Marianna is a PhD student at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. She has a Master's degree in Information Systems and is at TMDT for one year.

Her area of expertise is: Artificial Intelligence Ethics.

How was your first day in Wuppertal?

Really nice, everybody was very friendly and inviting.

How was your arrival at the Institute?

It took me some time to learn the route using the public transport, but I found my way well enough after all. At the university, I felt welcomed, and everything worked out very well. I got introduced to the place and some of the people, though at the time most people were doing home office still due to covid restrictions.

How did you get accepted at the institute?

Even though everybody else normally speaks German, people try to include me. It has been nice that people include me even though I’m a bit introverted!

How did you get supported?

I always got help when I had problems with something, technical or otherwise, and I always know I can reach out to someone when I need help.

What do you like about TMDT, what don't you like?

I really like the working culture here, and having some nice group activities going on, like the hiking trips.

What was new in your studies?

I witnessed the tradition of the "doctor's hat" where the colleagues of the newly graduated doctor create a small crafted presentation of the new doctor's academic journey on top of the hat. Such a fun tradition!

What is the biggest difference between here and your home university?

I feel that the role of PhD students is different in Germany. In Finland, at least in my experience, PhD students have more „student“ responsibilities than in Germany. We even have a course curriculum to finish, which doesn’t seem to be the case in Germany. Naturally we also conduct our own research in Finland, but the expectations of the role seem a bit different here. I don’t think either way is better than the other, just different. It has been good to experience both!

What is the biggest difference between your hometown and Wuppertal?

Like almost any town in Finland, Jyväskylä is much smaller. Wuppertal is more urban and quite a lot bigger. Even though there’s less nature than in Jyväskylä, it’s nice that it’s still not an all-concrete city, there’s also natural hiking paths and a bit of green here and there when you go out of the most urban areas.

Where did you stay?

In a private rental apartment in the Western side of town.

How was your stay?

The public transport from my home takes a bit longer to the university than expected, otherwise it has been a nice place to live in. I have usually found some stuff to do in the area surrounding Wuppertal, it’s really convenient that you can so easily travel to some of the bigger cities, and even Berlin is not impossibly far away.

What were your first german words?

I already learned German before I came to Germany, but my first takes from the area specific words are: eine Tüte for a bag, and of course, die Schwebebahn.

What was the best trip during your stay in Wuppertal?

I have enjoyed visiting Cologne and Düsseldorf a lot for shopping, bars and restaurants, but I also made trips to other places around Germany.

Have you taken the Schwebebahn already?

Of course! I actually use it every time I come to the university or go to the city, so I got quite familiar with it. I also find it very cute that there is some fruit candy shaped like the Schwebebahn!

What is the best food in Town?

I really like Hans im Glück - I love the concept that you can get a cocktail with a burger meal. From a Finnish point of view that’s very exotic! I’m sure there are also some hidden gems in the city I haven’t tried yet.