Photo: UHH/Denstorf
23 August 2024, by Lennart Wichmann
Photo: Universität Hamburg / Gau / Keller
Both the Hamburg buddies and new international students benefit from PIASTA’s Welcome Buddy Program. We are currently looking for participants for Winter Semester 2024/25. Cecilie Schanz from Denmark and Jean-Baptiste Goeh-Akue from Germany met through the program. In this interview, they talk about their experiences, and the close friendship that has grown.
Schanz: The German university system is completely different to the one in Denmark, particularly with regard to the free choice of courses. It was also a challenge to get the hang of electronic systems such as STiNE. My welcome buddy Jean-Baptiste helped me a lot with this.
But the reason I signed up for the buddy program at the beginning of my studies was also because I wanted to meet new people and make friends while completing my master’s degree in Buddhist studies. When I met Jean-Baptiste, he introduced me to his circle of friends, and I also had a few acquaintances that I could introduce to Jean. So, me being the new girl who Jean-Baptiste was helping turned into a mutual, equal friendship.
Schanz: Some of the concerns I had involved what I considered to be the rather distant way of working together in Germany. In Denmark, we have very flat hierarchies: everyone is on a first-name basis, including lecturers and students. I found the more formal way of communicating in Germany unusual. It was very helpful to be able to ask Jean-Baptiste questions about this. Reading between the lines can be very difficult for an international student.
Goeh-Akue: I can only agree with that. That’s why we also talked about German rental contracts, for example.
Schanz: Some landlords take advantage of foreign students’ lack of German language skills. It’s really helpful to have a welcome buddy who can help you deal with complicated German bureaucracy and with all the documents you need to find an apartment or a room in a shared apartment.
Goeh-Akue: I’m interested in getting to know people from different parts of the world and different backgrounds. This could also be down to my own background: my father is from Togo, and my mother is from Germany. So, I’m rather international myself. A small additional benefit of participating in the Welcome Buddy Program is that you receive the Certificate Intercultural Competence.
Schanz: A stay abroad can be very exciting and also challenging. In addition, life goes on at home while you are in another country, and sometimes you need someone to talk to about it.
I lost my father when I arrived in Hamburg. It was a really big help to have Jean as a friend during that period. As an international student, you are vulnerable, especially when you are far away from home.
Goeh-Akue: We live in a very international and globalized world. Many people from other countries live in Germany without us coming into contact with them. The opportunity to get involved in this format is a great chance to step out of your comfort zone, get to know people from different cultural backgrounds, and broaden your horizons. This allows you to develop personally and become a more open person.
Goeh-Akue: I can immediately think of cheesy slogans like “Friendship for life.” Maybe we’d be better off with “Get out of your comfort zone!” The thing is it worked really well for us. Of course, you can’t guarantee that the program will work the same way for all participants. Sometimes it doesn’t really work because the personalities don’t match up. But you shouldn’t let that discourage you, because these things are normal. Overall, the Welcome Buddy Program is a great opportunity and can motivate people to consider a stay abroad themselves.
Schanz: I agree with that. And with the program, we can show that Hamburg—like most of the world—is hospitable. My slogan would be “Welcome Buddy Program—Befriend the World.” It’s also a bit cheesy, but it somehow fits.
