Bild: Janik Chapron
Dec 21, 2023

For years now, the month of November has been a time for Franco-German exchanges at the THA. This year was no exception: from 24 November to 1 December, a group of 17 students from Augsburg's twin city Bourges visited us with their lecturer and got to know the city from its best side.

 

The program started with the obligatory German course on the first morning. This was followed by a city tour on the first day, then a delicious dinner at the Mama Soul restaurant and finally a round of glow golf at the GlowZone Lechhausen. The remaining days were just as busy: on Sunday the group went to Munich to visit the BMW World, the Olympic Park and the tower of St Peter's Church, on Monday theyy explored the campus and, thanks to the persistently cold temperatures, they even managed to go ice skating.

In between, the students made frequent use of the canteen and cafeteria facilities and, due to the lack of cooking facilities in the youth hostel, they were also able to familiarise themselves with Augsburg's "official" gastronomic offerings. The days passed very quickly and the one week probably felt far too short for some. On Tuesday, it was time for a presentation by Funkenwerk and an international workshop in the morning, followed by a visit to the Washtec company in the afternoon.

A sign of intercultural exchange was the "Soirée Internationale" organised by the SWOP team, which was attended by French students as well as some Erasmus participants. After a tour of the robotics labs at the THA and the official reception in the town hall in the morning, the students visit the company Faurecia on Wednesday afternoon. This tour was a highlight for many of the students, as it was very well organised and represented an opportunity for the students to gain an internship or a job in a Franco-German company. Who knows, maybe some of the "Berruyers and Berryères" (that's what people from Bourges are called, but they don't think Bourgeois is bad either) will come back to Augsburg one day...

One argument in favour of coming back is certainly the  Christmas market, which fortunately opened in the same week and which the students were allowed to visit in the evening.  The last day started with a feedback session, with which the German organisers can be very satisfied. After the afternoon was used for packing, tidying up and a bit of free time, it was time for the grand finale: a tour of the Riegele brewery followed by beer tasting and a traditional Bavarian snack.

The trains left early the next morning and it is clear that the week in Augsburg was very intensive and the participants will now have to take their time to process the many new impressions. In any case, we are already looking forward to the week in Bourges next March and are proud of how the friendship between the two universities and twin towns continues to develop.

Many thanks to the Franco-German Youth Organisation and the City of Augsburg for their generous financial support! Merci!!!

 
 
Logos Stadt Augsburg_ Dt_Fr_Jugendwerk