My first week of school – Fund for Education Abroad

My first week of school was fun, enthralling, and mind-opening. I spent many months, weeks, days, and hours preparing for this exact week, and now it has come.

We had a short orientation class that took place on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday (Oct. 15^th, 16, & 18^th). We learned in depth about the history of Tübingen, its university, and how German colleges function. The citizens of Tübingen call it a “Universitätsstadt.” This is because the campus of the university isn’t your normal Californian or American college campus, it’s the entire town itself. There are buildings spread around the entire area of Tübingen. For example, my physics lecture is located at the top of the Waldhäuser-Ost hill, which takes about 25 minutes from my apartment by bus. On the other hand, my Landeskunde (German civilization) course is in the heart of Tübingen, a mere 12 minutes from my apartment by bus.

On October 8^th, I had the privilege of traveling to Ulm. This town is beautiful, rich in history, and hosts the world’s largest Münster (a church shared by both monks and citizens). Ulm is where I will be studying in my second semester. I visited Hochschule Ulm, where they offer degrees in applied sciences. The word “Hochschule” means “University of Applied Sciences.” There’s another interesting thing about German universities, they don’t have large campuses like the UCs in California, but often smaller ones that cater to specific degrees or specialties.

In Germany there are different Hochschulen for different majors which include: music, engineering & computer science, media arts, and architecture. Many companies will help fund the Hochschulen if they can recruit that school’s graduates and promote their business.

I also recently signed up my older son, Ezra, for his kindergarten. Life has been terribly busy, one thing after another, but it’s all coming together! Ezra is going to Kinderhaus Österberg which rests at the top of the Österberg hill overlooking Tübingen. It’s truly beautiful here and again, we are so grateful.

I am improving every day on my German and fully adapting to German culture and lifestyle. I am constantly making mistakes, progress, and an ass of myself! It’s so important to get out of your comfort zone from time to time; I’d say everything is right on track.