GRIP, Research Abroad First Thoughts About Aachen

GRIP: Engineering Research in Aachen, Germany

I just started my summer research internship in Aachen, Germany and I am really enjoying the experience so far. My internship is within RWTH Aachen University, where everyone has been extremely welcoming to me, especially the students on my floor in my dormitory. I quickly made a lot of new friends with them and also with other US students doing an internship here for the summer.

Aachen is a small diverse city with some very beautiful places to hang out with friends. Wherever you go, there are many food places making fresh and tasty cooked food next and the architecture is mesmerizing. Through the UROP International internship program here, I explored Aachen’s culture a lot, but I also traveled around quite a bit as traveling with trains is convenient in the area. During the first week, we spent a day in Cologne, where we saw the Cologne Cathedral and climbed more than 500 steps up one of its towers for the view at the top. We also went on a boat along the Rhine river. That was a very fun day as I spent time with new people while also visiting a cool place, despite the continuous rain.

On an afternoon last week we walked from Aachen to Dreiländereck, which is the point of the triple border between Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The rain was really heavy during the hour and a half walk, and we were soaked at the time we arrived, but the experience was worth it as well as the Belgian fries and hot chocolate at the end. I also visited the Aachen zoo, which had cute sleeping red pandas! It was my first time seeing red pandas in real life.

While I am part of the UROP program with a lot of organized activities, I live far from most of the students in that program. Everyone on my floor is a student at RWTH Aachen, and I learn a lot from them about university life here. They even invited me to a birthday celebration for one of the girls on the floor, where we went to one of the common rooms in the building and we played pool, foosball, darts, and talked. They are very friendly, so I enjoy spending time with them in my dorm. Additionally, my dorm is located across from a Lindt chocolate factory, so most of the time the air around here smells like chocolate and caramel!

In terms of being in Germany, I really feel close to home. I am originally from Bulgaria, where I lived my whole life before coming to Penn. For me, Europe is home, and having the opportunity to pursue an internship in a European country is amazing. I am exploring a culture that I was already very familiar with, and I am taking a German class to advance my German abilities after I learned some of it in school. I was honestly even surprised by how much I remember from the language. Additionally, a lot of my closest high school friends are now studying in the Netherlands, Belgium, or Germany, so I am close to them after being away for freshman year. Last weekend a few of them even surprised me and came to Aachen, which made me happy because I hadn’t seen them in a long time.

Moving to the workplace, I also like the community in the Institute where I am working side by side with professors and PhD students. I am often invited to social events with them like coffee breaks, lunch, and BBQs. I joined their football team, which is practicing for a faculty tournament in about a month and a half, which is a fun way to get to know them outside the formal setting.

I am very grateful for this opportunity, and I am excited to be in this friendly community abroad!