Report October - Business and Engineering
Being living my whole life in a big capital city, I've always sought for a quiet place, with plenty of green and small distances. That's when Schweinfurt makes it appearance. With a population of nearly 55.000 people, Schweinfurt is located almost in the middle of Germany and by quickly looking at the map, looks like the perfect starting point for future travels around the country.
My first access to the city was smooth and surprisingly cheap. In Germany there are several student's budget transportation companies as Flixbus, Bla-Bla Car and DB (using Regional Discount tickets, as the Bayern-Ticket or the Hooper-Ticket). Once arrived everybody number one priority should be to get to your future home, so don't forget to arrange a meeting with the landlord to get the keys and to get explained about the rules and protocols to follow.
If you are of the lucky ones that could arrive before the orientation weeks, don’t miss this chance to get to know the surroundings, to get to know about the University, your studies, the staff you will be working with, and not less important, to have fun discovering around. In my opinion one of the most useful shops since my arrival were Woolworths, Euroshop, Kik and Mömax Where you can find supplies for household Items, clothing, electronics and more at very affordable prices. And talking about groceries, I recommend Lidl, Aldi and Edeka, who are located steps away from the FHWS and the Students residences.
Once settled, I recommend buying a bicycle. It's the best way to go around since the city is pretty flat and has plenty of bicycle lanes and parking slots. For the bicycle adventurous as myself, who loves forests, ruins, castles and getting lost in cozy villages, you'll find that there are plenty of sightseeing's nearby the city. Beautiful forests paths just five minutes ride from the Town Hall, Lagoons and Beaches, for making a BBQ day with friends. But in case you are more the sedentary kind, do not worry! You will be able to find inside the city amazing places to stroll around, read a book and chill. The city itself may be small but it keeps itself continuously alive serving several events and expositions, most of them happening in the main plaza.
Talking About the German language, I believe it is a crucial point in order to achieve a good integration and to be able to function normal in the German society. The university offers several German courses at very accessible prices for all levels, and you'll find good opportunities to improve the language in conversation groups and also when playing in the University Sports. My advice is to try without fear to speak whenever you can. I never got tired of asking people at the supermarket about opinions on products, preferences and cooking.
Another interesting topic for students is the social life. Schweinfurt may be a small town for some people, but I've never seen so many activities and parties stuck together in one same place. Some are organized by several Fraternities orbiting around the University, other ones are organized by nightclubs and bars and many other by the students themselves. If you are brave enough, you could be out every night! so I recommend to try to find quickly a balance between studies and social life. Without mentioning sport, hobbies, and personal time.
Concluding, I'm happy to say that I don’t regret one bit the decision of coming here. This life change has brought me the opportunity to meet incredible people, to develop my languages, and to immerse myself in the German culture and in the engineering studies world once again. Happy also to say that the people welcomed me amazingly and still can't believe the patience and care everybody has with the newcomers. Many thanks to all for the hard work.
