Yu Kawahara from Brazil came to TU Dortmund University in 2012 as an exchange trainee and invested two semesters 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 talks about how his eighteen months in the Ruhr Valley affected his life and his profession path.
We’re performing the interview in German. Had you currently learned German before your remain 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 establish my language abilities throughout my year abroad at TU Dortmund University. But there’s a distinction, naturally, between what you find out at school and how you speak in daily life: Speed and rhythm are various, and after that there is slang. “Ruhrpottdeutsch”, the German spoken in the Ruhr Valley, is something unique, but there are a great deal of good and amusing expressions– for example, that “ein Haufen Kohle”, a stack of coal, suggests something like “a load of money”.
How did it happen that you started and went to the Ruhr Valley during your research studies?
It was constantly an imagine mine to study in Germany, and luckily I had the chance to do so during my research studies. I had actually currently learnt more about Dortmund as a great city in advance and was very pleased 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 two terms in 2012 and after that completed a six-month internship at Faiveley Transport Witten– both were an incredible experience. Then I went back to Brazil and earned my master’s degree there, with the aim, nevertheless, of returning to Germany. But when I was given the chance to work as a lecturer at the ITA, I took it and have actually now been teaching technical drawing there for three years.
Existed anything that surprised you when you began your research studies at TU Dortmund University?
In Brazil, lectures with more than 60 students are the exception, at least in engineering. That was quite different at TU Dortmund University where, for instance, I participated in lectures with 200 or 250 trainees. What was likewise unexpected was the truth that there is only one exam per course each semester– on the one hand, it’s great if there are less tests, but nothing needs to fail!
There are, in any case, cultural differences in between Brazil and Germany. Germans are friendly too, however a little bit more reserved, so that it’s not always rather so simple to discover good friends. I attempt first to see whatever in a positive light, for example administration– it exists in Germany too, however it works!
Do you have any very unique memories of your time in Dortmund?
I learnt more about a great deal of people and like to recall at whatever we did– not just studying however also downtime and celebrations. However a really unique occasion was the Champions League video game between BVB and Real Madrid. It was my very first time in a German stadium. We invested the night with our German instructor and other Brazilians in the line in front of the shop to buy the tickets– pretty cold in October! I offered among my two tickets to a German friend, and he was so pleased. He might sing all the songs and taught me them. It was a really unique evening, not least because BVB won 2:1.
Did you have a favorite put on TU Dortmund University’s school?
The student bars, without a doubt. Spunk, for instance. Great deals of exchange trainees constantly satisfied there– not just those from Brazil but likewise from throughout the entire of Europe, and German students too, naturally.
What recommendations would you provide to brand-new trainees– exchange students or youths in basic– who are starting their research studies at TU Dortmund University?
Above all, enjoy your time there. My unique suggestions for exchange trainees is to attempt to speak German without being afraid to make errors. You don’t need to speak best German. Germans understand that their language is hard and aren’t bothered if you make errors. The more you speak, the much better you will get.
In general, the balance in between study and downtime is essential in addition to being open to meeting brand-new people and experiencing new things. Simply attempt something brand-new!
German Variation
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