Alex is abroad in Munich, Germany, until August 2009.

As I’m navigating my way through German dorm life, I’m finding more and more that where I live is comparable to a co-op in the states.  We all take turns cleaning the bathroom and kitchen and generally have to share space, the only difference being that we don’t cook for each other, much to my dismay.

The Studentenstadt, or student city, where my dorm is located, is a very cool area. It would be like if you took all the dorms on NU’s campus and put them in one space (and subtracted the CAs, because there is really no authority around here).  This place is crawling with students of all ages and nationalities.  My neighbors said there are more than 100 countries represented in the Studentenstadt, and as I walk around that is very clearly true — I think I am actually in the minority in my own dorm, which is a nice change of pace.  Also within the limits of the “StuSta” there are three bars and a few places to buy beer.  Some of the bars are even located on top of or in the basement of the dorms!  With no open container laws, and a drinking age of 16 for beer, 18 for hard alcohol, sitting around having a beer in the quad is a very common activity. The only thing I have yet to tackle in terms of dorm life is the washing machine.  I am holding out until I run out of underwear.

Unfortunately, most of my time these days is spent in my pre-semester program classes, and it will be that way until the end of September.  The classes are somewhat boring, and can get a little annoying when I look outside and see a perfect end of summer day waiting for me, but I know that the classes are dramatically improving my German. Monday through Friday I have class from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a lunch break, and on Wednesdays we take small trips that last longer (we are going to see castles this week!).  I also have a fair amount of homework every night, which makes me very jealous of all you NU kids still enjoying summer. I have had to pay only one Euro for speaking in English, and I think I got caught on a technicality because a professor busted me while riding the U-Bahn home.

My biggest challenge so far has been figuring out the food situation.  The first time that I went to the supermarket here, I realized as I was perusing the outrageously large selection of “wurst” (I have never seen so much pork in my life) that I haven’t actually had to be responsible for cooking my own meals all the time, well, ever.  I have been surviving on sandwiches, fruit, and scrambled eggs so far, but I can already see that is going to get old really fast.  Also, figuring out how to manage storing cooking supplies, and all of my food in my own room has been a struggle in and of itself.  Between Nutella, the amazing chocolate and the outstanding beer, it is going to be a challenge to stay healthy while I am here.  I have spent some time today looking up simple recipes online and once I start receiving my grant money, I will get a little more creative with the cooking… or at least try.

One of my favorite things to do here, already, is to go running in the English Garden. It is the largest park in Munich (check out this map, it is the giant green space), and just happens to be a two-minute walk from my dorm.  It is absolutely beautiful and has trails in every direction possible.  The garden is always full of people doing everything from sunbathing and reading in the grass, to walking their dogs.  The fun part is that there are no leash laws for dogs here, so when I go running the dogs will often run along with me for a few yards and then go back to their owners.

But, perhaps the most interesting thing from an American perspective about the English Garden is that a lot of people are completely nude.  This is apparently a tradition in that park, but it was a little jarring the first time I ran past a 60something man playing naked Frisbee with his dog.  Since then the nudity has just become a part of the atmosphere of the park, and I enjoy finding new trails to run every few days.

Though I visited a lake this weekend, I have not done a lot of traveling yet. The way I see it, I have a whole year to check everything out, I just need some time to soak up the Munich atmosphere first.  Study abroad really is an exercise in isolation: from your home, language, friends, family and most things familiar, but I am getting used to this new type of independence and looking forward to all the upcoming adventures.

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