Facts to know before and after you have come to Germany for your studies by Cromwell Kebenei, Simon Muturi Mburu & Moses Githinji

Introduction

 

This document provides tips and tricks for successfully completing an engineering degree at a German university. It gives you the general information before you start your studies and guides you through until the end of your studies.

 

Step 1: Before you start anything, here is a small but very important check list for you before you come to

 

Germany:

 

Nr.			Comments					Check
1	German		To the highest level possible (B2 and above), a very good
	Language		language proficiency will help you during your studies.
			You  will  be able  to understand  things  and be able  to
			complete your studies on time
			Attention! There will be a German exam as an entry exam
			to the University (Preparation courses at student College
			that takes a period of 1-year equivalent to two semesters).
			http://www.studienkollegs.de/
			-German  classes  are  very  expensive  in  Germany.  You
			better do your language classes in Kenya for example at
			Goethe	Institute		in	Nairobi:
			https://www.goethe.de/ins/ke/de/index.html
2	Driving Licence		Driving licence in Germany is very expensive. It can cost
			up to 300.000,00 KES and more.
			Attention!  After  arriving,  please  register  your  licence
			before six months are over! Otherwise, your licence will
			expire and will not be valid forcing you to start everything
			from zero again.
3	Age		Start doing things earlier as possible. For example, FSJ
			(The voluntary social year) maximum age 26 years (BFD
			over 27 years)
			If you are under 30 years your studies will be much cheaper
			and you will have enough time.
			Attention! Your studies can take over 8 years to get a
			degree due to work and study life abroad.
				1

4	Studies   are   based   in	You should note that German Universities are hard and are
	German language	offered in German language and not in English. Only a few
		of them are in English. If you want to work in Germany,
		then do the German courses
5	Finance 1	Bring  with you  some pocket  money for  the  start.  Get
		yourself a student job as soon as you are admitted at the
		University.
		Attention! Your family and relatives should know you are
		coming to study first and not to work to send money home.
		Many students get stressed and frustrated by their families
		and relatives by requesting money all the time. This affects
		many  students  studying  abroad  and  they  end  up  not
		finishing their studies in time or even failing exams terrible
		and get disqualified at the University
6	Self-discipline and time	You will be alone, and you will be the one to decide about
	management	your future abroad. Germans work with time. You should
		inform yourself about applications datelines as early as
		possible.
		Attention! This comprises all paperwork e.g., contracts,
		letters,  payment  of  bills  and  appointments.  Missing
		speculated  datelines  might  cost  you terrible and  might
		affect your visa in Germany
7	Networking	Get  connections  with  friends  and  people  living  in
		Germany. This will help you prepare very well to start your
		life in Germany smoothly.
8	Financial requirement by	Since  January  2020,  the  anticipated  annual  standard
	the German government	requirement to be transferred to the blocked bank account
	to get a Visa with work	when applying for a visa was increased to about €10236.
	Permit  and  to  study  in	00 (Bank statement of over a million in Kenyan shillings).
	Germany	Your parents should be able to get you this amount or if
		you are very good enough you can apply for scholarships
		once you are here. Or safe a lot while doing your FSJ or
		Au-Pair.
		2

9	University pass mark	C + and above
		If  you  have  a  grade  lower  than  this  then  you  should
		consider  doing  vocational  training  (Berufsausbildung)
		first.
		Attention! Your grade will be added to the grade that you
		will get at your preparatory course (Studienkolleg) and it
		will be divided by two. If you will work hard you will
		definitely improve your KCSE grade. Make sure you work
		harder
		- A good grade can help you get a good scholarship.
10	Your documents	Make sure your names in all your documents are the same.
		Any slight difference might block your visa processes and
		paperwork

 

 

Step 2: Chose your best way to go to Germany. Here is a short check list for you:

 

Nr.

Comments

Check

1

Direct  application  to  a

Choose your field of studies and the University and contact

German University

Uni assist for the application process: https://www.uni-

assist.de/ .

You

may

choose

your

courses

here:

https://www2.daad.de/deutschland/studienangebote/intern

ational-programmes/en/.

We would recommend this step for  someone who has

completed his Bachelors in Kenya and intending to do his

or her master’s degree and above in Germany

Attention! This step requires a lot of paperwork and you

should adhere to the University datelines which are always

15. January and 15. Jun every year.

2

FSJ (The voluntary social

-Age- between 16 and not older than 26 years old

year)

-The application is always before march or September

every year

3

-  The start of a voluntary service can be agreed individually with the responsible agency. As a rule, however, the voluntary service begins in September

 

-  FSJ is possible only once, for up to 18 months. It cannot be prolonged

 

-You will need to provide either the A1 certificate from the Goethe Institute, or a KCSE certificate from KNEC with minimum grade of B minus (B-). The certificate should not be older than 4 years and should be TestDAF recognized.

 

Attention! If you are intending to study in Germany, then ignore this and you should know you need a language proficiency of B2 and above

 

-You will pay for your own flight of about 50.000,00 KES and visa fees of about 10.000,00 KES.

 

-Although you do not receive a salary, the institution where you do your FSJ can pay you pocket money. Nationwide, the range is between 150 and 500 euros. In addition, allowances are often paid for meals and accommodation. -Importantly your pocket money and social security

 

contributions per month. (Pension insurance, unemployment insurance and your health insurance will be paid for). Note paying for your pension at your 20s will make you have enough money during your retirement period.

 

-  The following voluntary services are available:

 

•       in child and youth work institutions.

 

•       in health care(hospitals) and care for the elderly organisations.

 

•       in a sports club.

 

•       in a cultural institution or school.

 

•     in  environmental  and  nature       conservation

 

associations.

 

•       in landscape and monument conservation.

 

 

4

-   One works a Max of 40 hours a week. One is given around 30 days off per year.

 

Attention! Only in very rare cases does an FSJ improve the KCSE (Final Exam) grade (In this case your average grade after Studienkolleg). In special cases, bonus points are awarded for the FSJ, which raise the grade point average by up to 0.2 points.

 

Finally, the voluntary social year offers you the chance to do something meaningful and practical for yourself and others. It enables you:

 

−      to test you with your abilities and skills in practice and to further develop your personality and competencies

 

−      To learn the German culture and to improve your personal orientation abroad. You will encounter with different people and will help you understand the German community very well. This is very important before you join your university

 

−      to know social occupational fields and professional orientation

 

−       -to get involved in society and help to shape it

 

−      To get experiences fun and joy together with others

 

−      To improve your language proficiency

 

You will also get a certificate after your volunteer which will help you get a job easily during your studies and after your studies.

 

3                                                                    Au-Pair -You will need to provide either the A1 certificate from the Goethe Institute, or a KCSE certificate from KNEC with minimum grade of B minus (B-). The certificate should not be older than 4 years and should be TestDAF recognized.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5

Attention! If you are intending to study in Germany, then ignore this and you should know you need a language proficiency of B2 and above

 

-You will pay for your own flight. Some families pay for you and deduct from your monthly pocket money in instalments. Maybe one can be lucky, and the families take up the flight cost and you mustn't pay back. -monthly allowance around 280 per month

 

-Babysitting, small housework like what we do back at home (vacuum cleaning, mopping, folding clothes, ironing) sometimes cooking. One works a Max of 20 hours a week. One is given an off day.

 

-Au- pair programme is 1 year. It cannot be prolonged (strictly as an au pair)

 

-Age- between 18 and not older than 26 years old

 

-If you and your intended host family are related, in principle no Au Pair visa could be issued.

 

-As an au pair your main goal is to learn the German culture and better the German language. Focus on that. The host families are also excited to learn from the au pair's country/culture. Do not be afraid to share about your background and esp. to avoid miscommunication.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

General Information if you plan to Start Engineering Degree Program

 

•       Network with people who have experience in the field you wish to study. E.g., postgraduate students in your field

 

•       Undertake an internship programme in your field of study. Many courses require an internship before you start and after your studies. The minimum requirements do vary from course-to-course. Internships will also help you in:

 

•       Building a good foundation in your course of study and get more experiences.

 

•       To easily get a part-time job in your field of Study and after studies

 

6

•       Awarded certificates strengthen your resume and opens many doors for your career in the future

 

•       Advice: If possible, start with an educational programme (Ausbildung) and pursue your engineering studies later

 

Study Location

 

•       Financial Security. Live in Big Cities or near them because you will be able to find yourself a student's job easily

 

•       Good transport connections to save time to work or to your university

 

•       Availability of student accommodation or affordable housing

 

•       Preferably apply for a dormitory room for at least one year before the start of your studies.

 

University vs. Hochschule

 

Success depends on your efforts.

 

In general, there are no major differences between University and Hochschule

 

University Characteristics			Hochschule Characteristics
•  Theoretical lectures in large groups			•  Practice-oriented lectures in small groups
•  A person must be good at time management			•  Good contact with professors
•	A person must be very disciplined		•	Good supervision
•	Prepares you for research		•	Prepares you for the world of work

 

 

 

Tips for International Students

 

Before starting your degree

 

•       Do NOT miss the orientation week

 

•       Look for a Mentor

 

•       Plan your semester at the beginning of the semester. this includes: o Plan your working days and Uni-Days properly

 

o Know what is going to be taught in that semester. Try and to figure the five W’s of (How, Where, Why, When, What, Who) going to be taught

 

o  Prepare all learning materials needed

 

o  Choose the number of subjects that can realistically be covered at that semester.

 

 

 

 

7

During the semester

 

•       Preparation of the next lecture

 

•       Get all assignments done on time

 

•       Re-reading of the day’s lectures

 

•       Plan your learning period for the end-of-term exam as early as possible.

 

•       Especially for hard topics

 

•       Know the difficulty of the subject. Take more time for the difficult subjects.

 

•       Get involved in social and academic networks. For example, at AStA parties, symposium, festivals, Student Council, and social events

 

•       Do not wait for things to be done for you even during group works and projects. (Always do your part on time)

 

•       Be independent! Do it yourself!

 

•       Stop pushing or post ponding your exams to next semesters. Things might pile up and will make your studies harder or even get expelled from the university.

 

During Holiday

 

•       Preparation of the failed Exams. Do not wait and wait for many semesters in order to repeat them. Just do the exams sooner again

 

•       Working to finance the coming Semester. You need financial security during start of semester and during the exam period

 

•       Financial stability is very important

 

After Studies

 

^➢    Two Option

 

Master’s degree                                           _Job

 

•       Dual Master

 

•       Fulltime Master

 

•       Both of the has it’S Advantages and Disadvantages.

 

 

 

 

 

•       Not the End of Education

 

•       Search for further education in various engineering organisations such as VDI

 

•       Start in Trainee Programs

 

•       Participate in volunteer internships during the waiting periods

 

•       During the waiting periods, you enrol in another degree programme while you wait for your job to start.

 

 

 

 

8

The gateway to Germany started here

The vision of my father motivated me

 

Worship: Are the Christian and Kapkoros Worship Compatible? A Christian Scholar's Perspective

Like many of you, I  follow “Kokwetab Cheison” religiously whenever I can! I need to add that the quality of the invited panelists leading various discussions in this show summons many a people to get glued to the screens of their electronic devices every Sunday!

Dr. Cheison, the host of this show, posed an interesting question to  Pastor Chemagar Arap Ng’etich. He asked whether or not there lies the possibility of “resurrecting” back to life the religious practices and worship of the Nandi-speakers (later Kalenjins) today, as well as how this might play out with Christianity? Pastor Chemagar, a Christian thinker and a thoroughgoing anthropologist with expertise on the oral and material culture of the Kalenjin people, briefly discussed this question with me during our panel interview on August 2^nd, 2020.

My goal in this writing is, to sum up and solidify our response by providing a more cogent and pointed answer. Firstly, the program has sought to largely draw a comparison between the Hebrew Bible ( Old Testament) and the religious beliefs and practices of the Nandi speakers. The program has further shown that the similarities can be traced back to the contact of the ancient Israelites with natives of Egypt ( Nandi speakers are said to have emigrated many years from Egypt to their present location in East Africa).  The success of this comparison, in my opinion, has shown that present in both of these religious orientations is the expectation of a savior. For ancient Israel, there is a longing desire and wait for a Messiah who will bring deliverance to Israel and inaugurate a new Kingdom (see Daniel 7). On the other hand, the Nandi speakers performed their sacrifice of worship while foreseeing a savior. Mr. Ng’etich described this figure as Kigen, weri bo tie. This figure, upon his arrival, will complete the practice of sacrifice worship (Compare with Gen. 3:15).

For Israel, however, the messianic expectation gained momentum especially after exile and leading into the 400 silent years between the two testaments of the Bible. During this period of silence, there arose several “messiahs” who over time failed to meet the expectation as laid out by the prophets of the past. They were later described as pretenders of the Messiah.  When Jesus came, he proclaimed the kingdom of God, he died, resurrected, and ascended to heaven. All these events catalyzed an ongoing discussion on his identity as the Messiah. His disciples then went around preaching and teaching that Jesus Christ was indeed the messiah and so Judaism and its expectation for a messiah had been fulfilled in the person of Jesus. He is the expected Messiah, they argued, and so there is no need for the continued religious practices of animal sacrifices. Of course, this claim did not go down well with the conservative Pharisees and religious leaders of Judaism in Israel. Hence this belief became a point of departure between Judaism and Christianity. Judaism to date is still waiting for a Messiah. They deny that Jesus son of Joseph was the Messiah. Christianity, however, proclaims that Jesus is the Messiah. Those who left Judaism for this new belief included not only the 12 disciples but the leading religious elite among the Jews at the time. They include; Nicodemus, a member of the Pharisee council, the wealthy Joseph of Cyrus, and Paul, the learned Jewish legal expert ( he was trained by Gamaliel, a distinguished teacher of Jewish law) among others. So, for Christianity, the practice of sacrifice worship had come to an end since Jesus Christ had died and resurrected to life. His death had completed the ritual of animal sacrifice system that was in existence among the Israelites. Again, as I have shown above, Judaism (a religious practice of the Jews) could not accede to the claims of Jesus as the Christ. They went on observing the ritual of offering sacrifices to Yahweh, for the forgiveness of their sins.

At the heart of the Christian gospel, however, is the teaching that the ritual of offering sacrifice to please God is over because Jesus has become an acceptable sacrifice for our sins once and for all (Hebrews 9.11-28).

To answer the question, therefore, whether to bring back the ritual of offering sacrifice at Kapkoros is in itself not a bad idea ( I shall return to this point shortly). However, it is irreconcilable with claims of the gospel as articulated in the New Testament. Christianity is birthed in the New Testament. If Jesus is the “Kigen”, the expected savior by the Nandi speaking people, then the practice of animal sacrifice at Kapkoros has no meaning anymore. Because Jesus has become the sacrifice once and for all (Hebrews 10:8-10).  And if we have been forgiven, a sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary (Heb.10:18).  A Nandi speaker, who has accepted Jesus as his/her savior cannot hold both religious beliefs at the same time. For such will lead to the sin of syncretism. A serious sin that got Israel in trouble, especially as taught in the book of Hosea. They worshipped Yahweh by sticking to his regulation of worship at the place of worship while also subscribing to the religious practices of the Gentiles.

So, can I be a Christian while still holding on to the ritual sacrifice of Kapkoros? No! Because the point of departure between the two is quite sharp. Like Judaism and Christianity, both cannot cook in the same pot! Put differently, the religious practices and worship of the Nandi people, while at the surface is similar to Christianity, is, however, fundamentally different in its claims and practice.

 How then should we proceed from here? Let me make three suggestion;

Way forward 1: One has to choose either one of the two.

An important question however is; can we return to our religious practices of Kapkoros as it were BEFORE the coming of Christianity? A simple answer is Yes and No!  Various reasons can be articulated here for the "NO", but I will mention two in quick passing. Firstly, Nandi speakers, like the rest of Africans (by extension those in the global south) have been impacted by modernity, even further by post-modernity. Our interaction and interrogation of the sacred is different from the rich conception of our fathers/mothers and grandfathers/mothers of the past. Even those of us in the business of Christian theologizing in Africa today, our challenge constantly is making sense of the gospel in the face of the shifting and complex identities of our modern African societies. The challenge can be said to be further complicated for our traditional religious beliefs because  (for lack of a better word) of the memory loss.

Secondly, because we are an oral tradition (orthodox custodian of these traditions are aging away and dying) and compounded with memory loss, some people have taken advantage and are masquerading as legitimate priests or the “right” people to lead the ritual of worship at Kapkoros. Seldom do they invite the community to reflect the critical tenets of this religion. They seem to be interested in money or power (Power is a critical currency in African traditional religions. The divinization of priests is due to the view that they are closer to the divine. This acts as the same reason why some pastors today manipulate their congregation easily. Hence a system of accountability is key in a religious institution). With all these put together, the “resurrection” of our traditional religion in its orthodox sense is going to be hard.  Unlike Christianity where the church for instance has retained and passed down the memory of its teaching through the constant reading of the written text that is available in various dialects.

Yet still, it can be brought back, but in part. As Dr. Cheison reiterated in one of the episodes of the show, that one can institute a sacred corner for worship in their homestead. While it will lack the communal aspect of gathering at a centralized place, at least this will enable a family to re-institute worship as traditionally practiced by a household and led by the head of the household. Think of it as a sort of a "home church.”

Way forward 2: To counter the effect of modernity, we need to ask ourselves, what is it that we want to bring back? The symbolic practices or the values underneath those practices? I will argue that we need to bring back the values. This we can achieve by asking ourselves what values were embedded in the practices of this indigenous religion and then seek to re-interpret them into our current belief system. The symbols and practices were both communicative and educational. It also served as the vehicle for passing down the teachings/doctrine (memory retainer). Some of the values that I see in these practices include; holiness, the sanctity of life, generosity and hospitality, environmental justice, etc. Such values, I would argue, find more resonance with the gospel and teachings of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. The Late Prof. John  Mbiti, a leading scholar of African Traditional religion [ATR] pioneered research on this perspective. He argues that Jesus -as the son of God- is the only new concept introduced by missionaries to the African religious worldview and philosophy. He sees continuity between ATR and Christianity. I would add, however, that this son of God is God incarnate, our brother, and the firstborn over all creation. In becoming human, God is establishing a relationship with us ( Tilya ne nnyo). Relationships are valued among the Kalenjin people (by extension all African cultures).

Way forward 3: I think the question could be framed differently. By this I mean, since both Christianity and the "Kapkoros” religion are competing ‘faiths’ then the question could be asked: Can we bring back the “Kapkoros” religion? This is independent of what Christianity might ‘think’ or ‘argue’. I would argue that the juxtaposition of the two as raised in the original question is unfair. Indeed, the question assumes a comparison that often needs to be justified. The two are unique 'faiths' in their own right even if they share similarities and ancient contact. So, when the question is posed to an adherent of the “Asis" religion, and a Christian, both will approach this question with a certain bias. I think this juxtaposition should not be the primary concern of the question. However, it can be asked at a secondary level.

By

Birgen K.M. Arap Cheruiyot

Ph.D. Candidate,

McGill University, Montreal, QC

Canada.

About Pastor Mathew

Name: Birgen Kipchumba M. Araap Cheruiyot Family Name: Kapken, of Kipchamo Location, Plateau Uasin Gishu. Marriage Status: Single. Trained church minister with the Africa Inland Church, Kenya. Education: Bachelor of theology (Hons) : Scott Theological College M.A in Old Testament and Biblical Languages (Cum Laude): Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, MA (USA) M.A Theological Studies (Distinction) : Concordia University, Montreal Canada. Ph.D. Religious Studies (ongoing) : McGill University, Montreal Canada. Research Interests: Hebrew Bible, Old Testament Ethics, Immigration and Public Policy, African Biblical Hermeneutics).

The inventor and innovator: My patent landscape

 Am I allowed to share a glimpse of my invention/innovation landscape? Well, here is a brief catalogue of what is currently in the public domain.

1. Denatured Zein

2. Protein blends

3. Petfood Product

4. Whey protein

To be continued!