Ice age at the start of spring

On March 18, 2022, after a hiatus of more than two years, an excursion with international students was finally able to take place again. To this end, the university applies annually for STIBET funding through the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), which is used to finance such programs. We are also grateful to BARMER for its financial contribution to the outing.

Since it was one of the last official winter days of the year, the students were invited to go ice skating (and practice). Not far from Zittau, the ice rink in Jonsdorf offers good conditions for this. The bus to Jonsdorf departed right on time at 3:00 p.m., and the fun could begin. The group consisted of 39 students and 4 supervisors from the university’s International Office and the 'Studienkolleg'(preparatory college). It was a diverse mix of students from a wide variety of countries, including, in particular, Indonesia, Morocco, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Some of the participants already had experience on the ice, but for others, the ice was clearly uncharted territory. While some were doing pirouettes and speed skating on one side of the rink, others were practicing with the metal training frames provided. After some initial difficulties, however, everyone was mostly able to stay on their feet, and fortunately, there were no major accidents.

After about 1.5 hours of skating fun, it was time to swap the skates back for sneakers. For some, it certainly could have gone on a little longer, but the ice surface had become quite worn by then and needed to be resurfaced. Happy and exhausted, the entire group made their way back to Zittau.