Porträt-Serie: Internationale Begegnungen an der Wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen Fakultät

WiWi-Fakultät: What was your motivation to spend a semester abroad in Germany?

Abdul: Germany has an extremely strong economy and I wanted to see how the economy is constructed and maintained. I was interested in advanced systems in terms of economics, education and business. Questioning and critical thinking which are the foundation of the German technology and education seem to be the basics of the whole system here.

WiWi-Fakultät: Why did you choose the University of Würzburg?

Abdul: For me the environment, nature and technology are an important combination, and Würzburg was an obvious choice in this context. My second motivation was my wish to study in Bavaria, a powerful region not only in Germany and Europe, but also in the world. What also motivated me was the good ranking position of the University of Würzburg. Last but not least: I knew 14 Nobel Laureates researched and taught at the JMU.

WiWi-Fakultät: What cultural differences have you noticed so far?

Abdul: I study in Italy where people are not flexible in communication. Italian people do not want to speak English. Siena, compared to Würzburg is a province where nobody wants to make an effort to speak a different language. Another difference is the influence of religion. Here it is not that strong as in Italy or in Pakistan, where I come from, where religion influences all parts of life. Here I make the experience that it can be different.

WiWi-Fakultät: What will be the advantages of your stay in Germany?

The biggest advantage will be getting prepared for my PhD project. Green supply chain management is my field of interest and many professors at the faculty have the focus on sustainability and green technologies. There is also a social aspect. If I go back to Pakistan, I will try to implement a different system of education there. The behaviour of professors here is completely different from what I learnt in Pakistan. It is not power relations that determine hierarchies here. If I succeed and work in the education sector in the future, I would like to change it.

WiWi-Fakultät: How was the assistance by our university/faculty before and during your stay?

The communication was extremely smooth – here I get response to my questions very quickly - not like in Italy e.g. Professors are very cooperative and supportive.

WiWi-Fakultät: Which experience have you particularly enjoyed so far?

I admire the way, how the German state and society deal with the lockdown and the pandemic. There are still many freedoms left and you feel more free, because e.g. the police does not control the citizens so extensively and shops can stay open. The good university support for the incoming students was also a surprising experience for me.