Lecturers and students of Mariupol State University stayed in Germany for a week. They attended seminars for representatives of universities in the Czech Republic, Romania and Ukraine, which were held at the Academy for cooperation with Central Europe.

The trip to the European country was made by the head of the Department of German and French philology, Associate Professor Yulia Kazhan, deputy dean of the Faculty of foreign languages, senior lecturer Maryna Marchenko, dispatcher of the dean's Office of the Faculty of Foreign Languages Nataliia Kudria and university students studying German as the first and second foreign languages: Kristina Kosolapova, Yana Kurilova, Shavil Molchanov, Olha Haidarova. 

In my opinion, such educational trips are an opportunity to see how the country whose language you are learning lives, hear how its native speakers speak, and improve your own language skills,

– student of the specialty "Philology. Language and literature (German)"
Kristina Kosolapova.

During the seminars, the participants discussed issues related to the history and culture of Germany, in particular, Yulia Kazhan made a report "German traces in Ukraine". The discussions allowed Mariupol State University youth to learn what influence German figures had on the culture and politics of other countries, what were the reasons and consequences of the construction of the Berlin Wall, as well as to hear opinions from representatives of different countries and express their own. 
 

I have already been to Bad Kissingen three times for seminars organized by the Academy, and each time I am struck by everything from the selection of speakers to the friendly atmosphere. This time we attended a course of lectures on the political culture of Ukraine, Romania, the Czech Republic and Germany. It was very interesting to learn about historical events and modern realities. I met new international friends, with whom we not only worked fruitfully during seminars, practicing German, but also had an interesting free time, exploring the country studies features of German life,

– Master's degree in philology "Language and literature (German)"
Nataliia Kudria.

In their spare time, educators and students walked around the city of Bad-Kissingham, the head of the Academy for cooperation Gustav Binder conducted a tour for the participants of the seminars, and saw firsthand the architectural monuments of Munich, Nuremberg, Bamberg, which they had previously seen on the pages of books.  
 

It was very interesting for a week to plunge into the German Environment, see outstanding places, meet new people and ride German trains traveling at a speed of about 180 km/h. Bad Kissingen is a great place for those who love peace and nature, but it was Munich that immersed them in German culture: European architecture, people in traditional German costumes and, of course, beer. During the seminars, it took a lot of effort to understand what it was about, and this is what inspired further study of German,

– Student of the speciality “Translation (English)” Olha Haidarova.

The Chair of German and French philology and the Academy for cooperation with Central Europe have been cooperating for three years. Partnerships allow MSU students to get acquainted with the culture, customs and traditions of Germany, as well as improve their knowledge of German and practice it with native speakers.