Party in the U.S.A.

After almost four months in the U.S., I want to cover the unforgettable parties here. As I already mentioned, I live in a house off-campus with 14 other international students, there are always a lot of grandiose parties. 

House party 

Halloween with my roommates 

And even if we do not throw our own party, there are several parties around the campus from Thursday till Sunday. Fabulous are the parties of the fraternities, which are a big deal and these parties are always very crowded. Unfortunately most of the parties end at 00:30 a.m., which is a real pity. In Germany the best parties start at this time. Even if you are going to a real club, which is a crazy and an unique experience, it closes at 2:30 a.m.
The drinking age is 21 and this rule is very strict - in some bars and clubs you could not enter under this age. 
I really enjoyed the crazy nights in Cincinnati! 

Where to eat

Cincinnati has a lot of good corners to have lunch, dinner, or just a short snack. During my stay I discovered some very nice places to eat, which I want to present you. 

My favorite café is the Coffee Emporium, which is located in downtown Cincinnati. It offers a lot of healthy and sustainable drinks and dishes and has one of the best cupcakes in town. It is worth a visit!  

Another excellent place to eat is the restaurant La Poste, which is located in Clifton. It opened only a few months ago and delivers exquisite delicacies. Live music accompanies the dinner and you should definitely dress up and make a reservation in advance. 

My recommendation for a fantastic desert is Greaters, the logo already says it - it is irresistible! They have the best ice cream I ever ate. You have to try it, otherwise you will not believe me. My favorite types are Peanut Butter Chip and Cookie Dough Chip! It is amazing! I am sure, you will love it. 


My last advise is the Skyline Chili, which is a place you have to go, if you are staying in Cincinnati. It offers several dishes with a lot of cheese and it is very famous in Ohio. You should try it.  

Enjoy your meal! 

Bearcast Radio Show

Bearcast Radio Studio 

The University of Cincinnati, especially the Conservatory of Music offers its students a lot of opportunities to express themselves and find their ways in the media sector. One possibility is to create your own radio show for Bearcast Media. 

Bearcast Radio Studio 

Chris, my German roommate, and I decided to take advantage of this opportunity and we started our own radio show called "wunderbar" - it is the German word for wonderful. Our show takes place every two weeks on Wednesday from 11 to 12 a.m. till the end of the semester. 
Mainly we are talking about German habits and we try to deliver insight into the German culture. Our first topic was the Oktoberfest in Munich, which is famous all over the world and there are some details, you should know about it.  
In our last show we talked about German Hip Hop and listened to some great German Hip Hop songs. Our next show will be on the 20th of November 2014! Hope you are listening!  

New York & Chicago

New York City 

My parents and I

In the end of September my parents came to visit me in the U.S. and wanted to see my new life! We met in New York City: the big apple, the city which never sleeps. 
It was my second time visiting New York, but I was again impressed by the beauty and diversity of the city.

Skyline Manhattan

One highlight was watching "the nose" at the metropolitan opera, it was amazing.
We discovered whole Manhattan nearly by foot and found a lot of lovely places around the city. One of my favorite places was the Central Park. I loved the wideness, quietness and freedom in comparison to the rest of Manhattan, which is quite busy.  
New York is definitely always worth a journey!   


Chicago 

My new favorite city! On the last weekend of the visit of my parents we went to Chicago and it was amazing. I totally fell in love with Chicago and it is till now the only city, where I can image to live for a longer period or maybe forever. Every building, every street and everything is unique. I loved the atmosphere of the lake Michigan and I felt like coming home. 
I was so fascinated, that I decided to come back in the beginning of December to see the Christmas market. 
By the way, Chicago is called "the windy city" but not due to the climate, it is because of their indecision at the elections. 
If you are planning a trip to the East Coast of the U.S., you should definitely include a few days in Chicago and discover the beautiful and esthetic corners of the city. Do not forget to take a drink or two nearly at the top of the John Hancock Tower and enjoy the indescribable view of Chicago!  

Travelling 

When I went back from Chicago to Cincinnati by bus, I was surprised by the beautiful nature. I never expected seeing such unique pictures in the U.S.! 

American Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest cup

 My first Oktoberfest outside Germany was amazing. Almost to the same time the Oktoberfest in Munich took place, the Oktoberfest of Cincinnati started. It is just for one weekend, but it was surprisingly big. I have heard it is the second largest Oktoberfest worldwide. 

Food offer 

Cincinnati´s Oktoberfest took place in downtown, some roads were closed only for this event and the streets were crowded with people. Actually some people wore a Bavarian "Tracht" like "Dirndl" for women and "Lederhosn" for men. They sold German beer and kind of German dishes, but most of the food was not really German at all. Either way I really enjoyed the American Oktoberfest and I had a really good time drinking German beer and listening to typical German "Wiesn" hits. My roommate Lucie made a video of Chris and I singing "Skandal im Sperrbezirk", a very popular song at the Oktoberfest. I hope you enjoy it.    

But for sure I do not want to hold back pictures of the real Oktoberfest in Munich! It is the biggest fair worldwide and it takes place for more than 200 years. Yearly around 6 Million visitors come to visit the "Wiesn" and drink 60.000 hectoliter beer. Besides the several beer tents, where the entrance is free, there are a lot of fun rides. When you ever plan to visit the original "Wiesn" you should eat a "Brathendl", which is a very delicious chicken. It is completely worthy coming to Munich during the Oktoberfest time, which is in the end of September! 
Here are some impressions of the real Oktoberfest in Munich:  

Main road of the "Wiesn"

Beer tent inside 

I hope to see you all next year at the "Wiesn" in Munich!

Studying at the UC

Studying in the United States is completely different from studying in Germany. That is the reason why I decided to go abroad for one semester.

The biggest difference is the way of teaching. Most of the classes in Munich are based on theories and empirical research. At UC the focus is on hands-on implementation and helping the students find their way.

To exemplify the differences, I listed some of the main pros of cons of studying Electronic Media at UC:

Pros:

- practically oriented 

- some professors are practitioners

- small & interesting classes

Cons: 

- a lot of homework, tests and assignments  

Another difference is the attendance. Students do not to have to attend a normal lecture in Germany. Here in the US, you have to attend! There is a compulsory attendance and you need always an excuse for missing.

E-Media at UC is a very interesting program and it offers students a lot of useful classes with great and qualified professors. A lot of these classes are oriented towards the student´s daily life and help students prepare for a future career in the media sector. For example, I am taking "Writing for

Normal Classroom

Media" and "Movies in the 20th century". Both classes focus on the development of the students. "Writing for Media" shows the different opportunities of writing, for example news writing, creating a blog, inventing a TV series or creating an advertisement. "Movies in 20th century" delivers insight the world of movies ad gives students the opportunity to make one´s hobby a profession. The different classes of E-Media help student to find out what they like or dislike without forcing someone into a certain opinion. I really enjoy studying E-Media at the UC. I also take two classes from different programs: "Intercultural Communication" and "Psychology of Gender". These classes are really interesting and complete my studies. 

It was a brilliant decision to take part at an exchange program with the University of Cincinnati!

My first Bearcats game!

Football is the national sport of the Americans. Nearly everybody plays it or even likes watching it.

Bearcat 

Nippert Stadium 

When I came to the University of Cincinnati, I was totally impressed by the big stadium in the middle of the campus. In Germany is Football quite unknown and soccer is the most important sport. Here you have a stadium called the Nippert Stadium with a capacity of around 35,000 people directly on campus! Cincinnati Bearcats represent UC and they are very popular and successful.

Skydiver

 

My first Football game was on August 31, 2013: the Bearcats vs. Purdue Boilermakers. It was the first home game of the season and this game broke the record for largest attendance in stadium history: 36,007 people were watching the game live. And I was in the thick of it. The vibes were amazing! It was quite more than a game. A big show surrounded the match. At the beginning skydivers seem to appear from nowhere carrying the American and the Bearcat flag. Followed by musicians marching of the field with an impressive choreography and accompanied by a lot if cheerleaders showing acrobatic stunts. 

Show at the stadium

During the game there are a lot of different songs and dances to support the Bearcats.It was an unique and unforgettable experience to watch a match live. To give you one example of the great atmosphere, I posted the "Fight Song". I can really recommend going to a Bearcat game! It is totally worthwhile. I enjoyed it, even if I am not familiar with the exact rules!   

Arriving in Cincinnati

London Heathrow Airport

London, 1 a.m., 18th August 2013
Eerie moment: Waiting for my flight to Chicago. It seems that I am the only person being at the big airport Heathrow in London. 

After a lonely night at the airport and more than 24 hours of traveling, I safely arrived in Cincinnati. First impressions of the way from the airport to my new home: small and clearly organized airport, empty downtown and in the end a big house with a lot of freshly arrived international students. A new life begins!

I share a room with two French girls. 

My new home

In general the house includes a good mix of nations: Saudi Arabia, England, India, France, Japan, Singapore, and Germany. 

We all live together in ten rooms, four bathrooms and a small kitchen. In the first days we got to know each other such as the campus and took part in some organized events of the University.  

I was very fascinated by the beauty of the campus and the size of the recreation center. Than I found out, that the University of Cincinnati has one of the most beautiful campuses in the United States. I truly understand why!

University of Cincinnati

   

About Me

Hi! My name is Nadine and I am studying Communication and Psychology at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Germany. This year I take part in an exchange program, which enables me to spend one semester in Cincinnati, Ohio and study Electronic Media at the University of Cincinnati (UC). My journey began on the 17th of August 2013!

 

In this blog I am going to tell you about my experiences in the US, especially about studying Electronic Media at the UC, living in a house for international students, watching a Bearcat Football game, and much more!

I hope you enjoy reading my blog!