Sarah's semester abroad in the north of Italy

Sun on her face, arancini in her hand and plenty of adventure in her luggage - for Sarah, this dream became a reality. The Paderborn student is 23 years old and is studying for a Master's degree in Management specialising in marketing. She also completed her Bachelor's degree in International Business Studies at the Paderborn University. It was therefore high time for a change of scenery in her second Master's semester. Simply get away from everyday life in Germany and get to know a new, exciting culture. And where better to do that than in Italy?

A city between chaos and charm

Ferrara, a city in the north of Italy, right between Bologna and Venice. With around 130,000 inhabitants, it's small enough to get around quickly, but big enough to discover something new every day. For Sarah, the perfect starting point for a successful semester abroad.

For the student, life in Ferrara was much livelier than in organised Germany. There are charming buildings, cute cafés, colourful markets and spontaneous concerts everywhere. "There's always something going on in Ferrara!" enthuses Sarah. "You can feel the Italian temperament on every corner. The whole city is out on the streets. It's loud, colourful and, above all, fun."

But as much as she fell in love with the Italian way of life straight away, there were also moments of adjustment for Sarah. German punctuality and strict order? Rarely found in Ferrara - especially not in traffic. "Sometimes you really have to be careful not to get run over!" she says with a laugh. "It was really hard for me to get used to the traffic at first. But over time, you find your own ways and means. After a while, we were even driving through the city ourselves."

University with Italian flair

In addition to exploring the city, Sarah's time in Ferrara was of course characterised above all by the university. As one of the oldest universities in Italy, founded in 1391, the University of Ferrara is characterised by its impressive architecture: ornate arcades, detailed façades and the characteristic warm brick walls that reflect the charm of historic Italy.

Sarah experienced her everyday life as a student in this special atmosphere - familiar in some ways, but with its own unique facets: "Basically, studying in Italy is not so different from studying in Germany. However, the lectures were much longer - sometimes you sat in a class for three or four hours at a time. That was quite demanding, but also a good exercise in perseverance."

Encounters and language barriers

Sarah also quickly made contact with other students through the university - especially within the Erasmus community. Through joint courses and activities, a network of close friendships quickly developed that extended beyond the university. For the 23-year-old, the contacts with people from all over the world were particularly enriching: "The semester abroad gave me the chance to learn more about other cultures, languages and lifestyles at first hand. I have the feeling that I also grew a lot personally as a result of this diversity and was able to learn a lot of new things about myself."

Her home in Ferrara also contributed significantly to this experience. After a long search, she found a room in an Italian shared flat through an agency. Although communication with her new flatmates was often difficult, they also helped Sarah to gain an insight into the authentic Italian lifestyle - without any tourist filters. "Sometimes we only understood each other with our hands, feet or Google Translate - but that was exactly the adventure," says Sarah with a laugh.

Gelato, arancini and fish tea

Together with her friends, she travelled to the area around Ferrara - to Venice and Bologna, but also further afield, to the sunny island of Sicily. Each trip brought new impressions, little adventures and, above all, plenty of culinary discoveries.

Real Italian pizza, traditional Bolognese straight from Bologna and so much gelato that Sarah stopped counting. In addition to the typical Italian classics, she was also able to try lots of new flavours. Her favourite: "Arancini - these are deep-fried rice balls. I didn't know them before, but they were really tasty!"

The food was ordered in Italian, of course, as befits a dedicated student - funny mishaps included: "In a café, I accidentally ordered 'ice tea pesce' instead of 'ice tea pesca'. The waiter just gave me a confused look until I realised that I had just ordered fish tea instead of iced tea."

Sarah's conclusion about Ferrara

Today, Sarah could even imagine studying in Ferrara forever. Her recommendation to other students is therefore very clear: "Go for it!". For her, the semester abroad is the perfect opportunity for intensive experiences, real encounters and, above all, a lot of personal development: "If you are open-minded, a semester abroad can be much more than just a few months abroad. It can be a real change of perspective - and a memory for life."

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Ferrara instead of wanderlust