Prost, Munich !

I’m Julie, a french student in Erasmus here for a year. For my last year of bachelor, I wanted to go abroad to change my habits in a different culture. I have been here for about a month now, and all the doubts I had coming here and leaving everything I knew are already gone. The city does not disappoint, neither does LMU. Munich has an amazing atmosphere and is very adapted for student life. In and outside of Munich, things to do are not missing. I have been to Regensburg and to Chiemsee, and both trips were very beautiful and cheap (thank you Deutschlandticket !). I’m planning to go to Berlin and Salzburg soon.

But let’s go back a little : I was born in Saint-Malo, Brittany in 2002, but I have been living in Normandy for the past 4 years, where I study in the university of Caen. It’s not a big city, but it also have a great student community, and it is at 15 minutes from the sea. I would advise you to not swim in the English Channel right now except if you like to freeze to death, but in the summer the beautiful beaches and towns on the coast are very enjoyable. As for me, I prefer to go underwater, as I do scuba diving. The water is not as clear as in the Mediterranean Sea, but there still are good spots to dive with a lot of shipwrecks, densely populated by many species of fishes. Because I always lived in little cities, I developed the need to go abroad as far as I can, the only thing sometimes stopping me being money.

But of all the cities we could choose, why Munich ? I could have chosen a place where I have never been, but the two days I spent here in 2017 left me a very good impression, and it was now my time to return.

I was told by other french people in Erasmus in Germany that you don’t progress in German AT ALL. For now, I can’t deny that I’ve spoken mostly, if not exclusively in English, except to the cashier at Aldi and my old neighbor. But it is up to us to make efforts to practice our German or not I guess.

The thing I love for now is how enriching being around other Erasmus students is : It’s not only about German culture, but also about Italy, Denmark, South Korea and so many others. Little tip : becoming friend with Italians will provide you the best addresses for a good pizza in Munich.

I can’t wait to see Christmas and (I hope) snow here, but until then, see you next time !