The Ph.D. 'marathon' in Germany - My version
Ephraim Sekyi-Annan
I was awarded the scholarship in 2013 to pursue a Ph.D. in Agriculture at the Center for Development
Research (ZEF), University of Bonn. The scholarship was a collaborative funding arrangement between
the DAAD and the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Education. My experience in Germany
is a mixed bag.
The Ph.D. 'marathon' started off with a six-month intensive German language course in the Goethe
Institute in Accra, Ghana (for two months) and subsequently in Mannheim, Germany (for four months)
in order to facilitate my integration in the German society. Learning the language was, for me, not as
difficult as practicing it with the ordinary people in the street of such a cosmopolitan city as Bonn, as
some of the Germans also wanted to practice speaking English. Fortunately, I met some amazing
Germans (both in the university and in my dormitory) who were willing to speak with me in German,
and occasionally switched to English when the going got tough for me. Those guys helped me a lot and
I realized that my confidence in speaking German started increasing. Aside from the initial language
barrier, coping with the cold weather and the German food were also somewhat challenging. But with
time, I adjusted to the weather, and always tried to dress for it. The challenge with the German food
was overcome by exploring African and Asian grocery stores where a diversity of my favorite foodstuffs
were available.
I have had the opportunity to work with Germans, and other nationals, on several platforms, and in
professional networks, and also visited a couple of cities in Germany including, but not limited to,
Berlin, Köln, Dortmund, Frankfurt, Göttingen and Mainz, and my impression is that the Germans are
generally assiduous, law-abiding, and have a high sense of duty; although you could find some few
people breaking one rule or another, especially with traffic rules by Berliners.
As regards academics, I am currently approaching the finishing line of the 'marathon'. And just as the
most difficult part of a marathon is during the last few kilometers to the finishing line, the later part of
my Ph.D. study has been very challenging (with writing the thesis, publishing in peer-reviewed journals,
conference participations, concerns about scholarship expiration etc.), but I am gradually making
strides. My research focus was on improving water management in irrigation schemes in the Upper
East region of Ghana as an adaptation strategy against climate change and water scarcity, and so it
required an extensive field data collection which lasted for two years. Consequently, I applied for the
extension of my scholarship after I exhausted the first three years. And through the application
process, I realized that writing a good, detailed progress report coupled with the letters of
recommendation from the supervisors increased one's chances of securing an extension of the
scholarship.
In conclusion, pursuing a Ph.D. in Germany has been enriching, as it has exposed me to a mixed bag of
experiences in the German scientific, academic and socio-cultural environments. The competence I
have acquired over the period and the positive attitude I have learnt from the Germans would go a
long way to shape my work attitude back at the CSIR-Soil Research Institute in Kumasi, Ghana and to
enhance my delivery.
I am thus deeply indebted to the DAAD and the Government of Ghana for offering me this great
opportunity. Ich liebe Deutschland!