Report December - Lucero Chávez Espinoza

1. How did you spend Christmas in Germany?

It was the first time I spent Christmas in Germany. I went from Schweinfurt to Günzburg, where my sister lives. After 12 years we could finally spend Christmas together again. She lives with her boyfriend, who also celebrated with us. We made a traditional dinner and at midnight we wished each other Merry Christmas and exchanged gifts. What I did notice is that in Germany they celebrate Christmas the 25th and 26th of December and not the 24th and 25th like in Peru.

2. Did you travel within Germany or to other countries in your first couple of months here in Germany?

In my first week in Germany, I travelled to Günzburg because my sister collected me from the airport in Stuttgart. Two days after that we went to visit our aunt who lives in Orsingen-Nensingen. We spent the day together and then I had to go straight to Schweinfurt to start on the papers.

3. Where and how do you plan to celebrate New Year’s?

New Year’s this year was crazy. It was absolutely amazing. A couple of days before New Year’s all of my friends came back to Schweinfurt so that we could celebrate it together. We all hung out at a friend’s apartment. We ate and drank together. At midnight we went out onto the Marktplatz (the city centre) and celebrated with everyone else. At that time though, there were no more buses, so we had to walk about 30 minutes. Thankfully, we made it in time.

4. Do you like Germany? What specifically? What is completely new? What do you dislike? 

I like Germany. The landscape here is really beautiful. You really notice the different seasons. The transport network is completely new to me. It’s organised and on time, which really helps me to organise myself and not lose any time. I don’t like that the shops close so early and that supermarkets are not open on Sundays. However, I guess it’s also good because no one has to work that late.

5. Where do you usually eat?

I usually eat at the canteen when I don’t have time to cook because I have classes. Sometimes I eat at a friend’s house if they prepare something for multiple people. And we’re having a great time. I haven’t really tried that many German dishes so far. But the dishes I have tried, I liked. However, I do miss my Peruvian food and the spices. (Do you cook at home (what type of food)?, at the canteen, how do you like the German cuisine?

6. Are you taking any language classes? How do you like it? Have you improved?

I’m taking English classes because they are part of the study programme. I’ve improved, but I won’t sit the exam this semester. I noticed that I had an advantage when it came to English compared to my classmates because many words are derived from Latin.

7. Did you take part in any GAT tutorials?

How was your experience? I didn’t yet have the chance to participate in a GAT tutorial.

8. How safe do you feel in Germany compared to your home country?

I definitely feel a lot safer in Germany than in Peru. In my country, safety is getting worse and worse, and I don’t see any change. But in Germany, I love that I can go home from a friend’s house at 2am and know that I won’t have to be scared the entire way home. You obviously always need to be careful when walking home alone. Another example is that I felt really safe sharing a taxi with my friends, compared to my home country.