This last story in the cycle of stories about the academic mobility of students at the Institute of Foreign Languages in the spring semester of 2021/22 touches on the newest turn in the cooperation with educational institutions in Austria. We mean the Private Pedagogical University of the Linz Diocese. Although, a bilateral agreement was signed only last year today we already have two successfully completed academic exchange programs.
Second-year students at the German Department Maryana Dudych and Bozhena Kohut (Group NA-24B) had the honor of spending this semester in Linz.
“Our trip began with some trepidation as we had never had this experience before. But now we understand how correct our decision was to study in another country under the Erasmus+ program.
At the Austrian university, we studied subjects that were both interesting and useful to us, in particular, for our future profession. All classes were aimed at applying theory in practice. We were able to apply the acquired knowledge in real life – working with children. We will talk about it later. We would like to note that all the teachers were very kind and sincere so we felt at home. However, in the first days, the schedule of classes seemed a little strange to us, since the classes were both in the morning and in the evening. Yes, our first class lasted until 10:00 p.m., which was quite unusual but later we adapted to this rhythm and found advantages in such a schedule.
Also, we cannot forget our new friends we met and who made our stay unforgettable. Throughout the period of our studies we became one big friendly family jokingly calling ourselves “Erasmus Family”. Despite the fact that each of us is from a different country we communicated freely without any language barriers. Together we visited many interesting places and this added special atmosphere to our semester. During this period, we made a lot of trips, visited historical and modern museums, visited picturesque places in Austria. We think the highlight of our stay was the trip to the Alps. Climbing to a height of 2.500 m above sea level in the summer and trudging through the snow like little children! Besides, we visited the famous ice cave Eisriesenwelt Werfen.
The importance of the school practice is impossible to exaggerate. We got acquainted with school education in Austria, got our first practical experience in the field of science, began to create and apply our teaching methods realizing that we have chosen the right profession. Working with children consisted of conducting lessons and planning leisure time. We taught students German and English languages, mathematics, music, natural science, country studies, etc. This practice is a just start to our great future as teachers. We already know many nuances and various aspects of this profession and will use them in our further activities.
Therefore, we are very glad that our Drohobytch University gives such great opportunities because studying abroad is a good prospect and an interesting experience. We have improved our knowledge of foreign languages, received a lot of new information, gained experience in teaching and found many good people and friends.
And finally, we strongly recommend to all students: do not miss the chance if you have the opportunity to study abroad – be sure to accept”!
