University of Mannheim, Germany

Having travelled around Europe for the past seven weeks, it was a relief to finally settle into life in my host city Mannheim, Germany. It’s a very cool little city based around the University (Fun fact: University of Mannheim is the second largest Baroque Palace in Europe, second to Versailles in France). The city is also laid out in an interesting grid format, with streets denoted by a number and letter rather than with street names.

I am staying just outside the Quadrat, with an amazing view over both the city, and the Neckar River. Being such a small city, most places are no longer than about a 20 minute walk, and there are very efficient trams and buses for those that dislike walking. Hence, I’m only a short walk to my nearest ALDI supermarket as well as about a 15-20 minute walk from the University. In the short time I’ve been in Mannheim I’ve also been quick to discover the many Doner Kebab stores in the city which I’ve already visited on numerous occasions…

I’ve found that most people tend to speak English, or at least enough English to help me get by in the initial stages which has helped to make the move much easier. However, I was lucky enough to get a spot in a beginner German language subject, so hopefully I’ll be speaking some German sometime soon!

In terms of the University, the enrolment process was fairly straightforward with lots of information provided, though the subject selection process has been a little more confusing especially since it is very different to what I’m used to at UTS. However, everyone at the University has been extremely welcoming and more than willing to help.

As Uni hasn’t started yet I’ve been keeping myself busy by going for runs around the city which has been a really good way to discover the city. There is a group called VISUM which runs a number of different events for International Students every week. In the week that I’ve been here there have already been about three parties, so we’ve all been kept very busy… The VISUM events have also been a great way to meet new people from both Australia and across the world.

So far things have been so much fun, and I can’t wait for what lies ahead over the coming months!

Edward Blake
Bachelor of Business
University of Mannheim  
Germany

For more information about the UTS Global Exchange program please visit: www.global-exchange.uts.edu.au