Vallendar, Koblenz, and the Surrounding Area
I arrived in Vallendar Germany late August with all sorts of excitement for my study abroad. I wasn?t sure what to expect about the city, because pictures rarely do justice. However, it definitely met and even exceeded my expectations. Vallendar is a very quaint town on the Rhine river. The town is full of the classical half timber house construction. It is located on a section of the river filled with all sorts of old and beautiful castles. These are easy to get to and are seen even on train rides leaving from Koblenz towards some of the major cities. The terrain is generally hilly and so far, has had almost perfect weather for my first month here. There are plenty of grocery stores within walking distance as well. My first experience in a German grocery store was a little interesting and confusing, but all of the people were very helpful and gave me assistance. After a few trips I had it figured out pretty well!
Orientation Week
Orientation week for Tauschies, what they call us exchange students, was fantastic and made meeting everyone a lot easier. We had a fun rally in Koblenz where we split into teams and had to complete various challenges for points. One of them included creating a chant about WHU (There are very spirited students and love chants). We also did a wine tasting tour in Boppard, a nearby town. The Rhine area is famous for its wine and specifically Riesling. We walked through all of the vineyards while trying different types of wine. One of the last events we did was an international dinner. The students were split up into their countries of origin and told to make a small amount of food that is representative of their home countries. We were then each introduced individually and shared about our food and country. Naturally, I was part of a group that made PB&J sandwiches. We then went into their vaulted cellar beneath the school and celebrated while eating everyone?s food. In the end, the orientation week really helped kick off the semester excellently!