Money, Money, Money!

Going abroad means going to another country, where a lot of new and different places, people
and customs will expect you. This, of course, includes different money, as well.

Money in Germany

Throughout much of Europe, including Germany, the currency is the Euro (€ or EUR).
1 Euro is divided into 100 cents and coins and paper bills come in many different denominations.
You can find further information on the European Central Bank's website

Exchange Rates

Exchange rates are constantly changing, so please make sure, you check the current rates frequently if you want to exchange larger amounts of cash or charge items to your credit card.
www.xe.com is a commonly used website where you can check exchange rates.

How to Change Your Money from Home to €

Most students find it easiest to use a Visa or MasterCard debit or credit card from home to get cash
from an ATM which can be found in most banks and big shopping malls. You will want to make sure you let your bank know that you will be traveling internationally so that they don’t put holds on your account(s) while they verify that your card has not been stolen. If you plan to use a debit card and a credit card, you will likely need to talk to both your bank and the credit card company. You will also want to check and see what fees will be charged each time you use your card while abroad, find out what exchange rates they use and make sure your PIN codes are valid for withdrawing cash from overseas ATMs.
It is important to be aware of what your maximum withdrawal amount per day is, as well.
Because of the time difference, if you take out the maximum amount allowed in the evening, you will not be
able to take anything out of your account the next morning because it is still the previous day in the U.S.

Travelers’ checks are another way to obtain local currency. However, these can only be cashed in a bank with your passport and you will be charged a fee for doing so.

If you would like to exchange cash, the best place for you to exchange your money is at a bank or at the airport, because they use official exchange rates. Here you should again expect to pay a fee. You should never exchange money with someone on the street. This method of getting Euros is ok for, but we do not recommend traveling with large amounts of cash in any currency.

German Bank Accounts for Study Abroad Students

In general, it is not necessary to open a German Bank account. For students staying over a period of several months (generally more than one semester) or completing an internship, it may be necessary to open a non-resident account at a local bank. Information about such accounts is best obtained directly at the bank.

Can I Pay by Card?

As a traveler in Germany, you should also be aware that although more and more places are accepting debit and credit cards, there are still many places that only accept cash or that require a minimum purchase before accepting cards. It is thus wise to get used to carrying a bit of cash with you at all times. You will find that this can be a good way to stay within budget. If you only buy as much as you have cash on hand to pay for, there is no way for you to exceed your account limits.

Schnitzel!

Schnitzel is the German equivalent of a burger. It's easy to find in several different price ranges, it's a standard on most menus (certainly any kiddie menu) and it can be dressed up or down by changing side dishes (often fries are standard) and sauces. That being said, here's a recipe to help you make it at home:


Ingredients
• meat of your choice (butterfly cut pork chops or chicken breasts work best)
• flour
• eggs (beaten) (at least one for every two pieces of meat with a few extras on hand just in case)
• plain breadcrumbs (not Italian ones)
• vegetable oil
• salt
• pepper
• lemons
• ketchup (optional)
• for spicy Schnitzel add garlic powder, red pepper, and bouillon (replace salt with bouillon; use chicken bouillon with poultry, etc.).

Schnitzel can be made with any kind of meat. Actual Wiener Schnitzel is made with veal, but that’s pretty expensive, and I like it best with chicken or turkey anyways. Pork is pretty popular in Germany, too. You’ll want to get the meat of your choice cut “butterfly style” by the butcher at the grocery store (unless you’re
really ambitious and want to do it yourself). That means that it’s cut in half to make the meat half as thick, but the two halves are still connected in the middle.

Cover the meat with a piece of plastic wrap and beat it for about 30 seconds on each side. A meat tenderizer is best for this, but a wooden spoon or rolling pin will do the job, too. The meat should be fairly thin when you're done (1/4 to 1/2 inch thick).

After beating the meat, cover it completely in flour, then in egg that has been beaten, and then in breadcrumbs that have no seasoning except for a bit of salt and pepper (red pepper and/or garlic powder can be added if you want spicy schnitzel). Make sure the meat is completely covered in each of the 3
ingredients.

Add about ¼-½ inch of vegetable oil to a frying pan. Make sure the oil is hot before adding the meat. You know it’s hot when you throw a drop of water in and it sizzles. If you don’t make sure the oil is hot first, the breading will soak it up and you’ll wonder where your oil has disappeared to. Once it gets hot, reduce the heat to medium because otherwise the meat will be burned on the outside and raw on the inside.

The Schnitzel is done when it has a nice golden-brown color and is firm (raw meat is sorta squishy, cooked meat isn’t).
Serve with slices of lemon. The lemon juice is squeezed onto the Schnitzel. A lot of people eat ketchup with their Schnitzel, too.

Guten Appetit!

Will my cell phone work in Germany?

Most of us, whether young or old, have trouble separating ourselves from our cell phones. We use them as alarms, clocks, entertainment, and ways of staying connected through texting, e-mail, facebook, chat programs and as telephones. For safety reasons, students studying abroad at the European Study Center receive a cell phone upon arrival. They come with a SIM card to which money can be uploaded for inexpensive, pre-paid phone calls.

But what if students want to continue to use their beloved cell phones from home while here? They need to be sure to discuss the possibilities with their cell phone provider. There are too many variables to list them all here, but students who do not take the time to inform themselves well generally end up unexpectedly unhappy about their phone not working in Germany at all (which is fairly standard), or paying extravagant roaming fees. Charging their cell phones may also be an issue if they don't take the time to look into electrical converters as discussed in this earlier post.


No matter what, all students receive a cell phone as part of the program so that they'll have their own German phone number. It will be much less expensive for new friends to reach them on a local number than an international one. The good news is that incoming phone calls are always paid by the caller, not the receiver, so, unlike in the U.S., it's free for students to receive calls on their cell phones.

Dress code

At the European Study Center, one of our goals is to integrate German culture into the atmosphere there. It is because of this goal that we expect that students present themselves in an appropriate manner for all occasions, whether at the European Study Center or on official excursions. Europeans generally consider it very important to always dress appropriately when in public areas and they often dress much nicer than North Americans. Does this mean our students can't wear jeans to class? No. It does, however mean, that they shouldn't wear sweat pants, pajamas, or "jogging" clothes outside of the student living areas (unless they are actually currently jogging in the case of the last example). Those planning on coming to the European Study Center should plan on bringing a mixture of clothes – business casual, dress up, and casual wear. Our staff is always happy to give advice if you're not sure what to wear.

CEPA Europe

CEPA is a name you will likely hear frequently when at the European Study Center. This is because together with the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW), CEPA Europe is one of the founders of the European Study Center and the organization which is responsible for the day-to-day operation of its programs. 

What does CEPA do?

For 15 years, CEPA has been organizing customized short-term faculty-led study abroad programs throughout Europe. Based in Germany, they are able to take advantage of an extensive network of partnerships and know-how about traveling in Europe that only Europeans have. In addition to faculty-led programs, CEPA has an internship program which provides qualified students with internship placement and assistance with housing and language courses as needed. CEPA is also responsible for the day-to-day operation of the EU Study Center in Strasbourg, France. 

CEPA's goal is not only to deliver meaningful educational and cultural experiences, but also a new perspective that goes well beyond the famous cities, the world-renowned monuments, and postcard views of Europe. Providing students with life-changing, positive experiences in Europe is CEPA's top priority. 
It is because of this extensive knowledge, experience and commitment to customer service that daily activities of the European Study Center are able to run smoothly and students are able to concentrate on their studies and the world around them while in Europe. 

How much tip should I leave at a restaurant in Germany?

One of the things many Americans like about traveling in Germany is that they are no long expected to leave 15-20% tip in restaurants. This is because some gratuity is already included in the check. However, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t leave a tip on top of that. The wait staff generally doesn’t receive the gratuity which has been built into the check directly. 

It is customary to round up to the next full Euro and add a Euro or two (for example, if your bill is 12.55€, it would be appropriate to pay 13-14€ total). When you are eating out in a nicer restaurant, with a large group, or the sum of your bill is quite high, you should leave a 5-10% tip. Tips are usually given directly to the waiter.

Taking electronics to Europe

One of the main questions students have is what kinds of electronics they should bring with them to Europe and what type of adapters they will need. Hopefully this information will be helpful:

What to bring?

In general, the fewer things you can bring that will need electricity while in Europe, the better. For the things you absolutely can't live without, be sure to talk to someone knowledgeable about what you need to convert electricity properly for that particular item BEFORE coming to Europe. You may have a difficult time getting what you need in Europe!

Electronics and appliances can be very heavy and take up a lot of space. Hair dryers often have problems even with the proper adapters and transformers. You may want to purchase an inexpensive one in Germany that you will leave behind at the end of your stay.

Voltage

In Germany 230 volts- 50 Hz is the standard. In the U.S., 110 volts - 60 Hz is standard. Most electronics or appliances designed for international travel only need a plug adapter to function properly anywhere in the world. You can generally tell by looking at the power cord for a statement like “Input: 100-240V, 50-60Hz”.
If you try to use electronics or appliances that are not specifically designed to work worldwide without a transformer, you put yourself in a potentially dangerous situation (sparks will often literally fly!) and will likely ruin the item.
If you choose to bring electronic devices with you, it is best to go to a competent travel store or appliance store to make sure you have the proper transformer for voltage and the proper plug adapter. 

Plug adapters

European outlets require plugs with two round prongs. You will want to make sure you purchase an adapter that will work in Germany since within Europe there are fat and thin versions of the two-prong plug and in some countries, a hole in the plug itself is necessary because of a metal prong coming out of the socket. If you intend on traveling to other European countries while in Heidelberg, be sure to bring the proper adapters with you! It will be difficult to find plug adapters converting to European plugs in Europe, so please make sure to bring these with you!

A German electrical outlet
Note it is recessed into the wall-
make sure you buy an adapter that can go into the hole!

An Italian electrical outlet-has 3 prongs instead of 2

A French electrical outlet that requires the plug itself to have a hole

 

Rick Steves!

Rick Steves was the plenary speaker at the recent NAFSA conference in Houston, TX. (NAFSA is a non-profit organization for international educators.) The European Study Center program coordinator, Anni Taylor, just happened to bump into him and his son while at dinner with partners from the University of the Incarnate Word, Alanna Taylor and Amy DeStefano. After chatting a bit about our program and studying in Germany, Mr. Steves was kind enough to let this picture be taken.
Rick Steves has A TON of great travel tips you may want to check out before leaving for Europe. Check out his website and youtube channel! 

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood!

To give you a better feeling for what students at the European Study Center see as they come and go, here are a few pictures of the streets and buildings that are within a 10-minute walk.

Impressions of Heidelberg

by Kristine Garza, one of the students who came to visit in March, 2012

I visited Heidelberg, Germany with a class for Spring Break 2012 and it was the most beautiful, enlightening, and amazing experience I’ve ever had. The few days I spent in Heidelberg were too short to even begin to discover everything this beautiful city had to offer. I absolutely loved the accessibility of everything from walking down Haupstrasse to hopping on the tram to take a stroll on the Philsophenweg. The experience was so awesome especially meeting German natives and learning the differences in our cultures just by having a simple conversation. The food was delicious and exciting to experiment along with the different types of drinks. Overall it was an amazing experience and has squashed any previous fear I had of studying or visiting abroad. I am studying International Business and currently a senior MBA student so I may not be able to spend a semester abroad but if I had a chance I would definitely visit Germany again. 

Kristine Garza and Louisa Espinoza (Sitting overlooking Heidelberg on Philosopher’s Way)

UIW students come to visit!

Yesterday a group of students from UIW participating in a short term study abroad stopped by our campus for a quick tour. Our director, Thomas Leibrecht, regaled students with stories from the history of our campus followed by coffee and cake and a short tour. We were very pleased to welcome familiar faces back to our campus, as well as meet some new enthusiastic study abroaders. Thanks for stopping by!