Where and what do you study in Belgium?
I study Social Work at the Artevelde-hogeschool in Ghent. It’s a Bachelor’s degree program taking three years and including two internships. I really love social work, the college and most of all Ghent. :)
Why did you decide to study at ASH Berlin?
When we had to decide where we wanted to go, we were given a list of all the countries and schools and some information about them. For me, the subject matter was really important. I wanted something that we don't really have in Belgium. When I saw the courses of ASH Berlin, I was immediately excited. I saw courses like Gender & Queer studies, Racism and Migration, Culture – Aesthetics – Media of Social Work, and many more. Subjects like these were very novel to us. I'm a lot into activism, and I like protesting on the streets. This is because I don't see social work purely as a profession where you only work 1-on-1 with people. This is certainly necessary, too, but social work is also there to bring social change. Inequality is deeply rooted in our system, so we also need to look for and fight for structural change. That was what intrigued me a lot about this school: the activism.
What seminars did you choose and how did you like them?
My courses were ‘Workshop 1’, ‘Gender & Queer Studies’, ‘Culture – Aesthetics – Media of Social Work: Exemplary Introduction to Cultural, Aesthetic or Media Social Work I + II’, ‘Sociological foundations of Social Work’, and ‘Health, Illness and Social Work’.
I was very happy with the choice of my subjects. I enjoyed sociology immensely. Each class was about a different form of inequality. One class on sexism, others on class, racism, people with disabilities, ... This was so interesting. The two courses in Culture & Aesthetics were really enriching, too.
One was about dance and social work. In every class we learned new types of Dance and about the background of the different styles and cultures. This was such a creative class – with a great group and especially a great teacher.
The other one was about film: We were taught by a professional director who had even won awards – what an honor to be taught by her! :)
In this course we also learned about different techniques of film, went to the film festival in Berlin and got to watch our teacher’s short film. At the end, several groups delivered their own short films. This was really fun!
What is the difference between studying at ASH Berlin and at your home university?
I think I already mentioned a few aspects, but there were some big differences. First of all, the way of teaching. In Belgium, every teacher has to stick in some way to a particular curriculum. But at ASH Berlin, there is a System called ‘Freiheit von Lehre’ (Freedom in Teaching).
It makes this school and the content of the subjects very open and diverse. Each subject is different because each teacher has a different style, which makes it so interesting. Teachers can choose how they approach their subject, what they expect when evaluating students, and how they deliver the content. That’s what I really liked about it. But it doesn't only apply to the teachers. There is a lot of freedom for students, too. You can choose your own courses; you can try them out and, if you prefer other courses than the ones you picked, you just change! This was great for me.
There is also a lot of opportunity for interaction and participation for the students. For example, the students have a place with a kitchen where you can cook for free and make coffee, sofas to chill and meet other students. It's a very cozy place where we used to hang out a lot. I also loved the student restaurant where you can eat a healthy vegan meal for less than two euros!
And last but not least, creativity (like I mentioned before): We had classes that had to do with dance and film. Those are courses that we don't have in Belgium.
It's very enriching for students, and for me it was nice to do something out of my comfort zone. At first, I thought the dance class was nothing for me, but then I just did it, and I felt so good in this class!
Where did you live in Berlin?
In Charlottenburg, in a sidestreet just off Kurfürstendamm. I liked other places in Berlin more, like Neukölln or Prenzlauer Berg, but as everyone knows, finding a place in Berlin is not easy. So I was very happy with what I found. And eventually, I also enjoyed living there. I felt very much at home after a while!
What did you do in your free time?
Most of the time, especially in the beginning, I felt very much like a tourist. :) I really wanted to discover Berlin, so I did a lot of tours, e.g. a street art tour, alternative tour, or a socialist and communist tour. But after a while I kinda started feeling at home and just enjoyed every day in Berlin with my friends. We went to a lot (!) of flea markets, parks, museums, Christmas markets, and so on. And, of course, a lot of parties and clubs. I also made a trip to Prague with a group of friends, and I went one day to Hamburg.
But to be honest, we really had the best Erasmus group. So it really didn't matter what we did, because it was always fun with the group!
What are your plans for the future?
This is a tough question. Mostly, Ijust keep doing what I'm doing in social work. Right now I'm doing my internship in an organisation that works with People in poverty. I really love doing this, and fighting together for a better world where no one is excluded from society. And of course, I want to go back to Berlin! :)
What are the advantages of doing an Erasmus exchange?
There are a lot of advantages of an exchange semester abroad. For me, the most important thing was challenging myself. I had never been away from home alone for so long, this was very enriching for me. I learned to be alone, to get out of my comfort zone and most importantly to get to know so many people from all over the world. You really broaden your knowledge and your perspective on the world. It was an amazing experience, thanks to everyone who turned it into such a beautiful time and especially thanks to Marion who guided us so well!
The interview was conducted by Barabara Halstenberg.
