Georgia's 2nd entry - Hallo Alles!
Hallo Alles! I can't believe it's been a whole month since my last post. I'll start by telling you about my student residence. Here in Mainz, there are several different student 'Wohnheim(s)' (as the Germans call it), mine is called Münchfeld. It is only around ten minutes by bus from the main station, from where you can catch several buses taking you around town. Its extremely convenient and even though most students ride bikes everywhere, I am choosing not to get one as I think the buses will be easier (and warmer) in winter. You can buy a second hand bike from 50 Euro and then sell it back at the end of the semester.
Münchfeld is the smallest of all the residences housing only 90 students, where some of the others house 600. My room is very comfortable and comes with a fridge, desk, bed, basin, wardrobe and two big book shelves (as you can kind of see from the picture). I re-arranged the furniture, so it would feel like my own little place, and through many walks around the town, I've found posters etc. to give the place some more life!
There is a bar on the lower level of the residence here, which is open on Wednesdays; it is managed by some of the students living here. It's a great way to meet people and chill out after a long day. The drinks are very cheap and there is a pool table also. There was a big birthday party down there a couple of weeks ago, so I got to know a lot of people living here. Everyone is very welcoming and as most Europeans do, most of them speak English, so communicating has not been a difficult issue. The kitchen and bathroom (unisex) are shared by the nine people on each floor this is a very weird experience at first but you get used to it.
A little more on Mainz the city - Mainz really has a great mix of traditional and modernity, and is extremely green, filled with trees and flowers. However, the town is quite small, and after just walking around for a couple of days I feel like I know the whole place like the back of my hand, but always discover something new everyday! As I said before, you can get everywhere here by public transport, its very logical and you couldn't possibly get lost. Shopping and discovering all the places in the city is surprisingly a lot of fun as well!
The big party/uni night here is Wednesday night (like our Thursday nights), so there is always something to do in town or at one of the residences. There is also a variety of pubs and clubs here, catering to all different kinds of music. Next week, a couple of us are heading to the Irish pub for trivia! But Wednesday night is not the only night to go out, there is something on most nights, whether it is a student party or somewhere in town.
Here in Mainz, there are two universities, the Universität-Mainz and the Fachhochschule (commonly referred to as the FH). Design and some science subjects (like engineering) are studied at the FH. The school itself is like a typical art school cross American high school. It is very inspiring with its air of tradition and design examples posted all over the walls. The classes are very laid back here, and the briefs differ to Swinburne as (depending on the class), the methods seem very reliant on traditional techniques and independent learning. All the professors have so much character here, which makes the classes very interesting.
Undertaking a German class is mandatory which is great to begin or improve your German. From my experience so far, I would probably be very lost and disorientated if I had no knowledge of German, so I would recommend knowing at least the basics. All my classes are in German as well, which is also an experience on its own!
I also have to mention Erich, who is the head of the international office and its relations at the FH. He is extremely helpful and removed all my apprehensions about administrative tasks for living and studying in Mainz. He also set myself and the other communication design students up with local communication design students who walked us through the classes we could take and talked to the professors for us - very helpful!
The student organisation here together with the student residence organise so many day trips to places and parties, it really is all about meeting new people! I have already been on a day trip to Bonn (pictured right), where we saw an amazing German history museum and this weekend I am going on a trip to St. Goar (which is near Köln) with a heap of mostly international students from both of the universities. I also booked some flights to Barcelona with three other Swinburne students and an interior design student from New Zealand (again - the three girls in the picture)! Also planning more trips for the next couple of months, I love Europe!
So far, I am already cherishing my time here and not sure six months will be enough!
Mit freundlichen Grüßen,
Georgia