by VICTORIA SCHMIDT

There are 250 international students at the University of Flensburg. How many of them do you know?
The International Week on campus provides for international and local students the possibility of getting to know each other and sharing experiences about their stays here and abroad. It is organised and conducted by the staff of the International Office and student assistants.
From June 25th to July 3rd three main events take place.
The first event is the Spanish Day. It consists of several conferences which will be dealing with the Spanish culture, literature and art closely related to Spanish as a language. International guests will give lectures on these topics in Spanish and German. Moreover the Institute Cervantes will present a totally new certificate that is now available for students and teachers. The Spanish Day ends with a cultural show: According to the organisers there will be a live performance of Flamenco dancing and music.
The photo and video competition is one of the week’s highlights: Students were asked to submit either a photo or a video that expresses their individual impressions of their stay abroad. There was a free choice of motifs. The participants’ video or photo could be representing culture, nature or everyday student’s life in another country. Also humorous perspectives on such a stay were allowed.
These pictures and videos will be exhibited in the library and university building for three weeks in June - until the final decision day it is up to you to vote for the best picture or video. Then a jury will decide from the semi-finals who is going to win one of the three prizes in two categories: The first prize is an international trip. The second and third prizes are likewise part of the GO OUT Award which will be presented to the winners on July 1st. During the award evening there will be performances of dances from around the world.
The International Day is coined by the key aspect of the International Week: Intercultural interaction. Students from all over the world will be representing their countries and cultures in the Audimax and on campus in four tents resembling the four continents they are from. This will happen by approaching all senses: Either by wearing traditional clothes, bringing the delicacies of their native cuisine or displaying artistic objects. You will have the chance of not only seeing other cultures, but also getting in contact with their representatives at their exhibition tables. German students who have been abroad will join in this multicultural dialogue and provide information on and impressions of their own stay in a foreign country. Additionally the International Office will inform interested students of the more than sixty partner universities of the University of Flensburg.
At the talent show international students are literally going to perform the culture of their home in all its aspects the same day. The show will take place in the Audimax. Chinese songs are only one element of its varied program.
Organiser and co-ordinator of the International Office staff, Lucila Morales de Mittag, hopes that the International Week will become a regular event in the academic calendar. She stresses the interculturality of this week: On the one hand international students can get into contact with German students and culture, on the other hand local students can find ideas and motivation for a semester exchange or internship in a foreign country.
Completing this package of information and interaction, there is going to be a DVD about studying abroad which will include information on partner universities, experience reports and the photos and videos of the competition.
GO OUT is financed partly by the DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst) and it is an initiative from the German Ministry of Education and Research. Among the major sponsors which help execute the project are Sven Olsen Innovationsgesellschaft and the Flensburger Brauerei as well as other regional and national companies. There are also two non-profit organisations involved: Weltburger e.V. and the International Club which is part of the university’s protestant students’ community (ESG). All schools from Schleswig-Holstein will also be invited to participate in the activities.
This interest shows that the International Week is an event that has a promising program that you should not miss!

GO-OUT is a campaign for German students that shall motivate them to literally go out into the world and explore foreign countries by working and studying there. Especially, in Flensburg it shall increase international mobility of students from 3 to 10 per cent in order to help them gain new experiences world-wide and thereby develop their individual skills.

Events and their highlights:
• Spanish Day (06/25/08) Several conferences on Spanish language and culture (in German and Spanish), Institute Cervantes presents new certificate and explain virtual class, Show (e.g. Flamenco, live-music).
• Photo and Video competition (07/01) 2008 GO OUT Photo and Video Award
• Intercultural Day (07/02) Exhibitions in the Audimax and surrounding gardens, Intercultural Talent Show in Audimax.
• International Food from all over the world in the student cafeteria (Mensa) throughout the international week.
• Photo- & video exhibition in the library: 06/09/08 – 06/24/08 The photo exhibition might be moved to the “Rote Strasse” in Flensburg from the 3rd until the 19th of July.
• For further and up-to-date information checkout the International Office’s homepage: www.uni-flensburg.de/international/