In March 2015 I travelled to Jena, a small city in the former Eastern part of Germany in order to study business and German at the local university. I am currently a 2nd year student at Sheffield Hallam and initially I chose to take part in a study abroad period in order to enhance my German skills, but it has been so much more. I have learnt so many valuable life skills, experienced real German culture; I have overcome barriers and been lucky enough to travel around many parts of Germany and Europe.
Living abroad has been hard at times; the first few weeks were definitely an experience, a negative one at that. However the good times have been enough to make it all worth it. I would absolutely recommend studying abroad to any student. I have made friends for life, from around the world and I have had an experience I could only dream about if I had stayed at my home university.
I will now go on to work in Hamburg for 12 months as a marketing assistant in a chemical and disinfectant company. As I have been lucky enough to study in Germany, my German has reached a standard that I feel comfortable in a professional environment, and obviously this will be a great advantage in placement in Hamburg and also my future career. I hope that once I graduate and start a career of my own I will still use my German, but I will certainly never let my skills fade.
I would like to thank the John Speak trust for giving me this opportunity. I have been able to properly immerse myself in the German way of life.
We are pleased that Phoebe has enjoyed her time in Germany. Phoebe’s language skills have progressed steadily throughout her Scholarship and we are very happy with her progress. We wish Phoebe all the best for her next 12 months in Hamburg and good luck for the future.