Individual perspective on the study visit program
As one of the participants of the DAAD organized study visit from 28th June to 7th July 2019 at Chemnitz University of Technology Radmila Palinkasevic gives some personal insights
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Participants of the DAAD organized study visit at Chemnitz University of Technology . Photo: private
The aim of the visit was for students from the Balkans to became familiar with the academic life in Chemnitz and participate in the annual conference Digital English World-Wide Corpus and Discourse Analysis organized by Prof. Schmied and his team from the English Linguistics Department. I was one of four PhD students who came from Serbia from the Preschool Teacher Training College “Mihailo Palov” in Vrsac and the Faculty of Philosophy in Nis. We were also joined by three students from Macedonia from the “St. Kliment Ohridski” University – Bitola/Ohrid and the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje.
The impeccable organization of the whole study visit strengthened our stereotypes of the German people as well-organized and efficient; it also distilled the negative stereotype of them being cold people since we received the warmest welcome.
Before the conference, we had the opportunity to use the library and other University resources, which were invaluable for our conference and our contributions to the REAL volume. We also had a very informative workshop on how to make academic presentations. We all learned useful standards, tips and tricks which we will be able to use during our further academic carriers.
During the conference, we had the opportunity to listen to experienced professors and students form different corners of the world. The cultural experience was deepened even by the lunch break since we had the opportunity to try the Syrian cuisine. This food choice, along with the traditional Chinese and African clothes that Prof. Dr. Josef Schmied wore at the conference, showed us that the Chemnitz University of Technology is an environment where all of the cultures were respected and cherished.
I would like to thank the Chemnitz University of Technology for this great opportunity and especially Prof. Dr. Josef Schmied, Jessica Dheskali, Vincenzo Dheskali and Marina Ivanova for a wonderful experience.
(Author: Radmila Palinkasevic)
Matthias Fejes
12.02.2020
