My First Trip – From Esslingen to Ingolstadt

My First Trip – From Esslingen to Ingolstadt

by Chandra Sekar Venkataramani Comment Closed
Having travelled 7500+ kms from Tamil Nadu to Germany, I believe it would be unfair and unwise to confine myself within the walls of a room and continue a run-of-the-mill routine of watching movies & series and reading gossips & conspiracy theories. Which is why I made it a point to explore Germany (in tiny bits), starting 2017. Planning the trip While spontaneous trips to explore a city or visit a friend can sound quite thrilling, for students in a foreign country with limited travel budget, planning in advance can ensure that it’s worth their money. Not to forget, however, are the perils of over-planning and allowing pleasant travel experiences go down the drain. Balancing the level of details is an art in itself and can only be mastered with time and experience. Usually transportation expenses are the major chunk. However, one should also consider the factors of comfort and travel time, before making a balanced decision. Be sure that there is no...
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Learning German in Germany

Learning German in Germany

by Chandra Sekar Venkataramani Comment Closed
German classes in Germany   Shortly after arriving in Esslingen in September 2016, I signed up for a B2 level German class at the Hochschule Esslingen. I had earlier finished my B2.1 level at The Languedge and wanted to further advance my German language skills. The course was arranged by the Hochschule free of charge with a private instructor. Course fee and structure Unpaid courses are not common in Germany, since taking up a course outside at a Sprachschule (Language Institute) usually costs 180-220 Euros/course (average) with around 50-60 learning units (All classes in Germany are mentioned as number of Learning Units (UE), each UE being 45 minutes). Few private tutors also offer classes that are charged on an hourly basis. Another important point to bear in mind is, unlike in India, courses in Germany are not structured as A1, A2, etc. Instead each level is split into 2 courses and this means an A1 level comprises of a course in A1.1 and then an...
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Connecting the Dots

Connecting the Dots

by Chandra Sekar Venkataramani Comment Closed
From Madras Institute of Technology to University of Applied Sciences Esslingen “You can never connect the dots looking forwards. You can only connect them looking backwards” were the famous words of Steve Jobs. My presence at Esslingen, Germany in September 2016 is a surely a series of dots (a collection of steady efforts, hard work and cumulative experiences) tracing back to the days of September of 2009 at Chennai, India. The Start It all started with my interest to learn a foreign language in 2009 while still at Madras Institute of Technology, not just for the career opportunities it offered me, but also for the feel good effect and sheer joy of learning a 3rd language. I signed up for the German classes in 2010 and by December of 2011, I was through with my A2 level in German. Though I wanted to go further, my language journey came to a grinding halt owing to a financial crunch. As a university gold medalist, I...
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