The Arrival:
This is probably going to be the most challenging day of the entire semester. Don’t worry, it’s not a horror story. It actually went much more smoothly than I expected, but for me personally, and I assume for many, the first day in a new place is hard. It’s a huge adjustment to make, especially when you haven’t slept in 36 hours. I always feel pretty out of it the day after a transatlantic flight, but I got through it by focusing on one task at a time. First, we landed and got our luggage, then we met Professor Ostoyich and his family at the airport and took a bus to Reutlingen. I will forever be grateful to them for all of their help on the first day and throughout our orientation weeks. That day, they first took us to their apartment, which is on the same street as the dorms, and fed us, passed out our linens and cooking supplies, and explained the plan for the coming days.
The Dorms:
Then, we all moved into our rooms. I temporarily have one all to myself because there is an odd number of girls in this group, but I may be getting an international student roommate in the future. When I first found this out, I was really disappointed because I didn’t want to feel left out of things, but looking back on this week, maybe it was for the best. I’d hate to subject a stranger to my jet lag-induced temporary insanity. Don’t worry, I’m better now. I find it uncanny, how much the dorms here resemble the Valpo freshmen dorms. They are set up similarly, with 2 beds on either side, closets, a sink, and desks by the window.
I think there are 3 or 4 dorms that Valpo kinds could potentially live in, but this semester, we’re split between Wurmhaus and Reichwein-Haus, which are pretty similar. I’m in Reichwein, which is more recently renovated, but this semester, Wurmhaus seems like the place to be. More international students live there, so it’s a little more lively, but I like the quiet on my floor. On each floor of both dorms, there are 2 halls of rooms and a shared kitchen and lounge in the middle.
**Helpful hints about moving in: Be sure to stop at the Valpo program storage locker where you can find all sorts of useful items donated by previous Valpo kids. There are phones, hair appliances, toiletries, blankets, cookware, clothes, and much more. It’s like a treasure hunt! Secondly, if you’re picky about pillows like me, bring a pillowcase/liner that zips. The European pillows here are like big, flat squares, but if you have an extra pillowcase, you can fold the pillow in half, and it’ll seem normal. Finally, BRING AN ETHERNET CORD. Some dorms do not have wifi, and I’m so glad I was prepared for that going in.
The first full day:
The next day was our first full day in Reutlingen. First we bought bus passes. (Be sure to have about 70 euros in cash for that.) We then had a brief tour of the campus and town, followed by a delicious lunch at a café. Most of us got the Maultaschen, a regional specialty similar to giant ravioli. I loved that the program paid for a few meals in the beginning, because we didn’t make it to the store for a few days.
After that, we spent some time exploring the city on our own and then ended up watching a movie/falling asleep in one of the lounges. The next day was a free day to settle in, and on Sunday, we had our first introduction to Tübingen, which I’ll get to in part 2 of this post.