Every day at ‘Mensa’ in TU Berlin

Last winter break, I studied abroad in Berlin at Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin) for two weeks. Arriving from a very long but scenic train ride from Amsterdam the Saturday before, my friend and I dived immediately into the German culture by venturing to the city centre through Tiergarten and the Brandenburg Gate.

The next day, Sunday, was quiet and started the first cultural shock I experienced on the trip. Sundays are a day of rest in Germany, with most shops, restaurants, and pharmacies closed or open for extremely short hours. So when you come to Germany, plan around Sundays with visits to museums, which are free on every first Sunday of the month, or going to a flea market at Mauerpark.

TU Berlin began with a ‘Welcome Day’, which was refreshing and a great way to start the program by introducing yourself to new people from across the world and in different programs. The first class began on the same day, and immediately we all connected and had lunch and dinner together. Every day we would go to the ‘Mensa’ (cafeteria), grab our food, and eat together whilst sharing our cultures and getting to know each other.

Besides the classes, TU Berlin offers various ‘cultural programs’. We explored museums like the Humboldt Forum, Jewish Museum, visited Potsdam containing the Sansscouci Palace, and went on pedal boats on the Spree. These excursions were a great break from uni work and made joining a group of students to explore Berlin easy.

If you are looking for tips on Berlin, here are some!

1. It is effortless to navigate around the city. TU Berlin gave us two seven-day passes for all transport in and around Berlin. You can access buses and trains (both U-Bahn and S-Bahn), which are enough to move around the city at any time comfortably. Use CityMapper instead of Google Maps for public transportation help. It was highly reliable with timings and exactly what train or bus to catch.
2. Bring cash. Although many places accept card payments, cash is preferable for traditional restaurants, and you can avoid unnecessary fees, which makes splitting bills in large groups easy.
3. For partygoers, clubs are abundant, but be on the lookout for special events. We went to a rave for awareness to make electronic music a cultural asset, which was a highlight of the trip. There is plenty of variety with clubs to party at and bars to have a drink and chill with friends.

Everyone should sign up for a Global Shorts Program. Even if it is a two-week program, you can organise a Europe trip around the program to immerse yourself in a completely new lifestyle.

Oliver Guerreiro
Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
Modern Cloud Project with Java at Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin). Germany
Global Short Program Travel Scholarship recipient