Day 1: The journey
Our trip to Berlin started with a fun train ride from Feldkirch to the main station in Berlin - the journey took almost nine hours. But we were able to make good use of the time and have interesting conversations and discussions. Our trainer Mirjana and Sandra, a former student at the University of Liechtenstein, were also there.
We arrived in Berlin a little late, around 8.30 pm. What a big city! The contrast to our rural home in Liechtenstein was overwhelming. After a well-deserved dinner, we checked into the hotel and recovered from the long journey.
Day 2: The visit to Potsdam
After a restful sleep and an energetic breakfast, we were already on our way to the main station. This time we went to Potsdam, where we visited the University of Potsdam. Our first impressions on site exceeded our expectations: we were not aware of how big the campus really is, although we had informed ourselves about the university in advance.
We were warmly welcomed and learned something about the history and the individual offers of the University of Potsdam right at the beginning. The historic building on campus "Am Neuen Palais", which belongs to the palace of the same name located in Sanssouci Park, was particularly impressive. The history of the two buildings dates back to 1766 and today they are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The big highlight was the guided tour of the botanical garden and the historic library by the learners. Afterwards we got a great insight into the organisation of the university and the students told us interesting things about their professions.
Day 3: The visit to the Golm site
On the third day, we were allowed to visit the location of the University of Potsdam in Golm. Before we went on a tour of the campus, we were given a general introduction to the learner system in Germany. We had interesting conversations and exchanged our experiences and opinions. We were shown some of the tasks that commercial apprentices do every day at a university in Germany. These are similar to the ones we do at the University of Liechtenstein.
Golm is the largest of the three campuses of the University of Potsdam. The rather rural area reminded us of our university in Liechtenstein, but the "Golden House" for physics and astronomy as well as the black building of the new information, communication and media centre stand out strongly from the building of the University of Liechtenstein.
Day 4: The free day
As interesting as the sightseeing of the last few days had been, we were looking forward to finally being able to explore the metropolis of Berlin. We decided on the "Mall of Berlin". Time was short, because in the afternoon we already had the next programme item on our list.
After lunch, we paid a visit to the Liechtenstein Embassy in Berlin. It's hard to believe what an ambassador does every day. One of his tasks, for example, is to talk to other diplomats, politicians or journalists in person. In this way, they can learn more than is written on the internet or in the newspapers and than is reported on television.
After a short detour to Kurfürstendamm, we went back to the hotel, where we enjoyed our last evening together at the hotel bar.
Day 5: The journey home
At just before eight in the morning, we gathered in front of the reception for the last time, as we were to be at the track at half past eight. On the way to the station, we glanced at the morning traffic in Berlin and enjoyed the beauty of the city for one last moment. On the way home, we talked about our very impressive and beautiful journey and at the same time looked forward to being home again.
We, the students of the University of Liechtenstein, are very grateful that we had the opportunity to make this trip to Berlin. We would therefore like to thank Mirjana, our trainer, who organised everything and accompanied us on the trip.
The author
Jason Gassner is a third-year apprentice at the University of Liechtenstein. Every three months, the apprentices change departments. Jason is currently working in the Student Services Department.
