Mannheim: The City of the Square is far from it

           So you’re coming to live in Mannheim, huh? You don’t want more universal pearls of wisdom that obviously apply mostly to Mannheim, but that I’ve dressed up to seem more grandiose? Fine. You caught me. This is now a no-holds-barred look at life in Mannheim: what you need to know, and what the International Programs Office would probably prefer I not tell you:

The Water Sucks

That’s it. I said it. For all the loveliness that comes from being nestled between the Rhine and the Neckar, the effect it has on the content of the tap water is a definite problem. Can you drink it? Yes, it’s perfectly potable. People here even say it’s good for you, with all its naturally occurring limestone and what not. But do you want to drink it? No! It tastes the way you think a piece of chalk probably would. In an emergency, you’ll do it. You’ll drink the water. But in ANY OTHER SCENARIO, you’ll find something else to do. For example, we bought a Brita filter in for my apartment. It works great, and it’s endlessly cheaper than bottled water.

A Brita filter cannot however do anything about the shower water. It’s the same calcifying junk that comes out of the kitchen sink faucet, so get used to looking at your hair and thinking, “really? Is that what this chalk-water does to my head?” And it’s not just your hair that goes stiff. Between the lack of dryer and white, powdery water, your jeans will start to crease very nicely. Am I complaining about something that the majority of people around the world would be more than happy with? Of course. Is it fun to vent? You betcha.

The Trams are your Best Friends

Like most European cities, Mannheim has an excellent public transportation system. The trams are clean, relatively timely, and definitely safe. They run every twenty minutes or so, and they can bring you anywhere in the city within 15 minutes. My particular residence is a little outside the city, so my commute is about 25-30 minutes, but the trams are so pleasant to ride on, I almost don’t mind. I have but two complaints: children, and the ticket system.

This shouldn’t surprise you, but children are terrible. One at a time, they’re easy enough to handle, but when school lets out, and 150 small children decide they ALL want to sit in the back of the tram where you were unfortunate enough to settle, you won’t like the result. They scream, they throw things, and they honestly don’t understand how much we all hate them. They’re oblivious to everything around them. And no amount of adorable German accent can save them. Be ready, they’re coming.

A one-way tram ticket (not changing trams, but riding for as far as you like) costs the equivalent of $2.50. That means that for someone who makes a round trip (say someone who lives in my apartment area) pays at least $5 a day just to be a participating student. If that seems exorbitant, you’re not the only one who thinks so: Schwarzfahren (lit. “riding black”. Yep.), or riding without paying, is a common problem. If they catch you without a ticket, you pay the equivalent of $60 in fines. Severe, isn’t it? It would seem so, but for some hilariously naïve reason, in a move I’ve come to expect from Germany, the system runs almost entirely on honor. In four months in Germany, taking the tram for at least one hour everyday, and usually more often than that, I have NEVER seen anyone asked if they have a ticket. In general, riding my usual commute, so long as I didn’t get caught “riding black” more than once EVERY TWELVE DAYS, I would still break even sneaking around the trams. As it is, by the time of this writing, I would have saved $605 dollars by never buying a ticket. A system with that kind of financial incentive to cheat shouldn’t really exist.

And yet it does. Law-abiding Germans and good deals save it. I bought the university’s Semester Ticket for $120 on the advice of my advisor and friends. I’ve saved quite a bit of money, and because of deals the Uni made with Deutsche Bahn, I’ve been able to ride free all over the southern half of Baden-Württemberg. And you know what? On every one of those trips, someone came along to check that I had a ticket.

Döner is Life:

If you’ve never heard of a döner, I’m afraid you haven’t been living correctly. Originally the invention of Turkish immigrants in Berlin, the döner has become a staple late-night food all over Germany. Shredded lamb meat with lettuce, red cabbage, onions, and a creamy yoghurt sauce, all wrapped in a warm flatbread bun, a döner costs about $3.75. And when it’s 4 in the morning, and you and your friends are wandering home drunk, heaven arrives in the glowing sign of a döner shop, open just when you need it.

            Realistically a bit more healthy than most fast food, döner are exactly the kind of filling, cheap, greasy food you need when you’ve spent all week running around to parties and foreign countries. I’m sure that after I leave Germany, I’ll crave a döner every hour of the night.

            Explore Mannheim:

            Lots of people come to a foreign city on study abroad so that they can be closer to other foreign cities, not because they have any intention of sticking around. I would warn against that. Mannheim is a college town for the ages. With 35% of its students being internationals who demand cool things to do, Mannheim is a really happening place. Check out the Turkish Quarter, Luisenpark, the Ice Skating Rink. Relax on the Neckarwiese, a stretch of prime picnic area on the banks of the Neckar. Go to open air clubs on Hafenstraße, jazz bars in Neckarstadt West, or hundreds of hipster bars in Jungbusch. I’ve been here 4 months and still haven’t seen more than half of the city.

            Schneckenhof:

            I don’t like large parties. They’re loud, crowded, anonymous, and not that fun. You never feel like you can meet new people or that you’re really getting anything out of the experience. None of these things are true of Schneckenhof. This gigantic, extraordinary, weekly party takes place Thursday nights AT THE UNIVERSITY! Hundreds and hundreds of people attend, and the entire night becomes magical. I can’t properly describe such an incredible event, but I hate regular parties and I can’t get enough of Schneckenhof.