THINGS TO DO ONCE YOU REACH GERMANY FOR STUDENT EXCHANGE

Hey guys! :-)

I'm finally in Mannheim, Germany after nearly a month of travel.


Don't know what to do once you reach your hostel? Here are some things you need to do once you get here:

1. UNPACK & make a list of the ESSENTIALS you need

Really, no shit. Just spend the day unpacking and chillin' ; if you are staying in Ulmenweg, and you need to settle your meals, there are discount supermarkets like Lidl, Netto, and Aldi just around the hostel so it's definitely convenient to get some ready made food!


GERMANY SUPERMARKET CHEAT SHEET

• LIDL: Discount Supermarket
• Sells DISCOUNTED groceries, items not 'branded' etc, and items rotate everyday
• $
• ALDI: Less Discounted Supermarket
• Sells more groceries and goods than LIDL, items relatively more 'branded'/international but it is cheap on offers
• $-$$
• NETTO: Discount Supermarket
• Another discounted supermarket to get your groceries, but not as common as Lidl and Aldi
• $-$$
• REWE CITY: Supermarket
• Sells more 'branded'/international groceries/food ; you can get a wide variety of food here
• $-$$$$

2. Register @ K7

Your hall master might have told you this too, but you have to go to K7 (Standesamt Mannheim) to register (probably with the government or something I'm not too sure myself) cause this is NOT the registration/enrolment for the University.


3. Get your living essentials

Since I was staying in Ulmenweg, I had to take the tram into town which took around 15min. Places I would suggest going to buy your essentials: Mömax (similar to Ikea), Woolworth (for random stuff) and dm (drogerie markt) (for your cosmetics, soap shampoo etc ; similar to Singapore's Watsons/Guardian). I'm quite sure there are more shops but those were the few which I bought my stuff from :-)

4. Get your blocked bank account activated as soon as possible

For activation, you need to print the online activation form and mail it to the address stated in the form. I didn't realise it would take a while for the activation so I brought too little cash :-( Another thing is credit/debit card usage here is RELATIVELY rare, so DO BRING ENOUGH cash for the first few weeks of being in Mannheim! (I didn't bring enough so I had to borrow ._.)

5. Attend your orientation week

It's really tempting to skip them but they have vital information for you when you are on exchange, so definitely go for them! (aka how much you need to pass the module etc.)

YEAP so that's about it :-)) Hope this helps you with settling in, since everyone would definitely be overwhelmed by everything. Have fun on exchange cause you're going to have a hell of a time here ;-)

Luv, Tingz

PACKING LIST FOR (SPRING) EXCHANGE

Honestly speaking, I didn't know packing for exchange was INSANE until I started doing it. I always underestimated how tough it was to pack for an overseas trip, let alone for a whole semester of exchange overseas. AND it doesn't help that although you are bringing all of your favourite sweaters to somewhere where you can FINALLY wear it, it takes up the most space in your luggage.

After getting loads of advice from my seniors and from many different websites, I have finally finished packing (as much as possible). I'll be going on a Spring exchange to Germany, so I'll be experiencing Winter, Spring, and Summer. 

To all those of you going for exchange out there, here goes!

CLOTHES (I try to bring 1 week worth ; but you can always buy clothes there!)

Always try to bring clothes you don't mind throwing, but if there are a few pieces that you really really like and will wear them (most impt!), just bring them :-)

• Thermal wear (3 sets)
• Long sleeved shirts (4)
• Sweaters (4)
• Jeans (3)
• Undergarments (2 week's worth!!!)
• Leggings (I'm in love with Uniqo's HeatTech Ultra Warm as it's thick enough to be doubled up as both a pair of thermal wear leggings and just wearing it out)
• Summer clothes (3) (Just buy there when the seasons change!)
• Shorts (2 pairs)
• Skirt (2 pairs)
• Dress (1)
• Pajamas (2 sets)
• Down jacket (1)
• Wollen socks for winter (7) (or 2 weeks' worth)
• Summer socks for less cold weather (4)
• Small towel (4) (for gym etc)
• Normal bathing towel (1)
• Swimwear/Bikini (1)
• Goggles (1)

SHOES

• Boots
• Sneakers
• Slippers
• Running Shoes

CONDIMENTS

• MILO!!!!! (2 pkt) [bring more if you think you'll need more!]
• Asian coffee (3 pkt)
• Cereal drink (1 pkt)
• Cup Noodles (esp spicy ones!) (4) edit: honestly don't bring so much cause it's gonna take up LOADS of space
• Maggi Mee (needs to be cooked) (1?)
• Mini rice cooker/heater (1)
• Chrysanthemum tea (1 pkt)
• Kaya (2 boxes of convenient packs)
• Premixes
• Laksa
• Curry
• Tom Yum
• Chicken Rice
• Bak Kut Teh

(Honestly, one thing about bringing perishables is that it takes up space in your luggage, so after you finish eating them on your exchange, you'll have extra space to buy stuff home :-) )

ELECTRONICS

• Camera/DSLR + Charger + Spare Batteries
• GoPro + Charger + Spare Batteries
• 2 Portable Chargers
• iPhone charging cables
• Laptop + Charging cables
• Lan cable
• Harddisks (for storage!)
• Thumbdrives
• Adaptor
• Extension plugs
• Tripod stand
• Router for your room (edited) ; it really helps with the internet in your room!!

TOILETRIES

• Face cleanser
• Small bottles to be travel sized
• Travel Sized soap
• Makeup
• Pads/Tampons (if you are lazy just bring enough for around 1 month and just buy there)
• Moisturiser (body + face)
• Contact Lenses
• Contact Lens Solution** (It's quite expensive in Europe!!)
• Glasses
• Hair Cream
• Sunblock (face)
• Sunblock (body)

MISCELLANEOUS

• Ziploc Bags
• Almonds (snacks!!)
• Plastic Bags (you need to pay for plastic bags in Europe!)
• School bag
• Sling bag
• Photocopies of important documents
• Passport photocopies in every bag/luggge
• School's acceptance letter photocopies
• Cap
• Umbrella
• Cough/Cold/Diarrhea MEDS
• Pipagao
• Vitamin C tablets

That's about it! :-)) All the best packing!! ;-)

Luv, Tingz