only fuel is more expensive. At the moment, a liter of gas costs about 1.29. In East Germany, housing prices are slightly more pleasant, but also with the work there is harder.
In general, life in Germany leaves a double impression. On the one hand stability, income, order. On the other hand, it’s very boring, too much pompous and rotten. For myself, I decided that it would probably be very good to live in old age.
If you have questions, I will gladly try to answer. I can also advise on the conditions for obtaining a student visa :)
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/59760/
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