Learn solitude – complex science

Story Olga Kozel about studying in the Cologne Institute of Slavistics, about life in Germany – Not quite ordinary student history. Olga – the poet ends in Moscow a literary institute, her poems often sound in poetic evenings. Last autumn and winter spent in Germany as a member of a program of cooperation between two centers of literature – Literary Institute and Cologne University.

How to get into lucky

Of course, in no germany I was not going in advance, German taught in an ordinary high school, at the institute, however, "Five" Received. And for the rest of the subjects, there was also an excellent story, it was considered like the most "steep" On the course. I knew, of course, about the existence of student exchanges, but I didn’t expect that this time I will send me to Cologne. When they were invited to the International Department of the Institute, it was very surprised.

There I was asked the only question: "How are you with German?" Replied: "Good". And all. In September, I made a visa, and the fourth of October flew to Cologne – two weeks earlier before the start of classes, at a later time of tickets no longer.

Get ready to do anything

What did these two weeks do? Yes truly nothing. Settled in the university dormitory: "corridor" System, room on the first floor, the walls are painted and very raw, sometimes mold awakens. There, many students, as it turned out, also come in advance – the rooms may not be enough for everyone, you have to have time to occupy, so I can say lucky. In the room there was one – also as the rest. Two weeks I listened to the door someone else’s speech and wrote letters to friends. I didn’t have enough of them then: there were no new acquaintances – I was not solved with anyone to talk on your good school German.

Poems for some reason almost never wrote, and not only at first, but in general in Germany. But walking often to walk – to the Cologne Cathedral. There is a bridge through the Rhine, very high above the water, so as not to demolish during floods: the river is stormy and comes out of the shores almost every year. And I also went to the cliff, which Heine wrote in the poem "Loreley" – it’s between a bel and mines, a couple of hours on the train. There’s really a very dangerous place on the river, a real whirlpool, it is clear why ships crashed.

Tell me: simple
And troubled heaven care.
Minister died. From the bridge
The car fell into the river.
January. Gorough water.
Yes, here you do not want paradise.
I repeat: "Yes",
Eyes closing.
Olga Kozel, poem
"Rhine newspapers"

No, I lie, of course, that at all I didn’t talk to anyone with anyone: at the Slavic Institute (Institute, the composite part of the Cologne University), the affairs of foreign students seek Frau Vibe – the gray-haired, dry woman of the sixty-five years old, just with her I was at first and communicated. She called me Olga and asked to contact all organizational issues, and I decided that she didn’t like me terribly. Such an official appeal was very unusual after Moscow, where everything is called me "Olka", "Olyushechka". Then another girl from Russia arrived, graduate student, and was very surprised: I thought Frau Vibe was just in love with me, and asked how I managed to charm.

Probably, the thing is that I did not bother with this Frau. Before me, one student came to the exchange, and all the time, while he studied in Cologne, for some reason, for some reason, suggested that Frau. In sons. Yes, imagine: wept and asked that she adopted him! (This student is now teaches German in one of the Moscow colleges and, they say, going to go to learn French to France. Probably hopes that some Madame will be more sensitive and his life will finally get. – A. M.).

Strict Frau Vibe really turned out to be pretty pleasant, even sweet, man: twice, for Christmas and after graduation, invited me to the restaurant (the Germans invited guests not taken home, people communicate in beer, cafes, restaurants), and we have kissed for goodbye – Almost like in Moscow.

Another teacher became friends, Anastasia Teleak – her thirty years old, on the Father – German, for the mother – Greek, and most of his life lived in Spain. She has a custom – to carry students on excursions, free. Such is the southern latitude of nature, and maybe she was lucky and no one suggested to relatives. In the future, Anastasia plans to have to give birth to a child, but at the age of thirty, believes, not yet time.

My Russian buddies, Ira and Angela, were almost the same as anastasia. Both participated in the Daad competition (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst), received an annual scholarship and came to be internship before defending the dissertation, Ira – from Ulan-Ude, Angela – from Moldova. Both knew German perfectly and felt in a new setting quite comfortable. Ira even managed to bring a six-year-old daughter with him – even though it was not agreed by the conditions of the DAAD program, but it is allowed by the law to those who live in the country for more than three months.

Daadovskaya scholarship is 1.000 brands per month plus payment of medical insurance. I, as a member of the Mezhinsky Institute of Exchange, received a scholarship of the Cologne University – 750 brands per month, of which I paid 300 per room and 100 for insurance. The remaining money was enough for life, on some purchases, on trips to Germany and even abroad.

And once a month I could certainly choose somewhere – in Paris was, in Amsterdam, Luxembourg. From Cologne, everything is not far away – you can drive around the floor by the bus. And about shopping – Special stores there are for students, not to be confused with second-hand and cheap sales. Just any store is designed for people of a certain level of income, and no director of the bank will go to cheap "Alde" or "Leedle" Even for bags of paper napkins. So if you are not particularly losing, it is quite possible to live together on the scholarship. But to work out by participants of the student and postgraduate programs DAAD, as well as "exchange" Students, unfortunately, it is impossible.

And Ira and Angela want to stay in Germany. I must say such plans – almost all Russians, who I have come to meet. Almost all Russian familiar in Cologne were much older than me – probably, therefore I didn’t go to myself with anyone. I wanted home to Moscow, to friends. Although it was interesting and learn, and watch how people live, and travel.

Learning tongue is not so difficult

At the institute I studied the only subject – German. Classes – three times a week for three hours. The entrance test on grammar wrote hardly no better than everyone, so from the very beginning I got into the group "Advanced" Level. But here I did not understand what the teacher says, and the first dictation and the presentation wrote very badly. I had to admit that it was "flight", and translate to another group, below.

With this schedule of time of free – nowhere to give. And I tried to constantly listen to the conversation on the streets and also watched TV. This seems to be not the most intellectual pastime helped "talk" Many Russian friends, and in the hostel TV was in every room, and many Cologne students were the advantages of such unobtrusive education. At the end of the course passed the exam – again the grammatical test, the presentation, dictation, and received a certificate of the listened course. I managed to go to this very "advanced" level.

Student means "traveler", or

In Heidelberg, you can study on a bench in the park

In Europe, the spirit of Vagatants still wanders, and travel – the Holy Student Tradition. What is very promoted and the established procedure for which a student of the German University can stop – in any German city – in the hostel of any educational institution. I only needed to present a passport and a document like our institute certificate.

In Heidelberg, who was still in the Middle Ages, was a student city, the hostel, probably, was also not rebuilt since the days of Vagatants. Now it seems to serve as a hotel – and only: imagine rooms for twenty people, with two-storey beds-on-hole and smell of dividious, familiar in public caneground. But such a refinement is quite cheap: the breakfast is 20 stamps, however, for the underwear they take a fee. We decided to save and spend the night on mattresses. The setting reminded the Gypsy Tabor: Music was played in the courtyard all night, someone came out, and at six in the morning, the alarm clock rang and called half an hour.

One night, for the sake of the beauty of medieval architecture, pull out, of course, you can. But some manage to live there for quite a long time. Most students find cheap accommodation in the neighboring town, and at the lessons in Heidelberg drive. Some of my fellow students in Cologne, too, did it – filmed housing in Bonn. Bonn – the city is not university, and the rooms are cheaper, but by train to Cologne – only twenty minutes. In the Heidelbergian community, we talked with one German, which lives in this "Tabore" For a month: I came for treatment, it costs expensive, so saves the rent.

I went to Paris for a day and did not spend the hotel. Roodled on the ship through the night Seine, walking on the Eiffel Tower on foot. It was possible to drive up on the elevator, but on foot – more interesting: everything is visible at the bottom, while you go. And when you get to the very top – you can hear how all this metal design rings, and scary – now it will roll. Photos of the Cathedral of the Parisian Mother of God brought – especially for a familiar historian: he loves to tell about him, and never seen.

In Brussels, almost lost. I went for a bus tour, at the end the group broke out in the city. Agreed to meet on the bus station. Came at the appointed time, but I did not see my bus: whether he later drove up, or I, no matter what happened, I confused something. I was looking for, I was looking for, and when the time had already happened, he was recreed: it was not customary to wait for tourists, and I have 20 brands in my pocket, there is no enough ticket. Even if you call someone to Cologne, the same Frau Vibe – there is little hope that she will immediately sit in the car and go to help me out. In the end, it came to the place where we left the bus – and it turned out, the group also decided to seek me there. When saw – shouted "Hooray!", And all the way I did not know where to go from shame.

Still noticed such a thing: the nature of the nation can be determined in relation to the traffic light. In Germany, no one will move the street on the red light, even if there are no cars nearby and in the district – not a single police officer. But in Paris – about us: both the driver and a pedestrian "operate on the setting". And in Amsterdam, it seemed to me, no one pays attention to the traffic light.

On carnival everything "hang on the lanterns"

This German idiome means about the same as Russian "delay". Germans living quite closed, they love to pull out in a carnival week and know how. The old festival by tradition passes in several German cities, and Cologne – one of them. As in the Middle Ages, the day before the holiday is closed by the Gate of the city, the church service is terminated for a week, and government agencies work only on the first day of the Carnival before noon.

Just on this day, I had to remove money from the account to me in the bank, I come – and employees are all dressed clowns. In the morning in the city go "Processions of fools" – The honorable fathers and mother of families are not shy to dress up as in kindergarten, beat the drums, play on all sorts of cracks and swirles and throw candy, who immediately catches, substituting an inverted opened umbrella. The brass orchestras play, someone sings, dancing, and everywhere they distribute beer for free. Despite the fact that in all festive ceremonies, a certain order is visible, no torganization and in risen: everything will be fooling out sincerely, as if all his life was engaged in this. And on the last day above the Rhine solemnly burn the stuffed fools, similar to our carnival stuffed winter.

When I arrived, they called again from the International Department of the Institute. We ordered to write a report on the work done. Asked: "In what form?" Answered: "At any". Wrote about how she taught the language that saw, and about the carnival, of course. And it turned out, this report should have read on the Scientist Council! Me – immediately on the carpet, and after, probably, my month was presented "an experience" students of junior courses as a sample of bad behavior: half a year, they say, he specified, hung on the lanterns as soon as the police did not take her. I had another report to write, official.

Externally – nothing. Yes, he threw the language, may come in handy in future work. I would never have been able to stay in Germany. It would hardly have decided and just work for several years. I do not have plans associated with continuing study in the same Cologne.

Still, the lifetime began to share on "before" and "after" This trip. I first felt the need to travel, see the world. I realized that this is a completely normal human need. At the same time, I realized that communication with loved ones is the only thing that rushes. And the simplest lines of Omar Khayama checked at himself: "Better starving than what you eat, it’s better to be alone than with whom".

Those who are going to go to learn from student exchange, of course, I advise you to learn the language at home. And not only in grammar understand, but also try to understand a quick speech. Otherwise, it will be difficult.

And yet, in the words of Faina Georgievna Ranevskaya, "Learn loneliness". Also complicated science.