RWTH Aachen Week 0: Arriving in Aachen & Moving In
1 - Transportation method for arrival
It's 7:05 AM and I'm trembling in Aachen's cold morning air, having just stepped off an 8-hour train from Zürich with a connecting ride at Köln at 5 AM.
Note to self (and future prospective students for this program): remember to book Nightjet (NJ) trains operated by ÖBB for a bed and breakfast experience, or book through SBB and get the Sparpreis Europa ticket for only 30-40 CHF, instead of booking through DB, which has overpriced mandatory standard tickets at 188 euros and limited availability, with beds running out so fast you're stuck in a 2nd class seat. Lesson learned.
One goal I've already set for myself is to master all the free transportation my semester ticket unlocks, every RE/RB/S train, bus, tram, light rail, and subway line. And since it's valid nationwide across Germany, I could technically travel from Hamburg to Munich completely free, just hopping between regional trains. That's wild to me.
My last visit to Germany was a whole year ago, so stepping off the train and looking around at Aachen's street signs and billboards, I was trying my best to reactivate my German.
Fortunately, Jungmin was waiting for me outside McDonald's, he's been assigned as my UROP buddy here at RWTH. While I was still completely clueless about how to reach my dorm, he already had the entire bus route pulled up on Google Maps. I just dragged my two suitcases and followed him, changing buses twice and walking five minutes, until we finally arrived.
The dorm room is extremely comfortable and far more spacious than anything I had at Michigan. Coming from a whole year in Bursley, this feels like a luxury. The desk has drawers on both sides, there's a tall shelf, the wardrobe has vertical sections plus a unified top compartment, and the bed sits high enough to slide my suitcase underneath. The setup is complete, I genuinely have everything I need.
By 9 AM, I was starving. Halfway through unpacking, I gave up, wandered out, and started exploring the rest of the suite. There's a shared kitchen and fridge, and that's where I met Efe, my neighbor, who was already cooking breakfast. I had absolutely no food on me, and Efe was so generous, he cooked an omelette for both of us and shared some of what he had, so we just ate breakfast together like we'd known each other for years. Afterwards, we went shopping together at Lidl, which is kind of the German equivalent of a Walmart, except with better bread. I spent 15 euros on Vienna sausages, yogurt, granola, shampoo, soap, and mouthwash. Food prices here are considerably cheaper than in the US.
Efe, on the other hand, bought an entire grocery store, he left carrying 20 kg bags in each hand. He told me he's planning to cook chicken, salmon, steak, and lamb, and that last week he threw a grill party with other residents in the Wohnheim.
Back in my room, eating lunch, two boiled sausages, yogurt with granola, I had a realization. I've relied entirely on M-Dining at Michigan and have never really cooked for myself. One goal I'm setting for Aachen: actually learn to cook real meals and stay healthy without depending on pre-made food. I'll be handling breakfast and dinner myself every single day here. That might honestly be my biggest challenge.
The dorm is wonderful, the supermarket is stocked, and my neighbors and UROP buddy have been nothing but kind. But the wifi and the washing machines? Absolutely brutal.
Setting up wifi here is a massive inconvenience, the setup office is only open on Thursday evenings, and I arrived on a Friday morning. That means surviving on one phone's hotspot across four devices until next Thursday. The slow connection eventually frustrated me so much that I bundled up, walked out into the cold night wind, found a school building, and sat alone in a completely empty lecture hall just to write this blog on eduroam wifi.
The washing machines are another story. They're nearly impossible to operate, and without my blue card for Aachen, I can't even activate them. Other residents tell me that the machines actually working is considered a miracle, their broken state is apparently the norm.
So: bring plenty of mobile data and pack more clothes than you think you need. Future me (and future you) will thank us.
That's it. I am exhausted. There are still many difficulties ahead, but with such a warm community and so many people willing to help, I genuinely believe I can push through all of it and have an amazing time here in Aachen. Next blog, I'll share updates on orientation week and my first meeting with my research lab supervisor. Bis dann!
Department of Robotics, Robotics
Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Computer Science
Engineering - IPE: Undergraduate Research Program at RWTH Aachen in Aachen, Germany
