The moment I was accepted to study aboard, in Kiel – was a happy moment before the time full of struggles and inconvenience. I live in Kiel for a full five months and I want to share tips and tricks with mostly future Erasmus+ students on how to survive and get used to life here. Mainly I will be talking from a personal experience perspective.

Before arrival

            My survival in Kiel begun even before the arrival. The first question and challenge were: what to take? What I necessarily must put in my baggage. It might seem a bit obvious but do not forget your clothes! (It is not something I have done but just a tip). But all jokes aside. Do not forget the reason you are going abroad – to study. Make sure you have all the tools ready. Your personal laptop (you probably will not be taking a full tower PC with you), make sure it is ready to survive a year or a half a year abroad. I would not recommend taking an old one with you. (Personally, I had to buy a laptop since all I used before was a PC).

Very well, when you are sure you ready to study just pack clothes, bedding, some food for the road, everything that you personally need, and you are good to go. But do not take too much stuff!

Arrival

            The fun part is arrival, well, at least it was for me. From Lithuania to Kiel, I traveled by ferry. With one baggage, three backpacks, and a bag. Sounds a lot, right? Yes, it was quite a lot and it was uncomfortable. But what about the arrival? Well, it was confusing. So, the important tip before arriving – check out on public transport, the routes, the schedules, the prices, taxi is also an option. Because arrival is very confusing, and you really will be glad to know how everything works. Luckily, Google helps a lot, so another tip – take care of your internet connection.

            The next step at the beginning of your survival in Kiel is a settlement. So, first of all welcome! It will be your home for the upcoming semester or for a longer period. The day you will arrive at the room will be the day you settle down. Not many recommendations I can give there because it depends on a person. Firstly, I would suggest thinking of how the furniture positioned. Think of where the best place for you is to sleep, where to place the shelf, table, and wardrobe. It is the key to keep the room as comfortable as possible. If the furniture is placed as you wish, then take all your stuff out of your suitcase and you are settled down!

Now the survival begins!

            Now, when you all settled down your survival begins. Preferentially, you want to think of a plan. The plan of spending, movement, and overall life in Kiel. For example, the first few weeks or even months are the time when you require to spend some money on basic stuff that your dorm simply does not have: like pan or pot or other kitchen equipment, (it depends on the dorm you are in). So, be ready!

            The stores and the prices in there are something that must be pointed out. Find out for yourself the best stores out there. The closest, the most comfortable, or the cheapest once. Also, you can find my article on the top 5 stores. But to shorten it for you here, simply go and check every store around and find out the best for you.

            The next tip is for the people who never actually cooked in their life. Learn how to cook! Check out recipes for beginners, tutorials, and other educational stuff about cooking. Trust me, if you cannot cook or you don’t have anyone to cook tasty and healthy food for you, it will be hard and harmful times for your health. Always think and take care of your health! In addition, do some sports, walk around, do not sit in your room forever.

            As well, do not forget to travel. Right now, it is kind of hard to manage traveling because of the coronavirus pandemic. Still, you can find what to visit in Kiel. Here you can find out where you can spend your time safely in Kiel.

            Last but not least advice: doesn’t matter how good is your plan, nothing ever goes as planned, always expect an unexpected and you will be fine in your survival. Good luck!