Hi everyone!

The mood at the university these days could be more dynamic… This is a difficult period for everyone, and unfortunately, we are not forecasting a near positive outcome out of it. The situation in Regensburg is nevertheless less difficult than it is in France. A complete lockdown for the whole country has been announced. Though, schools, high schools and most of the workplaces still remain open. These new restrictions have brought some objections. If the situation here moves toward to the same stage as France’s, we have to learn from the first world lockdown from last spring. Lockdown is an occasion for some to study in an environment they are more comfortable in and familiar with, but also an occasion to develop our creativity by trying to get new skills. We can also learn a new language or new other abilities we’ve always been intrigued about.

You can also distract yourselves by participating to our projects through digital meetings. As I’ve mentioned in my last article, I had the opportunity to write a few French recipes. Our tutors Ana and Ina (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) had the idea of cooking these recipes together during a Zoom meeting. You can also cook them by yourself and send a picture or a video of your final dish to our tutors afterwards, who will judge the different recipes (only judging by their appearance of course). You can also make them know your opinion about the recipe’s making and its taste (although this criterion is rather personal). Our cultural projects will be set up thanks to Zoom meetings. Don’t hesitate to exchange with our tutors to know the projects schedule or the different themes that we could exchange about! Obviously, you can also suggest your ideas for new projects. It can be about something you are passionate about, that you would like to share and make known, as well as learn a new skill to others! Learn from each other and share our knowledge is one of our goal!

In my concern, I’ve decided to end my community service given the actual circumstances: I’d rather go back to university in Paris starting in January. We can unfortunately not forecast an improvement of the situation, and this has major consequences on the collective projects’ evolution that we would love to set up. The two months I’ve spent here have nevertheless taught me a lot: I was given the chance to partway discover a new culture and a different living environment. This has also helped to my personal growth and allowed me to become more independent and gave me more autonomy.

I’m encouraging you all to follow the rules and to be vigilant. We must help each other out during this difficult time, and more particularly, look out on the people confined alone and older people. Taking care of your mental health is important. Lockdown can be a really tough period for psychologically weak people or people in a difficult family situation. Think about the fact that checking up on your friends and your family is also a way to be careful.

Following the rules and the instructions will have a positive impact in the long term if we apply them all: it will allow us to find a more dynamic life at the university again. The international and cultural exchanges at the university will be able to be set up next year. The cultural exchange with the campus from Clermont Ferrand in France will be possible to be organized and will follow last year’s project which was about representing culture through photography. This will also be possible thanks to your project suggestions. You can get inspired by checking out last year’s project on our website: https://www.stwno.de/en/international-en/partnership/partnerschaft-2019-en

When the situation will be back to normal, I support you all to take every opportunity that may come to you: moving to a new town or a new country is one of the best ways to grow personally, to meet new people and to learn from our disparities in order to become more open minded and tolerant.