“The German students know of Goa as
a beach and holiday destination,” says
Duarteson Noronha with a smile on his
face as he reminisces about his trip abroad
thanks to a students’ exchange program.
He is currently pursuingan Integrated MBA
course in Travel and Tourism Hospitality
at Goa University and based on his grades
from his past year, he along with Akanksha
Garg, Ozinta Dias, Ashwini Raut and Sankalp
Naik were selectedto travel to Europe and
spend three months in Germanyto study and
experience the local life of the Germans.
The exchange students attended their
course at Baden-Württemberg Cooperative
State University Ravensburg known locally
as the DHBW Ravensburg . “We had a great
academic experience. We had a number
of professors teaching us from all over the
world. It was mostly presentations and
simulations that we worked on and we also
had people from the industry that came
in to give us mini projects,” says Ashwini, a
resident of Pernem pursuing her MBA at Goa
University. She is not a stranger to travelling
abroad for an exchange program as she
once visited Sweden with her former college.
For Akanksha, it was an unforgettable
experience. She was thrilled as she never
thought that she’d be travelling to Europe at
her age. It was even more special for her as
she travelled with her own money that was
earned before joining her MBA course by
working as a process executive at a leading
BPO and then as an accounts executive
with another company. “I will never forget
the friends I made. I have realised how
outspoken the Germans are. I also learnt that
they have a system of work while you learn.
This means that they work for three months
and study for three months, and at the end
of the course, the student gets to choose the
department in the company in which they
want to continue to work. I hope we have
this kind of system soon,” she says.
Apart from a scholarship and general
details of the trip that were provided by
DHBW Ravensburg, everything, right from
the visa applications to booking of tickets to
travel arrangements from Munich airport to
Ravensburg, were handled by the students.
The visa obtained allowed the students to
travel to Germany and eleven other countries
such as Prague and Paris. It was easy for the
students to explore new regions either by
themselves or as a group because of modern
technology. The students used a software
application called ‘Go Euro’. It allowed the
students to view all forms of transportation
and compare prices. It also informed the
students of the location of the available
transport services along with the arrival
and departure schedules. “Everything is
convenient and fast paced. Their metros are
swift. Their buses have washrooms. And there
is no noise pollution,” Duarteson asserts.
The International Students’ Department
at DHWB Ravensburg provided
accommodation to the exchange students.
They were divided in groups and shared
rooms with German students that gave them
an opportunity to learn about the German
way of life.The Goa University students learnt
that Germans are frank and do not interfere
with other people’s personal space. Privacy,
independence, hard work and punctuality
are their main priority and although they are
friendly people, they are strict about rules
and regulations. All the exchange students
are grateful for this experience and will
forever cherish the memories that were
created on this study tour. Duarteson
has also expressed interest in going back
to Germany for employment as there
are many opportunities in various work
sectors in the country.
