See you soon, Munich!
Excursions . Student life . TravelA HARD GOODBYE
Over the course of the last 3 months, I have been so lucky to have a taste of what living in Munich is like. From learning about different cultures and making friends from all around the world, to travelling to different countries over the weekend, to gaining independence from having to live away from my family for the first time – Safe to say I had one of the best times of my life!
Upon arriving in Munich, I went straight to a popular furniture shop called “Momax” to buy some essentials for my room in the student hostel of Stiftsbogen! I was so excited as I share a room with my sister back home in Singapore, therefore getting to experience living on my own was a thrilling experience. Admittedly, I got caught up in the excitement of it all and went overboard with the shopping. I remember holding up the queue for 15 minutes as the cashier took that long to scan all my belongings! However I have no regrets as I wanted to make my room my safe space that I could come back to to unwind in peace.
CULTURE SHOCKS
The first culture shock I experienced upon arrival was having to live with the opposite gender. In Singapore, the genders are segregated, however I found myself being the only girl in the house. It was truly a daunting experience as not only did I have to get accustomed to different cultures, but also the living style of a different gender. However, I found myself enjoying it more and more after getting to know everyone, and every now and then we would host house dinners where we would invite our friends from respective countries to come over for a diverse meal where we would cook our own countries’ staples and have a potluck session! Over these dinners I vividly remember sharing the different cultures and laws in our respective countries, and everyone having wild reactions to the culture differences – it made me realise how there is no such thing as normal, and what may be normal to me, is mind blowing to someone else, vice versa.
LIVING, LAUGHING, LEARNING
School life in LMU played a significant role in making my exchange experience such a great one! The first culture shock I experienced when schooling here was the knocking on the tables after class. I remember just being in a state of absolute confusion, until my groupmate Bruno explained the concept of it to me. I really enjoy this tradition as it shows appreciation to the teacher for conducting the class. I was a little afraid of groupwork as I was scared that no one would want to group with me as they had their own friends, especially in the classes as I am the only Singaporean in most of my classes. However, many locals and exchange students took me in their group with open arms and I have had the joy and privilege of working with them. Through this experience, I discovered the different working styles of people from all around the world, and it was truly such a fulfilling experience. Personally, the biggest challenge was not the difference in working styles, but the language barrier. Thankfully, Singapore has trained me to be bilingual, allowing me to communicate with my friends from China! One of the many things I love about studying in LMU is the active participation and passion of students here, as class discussions are much more fruitful as everyone can exchange knowledge and learn from one another.
Frühlingsfest
Frühlingsfest was the first festival I attended when I arrived in Munich. I do not normally consume beer, however I wanted to immerse myself in the German culture and got myself a beer after my friends and I managed to painstakingly entered the queue of the beer garden. It was honestly much tastier than the ones sold back home, as I found it much lighter and tastier. I am also a kid at heart, therefore I bought a cotton candy that was bigger than the size of my head! I managed to ride on many rollercoasters for a very decent price, which was probably not the best decision after eating so much…
Tollwood Festival
CHURROS IN THE RAIN
The Tollwood festival was everything that I could have imagined and more! From the wide variety of food from a diverse set of cuisines, to the many clothes and accessory shops available – a dream come true! Although it started to pour in the midst of me eating my churros, nothing could dampen my mood as my heart and stomach was so full!
I went to 2 cities in Netherlands – Amsterdam and Utrecht. From going to the lily fields, to eating the Dutch fries to walking around and sitting by the canals, I truly had the best time! I especially loved the diversity in Amsterdam.
Switzerland was full of nature and mountains! I visited 3 cities – Interlaken, Zurich and Lucern. One of the biggest milestones was that I went paragliding for the first time in Interlaken. It was the most thrilling experience ever!
Thank you Miriam for doing such a good job in helping to integrate this class, and making my exchange experience unforgettable! I thoroughly enjoyed school especially because of this class and all the friends I made here 🙂 Wishing everyone all the best in everything as we fly home to our respective countries. Till we meet again! See you soon, Munich!
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