Welcome to the ‘hub’ of excellent education and meeting people from all over the world. I have never seen so many diverse people from different backgrounds at one spot. If that is what you are looking for, EBS is definitely the right place - which I refer to as the’ hub’. I shortly want to share with you some of my experiences at the ‘hub’ and hope that it helps you to find your own way.

Do not be disappointed if you thought that EBS was located in the ‘heart’ of Frankfurt. At least that’s what I thought. The good news is that you won’t regret anything at the end. The strategic location of EBS makes it easier for you to travel to the nearest big towns such as Wiesbaden, Mainz or Frankfurt with no difficulties at all. Having spent the past years in a city (Cape Town), made me appreciate my time here in such a small town. The only sound you hear in Oestrich – Winkel is that of the train. Moreover, almost every second person you meet in the street looks familiar.

The first thing I had to do was to get a bike. It’s probably the most effective and efficient way to go around here. When I last went with a bike I was about 13 – back home adults usually don’t drive bikes. If you are on a bike there you have the responsibility of watching out for the cars, in Germany the cars watch out for you; isn’t that just great? However, going through the vineyards paths with the bike and just getting lost has indeed been fun.

Another activity I will never forget was going to the bakeries. As much as I loved the good German breads I did not know their names. As a result, I always had to point at what I wanted to buy -my sign language has indeed improved. Although there are different articles (der, die, das) for different items – I called everything ‘’das’’. A big mistake because you might just order something you don’t mean.

What is amazing: Whoever you meet is friendly and willing to assist. The Christmas markets have definitely been the highlight of my stay. This markets starts around the end of November and even the cold winter cannot beat this markets. I enjoyed the food and the Glühwein (‘’hot wine) sold at this markets. I have sipped all kinds of hot drinks around but nothing beat the cold winter better than the Glühwein at the Christmas markets.

I always heard of the German Christmas Goose (Weihnachtsgans). It’s really delicious; you might just want to consider staying over Christmas to try it out. I have tried the Goose after Christmas and it doesn’t taste the same. Therefore, if you want to experience the exact taste you will have to stay over Christmas.

Wow, I enjoyed travelling on the Autobahn (Highways); it’s really fast and just exciting. I was under the impression that there were no speed limits in Germany; while you are having fun on the Autobahn, be aware of paying your speeding ticket later.

There is also the Oktoberfest which starts somewhere in October where the German community makes a big celebration (feast) together. ‘Oh la la’, if you want to set a new beer record and see the Germans in their traditional clothes (Dirndl und Lederhosen) dancing - then the Oktoberfest is definitely the place for you to visit. There is also the “Karneval” which starts on the 11th November and has its best time in the week of Rosenmontag. Here people go around the city on trucks singing and dancing. A lot of funny dressed people can be seen there and it’s the ideal place to get some sweets for free.

There are also a lot of great castles which I enjoyed visiting especially in Ingolstadt (in the Bayern Region).

Further, I enjoyed the classes at the EBS which were always presented in an exciting and impressive manner. Initially, I only came to EBS to study for one semester. However, I was thrilled by the Finance and Real Estate programs. As a result, I ended up studying the full-time Master of Science in Real Estate.

What I like about these classes is that you get to learn the current happenings of what is going on in the industry. For almost every subject, one can relate it to the working environment. The courses are structured in a way that allows one to work in groups just like in the “real world” and solve their own group dilemmas.

There is really a good balance between theory and practice. I did many practical orientated assignments and even travelled to Berlin with my Real Estate class to visit various properties for our assignment. We had an opportunity in diverse instances to see projects being developed from the starting to the end phase.

The schedule of the classes makes it possible for the exchange students to travel while studying and still maintain the high standards required. The library is also really well-equipped. It might not be the biggest library around, but it is filled with only top notch books that relate to the courses offered, and as a result this helps one to immediately get the information you need without wasting too much time searching. The lecturers and the staff are always well prepared and willing to assist, be it with a private or academic related issue.

Overall, meeting new people and learning about their culture and the way of doing things has indeed made me feel at home. At the end, whatever your reason might be for coming to EBS; I advise you to make the most out of every day.

Enjoy Germany to the fullest!