Where I Live - Mannheim Term

April - July

During my third term in Mannheim, I decided that I was done with the community living lifestyle and lived in Schriesheim, which is just north of the Heidelberg city center. This was Florian's old apartment when he was in college, so after some fixing up, the apartment became quite homey! The area is quite charming, one of those small German towns, but is also a weinstadt (a city that produces its own wine). It was definitely a cozy home to come back to after spending the day in bustling Mannheim.

Out of the three schools that I have been to this year, I noticed quite a difference in academic living style and there has definitely been advantages and disadvantages of all three living set ups.

Warwick dorm style living
Advantages:
-Having friends close
-Fully equipped for student life (i.e. comfortable desk and desk chair)

Disadvantages:
-Sharing kitchen facilities with up to 10 others
-Located in the middle of nowhere
-Lack of character (like living in a box) can be rather depressing
-Noise

Copenhagen shared apartment style living
Advantages:
-Having friends close (roomies)
-Only sharing a kitchen with two others
-Great location

Disadvantages:
-Not fully equipped for student life (i.e. barely had desks and no desk chair)
-Noise
-No community vibe as students commute to school and live all over the city

Mannheim off campus
Advantages:
-Quite
-Homey
-Great atmosphere
-Own kitchen, bathroom, etc.

Disadvantages:
-Not having friends close by
-Lack of community feeling
-Having to commute

I cannot say which set up I liked the best, but all were memorable and great experiences.

Photos:
1 - My castle that I could see from my bed (the vineyards are being redone, but there is normally grape vines growing on the mountain below the castle)
2 - Front view of the apartment
3 - Bedroom
4 - Kitchen
5- Living room