I never knew that the exchange programme that I was about to apply for, had so many challenges in store for me. It was almost a year since I had arrived in Sweden. My passion for studying in the top universities of Europe and pursuing cutting edge research had grown a million times in this one year. Germany was the closest destination among the exchange options available for the Biomedicine Master’s students. Since I wanted my career to be focused in neuroscience, I chose the Georg-August-Universität in Goettingen (http://www.uni-goettingen.de/). The MSc-PhD integrated neuroscience program in the university was quite renowned. The curriculum vitae of 44 Nobel laureates are linked to the University.  

The waiting period that followed the application process was exciting. I was selected for exchange to Goettingen for 4 months. Being the only person selected from Karolinska that year and representing my institute in another country was an awesome feeling.  

The preparatory phase was all exciting with twists and turns until the last minute. The only apprehension that I had was about the language as I had no exposure to German before that. I’ve heard that in some cities in Germany, people do communicate in English. Goettingen wasn’t one of those.  So I started learning German in a small way through Google and some of the links that my friends gave me which were helpful for beginners.

The official admission letter from Goettingen arrived. Meanwhile, I had started to enquire about the visa that was required for our 4 months study period. There was misguidance at the German embassy in Stockholm. They told me that I have to apply for the visa immediately and it will take atleast 6 weeks for the visa to be granted. I had to show an amount that is sufficient to cover my expenses for the 4 months period that I will stay in Goettingen. This account should be a student’s locked account opened through the Deutsche bank in Germany and only a fixed amount will be released every month for my expenses. The procedures were getting complicated and time consuming.

In the meanwhile, I was in regular contact with our ERASMUS partner in Goettingen. He directed me to the in-charge for accommodation at Collegium Albertinum in Baunhofferweg. Accomodation was confirmed and it was a huge relief. We also came to a decision on the courses to be taken for that period based on the options available for Biomedicine Master’s students during the fall semester in Goettingen.

The main aspect of the exchange program was a project that I had to do in Goettingen. The purpose of the project was to get exposed to a different research environment and develop my skills. The Maxplanck Institute for Experimental Medicine in Goettingen has some of the pioneers in neuroscience and it was an attractive place where I wished to apply for a project. I have heard a lot about the institute through my friends. So, I narrowed down to a few researchers based on their profiles from the Institute's website. After applications and phone interviews for a week, I chose Dr. Judith Stegmueller's lab (http://www.em.mpg.de/index.php?id=137&tx_jppageteaser_pi1[backId]=16) for a project on axonal growth. 

Then the good news came from Goettingen that exchange students need not apply for the visa to enter Germany and once they have entered Germany, they will be issued a residence permit for their period of stay. The German embassy in Stockholm has been confusing the exchange students with complicated procedures. After sorting out all confusions, I met our ERASMUS coordinator at Karolinska for the final time before leaving, to get the health insurance card. I will explain in the later part of my report on how useful this insurance was.

After this, I immediately booked my flight ticket through airbaltic which was the cheapest and allowed me to carry 20 kgs. The transit was at Riga and the final destination was Frankfurt. From there I had booked a ticket through the Deutsche Bahn (http://www.bahn.de/p/view/index.shtml) to Goettingen.

It was hard to say bye to friends because in that one year Stockholm had given me the best of friends that I had had in my life. I made arrangements to keep some of my luggage in my friend’s room and was prepared to leave to Goettingen. 

The train journey from Frankfurt to Goettingen was around 6 hours. This was the beginning of my introduction to German history, its people and culture. Yes, I met a few students who had just graduated from college and they were quite friendly to me for the first meeting. They weren’t well spoken in English, but the respect they had towards me and my education was amazing.

I had applied for an exchange buddy service through our ERASMUS partner. I had emailed my exchange buddy the time of my arrival and she was there to pick me up at the railway station in Goettingen. She was a student of theology in Georg-August-Universität. Being a very kind person, she had brought maps of Goettingen, the routes to the university and her sister’s car to receive me. We first went to a super market called Aldi to buy the necessary items that was required for the weekend. She then brought me to my room in Collegium Albertinum. On the way she was showing me the places that I should know of.  When we reached the room, the key was placed in my mail box and moving in was easy.

With a few google maps in my hand I was roaming around the city for the next 2 days to get an idea of how to go to my lab, the university, MENSA, to buy food stuff. That is when I realized the importance of the bicycle (bike). A bike is a mandatory thing in Goettingen. I bought a second hand bike for 25 euros at the Saturday street market as I thought I would need it just for 4 months. She took me to the city centre on the next day evening, showed me the Gänseliesel (mother goose). The interesting tradition in Goettingen for PhD graduates is to kiss the Gänseliesel to make her the most kissed girl in the world. I also learnt that the Carl-Zeiss microscope was invented in Goettingen. 

There was an orientation day for freshers arriving in Goettingen. The ERASMUS coordinator in Goettingen briefed things clearly for us in German and English. We had to follow the instructions for registering with the city town hall, for opening a Deutsche bank account (I had already opened this from Stockholm), applying for a residence permit and to apply for our student ID. This Student ID can be used to access all resources of the university and travel in the slow trains in the lower saxony zone for free. 

The ERASMUS co-ordinator also helped us in fixing appointments with the administrative staff to issue the residence permit. So, one should make it a point to attend the orientation day, which happens one month before the classes. I know a friend who missed this and found himself left out in every single procedure. 

The ERASMUS scholarship of 1100 euros was deposited in my bank account before I left. But from my experience I have learnt that this amount will definitely not be enough for the 4 months. Hearing about the stipend that I got from Karolinska, my PI Dr. Judith came to help me with a further stipend of 325 euros per month for 3 months. Food at the MENSA costs 3-4 euros per meal. I was a vegetarian and there were quite some varieties for vegetarians. But, I thought of buying the necessary vegetables and cooking on my own. When I had a hectic day, then I had food at the MENSA. The rent for my room was 170 euros and I could manage a month with 450 euros inclusive of all expenses. This is quite cheap compared to cities like Heidelberg and Aachen where my friends are currently studying. Apart from the above expenses, the ERASMUS exchange students were asked to pay tuition fees of 140 Euros for one semester.

During my stay, something unexpected happened. One Saturday morning, on the verge of getting ready to the lab, I wanted to have some toasted bread with Ghee (melted butter). While trying to open the ghee tin, the steel lid cut through my palm. It was quite a deep cut and the bleeding didn’t stop. I looked for help. Luckily, my neighbor was there and he took me to the hospital at once. I had to ride the bike in one hand and it was raining making the ride even more difficult. The doctors gave me 3 stitches with a local anesthetic. I paid the money and when I came back to Stockholm, our ERASMUS coordinator in Karolinska helped me get back the cost that I had spent, using the health insurance card. In addition to that, I was given 2000 sek for the anxiety and stress and I had undergone during the time of the cut. This showed how useful the health insurance was. 

I lived in a studio room, of 15 m² in size. The room was the worst part of my exchange. I had to ride up a steep hill for 15 minutes to reach my hostel. After lab every day it was extremely tiring to go up. The basic amenities such as the light and internet were always problematic. The incharge of the hostel was a part time employee and if I had to complain to her and get things rectified, then it took a long time and by that time I got used to the problem.  But I should never forget my neighbors of the corridor. They were super friendly. Two friends from Germany and Portugal became my real good friends. The rent for the room was 170 euros. Though this was quite cheap, I wouldn’t prefer this place. The residents were totally dissatisfied because of the inadequate facilities in this lonely, dark place. There are many other hostels which are preferable for students close to the Maxplanck Institute of experimental medicine and the hospital, the links of which can be got from the ERASMUS partner.

The only good point about Collegium Albertinum was that, if you go 10 minutes further up the hill, then you get a superb view of the city. This place was free from inhabitants and had a lot of silence to offer. The chirping birds were fun to listen to. After one week of tiring work and studies, to go there on a Sunday morning was lovely. 

Studies always kept me busy with presentations, group work, seminars and journal clubs every week. I definitely had the feeling that I am learning something new every day from the Professors and students. Professors were open to questions at anytime of the class. The Swedish education system is much more relaxed for sure but the depth of knowledge that the German students had was enormous. They could ask the smartest of questions or know the nuances of a complicated procedure. 

Balancing between the lab and the course was really difficult. Classes start at 8 and go on until 12, and then I have my lunch and rush to my lab which goes on until 8pm. Then, I bike up the hill, go home and start cooking for the night and the next day afternoon.

I really felt that I was missing out on something amidst the German speaking students who had completed their undergraduate in Goettingen. The interaction among them in class was mostly in German. But the students were always available for doubts and clarifications. There were 4 others like me who did not speak German. So we got together during lectures and seminars. ERASMUS students, who had come to Goettingen from other countries, started learning German through the free classes organized by the ERASMUS program. These students were staying there for one year or longer. For students like me who are staying there for 4 months with such a tightly packed schedule, attending the German classes was out of question. In my lab, everyone spoke English and there was no problem at all. The problem arose when I had to meet people from the administration to apply for the residence permit. None of them knew English. I really had a hard time, speaking slowly and by actions to make them understand. Filling up the forms was another difficult task. The little learning that I did before my arrival didn’t help much. We should have had adequate German language course before the program. 

ERASMUS parties took place thrice in my period. All these days were crucial ones in my lab and couldn't make it to the parties. But, there were plenty of other opportunities to interact with fellow students. Corridor dinners took place often during the weekend. The Indian food that I cook in the kitchen had gotten famous by then due to its smell and spices. The corridor friends loved the food and invited me every time to try Indian food. I enjoyed the talents of the others too. So much variety we had, from most of the European cuisines.

My lab mates were friendly too and I had tea with them everyday. Each one of us used to bring some snack and we munched it up together during the break. On special occasions, some of  my lab mates made pan cakes which were unique to Germany which tasted so good with butter, honey and jam. When the Maxplanck soccer team was announced from each lab, we made up our own team during the last minute and joined the competition. We ended up being the second last team, but it was all fun as we did not have to work for that whole day.

There are a plethora of sports activities that students could make use of at the multipurpose sports hall which was located quite close to my hostel. (http://www.hochschulsport.uni-goettingen.de/teilnahme/detail.php?nr=3181&kategorie=teilnahme)

My lab presentation was over on the 24^th of December and I was leaving Goettingen on the 31^st. During this one week’s time, to spend the Christmas holidays, my Indian friends and I decided to visit other cities in Germany. We had our student ID with which we could travel for free in lower saxony. We didn’t want to spend much time on travelling. So, the nearby places we chose were Goslar, Hamburg and Hannover. One of my friends was writing a thesis on mining and labor laws, so he got so much enthusiastic with the sample of mine in Goslar.  Hamburg was such a beautiful city and the aerial view of the city from the St. Michael’s church was extraordinary. Christmas markets were filled with lighting and were quite a site in every city we went. We compared it to the huge Christmas market in Goettingen that was put up a month before Christmas. We went on a short cruise trip in Hamburg enjoying the sea and the sceneries. The day that we spent in Hamburg was a memorable one.  

Now if I recollect those days in Goettingen, the difficult times do appear in front of me, but on the whole the exchange program has given me a lot of confidence to live independently in any kind of an environment. I passed the M.MM.101 course and obtained an ‘A’ in the project which was a boost to my KI grades. It was with the neuroscience experience in Goettingen, I fetched a project for my Master thesis in Zurich in one of favorite labs that works on Brain tumour. I will continue in the same lab from next month. The exchange program had prepared me to balance course work and research work which will be useful during my PhD. The presentations, reports and assessments have helped in analyzing me better. It has thus pushed me to the next step in my career. 

Before leaving, I was filled with gratitude for everyone who had helped me during the 4 months. I thought of doing something special for each one of my friends before leaving. For my neighbor's friendship and the timely help that he offered in accompanying me to the hospital, I gave my bike to him as a Christmas gift.

I bought sweets and distributed it to everyone in the lab. I bought a Christmas tree for Dr.Judith and a glass statue of two dolphins for my PhD mentor. Apart from these I cooked Indian food for my lab mates on the day I left. 

Those were the fun filled days and will remain etched in my memory for a long time.