This new semester has started of with meeting a lot of new faces since all of the exchanges students last semester were only here for a semester. I was one of the few to stay the whole year and it was hard to adjust once again to all the newcomers. Thankfully I have some german friends that like me stayed all the year. The first week was a little repetitive with all the same events, but I did them again to get to know the new exchange students. The highlight was a weekend that included a pub crawl of Koblenz, a visit to the nearby Marksburg Castle, and finally a beer brewery where we got to do some beer tasting and have a look at the factory. Other than that, I went Rotterdam to visit a french friend that I made last semester in his town and I had a blast, taking also one of my good friends that I made here already. Another great experience was that I made friends with a french guy that invited me to go to Paris for the weekend so we hopped in his car and got to meet one of the most amazing cities I have ever been to. Other than the traveling, I have had fun helping out in Taushie Tuesdays, which is every tuesday and a different country prepares typical food from their country at a local bar and everyone comes to have food and drinks. Last Tuesday we made tacos and they were a hit. Now I am planning to Berlin this weekend to visit some friends and family. I will keep you updated.
This new semester has started of with meeting a lot of new faces since all of the exchanges students last semester were only here for a semester. I was one of the few to stay the whole year and it was hard to adjust once again to all the newcomers. Thankfully I have some german friends that like me stayed all the year. The first week was a little repetitive with all the same events, but I did them again to get to know the new exchange students. The highlight was a weekend that included a pub crawl of Koblenz, a visit to the nearby Marksburg Castle, and finally a beer brewery where we got to do some beer tasting and have a look at the factory. Other than that, I went Rotterdam to visit a french friend that I made last semester in his town and I had a blast, taking also one of my good friends that I made here already. Another great experience was that I made friends with a french guy that invited me to go to Paris for the weekend so we hopped in his car and got to meet one of the most amazing cities I have ever been to. Other than the traveling, I have had fun helping out in Taushie Tuesdays, which is every tuesday and a different country prepares typical food from their country at a local bar and everyone comes to have food and drinks. Last Tuesday we made tacos and they were a hit. Now I am planning to Berlin this weekend to visit some friends and family. I will keep you updated.
I am getting to the end of my first exchange semester in Vallendar, Germany and I have had a blast. I have met so many new people that I will never forget and it will be very hard for me to say goodbye to all of them. This last month I finally put my traveling pants on and was leaving almost every weekend with a group of 3. The group was made up of a spaniard named Ismael that is in his masters, but we have been close ever since I got here in Germany naturally becoming friends because of the language of spanish that we both have as our native, but mostly because he is also a Real Madrid fan from Madrid. The other two components of the group are two italian girls (Debora and Eleonora) that we have become fond of because of the good times we have with them. The first weekend of this month we went to Copenhagen where I was also able to see my cousin that lives there and she was able to go out with us the 2 nights we were there.
Copenhagen
We took a break the following weekend and took a day trip to Heidelberg that has a great castel with a view and a beutiful town where you can spend the whole day walking. That day I was also invited to the anual party organized by the Quischies, which are the incoming Freshmen. The party was held in the basement of the university and it was a great party with of course free beer.
Heidelberg
The next weekend I was lucky to be invited to Italy by Debora to the city where she studies at which is Milan. We had a blast and the best was that I was able to meet her friends and enjoy the city with people that are from there. I even go the chance to celebrate the graduation of one of Debora’s friends that graduated from Bocconi and we were invited to the after party. The weekend was great and then we had to get ready for the work in the week.
Milan Train Station
This last weekend I was lucky to go to London with the usual group and we did all the typical sight seeing including the Big Ben, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, but also a few alternative places like Camden town and the Tate modern that I recommend a lot! I love traveling with this group and I know we will continue to be in contact in the years to come. Now we have been back for the past week studying because we have exams coming up this week and the following. Unfortunately we have a test on the 22nd of December, but I will leave the 23rd for Berlin and spend Christmas with my aunt and uncle that are from my mothers side because my grandpa is fully German.
This month started off with a great German trips by visiting Koblenz which is 10 minutes on bus from Vallendar. This is the city where the two rivers, the Rhein and the Mosel meet. We walked around and took the cable car to a old fortress that is on the other side of the Rhein in the highest point where you can get the best view of Koblenz and the surrounding Rheinland-Phlaz area.
This is the view from the fortress.
These weeks were a little bit more calm after the crazy Oktoberfest experience and I went hiking near Koblenz to visit a castle called the Dragon’s castle.
After some studying and a bit more relaxing weekend we made our way up to Holland to visit Amsterdam! It was a blast and we rented an Airbnb between 15 people that came along for the fun.
Great time with some great people.
After Amsterdam’s fun times we had to study for about a week to prepare for exams. If you come to the university of WHU you will soon realize that the semester is split into quarters. Therefor we had final exams this week where we in Tamu would have mid-semesters exams.
After exams we were able to relax a little bit and we took a day trip to Trier and Luxembourg City. It was a great way to enjoy the beautiful colors of fall.
The picture on the left is the Porta Negra in Trier that was one of the 4 doorways to the ancient city.
The most anticipated event of the year for the Vallendar community took place the first weekend of November and it is called Euromasters. Many different Business Universities from all over Europe come and participate in sports events ranging from rowing, soccer, basketball to cheerleading. The events started on Friday and ended on Saturday, but from Thursday night to Saturday night there were full on parties with the many students from all over Europe. I am living in a fraternity house that hosted 50 students from France and Belgium and I was able to meet a lot of cool people. Also I hosted 3 of my good friends from Stuttgart, one being the guy I met in Texas A&M when he came to study abroad. The parties had so many people that they had to be hosted in an airplane hangar! The weekend was a success and this past weekend I took a relaxing trip to visit some old family friends in Saarland, which is the smallest Bundesland(State) in Germany on the border with France and Luxemburg. I was glad to see them and we had a fun weekend visiting the region and on Sunday watching the local soccer team win 6-4 in the regional league.
This was in the gym where they hosted the sports events. When the picture was taken, there was a mascot battle taking place between the universities.
Stay tuned for the next month. Today we are going to head to Copenhagen, next week Milan, and the first weekend of December is London!
If you are going to come to Germany, I 100% recommend you plan your trip so you are able to be here in the end of September to the beginning of October. The simple answer as to why is the biggest beer festival in the world, Oktoberfest. I have a German friend that I met in his semester abroad in Texas A&M. He lives in Stuttgart so I gave him a call and he let us stay at his place for the weekend. This started the weekend off right because we went to the second biggest Oktoberfest in the world on Friday which is in Stuttgart. It is called Wassen and it was a blast because it is not as touristy as the Munich Oktoberfest and twice the number of Germans. Saturday came around and we were in Munich to see the original Oktoberfest. It was amazing to see so many people having fun and we stayed there the whole day. After a much needed weekend of partying in Bavarya, I hit the books and started preparing for my two midterm presentations and a few tests.
I arrived in Vallendar Germany late August with all sorts of excitement for my study abroad. I wasn’t sure what to expect about the city, because pictures rarely do justice. However, it definitely met and even exceeded my expectations. Vallendar is a very quaint town on the Rhine river. The town is full of the classical half timber house construction. It is located on a section of the river filled with all sorts of old and beautiful castles. These are easy to get to and are seen even on train rides leaving from Koblenz towards some of the major cities. The terrain is generally hilly and so far, has had almost perfect weather for my first month here. There are plenty of grocery stores within walking distance as well. My first experience in a German grocery store was a little interesting and confusing, but all of the people were very helpful and gave me assistance. After a few trips I had it figured out pretty well!
Orientation Week
Orientation week for Tauschies, what they call us exchange students, was fantastic and made meeting everyone a lot easier. We had a fun rally in Koblenz where we split into teams and had to complete various challenges for points. One of them included creating a chant about WHU (There are very spirited students and love chants). We also did a wine tasting tour in Boppard, a nearby town. The Rhine area is famous for its wine and specifically Riesling. We walked through all of the vineyards while trying different types of wine. One of the last events we did was an international dinner. The students were split up into their countries of origin and told to make a small amount of food that is representative of their home countries. We were then each introduced individually and shared about our food and country. Naturally, I was part of a group that made PB&J sandwiches. We then went into their vaulted cellar beneath the school and celebrated while eating everyone’s food. In the end, the orientation week really helped kick off the semester excellently!
First few weeks have been a blast!! The university (WHU) has such a good integration program to get you to meet new exchange students (called tauschies) and also to meet Germans going to the school. I have met so many amazing people and we have already made trips to Colonia and Koblenz with the group of friends. I am learning more german every day and the classes I am talking are really interesting. I will keep you posted (sneak peak, there will be a trip to Berlin this weekend and more pictures to come)
This first picture was after a the city tour of Vallendar.
This picture is from a typical German restaurant where we had dinner after the regional tour that included wine tasting and a hike through the vineyard.
I finally am back in the Sates, and it feels so good! I’m soooo happy to be back with my family and friends. 6 months doesn’t sound too long, but the last two weeks just waiting for your flight home feels like forever. It’s nice to have my own bed again, my dogs, friends, iced water, and home cooked meals! I also missed our groceries. It sounds like such a silly thing, but I didn’t realize how lucky we were to have such variety with our groceries. I can find strawberries, asparagus, spinach, and all other sorts of foods again! I never thought I would miss the Houston heat and humidity as much as I did. Looking back on it, it was a good idea to come back right before school started. I missed having structure and a semi daily schedule while in Germany, so I’m “excited” about school starting again.
But my last few weeks in Europe were amazing. I went to some of the most beautiful places. My favorite was most definitely Stockholm. There’s just something about Stockholm and Sweden. The buildings were beautiful, and of course you can find these old style buildings almost anywhere in Europe, but the atmosphere in Stockholm seemed to be a little different. There’s everything-outdoors, food, night life, swimming, hiking, music. It was also nice being able to visit one of my best friends from Germany. She’s from Stockholm so she was able to show us the insider, local things to do!
We also made it to Copenhagen, which is such a cool place! So colorful and lively. We were able to visit friends who studied at A&M last fall, so we got another real local experience in Copenhagen as well. It’s not too big so were able to see almost everything. We went to the Carlsberg brewery, took a boat tour, went to this delicious food area on the water. There’s this really cool hidden place in the middle of the city-Christiania. It’s almost like their own city within the city. From what I understood, squatters took over this abandoned area a while ago and turned into their own little neighborhood; the sell drugs, jewelry, live there without paying rent, and apparently the cops kind of turn their heads. But it’s pretty neat. And of course, we made it to the famous street with all the colorful houses-and it’s as cute as everyone says.
One of my best friends from home came to visit and fly home with me, and so we made a little circle. We started in Strasbourg, then to Luzern, and finally back to Stuttgart. Strasbourg is so cute and quaint. I was a little hesitant because I heard there wasn’t much to do there, and just really similar to Germany. But I disagree. Strasbourg is very small, but there are such cute areas and streets to walk through. It is one of the cutest cities I’ve seen. We also saw this unique water show that happens once a year. It’s very french. And there was also an awesome light show on the cathedral at night. I wish I could explain it better, but I can’t. It was amazing.
We finally made it Luzern, and it is just breathtaking. The weather was also perfect, finally! Sunny and perfect to sit by the water. Our first day there we hiked Mount Pilatus-we could only hike the beginning of the trail and then we took a cable car up to the top. Unfortunately, it was a little cloudy, but that didn’t ruin the view whatsoever. It was also a nice surprise that Switzerland wasn’t THAT expensive. That’s all I heard about Switzerland before we went to, but it wasn’t horrible. Restaurants were a but pricey, but that can be anywhere so you just have to deal with that.
And finally-home! I will always love Germany…but I’m glad I live in Texas.
This month was a little more hectic than the last few ones. I did a summer school program through Hohenheim, which counted as a class, but it was quite the load. In a good way. This month was also exam period, so I had a few things going on. I was on campus for most of July!
This summer program was really great though. We had lectures every morning, and depending on the schedule we either had another lecture in the afternoon or we got to tour some firm in the Stuttgart area. This was such an awesome opportunity to see first hand how german businesses work. We visited a few start up firms, the porsche factory, the Stuttgart Stock Exchange, the European Patent Office, and the biotech industry in Heidelberg. My favorite places were the stock exchange, the patent office, and the Porsche factory. We got to do a simulation at the stock exchange, which I thought was great. We traded stocks as if we were the market leaders-it actually helped me understand how that type of stuff works now! Or at least a better feel for it. These are just things that I would never be able to do if it weren’t for this program. Our lecturers were also great and extremely knowledgeable; this year was focused on innovation and start ups, so it was nice to learn about something totally new. I’m not very interested in that kind of stuff, but it’s nice now to have some background now in those topics.
While in Munich, we visited the Nymphenburg Palace and Dachau. Dachau was unbelievable. I got this weird feeling-it’s absolutely morbid but you’re just sort of amazaed/shocked at the same time. It’s chilling being in the exact same place where such horrific things happened. We also went to Tuebingen one day. This town is also so cute! Very similar to Esslingen in my opinion. Very traditional-cute old houses, cobble stone streets, wood everywhere. The river also runs through the town! They also have markets on Saturdays with fresh foods-it’s delicious! Our last day we celebrated with a wine tour in a vineyard nearby in Fellbach! It was so cute. We visited a little wine cellar, and the owner took us through the vineyard and gave a few of the local wines. I couldn’t really understand what they said, but all the wines were delicious! It was a nice way to end the semester and exams.
Besides the summer program, I still had to study for my exams. It was the same old same old, but it was kind of cool studying in a palace. The library was beautiful actually-but no AC. I still don’t get that! It gets miserable and stuffy very quick when there is no AC. Another thing I will never get use to!
This month was more relaxed and focused on school, after having almost a whole month without it. I know it’s weird, but I enjoy having school and a schedule to follow. And I finally feel settled in and know my way around the area-Hohenheim is starting to feel like home, so I enjoy spending a little bit of time here! But I still managed to get a few trips in.
I went to Spain for a few days in the beginning of June. I loved Sevilla! The food was delicious, the night life was awesome, and the weather was just perfect. It’s been a little chilly still in Stuttgart, so it was nice to finally see the sun 🙂 I could definitely go back to Sevilla. We stayed really close to a palace, and in biking distance of downtown. We visited a friend who was doing an ERASMUS semester, and the organization at her Uni also puts together weekend trips. Well, the weekend we went happened to be there was to a beach in Portugal. It blows my mind how easy it is to travel through Europe! This little beach was absolutely stunning. It was small and kind of hidden…so just the right amount of people.
There’s an organization at Hohenheim called ISO, International Students Organization, and they’ll organize trips around the region or just even hangouts around the school, but one weekend we went to Lake Constance. I love this town! I seem to love almost every place I go to! But it’s nice going with a group like this- they don’t strictly plan the day so you aren’t running around aimlessly trying to see everything you can for just 30 seconds. They give you time to just sit and enjoy. And Lake Constance is a perfect place for this. The lake first of all, is beautiful. Unfortunately it was a little chilly and rainy, but it was nice to still sit and eat by it. We stayed in a Hostel on the Switzerland side of the border right by the water. We all went down to the water and played some games and drank. There’s one game a lot of germans play- it’s so fun! I already forgot the name, but I think it would be a perfect new tailgating game. This was also the last weekend my friend Johanna was going to be in Germany. She just left at the end of June to go back home to Sweden, so it was a nice little goodbye weekend.
This was also the month for SOCCER! The European Champion Cup or whatever it’s called was this month. Like I said, soccer is not my favorite to watch, but you just kind of get pulled into when you’re in Germany or any other soccer loving country. So it wasn’t that bad! The school has this room, TMS, where other organizations can throw parties or host events, and every time Germany played all the students who lived on campus or close it would come and watch in this little warehouse type building. Sweating and everything! But it was fun. Go Germany! I also went to some public viewings in a neighboring area called Esslingen a few times to hangout and watch soccer. Again, I LOVE this town! It’s hard to explain-but there are just little neighborhood type areas within Stuttgart, but they have mostly everything the city center has-shops, restaurants, businesses. It’s like a mini city inside the big city.
I also hung out with my host family from high school a few times! It’s really comforting having a family I know in Stuttgart. I cooked with them, and they took me to a neat little outdoor zoo type thing one day. The animals are mostly the same as in a zoo, they just have much more room. I hosted Larissa when I was 15 and she was 16, and we are still good friends. Germans huh? It’s also an amazing time to practice my german. I wasn’t very good at german when I came to live with them for a month in high school, but now they will only speak german with me! I love it.
