{"id":121343,"date":"2020-12-18T11:50:52","date_gmt":"2020-12-18T10:50:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=121343"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:25:18","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:25:18","slug":"international-paul-is-going-home-to-germany-for-christmas-first-i-need-to-spend-five-days-in-quarantine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2020\/12\/18\/international-paul-is-going-home-to-germany-for-christmas-first-i-need-to-spend-five-days-in-quarantine\/","title":{"rendered":"International Paul is going home to Germany for Christmas: \u2018First I need to spend five days in quarantine\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

German student Paul Hartwig is going home to his family in Germany for Christmas. He has never spent Christmas anywhere else. \u201cNormally I visit my grandparents, who live on a German island.\u201d This year he\u2019s going back too, although it will all be rather different.<\/p>\n

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Paul in his almost empty room, everything is already packed so he can spend Christmas with his family in Germany.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAmber Leijen<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Eighteen months ago, he and a friend visited Rotterdam and immediately loved it. \u201cFrom that moment I knew that I wanted to study in the Netherlands.\u201d Now Paul is in his first year of the International Bachelor Communication<\/em> and Media (IBCoM), and online education has become the norm. He had imagined his first year rather differently. \u201cI\u2019d heard stories from older students about Eurekaweek, for exampoe, which was obviously completely different for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, he has enjoyed student life so far. The fact that IBCoM has organised several offline activities in recent months has helped. \u201cI can imagine that other students are finding it harder.\u201d<\/p>\n

The international does not regret coming to the Netherlands. That is partly due to where he lives. \u201cI live on campus in the Hatta building, which means that I still see a lot of people. We visit each other quite often, but in small groups at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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