Yu Kawahara from Brazil came to TU Dortmund University in 2012 as an exchange trainee and spent two terms at the Department of Mechanical Engineering. His stay was funded by the Brazilian federal government’s “Science Without Borders” scholarship program. After a subsequent internship, he completed his research studies in São Carlos and is now working as a junior teacher at the “Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA)” in São José dos Campos. In this interview, he discusses how his eighteen months in the Ruhr Valley influenced his life and his profession path.
We’re conducting the interview in German. Had you currently discovered German before your stay in Dortmund?
I went to a German school in Brazil and had German lessons from an early age. I was then able to deepen and further develop my language skills throughout my year abroad at TU Dortmund University. However there’s a distinction, of course, between what you find out at school and how you speak in everyday life: Speed and rhythm are various, and after that there is slang. “Ruhrpottdeutsch”, the German spoken in the Ruhr Valley, is something unique, however there are a great deal of great and amusing expressions– for instance, that “ein Haufen Kohle”, a stack of coal, suggests something like “a load of cash”.
How did it come about that you started and went to the Ruhr Valley during your research studies?
It was always a dream of mine to study in Germany, and luckily I had the opportunity to do so throughout my research studies. I had actually currently got to know Dortmund as a great city in advance and was really happy that my application to TU Dortmund University was successful, as the Department of Mechanical Engineering is extremely strong in research study. I studied at TU Dortmund University for 2 terms in 2012 and after that completed a six-month internship at Faiveley Transport Witten– both were a remarkable experience. Then I went back to Brazil and made my master’s degree there, with the goal, nevertheless, of returning to Germany. But when I was offered the chance to work as a speaker at the ITA, I took it and have actually now been teaching technical drawing there for three years.
Was there anything that shocked you when you started your studies at TU Dortmund University?
In Brazil, lectures with more than 60 students are the exception, at least in engineering. That was rather different at TU Dortmund University where, for example, I participated in lectures with 200 or 250 trainees. What was likewise surprising was the fact that there is just one examination per course each term– on the one hand, it’s great if there are fewer tests, however nothing should go wrong!
There are, in any case, cultural differences between Brazil and Germany. Germans get along too, but a little more reserved, so that it’s not always quite so simple to find buddies. I attempt initially to see whatever in a favorable light, for instance bureaucracy– it exists in Germany too, but it works!
Do you have any extremely unique memories of your time in Dortmund?
I learnt more about a lot of individuals and like to recall at everything we did– not just studying however also free time and parties. However an extremely special occasion was the Champions League video game between BVB and Real Madrid. It was my first time in a German stadium. We spent the night with our German instructor and other Brazilians in the line in front of the store to buy the tickets– quite cold in October! I gave one of my 2 tickets to a German pal, and he was so pleased. He could sing all the songs and taught me them. It was a really special evening, not least because BVB won 2:1.
Did you have a preferred put on TU Dortmund University’s campus?
The student clubs, without a doubt. Spunk, for example. Great deals of exchange students always satisfied there– not only those from Brazil however likewise from throughout the whole of Europe, and German students too, naturally.
What recommendations would you give to brand-new students– exchange students or youths in basic– who are starting their studies at TU Dortmund University?
Above all, enjoy your time there. My unique advice for exchange trainees is to try to speak German without hesitating to make mistakes. You do not have to speak perfect German. Germans understand that their language is tough and aren’t troubled if you make errors. The more you speak, the much better you will get.
In basic, the balance between study and leisure time is essential as well as being open to satisfying new individuals and experiencing brand-new things. Just try something new!
German Version
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