Between
October 2020 and February 2021 I was staging in Germany at the Otto von
Guericke University in Magdeburg at the Technology Automation Institute in the
framework of scholarship of the Russian President to study abroad.
Library building
Some
advice on departure and first days
The
most important thing while preparing for the visit to Magdeburg is to solve the
question of residing no matter how. There might be no places in the hostel, and
it is complicated to rent a furnished flat.
If you are on scholarship, you need to open an account in German bank. My
experience gives the following:
Sparkasse.
They were ready to accept my apply and open an account in 2 months (later than
the middle of my internship), staff speaks only German;
HypoVereinsBank
is for non-EU persons, they do not open an account for less than a year, the
staff speaks English;
DeutscheBank
opened an account without any problems, their staff speaks English.
Potsdam
You
should also tune in and get used to the fact that if you plan to open an
account, get registration in the city, or take similar services, you will
always need to get a “termin” in advance (i.e. make an appointment). This is
especially important during the lockdown period.
It
is worth saying that in Germany it is the duty of every citizen to separate the
waste, so you need to read about it in advance, and in the first weeks to get
used to dividing the recyclable waste from the non-recyclable. You should as
well take into account that in the shops the tags give the price of a good
without the price of the tare, the full price is stated in the bill. The cost
of the recyclable plastic and aluminium is 25 cents and of the non-recyclable
plastic or glass - 8 cents. All the shops have automatic tare receivers that
give bills for a discount. Glass is not recycled, it is wasted to special
containers under buildings.
One of the University Campus Buildings
The
first days demand the common everyday things, so I recommend you to visit the
Woolworth shop due to its reasonable prices and quality of goods.
Before
Magdeburg, I had already visited Munich and Dresden and it was surprising for me
to see that only a few people speak English there. That’s why I highly
recommend you to learn basic German to avoid the problems at the shops if you
go to Magdeburg.
I
pointed out for myself that I lacked my international driving license. I had
already got used to carsharing opportunities in touristic towns, but didn’t
expect it to be in Magdeburg and to be so profitable.
Old Rathaus, Magdeburg
About
way of life and city
It was hard for me to appreciate all the features of the city because of the
lockdown. During my staging time all the entertainment and cultural places were
closed, and starting from November there were only crucial shops working. From
the hostel to the center of the city there is about 1,5 km, accessible on foot
or by tramway. The INSA application is very helpful, especially in the first
days, to get used to the transport system or just get the transport schedule.
The student card works like a transit ticket and can be acquired for free after
paying the tuition fee. It is also possible to use it like a credit card in the
Campus.
Magdeburg after the
snowfall; Otto von Guericke museum on the background
In
February the city was covered in snow, which was a shock for the citizens,
because the public transport was paralyzed for a few days. However, it couldn’t
deny walking in the city. In one of the days after the snowfall I was pleased
to see that the streets were well-swept, despite the problems with cleaning the
tram and railroad lines.
Student
societies often arrange some cultural events, such as the culture nights of
foreign students, theater visits and others.
Shops have a different assortment of products.
Some electronic gadgets are much cheaper here than in Russia, especially taken
tax-free.
At the square behind
the 6th University building.
The
Otto von Guericke University is very young, one of the youngest in Germany. Its
Campus is a complex of contemporary buildings matching the demands of the latest
education standards. In Germany postgraduates are offered a special study room
(for two persons in my case) to work at the institute, and not a place in a
laboratory. Whether it is convenient or not is an open question which depends
on your approach. Despite the lockdown, I had access to laboratories, but my
work specificity supposed that I should conduct research mainly in MatLab and
the remote format didn’t affect my study course. However, due to the lockdown
and quarantine measures, the registration process in the city and at the
institute was delayed, and, as a result, we were able to meet with the
professor and discuss our work only later. Before that, we were communicating
by email, which could periodically harm our work, because it would be faster to
discuss some things in person.
Quedlinburg
During
the staging time, in spite of the lockdown, I managed to visit some cities:
Berlin, Braunschweig, Potsdam, Quedlinburg and Hannover. It is worth keeping in
mind that in Germany the laws and the quarantine measures can vary greatly
depending on the Federal region you are in. Commonly, hotels were deprived to
check-in tourists, and the museums were all closed, so it spoiled the
impression a little.
New Rathaus, Hannover
During
my stage, the most convenient and cheap mean of transport, FlixBus, was
unavailable because of the pandemic, but the trains and car rent were
functioning well. Trains between cities usually come once an hour. The tickets
are quite costly, 16.5 Euro one-way. There is no “Swallow” train like in Russia
that comes every 5 minutes. There is an alternative, S-bahn, but it functions
more like a subway and rarely links the cities. The group ticket is less
expensive than personal tickets, so if you go with your friends, it would be profitable,
as well as to take a rent of a car. This way, it is possible to visit several
small cities in a day.
Reichstag, Berlin
Despite
the difficulties that arose because of the pandemic, I am very glad that I was
able to do an internship at Otto von Guericke University. This is an
unforgettable trip, so if there is opportunity, it should be seized. I met new
people, got the experience of living in another country and did a lot of work
on my thesis topic.
I
want to thank the Department of International Relations of MPEI for help in the
document process, support, kindness and goodwill.