Getting Settled.

​​With my first week in the bag, I should be getting used to life in Vallendar, right? On my first night staying in Vallendar, I ended up passing out at 6PM because I had only gotten 2 hours of sleep from the flight. 1AM came around, and I was wide awake, which is not good because I needed to get used to the time zone here. I rolled over and shut my eyes but I ended up waking up at 5AM and finally I decided to get up for good at 7AM. Welcome to Welcome Week Tauschies Spring 2017! Tauschies is the German word for ​​exchange students.

The town was dead the first couple days when I arrived. I’m guessing it is because school didn’t start until January 9th. Once school started, it was like a door had been opened and everyone came outside. It was nice to see all the people in their natural habitat.

During our Welcome Week, Tauschies, including myself, attended basic orientation stuff like a campus tour, getting to know the exchange coordinators, and understanding the rules and regulations at WHU. We also had other events that we attended like a German Culinary Quiz, Koblenz Rally, welcome dinner, pubcrawl, and a regional tour. I also want to apologize in advance because I know that this post is very long.

The German Culinary Quiz was located in the vaulted cellar in one of the main campus buildings. This space was a unique one since the main purpose was to hold events and parties. Students drinking is nothing taboo at WHU and alcohol is served in the cellar. It was a weird feeling to be drinking a beer with one of the exchange coordinators that night but it is something us Americans should get used to.​​

The Koblenz Rally took place in Koblenz (hints the name is Koblenz Rally). Koblenz is approximately 13km away from Vallendar and is the largest city near Vallendar with 110,000 inhabitants. The rally was like a huge scavenger hunt around the city with tasks at each station. Before we started, everyone split into groups and had to create some type of fashion out of trash bags. The winner in the end got free food and drinks. Tasks included passing an orange around the circle with only your neck, beer tasting, taking a picture with a local, creating a cheer, and singing a German Carnival song. All the tasks were performed on the sidewalks or in main shopping areas. (Let’s just say there were a lot of people staring and laughing but it was a great experience.) My group ended up winning the grand prize.

The welcome diner had two parts to it. It first started in the Chapel of the school where each Tauschie from every school went to the front of the room and announced to the crowd what dish they brought from their home country to try. Previously before our arrival to Vallendar, we were informed that there would be a welcome dinner and that each student was encouraged to bring a little dish from their home country. As an American, I brought mac & cheese. (I was not the only one with this idea.) After everyone announced their dish, we made our way down to the vaulted cellar. As I explained earlier, the use of this space is unique as it holds various titles but the main purpose is to entertain and host events.

The pubcrawl took place in Koblenz, since Vallendar is a smaller community. We all split into groups for this activity and were assigned two German students to lead us around. We ended up going to 5 bars/clubs, all with different atmospheres. In the end, we all went to Agostea 2.0. This club was my favorite but the most expensive sadly.

During the regional tour, us Tauschies went exploring a castle, went to a brewery for a beer tasting, and ended the night at a typical German restaurant that left everyone stuffed.

Finally, to end one of the most memorable welcome weeks I have attended, it was time for the traditional WHU parties to begin. The WHU parties take place throughout the year and they are put on by each class (grade) and the PhD students. This party was hosted by the PhD students and the theme was Cirque Du WHUHU. Of course, most Tauschies did not dress up because we did not bring any costumes. Something that makes WHU parties so special is that they take place in the vaulted cellar underneath the school. Free beer was served all night too. It was a neat atmosphere to be with all the German WHU students as well.

Some interesting facts about Vallendar that I have noticed:

• When you buy normal bread, there is typically no heel.

• There are a ton of different cut meats and cheeses. (So if you do not understand the German language or have a translation app, you could end up buying sliced chicken instead of ham.)

• Also, with the groceries here, items go “bad” fast because there are less preservatives. (Going to the store every other day is common.)

• A resting time from 1-3PM is a thing here and it is taken very seriously. (Most stores close at 1 so make sure to go shopping before that!)

• Be careful when going to stores and paying with a debit/credit card because if it is not signed on the back, the cashier will start yelling at you in German. Luckily I had my driver’s license on me! (I found out the hard way.)

• The Euro is approximately $1.05 which is good for me because I know in the past the Euro was worth much more.

• In America, we are subjective to the imperial system (gallons, feet, pounds, etc.); however, in Europe, and pretty much the rest of the world, they use the metric system (liters, centimeters, kilograms, etc.). This is odd because the directions are in the metric system so it would call for 500ml of water.

• In Europe, 24hr time is in effect. (I would suggest changing your phone settings to 24 hours because it is a great learning tool)

See you soon, but not too soon

-E