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Martin Mullappallil Johney in Portugal

Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany

Martin in front of RWTH Aachen University’s SuperC Student Service Centre

Growing up between India and Canada all his life, Martin Mullappallil Johney, a computer science student, wanted to see the world outside of the countries that he calls home. His first Education Abroad program was an internship in Australia. Martin credits Australia for helping him overcome that initial fear of travelling abroad all by himself. When he started his application to the in Aachen, Germany, the novelty of studying abroad (and the nerves that come with it) had worn off, and he found himself exuding confidence.

Martin raves about his time in Australia, where he revelled in its dichotomy to Edmonton: warm weather and spectacular beaches to cold, frosty winters. His memorable first internship abroad incited the decision to do another one in Aachen. At , Martin worked on learning management systems, making changes to the user interface (UI) of the university’s Moodle system. 

“I figured that the small changes I make will be seen by a lot of students. I value the Go Abroad internships that I did more than my industry ones. I just learned a whole lot more, not just about technical skills, but also soft skills and non-technical skills,” he explains. 

Aachen was the perfect city for Martin because as a history buff, he truly appreciated its rich past. From its famous cathedral, constructed for the Emperor Charlemagne, to the city’s very own history museum, Centre Charlemagne, Aachen kept Martin more than entertained.
 

Outside of Aachen, he spent his weekends on trips organized by his program coordinator. One such trip to a national park in Germany proved to hold some of his favourite memories. Camping overnight, hiking, kayaking and bonding over bonfires in the dark was the ultimate break from his work week. 

He had free time to travel around not just Germany, but other parts of Europe as well. Portugal, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and most excitingly, Paris, in time to see the 2024 Olympics. He watched in awe as the city transformed into a multicultural venue, as police from multiple countries manned events in different uniforms and people gathered to watch. Martin even got to play volleyball in the Olympic stadium!

His work at the university allowed him to witness the nuances of computer science — how there are often multiple solutions to the same problem. And as he collaborated with people from different countries, in a country foreign to him, he found that this approach applied to more than just computer science. 

A common assumption is that communication is a mere byproduct of being human, that everyone can communicate in some form, via speech, writing, sign language or other non-verbal means. The nuances of communication are often overlooked, the barriers to not just mutual understanding, but connection. Language and culture are two intertwined barriers that together, are essential to effective communication. You can read about another culture all you want, but the only way to deconstruct that barrier is to immerse yourself in it. 

Martin initially overlooked this nuance himself, when he went into his internship expecting to be able to converse using English alone. While most people spoke English, he couldn’t inspire the same enthusiasm and vitality in his conversations that he took for granted when he spoke to native speakers of English. “If I talk to somebody in their native language, it's much easier to connect with that person.”

“Just seeing how different people or different teams work together to achieve a common goal, I think it just makes you a better developer in the end. To see these different perspectives and get a better sense of where people come from, it's much easier to connect with people.”

Martin’s attempts to learn German on Duolingo were less than successful, so he enrolled in a German language course at the university. As a traveller, you may not need to religiously immerse yourself in a culture to have fun, but a little effort goes a long way when you’re trying to integrate, even if it's temporary. 

Despite his minor qualms with communication, everything just seemed to line up for Martin — the wonderful experience he had in Aachen, his travels and even the rare opportunity to attend the Olympics.