Alex Ogacho  

My first impressions as a physics exchange student in Berlin 

November 2003

Our arrival in Germany (Friday, 24th October, 2003) would  have been a real nightmare were it not for the determination of Ferdinand Streicher (participant of the exchange in 2000/01) to wait for our delayed flights. For this we highly appreciated his effort because it would have been very costly to find our accommodation. To make sure we were fully welcomed he did not forget German beers and to celebrate our first day in Deutschland. Germans seem to drink a lot of beer and to be chain smokers. If you are allergic to tobacco smoke then never visit Germany. The following day was a Saturday and we spent most of the day in the flat, but on Sunday Dr. Anthony Owinoh  (a former mathematics lecturer at the University of Nairobi, who now works at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research) and his brother Onyango came over to see us. Soon the weekend was over and we had to register as students of the Freie Universität (FU) Berlin.

On Monday, 28th October at 9 AM, Ferdinand Streicher and Phillip Schambach (participant of the exchange in 2001/02) came  to take us to the FU Berlin. Since Ferdinand studies at the Technische Universität Berlin, Phillip took over and introduced us to the FU Berlin staff. Also, Mr. Schambach helped us with the registration, insurance and in many other ways. For this we thank him very much. Also I would like to acknowledge the contributions of FU Berlin staff, especially Prof Dr. Bodo Hamprecht (Theoretical Physics - FU) and his Secretary, Mrs. Dietgard Mallwitz. We highly appreciate their kindness and  invaluable support. I have to admit it here that I have never met people so concerned, so kind  like Prof. Hamprecht and Mrs. Mallwitz. They treated us like our parents.  Even upto the moment I am writing this report (two months later, our official mail is delivered through Prof. Hamprecht). They were even willing to assist financially to ensure that we are comfortably settled in Germany.

Finally, we were registered as exchange students to work at the Hahn-Meitner Institute. The Hahn-Meitner Institute (HMI) is situated  in  a quite residential area in the southwest of the Berlin outskirts. We were taken to the institute by Mr. Schambach on the 28th October. We had to leave him at the gate due to security reasons, but all the same a good job he did.  At the gate we were met by our new boss and academic adviser Dr. Thomas Dittrich (head of eta group at HMI). He is a nice man. Dr. Dittrich helped us through the neccessary paper work and within 3 hours we had a HMI electronic identity card, thanks to the friendly and cooperative HMI staff. After taking a sour German lunch at the HMI cantine, Dr. Dittrich showed us around the laboratories and offices introducing us to the group members. Everybody looked happy and so did we.

Our residence at Wasgenstr. 75 is only a four minute walk to the nearest bus stop where we take a bus to Wannsee DB, and then a connection bus to HMI. The journey is really enjoyable. We pass Wansee Brücke, where one gets the rare opprtunity to see and admire the panoramic beauty of Wannsee (Lake Wann) as you ride to HMI in 10 minutes. The transport sytem here is very organised, bus and trains arrive in time and there are no congestion. In fact, one can live very far fron his place of work and with proper timing will still be arriving in time.

Most people working at HMI arrive from Wannsee (there is a train station there) and most mornings the bus is full and since many of HMI staff speak English, we have no problem exchanging early morning pleasantries before settling down to work. Generally, before I arrived in Germany, I was expecting to meet very hostile people. I had imagined people spitting or making wild noises whenever they see a foreigners. Now I think differently. There can maybe be unpleasant experiences but they must be very rare. We have even gone to East Berlin, where I feared hooligans there but so far I have not seen  racial attrocities directed at me or any other foreigner. Crime rate is low, many people behave honestly, but beware of hawkers. Some of them are cunning and can sell you dead electronics, pretending that "kein strom" (no electricity) is the sole reason. Also never get drunk and travel by train. If you are unlucky, your mobile phone and other valuables will go. One problem I see is the language. It is very important to speak the language of your host. At many occasions we have met people who really would like to speak to you, especially the elderly, but oh no, language barrier!

The research laboratories at HMI are well equipped for the work that is done there. The work ranges from basic research to practical applications.  HMI specialises in the investigation of structures of solid matter and of materials as well as new materials and in manufacturing techniques for photovoltaic cells. One interesting aspect about the institute is its composition. Every continent is represented. At HMI there is nearly all expertise required for interdiciplinary programmes. For instance when I need advice from chemists in my work on tailoring of TiO2 surfaces, I have ready assistance from postdoctoral chemists in our group, like Dr. Bayon Cabeza del Rocio. For technical measurements one can get assistance either from experienced technical staff or PhD students working with the equipment. The working environment is motivating, but you have to produce results because every Monday you have to put something for discussion on the table at 10 AM (compulsary "Montalk"). These talks are very good as they encourage hard work, especially for the students it acts as an invisible hand always pushing you to complete something.

Since  we have been here for only two months and it is very cold, many prefer to stay indoors unless they have something to do outdoors. However, summer will come and people will come out of their holes. Maybe then, we will learn and see more. Let us wait until then.

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Alex Ogacho, November 2003
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