Welcome Buddy Program

 "The Buddy Program at the MIN Faculty of  Universität Hamburg is an amazing experience that any international student should take part in. Not only did my MIN Buddy help me navigate the sometimes confusing technicalities that an international student in a foreign land often meets, but he also became one of my closest friends. My MIN Buddy and I spend a lot of time cooking, playing Mario Kart, and exploring the many wondrous locations Hamburg has to offer. 10/10 would recommend." (Luis, USA)

"My Welcome Buddy is a great person. If it wasn't for her, I definitely would have had a very hard time getting around Hamburg and learning what I needed to do about paper work (administrative formalities). She treated and treats me like her sister, or a member of her family. I absolutely recommend the Welcome Buddy Program to other students." (Mahsa, Iran)

"I am so delighted that I've registered for this program! My Welcome Buddy is so friendly and helpful. For example recently, I was struggling to get the residence permit because I had to get it from the Foreign Office, but no member of staff speaks English. So I had to go there several times and queue up for so long. And thanks to my Welcome Buddy I could finally get it without any problems." (International student, India)

"The Buddy Program is very impressive especially for non-European students who know little about the rules, regulations and cultural ethics in Hamburg. [...] This program is very helpful for international students." (Thisal, Sri Lanka)

"I had a great first experience when I landed in Germany. As I was new to the city and the country, I asked my Buddy to help me to get from the airport to the place I was staying at. She happily obliged and helped me to move into the city. Next day, she took me to show around the town hall and the Alster. [...] I would recommend the Buddy Program to everyone who is coming to UHH from a different country." (Kavish, India)

Dear Buddies!

Dana from Germany Welcome Buddy of the MIN Faculty BSc. Nanosciences	Gabriel from Chile Incoming Buddy of the MIN Faculty MSc. Molecular Plant Science

We are Dana and Gabriel. Last year we participated in the Buddy Program of the MIN faculty. I am Dana, the Welcome Buddy.

Dana: Right now, I am studying Nanosciences at Universität Hamburg. I was surrounded not only by different languages but also by different cultures. That only woke my interest in languages and cultures so that it is not surprising that almost all my friends are international. When I read about the CIC and MIN Buddy Program, I was amazed by the idea of supporting international students from the very first second on and yes, here I am!

Gabriel: Hey my name is Gabriel. I am from Chile. Right now, I am doing my Master’s in molecular plant science at Universität Hamburg. Like Dana, I´ve always been curious about the world and love to travel. That’s also why I went to Australia before I came here to Germany. It is kind of hard to get to know a new country and to find out on your own how everything works out there. Thus, I was more than grateful when I heard about the Buddy Program of the MIN faculty. And here I am.

Dana: We both met for the first time in September 2020. I took Gabriel from the airport to Hamburg to his new apartment. Because of all the restrictions by the government regarding the pandemic, we had to wear masks and keep a safe distance. Anyway, we had a lot of fun finally having a face behind all the emails we had exchanged.

We met up again and I showed Gabriel around: we went sightseeing in Hamburg and took a roundtrip by bike. We also just met to grab something to eat and kept up on each other’s life. Gabriel introduced me to his new friends and I introduced him to my friends here in Hamburg. But since the restrictions and rules tightened, we couldn’t meet up as often as before. We tried to go for a walk in the park and meet outdoors, so we don’t endanger the other one and when we can’t see each other, we use our phones.

For me, it is super interesting and exciting to hear about Gabriel’s life, culture and language. I also started with a Spanish language course. I would always participate in the MIN Buddy Program again. I think I made a really good new friend.

Gabriel: For me, it is kind of the same. I am super happy to have someone here, who already knows how everything works out and who speaks the language when I am struggling to understand something. I mean, it was difficult to get to know Germany and the German culture because after my arrival, everything got closed down really fast, due to the pandemic. I sometimes still struggle with the language, but I am doing my best and I think it gets better from day to day. I am looking forward to the day I can explore Germany in its fullest and when everything hopefully goes back to normal.

We hope we could give you a short impression of us and how the MIN Buddy Program affected us. We are happy that we met each other and would love to meet other Incoming and Welcome Buddies.

Lots of love Dana and Gabriel