International Students in Bruck an der Mur

On Friday, 8.10.2021, a group of 23 international students from the University College of Teacher Education Styria traveled to a town near Graz, called Bruck an der Mur. After their first week of winter semester, they had a great possibility to get to know each other during the whole weekend full of socializing activities, small hikes and most importantly good mood.

After the arrival and a wonderful dinner, we started to build friendly connections while playing some getting-to-know-each-other games. The approach was not only to remember each other’s names but also to recognize some cultural diversities. The Institute of Diversity and International Affairs of the University College of Teacher Education Styria hosts an unusual group of students coming from Spain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Ukraine, and Turkey.

Saturday, 9.10.2021, was filled with walks around the town and surrounding forests. Even the sun paid us a visit which made the whole day also more pleasant. After a guided tour and an activity forest walk, students attended an informative seminar regarding the European Dimension in Culture, Society and Education. Our second evening was then enriched by several bowling matches.

On Sunday, students and the international team reflected on the weekend and shared their expectations, first impressions, and some positive feedback. It was such a nice experience to work with a group of positively motivated students, who brought their open minds together to have a good start of the mutual Erasmus semester.