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It’s been almost six months since I received the admission letter for the Master of Finance Programme at the Frankfurt School. At the time, I thought that it would take forever for me to leave my hometown in Bogotá, Colombia and move all the way to Germany to continue with my studies. As I write this blog post, I come to think how time has gone by so quickly, and how after I received my admission letter everything just seemed to speed up. Now, even orientation week has come and gone and this is what this blog post is all about. During the six months prior to my arrival to Frankfurt I constantly looked at the school’s webpage, the YouTube channel and the blog posts, amongst many other media, to try and get as much information as possible about the school and the city that would be my new home for the next couple of years. As the orientation week took place, I came to realize that all my research and the idea of Frankfurt School and the city of Frankfurt that I had in my head were now coming to life:
Until last week, the outdoor campus was nothing more of a YouTube video for me where people from the previous class did some strange activities that I really did not understand how they worked. Now, the outdoor campus is over and the YouTube video has now transformed to some great memories where these activities now make perfect sense (at least most of them do) and even left me some sore arms for the following couple of days.
Until last week, the people in my programme and the other Master programmes where nothing more than pictures posted on the online campus and in the School’s Facebook group. Now, even though I’m still having a hard time joining so many faces with their respective names, I have a much clearer understanding and knowledge of the people with whom I will be sharing this incredible experience for the next two years. Saying that I know perfectly well each and every one of the persons I met this week would be a total lie, but now I do have a clearer understanding of the profile that the School is looking for in their students. Knowing and accepting that has been of great help in preparing myself for the kind of frightening semester that is coming up.
Before orientation week, the school’s policies, the programmes structures and the faculty members were for me just a number of documents and photos posted on the school’s website. Now, I know many of the people who have helped me make this dream of living and studying here a reality and I really appreciate the opportunity of being able to thank them in person. I now know that the school’s policies are not just something applied to outsiders, they are now my everyday rule of conduct and the program curriculum is not just a PDF attachment but an important part of my phone calendar.
Last but not least, before orientation week, the idea of living outside Colombia was nothing more than a dream for me, an ambition and goal I strived to achieve for a long time. Now, it is a reality, it is my present and a giant blessing. I am aware that what we learned in orientation week about the classes, the school, the city and the people is just the tip of the iceberg. The semester and the programme is only starting and things can only get much more interesting from here on out but I really appreciate this introduction into all the aspects of our life as Frankfurt School students. It was a truly magnificent experience to be able to transform the videos, blogs and documents into real life memories and an incredible way to start this new life journey.
Frankfurt School gGmbH
Adickesallee 32-34
60322 Frankfurt am Main
