Jennifer Beberl er meðal fimm þýskra skiptinema sem dvöldu hér á Hvanneyri síðustu mánuði. Skiptinemarnir koma allir frá sama skóla, Hochschule Weihenstephan - Tiersdorf, og sátu námskeið á umhverfisskipulagsbraut. Nemendurnir voru ánægðir með námið í LbhÍ og komust ágætlega inn í stúdentalífið hér á Hvanneyri þrátt fyrir stuttan tíma. Jennifer skrifaði stuttan pistil um reynslu sína af skiptináminu hér sem má lesa hér fyrir neðan. Eins fylgja nokkrar myndir frá Jennifer.
Hún segir að náttúra landsins hafi komið henni einna mest á óvart og segist glöð að þau hafi náð að ferðast töluvert á meðan á dvölinni stóð. Hún nefnir sérstaklega hversu hjálpsamir allir voru meðan á dvöl þeirra stóð og að samnemendur og starfsfólk LbhÍ hafi verið boðið og búið að aðstoða ef þurfti. Hún líkir LbhÍ við stóra fjölskyldu þar sem allir þekkja alla og standa saman. Við þökkum Jennifer og félögum hennar frá Þýskalandi kærlega fyrir komuna og óskum þeim velfarnaðar í leik og starfi.
4 months in Iceland
After 4 months in Hvanneyri, it’s hard to talk about our stay here shortly. We all gained so much experience and could tell so many story, so let’s start at the beginning.
Spending one semester in Hvanneyri was a quite spontaneous decision. After listening to the report of our predecessors Andi and Alex, we were absolutely infected! Iceland seemed to be exciting, stunning, beautiful and natural, the perfect place to spend our last semester – and we shouldn’t be disappointed!
Of course, we first had to explore the island. We all went on little journeys around Iceland, to the touristic attractions, on the ring road, hiking trips… It was amazing how wide the landscape is, how beautiful the sunsets are and how clear the sky can be in a night with Northern Lights. In Germany, one couldn’t imagine going on a journey where you have to hitch hike a lot. But here, the people are so kind and are glad when they are able to help you. We also experienced the weather during our trips. You can never be sure when the next wind gust or rainstorm can hit you.
Sonja Ich, Jenni Beberl og Anja Wichtel skoðuðu m.a. Akranesvita
Many of the students may have asked themselves if we ever would return to our studies and indeed, after a long period of free time, even we had to go back to our classes. I really liked the system with two exam periods, it truly takes a lot of stress away. In the beginning it was a little bit odd that students AND professors are using first names. Overall, being a student in Hvanneyri is like being in a big family. You know everyone in your course, in your semester, in your study path and I bet nearly everyone after a while. This was an absolute new and lovely experience for me, but I can imagine that this can also be very annoying.
But we actually spent most of the time here in Hvanneyri. I was really amazed by the landscape, the traditions, the weather and the Northern Lights, but what surprised me the most where the people. I have never experienced so much kindness, lightness, optimism and hospitality in a foreign country. Whenever we needed some help, there was always a helpful student or professor who supported us. Whenever there was a problem, there was always a person who calmed us down, taught us that being panicky or grumpy doesn’t solve anything and then solved the problem with us. We learned a lot of things in the LBHI like working with SketchUp, building simple and keen models or looking at the future of agriculture critically. These are all things which are important for our studies. But mostly, I learned from the Icelandic mentality which I can hopefully apply my whole life. That includes that being kind and optimistic is an important part of solving a problem or taking a desperate situation as it is and deal with it. In Germany, people often get panicked when a situation can’t be planned, so things can often be stressful. I really enjoyed that in Iceland, time runs different and I hope that I can keep a little bit of this Icelandic attitude for me.
In the end, I just can’t sufficiently express my thanks to all the people who were with us the last 4 months and made this stay a unique and unforgettable experience!
