First impressions of Germany – by Chindavone Sisoulath
Hello everyone,
Welcome back to my new blog post! As I promised in my last post. I am back again to share my first impressions of Germany. It is still incredible to believe that my dream has now become reality. Before arriving here, I published a Letter from Laos by Chindavone Sisoulath. Where I shared my background, my hope and a bit of nervousness about this big move to Germany.
Travelling to Germany:
My journey started in Savannakhet province on 12 March 2025. It was my first time traveling to Germany. I had never been aboard1 before. My family and I woke up early to prepare to go to the Savannakhet airport. My first destination was Vientiane airport. Then my friends came to say goodbye. I saw a lot of videos on social media about this moment where many people came to the airport and they cried, and now it also happened to me. The feeling of going far away form (cf. Note 1) home, family and friends is not just sadness. It is something deeper. It is a mix of gratitude, warmth, excitement and a little fear. That the people I love came to the airport to send me off reminded me how much I am supported and loved. I am starting my journey in a new world, with new people and new culture. I will miss them, but this feeling of missing someone does not hold me back. It makes me stronger to keep going and to become someone I will be proud to bring home.
Ms Phennapha (the other student who was selected to study at Pädagogische Hochschule Karlsruhe) and I landed in Vientiane airport and waited for the next flight. But my journey had a little challenge. My flight from Vientiane to Ho Chi Minh was delayed. At that moment I felt really nervous and I did not know what to do exactly. I was afraid we would miss our connecting flight to Frankfurt. While we were stressing about the delayed flight, I met a kind family who was also traveling to Ho Chi Minh. We started talking and found out we were on the same flight. We told them that we were going to Germany for the first time. They were helpful and gave us great advice on what to do when we landed. Finally, when we were waiting in the long line at the gate so we could get on the plane, the man of this family helped us to talk with the flight attendant to know about our situation and the flight attendant told us that it will be okay and that we can manage getting our next flight in time. That made me feel better.
When we landed at Ho Chi Minh airport, the first thing that I did was to get our luggage with the man and his son. One of us needed to wait for our luggage, that was me, and the other one, Phennapha went upstairs with his wife to find the check-in counter to confirm that we can make the flight. I waited for a long time because a lot of luggage came out but not one of our’s. I waited and then finally Phennapha’s luggage came out, after that mine came. I got our luggage and we ran to the check-in counter and guess what? We made it in time! I am deeply grateful to this family. Without their help, we might have been too lost or too late and we might not have arrived in Germany. This situation taught me to be prepared for unexpected things and to handle them effectively. In the end, my delayed flight was such a good experience for me.
After the challenge with my delayed flight, we took an 8 hour flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Frankfurt Airport. I was a bit tired, but also full of excitement. My heart started beating faster when I heard the announcement “welcome to Germany”. I looked out the window and saw many things. The landscape of my view from the plane was so beautiful. I saw green and yellow fields, houses, big buildings, roads, and moving cars. I whispered to myself: “am I really in Germany?” and yes, I was!
The next step after we landed was to go through passport control. I started to feel nervous again about this because they were taking a long time with each person. I hoped everything would be fine, when it was my turn. I was a little bit nervous, but luckily, it did not take long when it was my turn. The officer asked me a few questions, looked at my documents and let me pass through the door.
While I was looking for my luggage, the first thing that I noticed was how big and clean the Frankfurt Airport is. After I got my luggage, I asked the staff at the airport for the directions to the train station because the airport is so big and it was a bit confusing. They told me: “You need to take the SkyLine to the train station inside the airport.” Finally, we made it to the train station, found the platform and waited for the train to Karlsruhe and I was proud of myself to get through everything step by step.
Before coming to Germany, I learned some great advice form my teacher: “If you do not know something, just ask!” I kept that in mind and when I have a question like in this situation, I just asked politely. Everyone I encountered during my journey so far was happy to help me and this made me grateful and I enjoyed this on my journey.
It was my first time on a train in my life and I really enjoyed the ride. The train form Frankfurt to Karlsruhe took around one hour. On the train ride, I looked out the window and saw small towns, fields and beautiful houses along the way. The view was peaceful and I still could not believe I was in Germany and starting a new chapter of my life in a new city.
Finally, we arrived at Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof (main train station). I saw a lot of trains coming and going, people getting on and off with their suitcases like me. Then I looked for the way to the city and I saw my buddy waiting for me with a kind smile. My buddy’s2 name is Nina Dickemann. She planned to take Phennapha and I to the dormitory by car but the car did not fit us and our big suitcases. So, she showed us how to buy a tram ticket and we took the tram from Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof to Europaplatz station. The tram passed through the city of Karlsruhe. I looked out of the window, it was drizzling. I also saw many beautiful buildings. In general the atmosphere was peaceful and I noticed people walking, riding bikes and enjoying their day. At that moment I thought to myself : “I am going to love this city!”
When I arrived in Karlsruhe the weather was different form Laos. Usually in Laos the weather is either warm or just a little cold but here the weather was so cold. I arrived in Karlsruhe on 13 March 2025, the temperature was 2°C. I had never experienced this kind of weather before. My hands turned red but I brought a beanie hat (a small hat that fits closely to the head) and gloves that help me a lot. It was a real winter that I experienced in Germany on arrival.
We got off the tram and went to my dormitory, Nina showed me around. First, she took me to the laundry room which is not in the same building as my room. Then we went to my building and my room and I saw it for the first time. I felt so happy, it was so nice when I saw my room as my new home, she also showed me the shared kitchen which was so beautiful, clean, modern and it was very convenient. Seeing the kitchen made me want to cook!
Then my buddy took me to the shop and supermarket in the city to buy some necessary things like food, water and bathroom items. While we were shopping, she shared some tips about life in Germany like if you buy some water and return the plastic bottle back to the machine you will get money back. It was so interesting to learn about this and it made me realize how much Germany cares about recycling and the environment.
One thing that really impressed me in Germany was how seriously people care about recycling and separating the trash. It is part of their daily life and culture. Every home, university and even train station has different kinds of bins. There are separate bins for plastic, paper, glass, organic waste and general waste. At first, it was a bit confusing for me because it was different form what I did in Laos. So I learned how to separate the trash, but now I understand it and know which trash goes into which bin.
I really wanted to go cycling and explore the city of Karlsruhe. People told me that it is a good time to be here in summer because you can do a lot of activities. I got a bicycle. Thank you to Prof. Dr. Isabel Martin for arranging everything and connecting me2 with her neighbor Ms Rana. She is very kind and friendly she gave me a bicycle during my time in Karlsruhe. It was such a cute bicycle with a cute bell, I really love it. I cycle to university, supermarket and in the castle park it is very nice to cycle in the morning. I felt more active, free and peaceful. You can just go on a way that you never knew before.
Before I came here, I heard from some friends, people around me and from searching on Google about Germany that German people do not like to smile much and that they are unfriendly. At first, I was a little worried about this. But after I arrived here, I can say that this is not true! People here are very nice, friendly, kind and open. If you have a problem and questions you can ask them and they are happy to help you. This made me feel more comfortable and this experience really changed my mind.
My first trip in Germany happened during my first week with the International Club of the International office of University of education Karlsruhe to visit the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart. I made friends quickly because everyone in the International Student Club, which is organised by local PH students, was very friendly. Everyone was excited to meet new people, so we shared about our countries and interests. Since most of us were all new in Germany and the University, it was easy to connect. We took the train from Karlsruhe in the morning. The train was crowded and we could not all sit together. I ended up siting with my new friend from Greece in a different part of the train, away from other students. While on the train we had a good conversation and shared stories with each other. Then I looked out the train window and saw some friends standing at the station platform. I realized that we were supposed to get off at this station. We had not checked the phone. They had sent to the group chat that we should get off at this station. We tried to get off the train but it was too late. The door would not open. So we missed the station. We checked the map and opened the DB app (Deutsche Bahn, the German national railway company) to find the way back to Stuttgart main station and got information from our friends. It was a bit stressful but also fun. I got lost on my first trip! Luckily, we worked as a team and finally made it to the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart. It felt like an adventure and good challenge. In the end, it was a good memory and made my first trip in Germany more special.
I had the opportunity to play in the Sport Mix Tournament with other students from different Universities in Karlsruhe on 28 June 2025. Winter was finally over, the sunshine and green trees showed that summer had come. I took part in basketball, beach volleyball and football. It was very challenging because it was my first time playing beach volleyball, I found it hard to move in the sand, and to deal with the impact of wind and sun. I usually play badminton in Laos. So beach volleyball was new for me but I enjoyed a lot. It was fun and worth trying something new. The best part was that we got to play the sports and make new friends. Sport is a good way to communicate with new people. Everyone was cheering, laughing and playing together. We were such a good team and everyone tried their best. I liked the friendly atmosphere and I will remember this amazing memory.
On 27 April, I had a great chance to join the International Lunch. a gathering where people from different countries come and shared their food and culture together. I like this event because everyone brought a traditional dish from their home country. I brought Chicken Larb a traditional dish from Laos. and other people brought a special dish from Italy, Germany, Ghana, Brazil, and China. Every plates looks so nice and I tasted all of them. I felt like I was travelling to the country the food come from. A moment that touch my heart was before people entering to Prof. Martin’s flat. They took off their shoes. It is a small gesture. but it like in Laos the culture respect. Seeing everyone do this make me smile. After our meal. We rested for a bit than we went to walking in the nearby forest. Walking after lunch it helps us digest the food and enjoyed fresh air. During the walk, I had a good conversation with the other guests. We shared about our country and experience from each other. The end of the day, It was so fun and happy, Food had brought us together. Thank you Prof. Dr. Isabel Martin for creating the space where the world come together.
In March before the semester started, I had the opportunity to attend an intensive German language course for beginners. I learned a lot but I am still just a beginner. My first German class at the University of Education Pädagogische Hochschule started on 14 March, right after I came to Germany. The lecturer really welcomed us to the class. This class was really helpful. I learned useful words and sentences for daily life such as „Hallo (Hello)“, „Entschuldigung (excuse me)“, „danke schön (Thank you so much)“, „Tschüss (Goodbye)“, or „Ich hätte gern… bitte (I would like…please)“. I enjoy trying to order in German when I go to the shop or a restaurant. Even if it is not perfect, they understand me. This makes me so happy and motivates me to keep learning and practising German.
I like the education system at university here because I can choose the courses that I find interesting myself. I took 5 courses that I wanted to study such as “German language”, “Global Englishes, Global Citizenship Education & Teaching International English”, “Germany Today” (this course is about the German culture and life), I learned more about Germany in this course. Everyone was an international student and shared about their own culture. I learned more about culture form different country and I also did a presentation about Laos.
My favorite courses are „World Dance Calling“ (Prof. Martin) and „Planning and designing lessons for the class room“ (Ms Brennan). To be honest I had never heard about a „World Dance Calling“ course before and it caught my attention. I learned traditional dances form different countries such as Italy, Greece, Ghana, Germany. Phennapha and I shared a dance from Laos as well, everyone enjoyed our dance and I am so happy to learned traditional dances from many countries and shared Lao traditional dance. I love how we were able to learn and exchange cultures and then teach this and call dances in English in different primary classrooms. It was fun such a relax course. My friends and I are going to writing a separate blog about ” World Dance Calling ” course and our group work at the schools. We will share about the wonderful experience that we had and everything we learned and taught. I am very excited to share about this course!
In „Planning and designing for the classroom“, I have learned about how to create lesson plans. I learned about different material, creative ideas and teaching techniques. One of the best parts in this class is that some students hold their lessons and teach the other university students in the class that have to pretend that they are real students at school. It feels like practising in the classroom before stepping into a real school. I am so grateful to be here, I learned new teaching techniques that I never learn before but I like it and it makes me happy to learn more and get inspiration.
I am truly grateful for the Erasmus+ program, Savannakhet University and University of Education Karlsruhe for giving me the chance to be a part of this amazing project. My time in Germany is more than just studying and visiting. I made really good memories that I will never forgot. This is just the beginning of my journey. Every day brings new places to explore, new challenges, new people to share experiences with and new discoveries that help me grow. In the next post, I will share more about amazing things I learned and experiences that I have never had before!
Thank you everyone for reading. I hope you enjoyed my journey and stay turn to my next post!
See you soon!
Best regards,
Chin
Text by Chindavone Sisoulath
Photos by Chindavone Sisoulath & Phennapha Xaiyasen
Editor’s Note
1 Read this as “abroad”, also read “from” for “form”, which appears later in the text on a few occasions. This is the reason: Lao authors sometimes change around the order of vowel and consonant in English spelling, because in the Lao language the consonant is written as a diacritical sign above and after the vowel, to indicate that it should be pronounced before the vowel. By using this in English, they make sure to pronounce the sounds in the right order.
2 “Buddies” are local students who volunteer to help “Incomings” settle in their new surroundings and then continue to be on call.
3 nebenan.de is a German website for connecting digitally with your neighbourhood, which was a great help during the pandemic. You can ask for concrete help, advice, tips, or household objects there and your neighbours will help you out or refer you to someone who can. I got 7 bicycles for our internationals this way in just a week and also found accommodation for one of the Ghanaian ASA students this way.
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