Guten tag! I just received my dorm assignment in an email and I thought I would talk a little bit about the process of applying to live in student housing at Tübingen... First of all, I'll be living in Fichtenweg 23 in Waldhäuser east (WHO). Here are some pictures I pulled from their website, but you can also click the link to see more. While I was researching the different student housing options, I was a little bit overwhelmed. I was torn between living in WHO and the old town. The dorms in the old town looked like buildings out of Hansel and Gretel so I was really tempted. But I did a lot of research and found that most international students live in WHO. There is also a bus that picks up right outside of WHO that will take me straight to campus, and with my student bus pass I'll never have to worry. And there's a bar called "Kuckuck" which is apparently where a lot of residents hang out. Applying was as easy as filling out a form online. I just had to specify what kind of room I wanted (single, shared, family housing, etc) and the max price I could pay.
The only problem I ran into (besides the entire application being in German, which was expected but still tricky) was that I needed a letter of admission to apply for student housing, but I had not yet received my acceptance since I did this back in November. I submitted the application anyways and emailed their office explaining my situation, and they allowed me to send in my acceptance later. Moral of the story: if you don't know what to do, ask! Don't just wait around for answers to pop up, because that's how you miss important deadlines. You're probably not going to be the first person with that question, and all the people I've dealt with have been incredibly helpful and friendly. So how much is this all gonna cost me? Y'ALL. €280!!!! That's equivalent to only $300 USD. I got a little emotional, not gonna lie. I was bracing myself for a much heftier price. I'm so used to hearing about rent here in Honolulu being upwards of $1,000 for a shoebox. This means I'll have more money for traveling, and lots more eating. Being a resident assistant here at Manoa has me super excited to experience student housing internationally. I found out they don't even have resident assistants in these halls, just a caretaker who makes sure you don't trash the building. My next step is to demystify the dorm contract they sent me. It's 11 pages and all in German........... With the help of my German friend Nalu or one of my German professors here at Manoa, I'm sure I'll be able to figure it out. Bis bald (see you later)!
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Hi again! As my departure date creeps up, I've found myself checking off more and more things on my to do list (a little running note I have on my desktop). Here's what I've done so far...
I've gotten a lot done since I last spoke at you guys, and what I have left isn't too bad. I leave in 64 days and I daresay I'm (mostly) ready. The key to feeling like this, I think, was getting the ball rolling as soon as I heard that I was nominated by MIX. I finished/scheduled everything within a week of being nominated (all the way back in October). I didn't want to be scrambling near the finish line, because I was already haunted by nightmares of not having a passport or forgetting my insurance card and being deported. I'll update you all again once I inevitably realize that I've left something off this list... "Nobody's perfect." -Hannah Montana I booked my plane ticket this morning. There was something really corny and metaphorical about booking a one-way ticket to a foreign country (Don’t worry grandma, I’m coming back. I just don’t know what my finals schedule is yet so I can’t book my return ticket.) I leave at midnight on March 15th and it’s hard to even wrap my head around.
My study abroad experience hasn’t even really started and I’m already realizing so many things about myself... 1. I know literally nothing about travel itineraries. I had to ask my dad if the time on my plane ticket was in Hawaii time or German time. Apparently I’m arriving in Stuttgart at 1:45 PM GERMAN TIME but you may as well blindfold me and hit me on the head with a baseball bat because I’ll still be confused when I get there. It’s fine. Everything is fine. 2. I am capable of so much more than I thought I was. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get the opportunity to study abroad in Germany. But why did I doubt myself? Why didn’t I think I could do it? I’m not sure if it was calling the German consulate (Visas are confusing) or booking the plane ticket that really cemented this in my brain, but I’m doing it. I could have traveled to Germany and back 300 times in the period I spent telling myself that this dream was crazy. 3. “I am complete but I am not finished.” I'm so happy and so proud of the place I'm in right now. I'm not looking for someone or something to complete me because I'm already whole--and that's such an incredible thing to realize. I have a business that constantly inspires me, I'm studying a subject that challenges me, and I have friends and family that support me. My cup is overflowing with love and luck and opportunity, but this is just the beginning for me. In fact, I haven't even crossed the starting line yet. The guy hasn’t even shot that fake gun. My feet are still on the starting blocks, y’all. I’m so excited to continue to share my journey as I discover more things about myself and Germany and business and bratwurst and lederhosen. Maybe not those last two things but definitely the first three. I have been studying German since I began attending UH Mānoa in the Fall of 2014. I am now in my 5th semester of German language courses and it's easily become one of my favorite parts of college. I never thought I would have the opportunity to even visit Germany, but thanks to the Johnson Study Abroad Scholarship Program, I will have the once in a lifetime opportunity to study business at the University of Tübingen.
Germany’s economy ranks number one in Europe and number four in the world. Their education system is incredibly diverse, producing filmmakers like Fritz Lang and scientists like Albert Einstein. They are renowned for their attention to detail and craftsmanship (think “German engineering”) which is not only in-line with my work through my business, 99 Stitches, but with my study of accounting. Being able to travel and study in a country that has produced such great minds will provide me with intangible life skills that I can’t learn out of any textbook. I will become more marketable to employers and I will be challenged to learn differently. “Über Nacht wird man nur dann berühmt, wenn man tagsüber hart gearbeitet hat,” or in English “You only become famous overnight if you’ve worked hard during the day.” I look forward to the opportunity to learn and grow as a student, entrepreneur, and as a person through this study abroad opportunity. After all, the best way to learn about a culture is to live it. |