To an unforgettable experience

Adventures, Butter pretzels, Cultural differences, Dutch culture missing, Englischer Garten, Finding out more about myself, Glühwein,Hundreds of liters of beer, Italian card games, Joy, Kind people, LMU, Marienplatz, New friends, Oktoberfest,Partying, Quick studying, Rooftopbar , Snowy days, Trips to many new places, Unhealthy food, Voting apps, Watching movies, Xyresic knives, Youthfulness,Zeitgeist.

This is how I would describe my time in Munich. As I am writing this I feel already sad. It all went so fast and it is over in a heartbeat. Sadly… But I have experienced and learned so much here. Here is to new experiences, friends, self-knowledge and a crazy time.

When my boyfriend left me at the airport I started crying immediately. All these thoughts went through my head: Am I making the right decision?; Can I be away such a long time without my friends, family and boyfriend and am I capable of doing all these things completely on my own? The stewardess, at the first desk I came to, saw me crying. She asked me where I was going and for how long. She ensured me that it was all going to be fine. I really hoped she was right. The first week was, to be honest, awful. I arrived on the 13th of September. So about one month before classes started, without a long-term home, no one I knew and nothing to do. I started off at Studentenstadt where I could live for two weeks. To be honest I can tell you the first weeks are not going to be easy AT ALL. And I have to confess that the thought of going back home slipped my mind a few times the first weeks. But I am so glad I did not give in to that.

The first weeks are all about adjusting to your new life, new home and new country. You really have to step out of your comfort zone to make new friends. It is not going to come easy. You have to start conversations, show your best side all the time and be very social. In the Netherlands I have my set group of friends and family so I was not used to focus on making new friends. In the first weeks I was a lot alone. Making new friends was not that easy because there were little places where I could meet them. A lot of students living at Studentenstadt were home for the holidays, school did not yet start and sports neither. Luckily, I had one Dutch friend who was also abroad in Munich for the semester. Although she had German classes five days a week and had already made a lot of friends there. If I can do it all over again I would have done the same. Because meeting new people is way easier when you are in a class and see each other every day. But I had not a lot time to think about it because the stress of finding a new home in two weeks was keeping me busy (luckily). It took a lot of afford to find something but in the, end one day before I had to move out, I signed my contract for a home in Solln. Maybe it is not what I am used to or would have wanted but I was happy I had somewhere to live because Gosh finding a place to live in Munich is HARD. In the Netherlands I lived in a student dorm with five girls. We did everything together: cooking, watching television, going out.. Everything. Here I live with two other German girls but we actually do not do anything together. But I am fine with that for now, although it took some time getting used to it.

During the weeks I started to be more social and started to pick the fruits of this new open and social me. I talked to more people, got to know more people very fast. And especially Oktoberfest was the perfect way to make new friends. My group of friends started to grow and grow. Meeting and getting to know all those people during Oktoberfest was perfect but also after these two weeks of partying and drinking we kept on doing things together. For example, birthing parties, pizza parties, trips to Nurnberg, Salzburg, Ice-skating, Weihnachtmarkt hopping, watching movies, going to party’s and lots and lots more. They are really good friends and they mean a lot to me. I am sad of the thought that in a month we have to leave and we won’t see each other for a long time. Especially because of them my time here was perfect.

As I said before I learned so much about myself. These months were not always easy but I have learned that I am actually a social and outgoing person, I am perfectly capable of doing things on my own and being by myself (which I would have never thought when I arrived here). One of my friends even said that she saw me as one of the most outgoing persons in the group. This blowed my mind because before I came here I would have described myself as shier and quieter but definitely not as outgoing. This all has made me grow as a person and I gained so much confidence. I feel like a better person now. As I type this last part of my blog I feel so proud thinking about all the experiences and lessons I have learned. As I can also teach you one lesson: Do not be afraid to take a risk and jump into the deep. You won’t regret it.

Thank you Munich, it was ‘Großartig’, I would not have wanted to miss it for anything.