Welcome Day (03-01-05)

Wow!! Unbelievable! Incredible! I couldn't believe that for the first time in my life I would be visiting a foreign country and flying on a plane. Being from Cape Town I only had 4 others flying with me. The rest left from Johannesburg. Flying was great - I thoroughly enjoyed it. The arrival in Frankfurt was good - it wasn't as cold as I'd expected which was a huge relief! Meeting the rest of the group there was fantastic - I couldn't believe how great the whole group was! The flight to Stuttgart was unbelievably short - I think it took longer getting to the runway and taking off than the actual flight did!

Getting to meet Barbara, Marion, Edith and Reiner was where the experience really began. These were the wonderful people who'd be taking care of us for the next 4 weeks. I and the rest of the group cannot thank them enough for their time, their energy and their unwavering enthusiasm towards this programme.

Settling in was where the work began. Lugging suitcases everywhere was no easy task and then we had to settle into our rooms, unpack, freshen up and then meet again. Cooking Kässpätzle together was enormous fun and it was the first time we worked as a group. I thought we mingled well and we all hit it off perfectly.

Then it was back to our dorms for a well-earned sleep. I took a shower and nearly flooded my dorm but I think I have the hang of it now! All in all, an awesome day and one I'm sure all of us will not soon forget. What a truly beautiful town Tübingen is!

(Report by Nazli Gasant, University of Cape Town)