Since my school time I thought about « going abroad ». But during all the year I didn’t realised that. So I am really happy and that this comes over me now was a real surprise because randomly I found the Email with the acceptation between a buch of other mails. In my life I searched a lot of rooms and since many years I live in flats with other people but to find a room in Groningen was the most horrible experience. After paying money for watching after offers and 6 weeks permanently searching, senden in the end around 200 application for rooms and getting only 20 answers with 1 commitment, I found a room. After this and the rest of these extrem stressful organisation stuff I arrival at the 25th August. What I couldn’t know, it would be the worst case of flat life. Would be possible I had only bad luck… My flat members don’t share more with each other than a bell button and afterwards a lot of other thing happened I can’t believe. That absolutely not easy for me as a very sozial person. Automatically I took a course in what it means to « be permissive to people next to me ». After that I’m much gain in my experiences and don’t will miss that, because I learned how I don’t want to live with the people next to me. However nearly every other thing during my time in Holland was great. Together with the other erasmus student the start was glorious and I jumped directly in complete other life. The first two weeks we all had these strange feeling to be in Hogwarts. Out of our big problems to finde any room there and the impression the staircases change her direction permanently. If I was hungry of course I went to the canteen, but here I realised there the food is complete different. So much friezes, strange squeeze bread, single eggs and ready-meal-machines everywhere, cheese and warm stroopwaffels. Hello new world!
In the beginning I was also pretty confusion to understand the segregation in a Graphic Design Department and a Illustration Department. I didn’t care and mixed them. It was a hard to make course decisions and in this process I saw a lot of the teachers who wasn’t able to give me an course description or the essence of what they are teaching in the following semester. On that way I learned to find my way and to work on projects even if I had to less information of anything. In general nearly all of my courses following more the way of briefing. Here we worked much more productive with real clients and higher speed in the half of the time! A semester is split in two eight week blocks. After the first block we start with a two assignment – a complete new project. Now I see that in Kiel we have really to much time for everything and not enough pressure from the teachers! I guess, that’s way strangely often at the Muthesius after a hole semester students still haven’t finished her projects. So there is a huge difference between both systems and for me the one of the Minerva prepare myself more ahead of the future. I saw that there exist a different way learning; a dutch one. In « Grafic Design » we worked on a Social Design project about an area called the Veenkolonien. After a short research we had to develop a strong concept for a book made out of one word, one feeling. After finishing these we needed to make a second research. This time we must travel by ourselves in the area and talk to the people, in dutch or on any other way because no one in this region speaks english! Our results, the impressions during that journey and the out coming of our first book was the start for the second one. In the end both books standing in connection to each other. The observer can explore by his own the differences between them as well the overlapping parts. A complete new area for me was « Animation ». In the Communication design it’s a fixed course from the first to the last semester where the students learn a lot of techniques and working methods. The school occupy two animation studios with several skeching-tables. To improve my new skills I joint the course « Animation Philosophy ». In that one we worked after a briefing from two professors from another university in Groningen. We had to realise in a group work a film which will be used after that in the first semester philosophy lectures. Further I had « BRV ». A course complete about how to present ourselves in the « real world » and apply for a job or an internship. We spoke about our own works and how we could create a portfolio, a letter of motivation, a CV’s and all those things. In my opinion a very important subject. Even therefore I would appreciate to have such kind of course at home. Also we got the chance to meet higher students which came backe from their internships and talk to them about there experience. For myself it was a great help to have a easier start in the life after my graduation. At the Minerva Academy we also had the opportunity to join different technical courses, here they call them iTC or TCU. From Kristel I learn a lot new stuff in « Bookbinding » and about « Typography & Prepress ». She organised for us the « hatch show printing workshop » with the glorious Jim Sharreden as well. Jim brought 22 kg of his famous woodblocks from Nashville Tennessee to print with us together the typical USA posters like we all know from Elvis or Johnny Cash. Unbelievable that I had the opportunity and for that for free! Definitely one of the chances you get in you life only once. Like the Workshop Week at the Muthesius we had the « project week ». It was very nice that the teachers came direct form the working field and so they assess design problems inherently in a complete other way as I knew it. Most of the time the topic was to challenge and to turn ourself and our point of view for 180° a couple of times. But in general the working process was not the best. Originally it took us every day a to long time until we came to an out point. Well, if the organisation would be more structured we had worked with more energy and quicker as the end result after a hole week would be much better. After that I spend the weekend together with another Erasmus friend in Amsterdam. It was my first visit and I felt in love with that city directly. All the month ago and before that I tried so hard to visit that famous place of being but always something happened what interrupt my plans. Certainly our hostel was terable but lucky me, the rest was fabulous! We started Saturday with a breakfast at the top of the public library with a impressive panorama view and a good coffee. Among divers of other stuff we visit the botanical garden, the Ben & Jerry’s store, the red light district museum, the biggest flea markte of hole Europe, etc. Not the last time for me in this lovely city. Another very unorganised and spontaneous task was « The Us – Exhibition ». All erasmus people had to organised together a big exhibition in 14 days. It was a surprise and it turned out to a challenge for the hole group of 17 people. To develop a concept and manage the organisation directly before christmas was a big stressful difficulty. In the ende the exhibition was one of the single moments were I sadly had the feeling the Minerva Academy isn’t interested in her exchange students. Divers experiences I made among other things was to go out of my normal self in the ESN-week and cross personal borders. Also awesome is the Cheese, of course! Next to my regular courses I took dutch class but only for one month. Because I realised that it’s absolutely not easy even for germans to learn that language. Well, I needed to quot the course. Something very special in the Netherlands is the love for vintage. The dutch people have a complete different rate to second hand clothing’s as the german people. If you don’t wear something for longer than six month you give it a way. With such a nice mentality like you find in Groningen only in the city centre 10 vintage stores! On a sunday I love it to enjoy the « hole breakfast ». On one of these sundays I ate breakfast at the Crossanterie Pigalle with my friend Therese. A dream on earth and a tip for everyone how doesn’t know. After that we went of course on one of the many flea marktes. I miss them a lot and for special for the quality of the products. The most things you find there you don’t see that it’s not new. In the time where I was in the Netherlands I realised one of my first road trips together with some others exchange students from the Minerva. We started three days on the Duch Design Week in Eindhoven traveled than to Rotterdam and after 2 days finally to Utrecht for one day. These week was full with Impressions, dutch culture, much design, much art, extrem less sleep and of course a lot of Party. In general during my hole erasmus time we cooked a lot together and met very often. After all I am lucky to say that I found in Groningen real friends. I am sure that these friendships stay for a long time. That is the biggest point what I will miss very badly, the people around me I saw every day. What a luck, that this awesome time in my life make for me the world and their distances much smaller than before!