New Horizons #12 – Von den USA nach Jordanien und Trier

00:00:05: Hello and welcome to another episode of New Horizons, an exchange podcast from Trier University of Applied Sciences.

00:00:15: As you already hear, I'm talking in English because today we have an English speaking guest.

00:00:21: The special part about this episode is we will talk in English and also in German.

00:00:27: The first part of the episode will be in English and the second part in German.

00:00:32: And now... I think our guest can introduce herself.

00:00:36: Hello, my name is Lauren Cook and I'm studying computer science and AI at Umweltkampus Birkenfeld Hochschulitrier and I'm currently in the sixth semester.

00:00:47: And

00:00:47: as you already mentioned, you're from Birkenfeld, yeah?

00:00:50: Yes, that's

00:00:50: correct.

00:00:51: And you are originally from the US?

00:00:54: Yes.

00:00:55: Where exactly in the US?

00:00:57: Or from Evansville, Indiana, so it's right in the middle of the United States.

00:01:01: Okay, so when I look from top to the USA, you're basically in the middle and a little bit to the right?

00:01:10: Yeah, that's correct.

00:01:11: Okay, perfect.

00:01:12: And from which town exactly?

00:01:13: From Evansville.

00:01:15: Oh yeah, you already mentioned.

00:01:19: Why do you study in Germany and not in the US?

00:01:23: I did study in the United States before.

00:01:26: And now I'm studying in Germany because I was living in Jordan for a couple of years and I had a roommate and they got me interested in computer science.

00:01:36: And they were also trying to learn German and do master's programs there.

00:01:40: So they introduced me a lot to different programs and opportunities in Germany.

00:01:44: And I thought it would be cool to try studying in German and also in Germany because I really like linguistics.

00:01:51: So I could learn both computer science and a language at the same time.

00:01:55: That's quite a challenge.

00:01:57: Yeah.

00:01:58: Well, I imagine so.

00:02:00: I'm not that good with languages.

00:02:03: So you also have a fascination for the German language itself.

00:02:08: Not specifically German, just languages in general.

00:02:11: I really like, like in my free time, I study a lot of grammar.

00:02:15: So right now I'm also studying Chinese.

00:02:17: And then I also learned some Arabic before and also some Spanish.

00:02:22: quite a lot.

00:02:24: And also computer languages

00:02:25: on top.

00:02:26: Yes, I've learned.

00:02:27: in my study program, we've done programming in C C plus plus, foul, hey, foul hard day L and Python, Java.

00:02:39: There's a couple more.

00:02:41: We I do also like programming.

00:02:44: So we do HTML CSS, some PHP.

00:02:51: Well, I only have basic knowledge regarding computer languages.

00:02:55: I know C++ and so on.

00:02:59: Did you already learn them before you came to Birkenfeld or do you learn them on campus?

00:03:05: I learned them mostly on campus, but I had one of my roommates, he encouraged me to try a lot of different things before and see if I like it.

00:03:17: I learned some basics before I started studying.

00:03:19: just to see is informatics, something that I would like.

00:03:23: And it was kind of fun that you can apply programming to solve any kind of problems.

00:03:27: And I really liked that approach, just how flexible it is.

00:03:30: So I learned some really basics.

00:03:32: And then I wanted to deepen it in my studies.

00:03:35: Sounds like campus Birkenfeld was the right choice for you.

00:03:39: Yeah, it's really good, I think, especially for bachelor programs.

00:03:43: And since when have you been here?

00:03:46: Especially at Kampus-Bürgenfeld.

00:03:48: I think I started in summer semester,

00:03:52: two thousand twenty three.

00:03:54: Two thousand twenty three.

00:03:54: Okay.

00:03:55: Okay.

00:03:55: And you mentioned you also speak German.

00:03:59: since when do you learn German?

00:04:02: We had a little bit in high school, but I didn't really remember too much.

00:04:07: So I also, so I started again with a one, I think in summer.

00:04:10: So in January, twenty twenty two.

00:04:15: So you already learned German at high school in the US?

00:04:20: Kind of, but the courses weren't really good.

00:04:23: I know like a lot of people in Germany, for example, they start speaking English in schools and then they're pretty good, even if they're not completely fluent, they can go out and have a good conversation.

00:04:33: But we weren't really able to do that too much.

00:04:36: Well, I hope you understand me.

00:04:37: Yeah, I really hope so.

00:04:40: I really hope so.

00:04:42: Let's take one step back.

00:04:45: What exactly fascinates you about computer science?

00:04:48: I saw the first thing that interested me, the ocean cleanup project.

00:04:53: And there were some people using computer science to model the waves of the ocean to predict after what point trash would come back to certain locations.

00:05:03: so they could decide where to deploy boats in order to just have the trash action process more automated.

00:05:10: So the trash would just like flow into the ships more and they wouldn't have to have a lot of people just like picking up the trash.

00:05:16: So they could use like fewer people working together and have a higher reward.

00:05:22: Like they could pick up more trash.

00:05:25: That actually sounds quite interesting.

00:05:27: Also sounds like a very sustainable project.

00:05:31: to predict it.

00:05:32: Do you have like a special focus in computer science?

00:05:36: Not particularly.

00:05:38: I've been really interested in like computer linguistics or in like kind of nature applications.

00:05:45: So one project, for example, that's been a lot of fun this semester for Mindfuck Project.

00:05:52: I was able to ask my teacher from IoT Internet of Things if I could make a device to help improve your pronunciation.

00:06:03: So I took like a microcontroller and then I made some like a necklace and I put like a photo resistor on that and then it could kind of prove.

00:06:12: measure like how well you're pronouncing a letter compared to a German because whenever you open your mouth, it creates a shadow.

00:06:20: And if you had like a bigger shadow, that means you opened your mouth more.

00:06:25: And it was really interesting because a lot of people from Germany, they would open their mouth like twice as much to pronounce as for R, but a lot of like native English speakers, they would do the other way around.

00:06:36: They'd open their mouth twice as much for R as.

00:06:39: And you can just do that by having a shadow.

00:06:42: That's interesting.

00:06:44: So you did this whole project with the help of computer science?

00:06:48: Yes.

00:06:49: Interesting.

00:06:49: So this sounds like the perfect combination of your interests, like the combination of linguistics and computer science.

00:06:57: Is this something you want to develop in the future?

00:07:00: Is there the possibility?

00:07:02: I'm looking into it.

00:07:04: So for one of my ideas is for my bachelor thesis to I'm going to try to do it.

00:07:13: I'll send you.

00:07:14: I'm Taiwan and I'm going to ask them and they have like a linguistic lab or if I can work with them and write my thesis with them.

00:07:23: So that's one of the possibilities, but I also have a lot of interest, for example, with refugees.

00:07:27: You can also have the application for computer science, for example, to work with data banks or technology that can help reunite families.

00:07:36: So that's another technology that's really interesting.

00:07:39: or for migration to help improve safer migration routes or things along that line, but definitely something that combines people with technology.

00:07:52: Yeah, it could strengthen like community communities also.

00:07:57: This sounds like a very broad topic overall, but also, well, they sound like very important points.

00:08:05: I hope you can do them

00:08:06: all.

00:08:08: And you're also interested in Taiwan.

00:08:11: Why especially Taiwan?

00:08:13: I'm not sure, but I had like one classmate and every time I saw him, he's like, I really want to go study abroad in Taiwan.

00:08:22: And I think if someone just says that, then you're also like, well, maybe I want to do that too.

00:08:28: Then this semester also we have a lot of students from China in our study abroad like not study abroad but their students at our campus and we work together a lot and for example in the labs and I thought it was really interesting just talking with them and getting to go to classes with them sharing tips for how do we learn how to take exams?

00:08:51: because sometimes like they'll have different approaches.

00:08:54: And it's really nice just to communicate with people and get new ideas.

00:08:59: Sounds great.

00:09:00: Sounds really great.

00:09:02: You also live in Birkenfeld.

00:09:04: Do you live on campus?

00:09:05: Yes, I live on campus.

00:09:07: OK, perfect.

00:09:08: Because I see you have like a sports club Weiersbach.

00:09:11: Oh, yeah.

00:09:11: You wear a shirt from them.

00:09:14: I've been there.

00:09:16: What is this called?

00:09:17: Soccer club.

00:09:19: OK,

00:09:19: so you do

00:09:20: you play soccer?

00:09:22: No.

00:09:22: not too much.

00:09:23: I joined the club because I like running and there's not too many, there's not a big running group where I'm living.

00:09:31: But whenever you play soccer, all the people have to run together.

00:09:34: So yeah, so you kind of get like a running group that way.

00:09:39: True, true.

00:09:41: But you spend, well, correct me if I'm wrong, you spend most of your time and also most of your studies at Birkenfeld.

00:09:48: Yes.

00:09:49: Okay.

00:09:49: Okay.

00:09:50: So this is the first time you've been to Trier, probably not.

00:09:56: I think it's the third time because I had a job before and I helped make trips for exchange students.

00:10:03: And a couple of times we went to Trier, so we used to go every year for the Christmas market and then we'd get Glühwein together.

00:10:11: That's one of the first German words you say, Glühwein.

00:10:22: Switching or changing.

00:10:24: Yeah, yeah.

00:10:25: Glühwein, also.

00:10:28: That means you were already on the Triera Christmas Market.

00:10:31: Exactly.

00:10:32: Wonderful.

00:10:32: I hope

00:10:34: you liked it.

00:10:34: Yes, we liked it.

00:10:35: It was very big.

00:10:36: And I think here has a very good Christmas Market.

00:10:40: Also near Birkenfeld we have a super nice one at the St.

00:10:43: Wendell.

00:10:44: Oh, St.

00:10:45: Wendell.

00:10:45: Yes, yes, yes.

00:10:46: You also know him in Trier.

00:10:48: As far as I know, Trier or the city of Trier was often designated for their Christmas market because he was often the most beautiful country

00:11:00: in the world.

00:11:01: Yes.

00:11:01: Yes.

00:11:02: A small sign.

00:11:02: But how do you like Trier?

00:11:04: Now where you were often here?

00:11:06: I like

00:11:06: it, especially the Mosas.

00:11:08: I just love the landscape.

00:11:12: And it's also very cool, because we don't have a mountain where I come from.

00:11:19: And yes, I admire that you can just take a little hike in the city.

00:11:25: Then you have a cool view over the Mosas and over the city.

00:11:30: That's true, Trier.

00:11:31: It's very mountainous.

00:11:34: Sometimes a little too much, but everyone decides for themselves.

00:11:38: There is actually a city called New Trier in the USA.

00:11:43: Really?

00:11:44: Yes, but I'm not sure where it is.

00:11:46: I only know that it exists.

00:11:48: Do you also work with the computer science or with the informatics here at the main campus?

00:11:58: Nischt am Hauptkampus, nur am Umbaukampus, aber ich mache einfach informatik.

00:12:05: Also ich hatte zwei hüvi-Stelle und ich habe die Tutorien für beide Statistik und Analysis gehalten.

00:12:12: Und jetzt hilf ich, also eine Webseite für die Hochschule zu entwickeln.

00:12:17: Ah,

00:12:18: okay, perfekt.

00:12:20: Klingt nach einem sinnvollen Vorhaben.

00:12:23: Du sprichst, wenn ich das sagen darf, sehr gut Deutsch.

00:12:27: Yes.

00:12:28: Most people who don't come from Germany, who are a guest here, don't have such a good German.

00:12:35: Now of course I'm interested in when you learn German.

00:12:39: You seem to have no talent for languages.

00:12:41: Actually,

00:12:42: I've been here for four years, because I had to write a test.

00:12:46: That's your German.

00:12:47: And then you have the permission to study at a high school.

00:12:55: So you have to have a B-II or C-I.

00:12:57: And yes, I always learn afterwards, there are different words.

00:13:02: For example, I had a best friend and she sent me this word unplayable.

00:13:07: I think that's really sweet.

00:13:10: And I also learn a bit of dialect.

00:13:12: I have a couple of friends from the word house or a half city in Weyersbach and they will always be a bit Saarlandish or ... Yeah, so bring in a bit of dialect.

00:13:23: There is also

00:13:24: the dialect, there are a lot of dialects, accents and so on.

00:13:28: So after four years of speaking German so well, I had French for four years.

00:13:35: I can, if it comes up, five sentences.

00:13:38: So you did a much better job.

00:13:39: What do you expect when you're done with your bachelor at Campus Birkenfeld?

00:13:47: Do you have an idea what you're doing?

00:13:49: Do you want

00:13:51: to do a master or something else?

00:13:54: I definitely want to do a master because I'm just very curious and there's so much I don't know.

00:14:00: And yes, I just want to learn more.

00:14:02: I'm super excited.

00:14:04: I'm not sure where I want to apply for Master's degree.

00:14:10: And then there's also the Olympics.

00:14:12: I thought it would be interesting for me to apply for the Olympics because I think that sounds interesting.

00:14:17: And there's actually a great need for technology or data science or data analysis.

00:14:26: This area would be very interesting for me for

00:14:31: a job.

00:14:33: It also sounds like you have an interest in sustainable projects.

00:14:37: You were motivated by the calculation of the garbage where it comes from.

00:14:41: Yes.

00:14:41: So maybe there is something for

00:14:43: you.

00:14:44: Yes, definitely.

00:14:44: I also have a few professors who have inspired me.

00:14:48: For example, they have an all-monitoring project.

00:14:51: And there are also migrations.

00:14:54: They can tell when the water turbines should look like.

00:14:58: So that they just ... I think that's the Mosa or Rhein.

00:15:02: I'm just forgetting.

00:15:03: But so that they all can... A big difference.

00:15:06: Yes.

00:15:06: But

00:15:06: I live right next to it.

00:15:11: So it's a bit far away from me.

00:15:13: But yes, they can say, okay, when can they all swim through the river so that they don't get damage.

00:15:23: Sounds

00:15:25: like a meaningful project.

00:15:29: Still, I wonder.

00:15:31: Was for you a very big step to say I do not study in the USA, but I fly all the way across the sea through all of Europe to come extra to Germany.

00:15:42: Take me a little bit with you.

00:15:45: How was the beginning time?

00:15:46: Were you nervous?

00:15:48: Did you feel alone for the first

00:15:50: time?

00:15:51: How do I imagine it?

00:15:54: I would say no, because since I was nineteen, I didn't live in the US anymore.

00:15:58: I lived in Jordan for two and a half years.

00:16:01: And yeah, that was really interesting to us.

00:16:03: So maybe the big one.

00:16:05: It was very difficult at the beginning, then I had to speak German, not Arabic anymore.

00:16:14: And then afterwards I just made a year's travel, because I was working online from English.

00:16:20: And I was from different countries, for example, like India, Thailand, Norway,

00:16:28: and

00:16:29: Greece, then a few other Bulgaria and Albania.

00:16:32: Yes, it's very easy, very nice.

00:16:34: I could just stay in one place and it's very easy in Birkenfeld.

00:16:40: And you can just concentrate on interest and study.

00:16:43: That sounds like a great experience.

00:16:44: So you have the half of the world ready to get married.

00:16:46: These are things about which other guests here in the

00:16:51: podcast

00:16:53: tell that they have been traveling a lot for a while.

00:16:56: Would you recommend it to everyone?

00:17:00: So a little bit from home to get out, to study somewhere else.

00:17:05: Or would you say, hm, you need certain

00:17:08: requirements for that.

00:17:08: That's a difficult question.

00:17:10: For example, my best friend.

00:17:14: She never left our home town.

00:17:17: But because of that, she talks to me and also to others who like to travel.

00:17:21: And then she gets the experience from other people.

00:17:23: But for her, that's just too many jokes to say.

00:17:28: Yes, I'll go out again.

00:17:29: She knows she has a bad mood.

00:17:30: But she is a person who can think very well about her life.

00:17:36: And... I think that's the most important thing, that you can think about why I'm doing something at all.

00:17:42: So I want to stay with my family, to come over to my family.

00:17:46: For example, I can't do that so often.

00:17:49: So I can't go out with my parents every day, or take a bath or eat.

00:17:54: And that's just a little bit for me.

00:17:57: But for that I have great experience.

00:18:00: So I can definitely learn new cultures, languages and eat.

00:18:08: And then for other people, in any case, that's the right decision.

00:18:10: So to get out of the house and experience something new, you also got a head-opening new opinion.

00:18:20: But you can do that with every parent.

00:18:23: I also have a... Alte Frauen in Valhausen, sie ist eine gute Freundin.

00:18:29: Und sie lettet einfach andere Leute bei die Zuhause, weil sie ist Rollstuhlfahrerin.

00:18:34: Und sie kann nicht mehr reisen, zum Beispiel, oder hat man kein Geld auch.

00:18:39: Und am wichtigsten, man muss einfach versuchen, mit anderen Leuten zu sprechen und auch zu hören, okay, was wir ein Geschichte haben, die warum machen die etwas.

00:18:49: Und das ist viel wichtiger als zu reisen.

00:18:52: I'm still wondering, how did you get to Jordan?

00:18:56: You've been saying for over nineteen years, why Jordan?

00:19:02: Yes, I really wanted to learn Arabic because it was in the year of two thousand and sixteen when I was in high school.

00:19:10: We had a library in the vicinity of my school.

00:19:14: And I was there every day and I read books about refugees.

00:19:18: And I thought it was so crazy how tired the women were.

00:19:23: And that inspired me.

00:19:25: I wanted to do something with refugees and help them.

00:19:29: So on some way or the other.

00:19:33: And then I gave English courses in Indianapolis to refugees from Syria and also from Myanmar.

00:19:39: Yes, I just found them crazy.

00:19:43: And I wanted to live in an Arabian country for a lifetime and learn the language.

00:19:50: And I thought, yes, I can create a closer connection with people.

00:19:54: Maybe you

00:19:55: even had contact in Jordan with the GJU, with the German Jordanian University.

00:20:04: Yes, actually I learned a lot of German there.

00:20:08: I didn't expect that at all.

00:20:09: I think so.

00:20:09: The high school of Trier also has a lot of cooperation with the German-Jordanian high school or university.

00:20:19: Yes.

00:20:21: So everything turns

00:20:23: around.

00:20:23: Exactly.

00:20:24: Because I think my friends in Jordan have learned about Germany during this exchange program at German-Jordanian University.

00:20:32: Wonderful.

00:20:32: And now you're here.

00:20:34: Exactly.

00:20:35: And if you let the whole thing happen review, if you which nine horizons have opened

00:20:47: up to you?

00:20:48: I think I have a good friend in my study program.

00:20:54: Her name is Tao and she comes from Vietnam.

00:20:57: And there are not so many women in the technical studies.

00:21:01: I have to say that first.

00:21:02: And there are definitely no mother languages.

00:21:08: not enough of it or not so much.

00:21:10: And I just found Christian Kras, because she is not as smart as other people in my course, but she doesn't give up on everyone.

00:21:21: And sometimes I just want to give up.

00:21:23: She comes, she knocks on my door or riffs me, I say, Lord, have you already learned for the test?

00:21:28: And I say, no, I didn't do anything.

00:21:29: She asks me, you can't give up.

00:21:31: And I think that's maybe the biggest thing about Germany.

00:21:34: You can't give up and then at some point you can do it.

00:21:39: You don't have to be the best, you don't have to have an experience.

00:21:44: So for everyone to learn something new.

00:21:50: If you... Yeah, everything is your challenge if it's new.

00:21:56: It doesn't have to be big.

00:21:57: For example, okay, where's the toilet?

00:22:00: You don't know because you've never used this toilet.

00:22:03: So it's your challenge.

00:22:05: But if you know where the toilet is, you can go there.

00:22:10: And that's just to say, yeah, I don't think people are stupid or stupid.

00:22:16: It's just more... Some people have more experience than others and we can all grow and learn as long as we don't

00:22:28: give up.

00:22:28: That sounds a bit inspiring.

00:22:29: We can grow as long as we don't give up.

00:22:32: Then I ask you one last question.

00:22:35: If you have to decide for a highlight here in Germany and also in Trier or Birkenfeld, what was your biggest highlight?

00:22:45: I have to say, only from the last week, because it was crazy.

00:22:52: We had a Shubcarrenfest in Habstatt in Weyersbach.

00:22:56: A Shubcarrenfest.

00:22:58: Exactly.

00:23:00: And that happens once every five years, but the last Shubcarrenfest happened ten years ago.

00:23:07: And I took part in a staff, so that's a four-staff and you have to run from one hundred meters with a slide card and fifteen kilos of weight.

00:23:18: And there were over two hundred and fifty participants in the village and... Over two hundred and fifty?

00:23:27: Okay,

00:23:28: that's not

00:23:28: bad.

00:23:29: And only for the first day, and then the second day, I took the women's flag and

00:23:36: won.

00:23:36: Oh, congratulations.

00:23:37: Thank

00:23:38: you.

00:23:39: And I had a car, you have to sprint up to four hundred meters.

00:23:44: And I also wore a red dress, and that was just so funny.

00:23:48: No, you said

00:23:50: you like to run, right?

00:23:51: Yes, exactly.

00:23:53: You had

00:23:54: to walk there, please.

00:23:55: It was also super nice.

00:23:57: You have the whole village there.

00:24:00: I think it's super cool to have the high schools and just to learn.

00:24:04: But there are some problems with integration.

00:24:08: For example, in the community, for example, some don't eat meat, but our village is full of meat.

00:24:14: Or some can't speak German.

00:24:16: Yes, there are just a lot of challenges.

00:24:19: Or the people are older, they can only ride roller coasters.

00:24:23: But in this festival, everyone can participate.

00:24:26: So there were people in roller coasters, then they participated with the women.

00:24:33: And also foreigners did that.

00:24:36: And we just did it.

00:24:37: And that would be such a great experience that we could get together properly and

00:24:43: celebrate something.

00:24:44: That sounds very nice.

00:24:46: A festival without barriers, as it should be.

00:24:47: It sounds very nice.

00:24:48: So both your whole journey, the time in Jordanian, then your way here and wherever your way will lead you afterwards.

00:24:58: Those are definitely exciting impressions.

00:25:00: Thank you very much for sharing them with me and with everyone else.

00:25:04: With the people who watch, with the people who listen.

00:25:08: So thank you very much for that.

00:25:09: And if you have any questions about Lauren, then feel free to ask us.

00:25:15: Tell us what you're interested in, maybe which country interests you the most.

00:25:22: And until then, thank you very much for watching, for listening, and we'll see you next time at Human Horizons.