Mira, arriving to Heidelberg and first month’s

Arriving to Germany

Finally, I made it to Germany! Yes after tons of paperwork and appointments in the embassy, it works. Honestly, I was so disappointed because of the delays and the appointments were not really good. But yeah I am here in Germany in Werkshtattschule. What a dream! 

  Yeah, the first month was the year of discovering everything but also it was not that easy at all on a few levels. First, on a physical level, it was not that easy for me the change in weather, air, food, and drink. I spent the first 10 days not feeling well at all, but now am totally fine. Second, The seminar was really cool. Also, it was really good to go with Irma and Selin to get to know them well from the beginning, but on the same level, I felt disconnected way so much. In the seminar room, all the workshops were really good for someone who spent at least 2 or 3 weeks in the volunteering program, but for me as one who just came yesterday, I really could not relate to a lot of things. But let’s also look at the good side, only listening to their experiences and struggles helped me with the upcoming volunteering program I was about to start after this seminar. Moreover, outside the seminar room I kind of experienced an early culture shock; because I always travel abroad but only with family and friends, so getting really into people from totally different cultures was not easy. But I felt that I can share this with them in the sharing group and I did, and after sharing my thoughts out loud I felt way better, and surprisingly some of them came to me after my sharing and they said we also can relate!  

Then the 2 weeks after it was like an introduction to Werkshtattschule, getting to know everyone and bringing to keep everyone's name, getting to discover the captivating Heidelberg, and above all getting to know Irma and Selin. By the way, it’s really going so well between each other, I am so lucky to have them in my life.  

For Christmas, I attended a Christmas gathering in Werkshtattschule, it was really heart-warming. Then I went to Paris for the first time with my Egyptian friends -they are doing masters in Germany and Spain- and some of them came from Egypt, so it was really nice Holiday. Then I spent a few more days with my family there.  

For the New Year’s, I got invented by some friends who I got to know here in Heidelberg when I start going to church. I was invited to Racllette as a typical German celebration. I also invited Selin with me at it was really unforgettable night. 

January Report 

 January was so chilly! It was the holidays till the 10 of January, so there wasn’t a lot to do. Also, Irma gave me the wood carving workshop then I did my very first project with Paul and Jacob. I was responsible for a group of kids. It was so good and special for me as my first project. Also, throughout the month, I joined only a couple of wood carving projects.  

 We finished our last lessons with Claudia, our German teacher, and had breakfast at her house as a closing for our regular meeting. It was so nice of her :). 

We celebrated Selin’s birthday after Irma came back from her holidays, it was so nice to finally spend time together with the 3 of us again after a long time. 

It was so sad for me to spend Christmas away from my family - Christmas in the East is on the 7th of January - but I got the chance to go with my German friend to the Königstuhl, so it was so nice doing something different and got the opportunity to discover Heidelberg. 

 February Feedback 

We started our German class with Jeanne. It was the first time to deal with her, she is so sweet and so helpful. She asked us about our ambitions for staying in Germany after the volunteering program, so she knows which level should we reach. 

We took a stop motion workshop this month with Holger and Karo, and it was the coolest thing in the whole month. Because my studying and working field is in the media, and I didn’t study animation in my college, so it was so new and cool for me. 

Also, this month I joined my first ever printing project with Jeanne and Irma in Mannhaim. I really enjoyed it because all my projects were wood carving, so it was really something new and different. 

 Moreover, we are having media regular meetings with Uta for the media staff, I ally enjoyed working on media staff as well as learning from Uta. She is so professional and well organized.