WEBVTT - generated by Videoportal FH Dortmund

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My name is Fabian Herberholt, I am 22 years
old.

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Last year I studied at the FH Dortmund

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my Bachelor in International Business

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and now pursuing my Master's degree and of
course I have

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during my bachelor's degree at the university
as a working student.

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Have there been any unexpected events in your
life?

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In any case my Master's program

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which I started in Finland. That was relatively
impulsive in that sense,

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that I said, I would like to

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one of the Nordic countries. I am actually
a full-time student

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at a university in Finland. At LUT University

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and after my bachelor's degree I applied directly

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with my bachelor's certificate there

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and then looked for an apartment there

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and flew over and that's how it came about,

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that I was able to do my two-year Master's
there full-time.

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How does studying abroad feel for you?

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It's definitely a different life up there than

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compared to Dortmund. It was like that in Dortmund,

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You have your circle of friends from your school
days here.

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I was born in Dortmund and suddenly you come
to a new country,

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into a different culture, where the people
are much more reserved,

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very introverted in that sense sense, not meant
negatively,

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no question, but it is definitely a change.

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In Finland it's a completely different student
culture

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but also in general simply a different way
of life.

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Were there moments when you doubted your decision?

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Absolutely, absolutely! That was actually the
first night.

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I arrived in Finland on a relatively late flight
to Finland.

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I was effectively alone, because I didn't know
any

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person in Finland, so I spent the first night

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slept on the floor, alone in the apartment.

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I then spread my clothes on the floor,

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to sleep on somehow, because there was no mattress.

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At that moment didn't even think about it.

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Yes, then you have to imagine it like this,
I was lying there somewhere

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on a cold floor in the apartment alone and
then of course

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also stupidly caught a cold. That was one

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of the most difficult moments moments in my
life so far.

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It wasn't just the night either. So it went
on for a few days,

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until I found a bit of a connection.

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That was definitely a point, that I will remember
for the future.

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Have you received any support?

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Actually my tutor. He helped me incredibly

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and he had a car, that is, we drove straight
to the nearest store

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and got a mattress. That was already

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solved the biggest problem and then also a
bit of the connection

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with other students. That was really great.

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What advice would you give to students who
are unsure about spending a semester abroad?

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If you just think too much thinking about certain
things,

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then the opportunity may be gone.  Seizing
an opportunity

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is better than leaving it and not having the
opportunity to take it.

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If Finland had been nothing, I would have come
back.

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But as it is now, it's just super cool.

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And I wouldn't even know that, because I would
never have taken the chance.