In January 2024, former editor Decho – a Business Administration student at the University of Vienna – set off for an Erasmus semester in Frankfurt, Germany. From the chaos of the German rail strikes to landing in a room with less-than-ideal conditions, nevertheless Decho found some indulgence in a decidedly non-indulgent city.
How Did You End Up in Germany?
Decho: Back in secondary school, I studied at a German school in Bulgaria where I took my final exams in both Bulgarian and German. I have travelled in Germany and attended an exchange and the German youth science competition Jugend forscht in 2019.
Frankfurt School of Finance and Management (Photo: Private)
Fast forward to me being a university student. I saw that the University of Vienna had an Erasmus partnership with the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management – a highly respected private university in Germany, with a brand-new campus from 2017. Unlike Vienna, students there have 24/7 access to the library, plus the school offered some interesting courses. I was also curious to see what studying at a private university would be like. Moreover, Frankfurt itself didn’t seem too hard to reach – just six and a half hours by train with three departures a day. And culturally, Germany isn’t unfamiliar territory for me, so I figured adapting wouldn’t be a problem. I didn’t exactly choose the school for the appeal of the city, but rather to deepen my knowledge of business administration. It was pretty much a no-brainer.
What Caught You by Surprise?
Decho: Having been brought up with the German culture and language, I have not had any prejudices towards Germany. I did not have any integration or linguistic issues, as I had an almost bilingual level in German. This means that my perception of my culture did not change in any way, nor did I feel like an outsider. The standard “culture shock” never set in.
Vocabulary Differences
Decho: German is still German, but in Austria we speak an Austrian variety, and that means vocabulary differences. A typical southern German and Austrian greeting is “Servus”, but up north no one uses it. It wasn’t me but rather the people around me who experienced a bit of culture shock. Once, I walked into a local café and greeted the barista with “Servus” – she gave me a proper death stare.
Where Is Everyone?
Frankfurt’s empty streets (Photo: Private)
Decho: According to Hofstede’s model including six key dimensions for comparing national cultures, Austria is an indulgent culture – people allow themselves to have fun. Germany is classified as restrained, and Bulgaria even more so. And I really felt that German restraint, especially when spring arrived in Frankfurt. Imagine this – it’s Friday afternoon around 5 or 6 pm, and the main street is almost empty. I kept wondering, “Where is everyone? Why aren’t they outside with sunglasses, sipping Aperol Spritz?”. In Vienna, by 3 pm on a Friday, that’s the norm. It shaped the whole vibe. People were either working or at uni. Â
What Moments Have Stayed With You?
When Nothing Goes According to Plan
Frankfurt Central Station, illuminated at night (Photo: Private)
Decho: One standout memory was my arrival – the weekend of 24–28 January 2024. That’s when Germany’s major railway strike hit, and trains just weren’t running. First, I got an email saying my train was cancelled. Then another saying I could take a detour. Then one saying I could get part-way there. This happened several times until they finally confirmed the cancellation. I ended up travelling for 13 hours on a packed bus. I arrived with all my luggage – an overstuffed rucksack, a suitcase and two duffel bags. Frankfurt’s central station doesn’t have the best reputation, but at 6 pm on a Friday it wasn’t too sketchy.
When I finally got to the flat, the room I’d booked turned out to be incredibly small and uninviting – I had textbooks, I needed to study, and there wasn’t even a proper desk, just a table barely big enough for a plate and a half.
International Friends
Decho: Another standout memory is that I made friends with some Mexican students, and a few of them continued their Erasmus in Hamburg after Frankfurt – we really bonded, and they made my Erasmus experience genuinely enjoyable.
Thanks to my past travels and events like the ones organised by EUSTORY, I’ve met loads of Europeans. But this experience connected me with people from all over the world – Canadians, Americans, Mexicans, Indonesians, Brazilians… It expanded my global perspective even more.
The Biggest Birthday Party I’ve Attended
Dutch streets (Photo: Private)
Decho: Erasmus Student Network organised a four-day trip to the Netherlands for King’s Day. That was hands down the biggest birthday celebration I’ve ever attended – it felt like a massive festival. I’d never heard of it before, but I got to experience something every Dutch person lives through every year. Everyone wears orange, the national colour. That’s the beauty of travelling: being part of another country’s traditions. Sure, you can always go to Amsterdam, but this was something else.
What Did the Experience Teach You?
Decho: I’ve always considered myself adaptable, but this made me even more so – I learned how to grit my teeth and get through tough spots. I also learned how to stand up for myself. When I saw that tiny room with unwelcome bugs, I took the risk of moving in with someone I didn’t know. That flat-sharing situation is common in German-speaking countries, but I’d rather live alone. You never know if your flatmate will be normal, and even if they are, your habits might be totally different.
Frankfurt School has brand-new dorms that are surprisingly affordable. But the university’s housing office wasn’t helpful – they only offered 6- or 12-month contracts, which isn’t ideal for most Erasmus students.
What Did You Take Away From Erasmus?
Decho: The drive to study – students there are incredibly motivated and analytical. I grasped a unique atmosphere where you can devote yourself to mastering your business knowledge and work consistently to a successful career.
Did You Seek Out Any Familiar Comforts – Bulgarian or Austrian – While You Were in Germany?
Decho: I missed the more indulgent side of Viennese life. But if it doesn’t come from your environment, you create it yourself – I’d grab my sunnies, sit in the sun and enjoy my coffee.
How Do You Feel About the Erasmus Semester From the Distance of Time?
Memories from Frankfurt (Photo: Private)
Decho: At first, there’s the bitterness from all the hassle, but then I remember how exciting it was at university, how inspired I felt to push myself. I got to see a different way of teaching. The networking, though short-lived, was intense and priceless. These are emotions and experiences I wouldn’t trade for anything.
I’d live in Frankfurt if close friends or family were there. But cities like Vienna are different – even if you’re alone, you’re never really lonely. You can go for a walk in a beautiful park, admire the architecture, and there’s always something happening. Frankfurt is surprisingly compact – you can walk the entire city centre in about 30 minutes.
Many fellow students spent their exchange semesters in exotic places such as New Zealand or Singapore. Even though I had my exchange in a culturally similar country to my home university, this experience was still enriching. The memories I made are still living in my heart.
