uni'alumni 2012_ENG

Welcome to Freiburg SURVEY People from all corners of the globe come to Freiburg to study, teach, or work in the university ­administration. Eva Opitz asked four of them what surprised them most upon their arrival in Freiburg. Mehdi Ider from Tigzirt, Algeria (19), second-year student of economics, is spending a semester abroad in Freiburg “I came to Freiburg on September 30th, 2011 to study for five months. I spent the first year of my studies in Paris, France. What surprised me most when I arrived in Freiburg was the large number of bicycles. I’ve never seen so many bicyclists before – neither in my home- town Tigzirt nor in Paris. And there are even separate lanes for bicycles, pedestrians, and cars. I find it great and am looking around for an inexpensive bicycle.” Prof. Dr. Chongko Choi from Seoul, South Korea (63), alumnus, earned his doctorate in law at the University of Freiburg in 1979 “I arrived in Freiburg shortly before the end of the year in 1975. The week after Christmas I had to stay at Thomas More Dormitory. I couldn’t buy anything anywhere. All of the stores were closed. I thought I would have to starve. For a Korean, who can go shopping anytime, the German business hours were a big surprise.” Photo:private Prof. Dr. Gregory Scholes from Toronto, Canada (44), visiting scholar at the ­University of Freiburg in summer semesters 2011 and 2012 “I’m actually hard to surprise. Since I travel around so much, I don’t arrive with very great expectations – I’m just happy to get there. What I found astounding about Freiburg, though, was that it’s such a pretty little town. I hadn’t expected that. The proximity of the Black Forest, which I enjoyed hiking in, was also a surprise for me. As a scientist I was surprised most by the great amount of research institutes at and around the university.” Photo:private Nuria Beltrán Sánchez from Barcelona, Spain (38), administrative employee at the ­Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences “What surprised me right away when I first arrived in Freiburg 16 years ago in April was the cold. In Barcelona we’re getting ready for the summer at this time of year and wear less and less clothing each day. Here I had to think about what I could still put on. I hardly saw anyone in shorts until the end of June either. Since I was anxious to see the town, I put on a sweater and a knit cap and did everything I had planned to do in spite of the cold. I was also overwhelmed by the large number of people riding bicycles even in such cold weather.” 30 University News uni'alumni 2012