Where are you from? Please tell us about yourself!
I am from Thrissur, Kerala, India, a city located in south india. Currently living in Essen, Germany, where I am doing my masters in interaction design at the Hochschule Rhein-Waal. My hobbies are learning new things, languages, and hiking.
I love traveling, meeting new people, and exploring cultures. Coming from a design background, I am interested in art and history. I also write poetry which is completely dependent on my mood.
I grew upas a bilingual, which made me interested knowing more about other languages. My schooling was completed in the UAE after which I moved to India for my bachelors (in product design). I worked as a freelance designer for few years before moving to Germany for my masters.
Where in Germany did you move to? Why did you choose that place?
Germany has a lot of legendary designers such as Dieter Rams and Harmut Esslinger who have inspired me. That is one of the main reasons I moved to Germany. Now I live in Essen, a city that is the heart of the Ruhrgebiet.
As I am currently doing my thesis, my main criteria was easy access to public transport, cheaper rent, and close proximity to supermarkets and shopping centers. Essen checked all the boxes.
I wasn't afraid to move to another city as I already had previous experiences with moving. I also tried looking for accommodation in Mülheim an der Ruhr, another neighboring city, but it was difficult to get housing there. Hence, I double-downed on Essen and also for the reason that some of my friends live here.
How was your move like at first? And how do you find Essen now?
The starting month was difficult especially with moving all the things from one city to another, settling down at the new place, city registration, and other bureaucratic processes. Thankfully, I had few friends to help me out with everything.
The main problem when you move to another place is the expenses. As a student, you normally don't have a big budget, so it does drain your bank account.
So I found it easier to study here as there was a library near my place and it was open on Sundays too (the best part). There are also few good cafes that I visit once in a while to work on my project. I have a few friends here whom I knew before. I find it comfortable to live here.
How would you compare Essen to Thrissur?
This city has a lot of historical places, especially related to coal mining which was once a big part of the German economy. There are also small metal concerts here which is very cool.
The architecture is a mix of modern and brutualism. Then there is the iconic Zollverein, a UNESCO heritage site and the symbol of Essen. I also like that there is a design university such as the Folkwang University and art museums.
In Kerala, the cultural scene is different. It's more green and full of nature. The people are also friendly but not asopen as compared to the people in Essen. Kerala has a lot of old architecture and museums but not as much as Germany.
We have more spicy and flavored food in Kerala, including seafood. There are also cultural festivals that are entirely different and some similar. In Kerala, we have something called pooram where people gather together with instruments like drums and people dress as tigers and dance. That reminds me of the carnivals here but in a different way.
How do you find the cost of living here in Essen?
As I am a student, I have a limited budget. My rent is about 400 EUR and groceries costs about 150-200 EUR; eating out including drinks costs about 100 EUR. Overall my expenses are around 1000 EUR. It is manageable if don't eat out a lot and cook more at home.
My university is located a bit inside a small town. It's a small campus with a lot of international students. The transport access is bad, especially after 20:00 - that's one reason I don't stay near the university. The Jjb market is currently not at the best state. However, I feel there are still chances for jobs.
How has your German language journey been like? Was it difficult to learn German for university?
My German language journey is a bit weird. I started learning German before coming to Germany, then for sometime I took a break and didn't practice German. Shortly after that I arrived in Germany but I forgot the German I learned.
It was difficult for me to speak with the locals and I had a hard time understanding German. I enrolled in the German course in my university and relearned German. I still have a long way to go.
I now enjoy talking to locals and also can hold a decent conversation in German. I also go to a language exchange weekly where I practice German and also other languages.
You've been with Deutsch Gym for a while now - how has it helped you?
I wanted to focus more on speaking and that is the main reason why I joined Deutsch gym. It has helped me improved my fluency and building grammatically correct sentences. Now I make fewer mistakes and also self-correct them.
I want to thank all the mentors, especially Daniela, who helped a lot in correcting my mistakes and improving my vocabulary. Also, I made few friends here which is really nice. I used to attend the classes regularly before but as I started my thesis it has reduced to about 3 times a week.
I try to join the classes whenever I can. The focus on conversation on a variety of topics has expanded my vocabulary as I come across new words almost every class.
