{"id":1291,"date":"2017-12-12T15:18:39","date_gmt":"2017-12-12T15:18:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/beta.ecum.ro\/?p=1291"},"modified":"2018-02-02T09:32:29","modified_gmt":"2018-02-02T09:32:29","slug":"find-out-more-about-the-ecumenical-semester-experience-from-two-german-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.ecum.ro\/?p=1291","title":{"rendered":"The Ecumenical Semester – Insider Experience!"},"content":{"rendered":"

The enrollment for the Ecumenical Semester 2019 has already started, and the organizers are excited to share with you the best reasons for why you should take part in it. Considering that the purpose of this program is to reveal to the attendees \u2013 mostly Lutherans \u2013 the mechanisms behind the Orthodox Church, the main activities concentrate on discovering the life, rituals and traditions of this Christian confession.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two of our participants are sharing the most interesting things they came to know after this experience.<\/p>\n

\"\"Anna Behnke<\/strong>\u00a0is 24 and took part in the Ecumenical Semester twice. She remembers the things she liked the most:<\/p>\n

I liked that there were people from many different places, nations and confessions and I had the opportunity to know their stories and discover their religion. I really liked visiting the monasteries and seeing how people live there; because the Lutheran church doesn\u2019t have this culture of monasteries and the only information I had about them came from the books I`ve read. I was impressed by how they live there. Visiting the monasteries and also meeting all those different orthodox people who told us what they do. Each one was different, and I liked when they told us about Orthodox Theology or what everyday life should be like, how marriage should be like; it was just interesting that there is a system behind everything. Sometimes it\u2019s different from our own, but not for the better or worse, it\u2019s just different, and I can appreciate that!<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"Sebastian too was most impressed with the differences between traditions, people and confessions. He is 30 and studies Lutheran Theology in Germany. But now, after the Ecumenical Semester he decided to stay a little bit longer in Romania, and that\u2019s why he\u2019s in an Erasmus Exchange Student within the Evangelical Theology Faculty in Sibiu. He is also established here with his family and told us that Romania is a beautiful country, where he likes to live:<\/p>\n

This last semester wasn\u2019t the first time when I visited Romania, I\u2019ve been here before because my wife is from Sibiu. I study Lutheran Theology and I found that I can study here, in Sibiu, in German language, with the Erasmus program. A friend of mine discovered it before and told me about the Ecumenical Semester. This sounded really interesting to me. I\u2019ve been in a small group; it was mostly like a little family. The differences impressed me the most. I learnt a lot of things about Orthodoxy and now I understand much better how it works. We\u2019ve made some trips, we\u2019ve visited monasteries, Armenian and Judaic Churches in Bucharest, the Unitarian Church in Cluj and the Greek-Catholic Church from Blaj, and many other interesting places. We also had the occasion to paint byzantine icons, which was a nice challenge.<\/em><\/p>\n

A Romanian Story<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Anna is not at her first experience in Romania. She told us how she finds our country and what were the reasons that made her stay one more year here, in Sibiu.<\/p>\n

\"\"First, I\u2019ve been here for one year after high school. I\u2019ve spent one year volunteering in a village close to Sibiu, and I also knew Sibiu because I have friends here and now it\u2019s my second year. Now I\u2019m here for an Erasmus semester from my Faculty in Germany, where I\u2019m in the fifth year of studies. <\/em><\/p>\n

I decided to stay here one more year because I really like living in Sibiu and I like living abroad, and I think I learned a lot living here, not just theology but also how people think about life. I think the church here is different than in Germany, people are different, culture also, and I just like being in a different country, so when will I have time to do this if not now? That\u2019s why I decided to stay another semester.<\/em><\/p>\n

There are many things that I enjoy in Romania: I like the mountains, the food, the fact that things are easier here and people are not so stressed like in Germany.<\/em><\/p>\n