Freetime & Events

Unsere kleine Interviewreihe "7 Fragen, 14 Antworten" geht in die zweite Runde. Diesmal berichten Max aus Deutschland und Liam aus Irland von ihren Erfahrungen mit dem Buddy-Programm.

Als ich meinen Buddy das 1. Mal gesehen habe… / When I saw my Buddy for the first time, …

Liam: We got along well together immediately. Max showed me around Mainz the day I arrived and gave me a great overview of the city and what makes it tick. He made me feel welcome here and even lent me some bedclothes to use while I was still in the process of getting my room fully furnished! 

Max: I thought that he was one member of the Estonian metal band, which was selling CDs on the Mainz main station. I saw these guys for three times on this place an already bought their album. And it happened that they were selling their stuff just at the time of our first meeting. Liam would fit in this crew, as he plays bass guitar and sings in two different punk/metal bands. But we both recognized each other quickly.

Das schönste Erlebnis mit meinem Buddy war, als… / The most beautiful experience with my Buddy was…

Liam: We went for a picnic on the Rheinufer for Max’s birthday. I got to meet all his friends there, practise my German a little, and watch the sunset in a tranquil and serene setting. It really made me feel at home in a foreign city.

Max: … among others: When we went to Wiesbaden for a gender mainstreaming film festival, but beyond that saw fantastic art by Gerhard Richter and other renown artists in the Muesum Wiesbaden and stepped into a (sudden) vernissage with wine and prezels. After this cultural event we went to the semester opening party with some friends and had a splendid party night.

Das Buddy-Programm ist für mich…  / For me, the Buddy program is...

Liam: An outstanding opportunity to get to meet someone new, get an introduction to a new city and broaden your horizons by making a friend who may come from a different walk of life than you. Because your Buddy is generally chosen based on your own interests and background, the Studierendenwerk tries to match you with someone who shares those interests with you, which is what happened with Max and I.

Max: ... a great idea. Everything started with my need to improve my English – and all of a sudden I got a like-minded friend.

Ohne meinen Buddy… / Without my Buddy…

Liam: I would not have had so many memorable experiences during my time here, and I wouldn’t have made such a good friend.

Max: ... year 2018 would have been less studential, colourful and eventful. And I would have had to go to special interest things on my own sometimes.

Mein Buddy und ich, wir… / My Buddy and I, we…

Liam: Hang out all the time – whether it be going to see theatre performances, art exhibitions, film festivals, or just having a few beers together. We have interesting conversations, about the differences and similarities between our cultures, amongst other topics; Max gets to practise his English with me, and I get to improve my German when speaking to him!

Max: Talked a lot about philosophy and our different languages – it is so exciting to find out the small differences between our cultures and use of words and phrases.

Ein Moment mit meinem Buddy, den ich nie vergessen werde: / One moment with my Buddy I will never forget:

Liam: We saw a performance art piece together during the performance arts festival. It was…interesting to say the least!

Max: Sitting at „Rita’s Treff“ in Mainz and get to know that the barkeeper speaks a proper English.

Und zum Abschluss: Was hat dir die Teilnahme am Programm gebracht? Wieso würdest du es anderen Studierenden weiterempfehlen? / Why did you like the program and why would you recommend it to other students?

Liam: It really eases the transition into a new place where you may not know any people, the language spoken, or how things work. It really helps as it can be hard integrating into a completely new place on your own. Thanks to the selection system used my Buddy and I have a lot in common and because of that we hit it off immediately. He’ll always be a valued friend to me. He even helped to get me a job as an English teacher here, and I’m repaying the favour by giving him English lessons!

Max: I made a very good and special friend, who took me in some way back to my student life again (editor's note: Max finished his studies and works at Hochschule Mainz now). I would definitely recommend the program, as it broadens your horizon and gives you the opportunity to meet people, you would not have met otherwise. Thanks for making this wonderful connection possible, which will last for the future.