Sofie

Q1) Living away from home, on other side of the world by your own. What according to you helped you transform and get out of your shell. How did you feel experiencing the independence?

• As it is not my first time living abroad for a certain amount of time and also living away from home, I have experienced independance already for several years in my life. However, in my previous stays I have learnt how imprtant it is to get out of your shell if you want to feel comfortable in the new environment and become friends with people here. Leaving everything behind for a semester or a year also gives you the chance to do everything from a new start and to be truly yourself when you encounter new people and new situations.

Q2) Before coming to india as exchange student, you might have thought about India, and had some pre notions about living here .Is it like how you thought of it to be?

I spent 6 months already in the south of India so I had a pretty good idea about what to expect when I came here. However, there are obviously still some differences and surprises here: I am very happy that people are very open-minded and interested in communication with me and the other internation students as communication was my main problem in the south. Also the academic system is very different from what I am used (rather personal and like school here) which I found positive and negative in different aspects but I'm getting used to it. In general, reality matched with my expectations in most matters which made it easier to feel comfortable here. 

Q3)You’re new to a country with diverse cultures. You’re going to live with total strangers. You don’t know the language. You don’t know what will happen when the plane lands. Still, you can only smile and nervously await your new adventure. For the first time in your life you have the chance to do things for yourself, by yourself. What was the first thought you entered the campus? Or landed?

• I think when I stepped out of the airport, firstly the smell brought back a lot of memories from my last time in India. But even though I knew what to expect arriving at the campus and -after some organizational issues at 2am in the morning- being brought to an unfinished dirty guest room with many animals and no running water after several hours of journey left me a little overchallenged in the first days. Also because the organization for international students (at least for me and my roommate) was very messy but that feeling left after around 2 weeks.
 

Exchange isn’t a year in your life; it’s a life in a year. What do you think about this?

I partly relate to that: As I said before, going to a place where you don't know anyone and anything makes you start from the very beginning again, forming new social relationships, finding your place in both the academics and recreational activities and coping with most issues on your own. In my opinion, an important part of this process is also to come back home, where you reflect all your experiences once again by telling people about it and getting back to your former routine. My two last stays abroad have changed my opinions, behaviour and values severly but only in a positive way as far as I can estimate that. The stay here will also make you appreciate your family, friends and all treasures at home much more.

Q5) If you were asked to extend the duration of your stay here, would you be willing to? What has interested you the most particularly in IIT delhi?

• I chose to stay here for one year as last time I found 6 months were not enough to understand and learn everything about the culture that I wanted to as it is so different from european cultures. Due to my studies, I cannot stay longer than two semesters in IIT Delhi but I believe that this time will also be enough for now. I might come back to India but then for a different purpose as my dream is to work in a developing country anyway.

Q6)How would you sum up you experience as an exchange student here in one line.

• Q6)How would you sum up you experience as an exchange student here in one line.

Q7)The college atmosphere might have been different here, what was the thing you liked the most and the thing you liked the least? Your college would also be hosting students as exchange students. What according to you must be improvised here to make the exchange more memorable?

• As all of the students in IIT are very intelligent and hard working I really like the ambitious but familiar atmosphere here that pulls everyone up. Everyone offered me helpin the beginning and it isvery easy to pursue all hobbies and interests without even leaving the campus. However, I found thatmany students still study mostly for their grades and not outof their own interest. In my university in Germany and especially my subject of environmental engineering all the students have a strong belief in whatthey are doing and why they want to work as environmental engineers. This personal motivation of the students in their subjects is missing here (most of the time of course) in my opinion. However, the exchange will of course be memorable and I would also like to thank all the students here who put a lot of effort into organizing a program and events for the international students!