Hallo München: The Exchange Begins

Hello everyone, I’m Jay, a 21 year old Communications student from the University of Exeter, spending my exchange year in Munich. I’ve always wanted to live abroad, and with two semesters ahead of me, now is my chance to explore, make new friends and see where it takes me. I love a busy social life, trying as many new dishes as I can and a good boogie or a raunchy book to fill out the down time.

Originally, I come from Colchester, England’s first capital under the Romans, and the birthplace of popular nursery rhymes “Humpty Dumpty” and “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” Colchester is abundant with history which I fear is often overlooked. I grew up in a village just outside, so I’m used to a mix of country calm and city energy, though I’ll always lean towards a city with a vibrant nightlife.

Communications was an easy choice. I’ve always consumed far too much media and literature, and my degree lets me call TikTok scroll “research” within reason of course. I’m using it to get more critical about what I consume and to work out whether I want a future in the industry.

As for Munich? Honestly who knows, it was the German university that offered the most credits in English, and it just felt like a cool adventure. Two and a half weeks in and of course I’m not ready to give a final verdict. So far, it’s a busy city with a slower rhythm than I’m used to, London is far more go go go and I’m still working out how things get done here, from course systems to everyday admin. Everyone else seems to have it figured out, so I’m being a frequent visitor to my professor’s inboxes while I catch up. Although I do seem to have figured out shopping here, Marienplatz was a wonderful welcome 😉

Speaking of figuring it out, finding where I fit into my future careers means I’ve experimented like a teenager in high school. I’ve done work experience at a few companies that approach media very differently. The most creative was an interior design firm specialising in hospitality spaces like cinemas, bars and restaurants. It let me explore my more expressive side, from colour palettes to sofa fabrics, while also curating Instagram posts to showcase the finished projects. That was a sharp contrast to my later placement at the Bank of England, where social media is informational and clean, with deliberately simple, finance minded look. They used the same platforms yet completely different executions, which was very fun to see.

My hopes for this year are simple, study hard and play hard. I’m usually a bit of a last minute person, but it tends to come together in the end, and I’m aiming to be a little more organised this time. I’d love to improve my German and discover everything Munich has to offer, including its slower pace. I’m already hooked on German artists like Mutter Ikkimel and Ski Aggu and I want to explore the wider world of German media, from music to film, TV and online culture. I can’t wait to see who I am by the end of this year!