![]() Cities like York, Manchester and Sheffield are close-by and it's easy to visit the Great British countryside as the Pennines easily accessible for keen hikers. If you want to be reminded of this while studying in Leeds, all you need to do is hop on a train to York and visit the York Chocolate Factory! The best thing is that there is not only the smell of chocolate from this York factory, but you can also taste it- lots of it! Leeds has great links to many cities and attractions in the UK as well as having it's own airport if you want to travel further. One of the most interesting things about Mannheim is that you can wake up everyday to the smell of chocolate! Thanks to a chocolate factory located on the Neckar, often the whole city smells of melted chocolate. Now, on to some of the most important things for exchange students and just some interesting things I've realised whilst studying in both these places! Watching the ice hockey with some of the amazing people I've met through study abroad! If you are a German student, it's probably wise to avoid doing this at the end of classes in the UK it is likely people will look at you weirdly! UK students don't tend to react at all at the end of lectures or seminars unless they are delivered by students. ![]() For me, everyone suddenly knocking on their desk was confusing and slightly frightening! However, this is the custom at the end of every class in German universities in the place of clapping. The strangest difference when it comes to University though is what to do at the end of a lecture. Furthermore, in the UK you can always ask for tap water in restaurants, bars and clubs and it will always be free. I basically only drink water and having to pay 3 euros extra to have it with every meal when I could just get it from the tap at home depresses me! This is especially surprising from a country that is so strongly into recycling that every house has 3 separate internal bins and you can very easily be shouted at in the street for putting a piece of card or a bottle in a normal bin! Within the University at Leeds there are water refill points everywhere and they are even considering banning sales of plastic water bottles in their shops. ![]() In a restaurant you have to pay for water, and it will always come in a bottle, there are also very few places where I have seen water fountains to drink from or fill bottles. You can 100% drink the tap water in both countries without issue but, for some reason, in Germany they will not give you it anywhere for free. One of the main things I miss about being in the UK though is tap water. Usually it's fine to sit in some public parks (provided you're over 18) and drink with your friends provided you're not being overly rowdy and it's not at night which can look quite dodgy! Wandering around drinking alcohol is frowned upon and can sometimes cause trouble with the police. With the exception of trains, you're not really allowed to drink in public in the UK, don't pull your Wegbier out on the bus or tram or even on a walk along city streets. There's also a strong difference in alcohol rules which is useful for a German to know before coming to the UK. It is illegal to cross at a red light here, something which is not really an issue in the UK. Firstly, although this doesn't always apply, it's best to avoid crossing at a red man in Mannheim, even if there is no car in sight because you may get shouted at by an angry parent or worse the police. ![]() ![]() This does not, however, mean people in Mannheim are unfriendly, I just don't think they're use to the level of stranger-stranger friendliness you encounter on the streets in the North of the UK! Another difference that I hadn't really thought of is general local customs. People in Leeds do seem to be a bit more smiley than people on the streets in Mannheim who automatically look away or frown if you look like you're trying to be overly friendly (and if it's their dog you smile at you may even get a death stare). This was fine for me until people started asking directions and I couldn't remember the German for ‘go straight ahead'. The most obvious is the language people mainly speak German on the streets in Germany and English on the streets in the UK. There are some differences between the two countries and even the two cities that you might not consider at first thought. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |