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.