#  A growing community 

 



   ![Carina 1](/sites/g/files/omnuum6391/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/iwl/files/carina_2.jpg?itok=AoZ-RoMf) 

 

Before reaching Germany, I was standing both in awe and in fear at all the unknown prospects that IWL promised to bring into my life. It was my first time participating in such an ambitious and complex program, and stepping inside the classroom for my first seminar felt like taking a leap into the unknown.

I could have never imagined that leaving Germany would mean leaving behind not only friendships, ideas, promises of future collaborations and joined research projects, but also, a community that continued to grow under my very eyes. The rich discussions, passionate lectures, relevant and illuminating topics and ideas that were shared both in the seminars and in the plenary talks are and forever will be proof of the outstanding opportunity that IWL stands for: meeting scholars from across the globe, who, despite sharing a common interest for Literature in all its shapes and forms, are so different.

   ![Carina 2](/sites/g/files/omnuum6391/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/iwl/files/carina_3.jpg?itok=rfWI3YlI) 

 

Our genuine interest in research and our willingness to build a safe space a community in its truest form were the currency we exchanged throughout the month of July 2022. In my opinion, the success of IWL 2022 has undoubtedly reached more than a singular aspect of one’s life.

**Carina Iulia Chereji**

**2022 IWL alumna, Johannes Gutenberg University**

**1st year PhD student**

**Faculty of Letters, University of Bucharest, Romania**