I did not realize that I was leaving my friends and family in France until the night before my departure. I had been delaying my packing until the last moment, naively thinking it would also delay my trip to Germany. 

It is not that I did not want to leave, it was more about already having the perfect life where I am now. At the same time, I think too much comfort kills growth, and doing a semester abroad is the best challenge I could have fixed myself.

This trip has a more profound meaning for me than just experiencing life abroad. It is an attempt to reconnect with my identity. I was actually born in Germany and lived there for seven years. After that, I moved to France and broke almost all the ties I had with my first homeland, but deep down, I have always longed to reconnect with my motherland. This is the reason why I decided to do my Erasmus Program at the LMU in Munich, Germany.

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What has happened so far ?

October 1st: First impression

When I first arrived in Germany, what really hit me was all the nature German people are surrounded by. It really has a unique charm that I have never seen anywhere else, corn plants and sunflowers everywhere, it instantly felt so familiar !

Unfortunately, the hype of the first hours was rapidly shadowed by the messy dorm flat I had been assigned. I have no words to describe the feeling of repugnance I felt when entering that room. But I have lived in other dorms before and I know that sometimes, you are just unlucky… 

I cleaned and decorated and now I kind of feel at home. My courses begin on the 18th of October, so I have almost 3 weeks to visit Munich !

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October 3rd: Visiting the « Olydorf »

Even though I had a bad surprise entering my flat, I still think that I am really lucky to be living in that dorm. It is actually located in the Olympic village of the 1972’s Olympic games in Munich (“Olydorf” for short in German), legend has it that famous high-level athletes once lived where I am now living. 

The surroundings are incredibly beautiful and there is an unfading student and international vibe in the whole village.

I would easily recommend any exchange student coming to Munich to ask for a flat in the Olympic village. It is really difficult to find an accomodation in Munich, student dorms are the cheapest and easiest solution you can find (around 350€/month).

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October 10th: Visiting the city and meeting people

During my first week, I have met many other Exchange students, one of them is Zoé who is also from France. We live in the same building and quickly became friends ! I visited the city and fortunately, LMU has really active student associations, one of them is the ENS MESA, an association that organizes incredible events daily for international and local students. I took part in as many events as I could with my new friends !

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Note to self: Don’t forget to tip waitresses and always have bar money on you when going out !