by TravelTillIDrop | May 11, 2014 | english, live in düsseldorf, study abroad
Sometimes you have to lose something to realize how important it is. When living with my mom, I never pay so much attention to what mommy is doing for the family. But now I am living by myself and am so far away from home, I start realizing how great my mommy is!
1. Mom is like a secretary
There are many things to handle when you live abroad alone, you have to remember to pay the rent, bills for electricity, water, internet, phone…Do everything by yourself, in case you forget one little thing…Ohlalaaaa!
2. Mommy is like “Hercules”
Wanna drink milk? Eat some oranges? If there’s no toilet paper at home, no shampoo…Then go to the supermarket and buy them yourself, and things can be heavy! The worst is I don’t have an elevator in my building…
3. Mommy is like a chef
Whatever yummy dishes I want to eat when I was living with my parents, probably I just need to tell my mom and I will get it soon! But living abroad means unless you know how to cook the dish and can get all the ingredients, you ain’t having that delicious food that you like! Some people may say, then just go to the restaurant! But if I go to a Chinese restaurant, maybe the food I cook tastes more genuine and tasty!
4. Mommy is like a doctor
When I was sick back at home, my mom would take care of me. She would prepare food and drinks that would help me to recover faster! Now?! It’s time to take care of myself!
5. Mommy is like a cleaning lady
Germany is less polluted than Hong Kong. Theoretically, my home in Germany should be less dusty, but it’s not true…I still have to clean all the time! Sometimes it feels too tired after going back home, but still have to do laundry, if not, I have no clean clothes to wear!
6. Mommy is like a financial planner
Buying food, paying for rent and bills…everything costs and everything is important! I didn’t realize these things can add up to cost so much until I have to buy them myself! In the past, feel like collecting supermarket stamps or points or buy discounted items are something that only housewives will do! But now living alone, I started doing these too!
7. Mommy is like an encyclopedia
Not sure how to cook rice without a rice cooker? The pot is burnt accidentally and doesn’t know how to clean it? Other than Google, guess only mommy can tell you the answer right away!
Long story short, mom is great and amazing! It’s not easy to treasure it when we take her for granted, but she has been doing so much for the family and deserves all our love and respect whenever we can.
by TravelTillIDrop | Apr 21, 2014 | english, travel tips
The German Oktoberfest occurs every year during September and October as the world’s biggest beer festival! How much do you know about it? Do you know the following things about Oktoberfest?
1. What’s the history of Oktoberfest?
Oktoberfest originates in 1810. At first, it was a horse race and was part of the celebration of Bavarian King Ludwig I. and his wife Theresie. As the horse race was very popular, it was held as an annual event afterward, and eventually becomes the Oktoberfest nowadays.
2. What’s so special about the beer?
The beer we drink in Oktoberfest is all brewed in Munich. Since the 16th century, Bavaria in Germany already has set strict rules for brewing the best beer. In order to brew the purest beer, in 1516, Duke William IV ordered only water, barley and hop can be used for brewing!
3. What brands of beer are you expecting to see in Oktoberfest?
All the beer in Oktoberfest are brewed in Munich in Bavaria, include the following brands: Augustiner, Paulaner, Spaten-Franziskaner, Löwenbräu, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu
4. How big and how much is a glass of beer? How many calories does a glass of beer contain?
During Oktoberfest, a glass of beer is usually 1L. It costs around 10euro and it has around 500kcal for each glass of beer! Maybe sharing a glass of beer with a friend is not a bad idea, thinking about how much fat you are gaining!
5. What are some typical German food to eat in Oktoberfest?
There are a few foods you should try when you go to Oktoberfest! The common ones are pork knuckle, bratwurst, pretzels…! But maybe it never draws your attention that Germans also like to eat roast chicken in Oktoberfest, season the chicken, and roast the skin until it’s super crispy! Ohlalalaaaaaa. Nom!
6. What am I expecting to have fun at Oktoberfest?
Oktoberfest is like a big carnival, there are rides, stalls for food, and a beer tent! There’s no entrance fee for Oktoberfest, and you only have to pay if you are playing the rides, eating, or drinking! So if you don’t want to spend any money in Oktoberfest, you can simply walk around and feel what it’s like!
7. What should I prepare to go to Oktoberfest?
As Oktoberfest is the biggest beer festival in the world, there are people from all around the world to go to Oktoberfest every year! During that period, hotels and transportation like flights and trains tickets soared! So plan ahead, if not, maybe it’s good to have a good friend who lives in Munich! Also, remember to book a table in the tent earlier. If you don’t have a seat, they won’t serve you a beer! If you would like to get in the atmosphere, you can also wear the traditional Bavarian costume! Don’t feel shy! There will be many people wearing Dirndl and Lederhosen there, and I’m sure you will enjoy yourself even more!
To get to know more: http://www.oktoberfest.de/
by TravelTillIDrop | Apr 6, 2014 | english, travel tips
Recently I just got back from a trip, as usual, I would like to save some money and decided to stay in a Hostel for a few nights. Since some of them are really cheap, say 5-6euro per night, we decided to go for a hostel! When things are so cheap, I don’t expect too much from them. But if I have to share a hostel room with these kinds of people, sometimes I really think it’s a disaster!
1. Person with alarm clock keeps ringing
Once I lived in a hostel, someone in the room had her alarm clock starts ringing at 6.30am! I understand sometimes people may have to wake up early to catch their schedule, it’s okay if someone is waking up early! But the annoying thing is, this girl actually wakes up at 8.30am in the end. So she just keeps her alarm clock ringing at 6.30am,7am, 7.30am, 8am, 8.15am, 8.25am…etc.
2. Person who chats/speaks loudly at the midnight
I once fell asleep at around 11pm. Then I thought I could sleep till the next morning. But at around 12am, my dorm-mates came back. They started chatting, tidying up their things, walking around the room to get stuff…They were too noisy that they actually woke me up. What is worse was there was a group of 12 Spanish living in the room right next. As the hostel is quite old, you can hear people speaking next room quite clearly. In the end, there was no way but I had to go to the reception and tell them the situation and got it solved.
3. Person who is drunk
When it’s the middle of the night, and your dorm-mate came back drunk and talking to someone else, that’s actually quite horrible. I personally think drunk people are one of the hardest people to deal with. Because even when you talk to them, they can’t really control themselves and the next morning, they won’t even remember what happened last night. I feel that’s not much I can do under this circumstance.
4. People who do 18+ things in the room (not smoking or drinking)
When you live in a mixed form, with people of all ages and both male and female in the room, sometimes I don’t really understand how people can do something like that, and making noise that makes people feel uncomfortable. Perhaps they think it’s exciting to do such things, but seriously, it’s just so awkward to hear something like that.
5. Person who said he’s interested in you
After chatting for a while, the person told you you are so cute, so pretty, and he’s interested in you, and you are living in the same dorm with him! Ohlalalaaaaa Once I traveled with my friend and she’s the victim, just to play safe, my friend and I slept in the same bed together that night even though we paid for our own bed!
Have you met someone in the hostel that you would not like to stay in the same room with? Share your experience below!
by TravelTillIDrop | Dec 6, 2013 | english, travelog
Heidelberg in Germany may not sound strange to many travelers. However, its nearby city – Mannheim, most of the people go there just for the sake of having cheaper accommodation when visiting Heidelberg because that is a city which is not too much to see. Yet, I stayed in Mannheim for a few days because of a friend.
While my friend was worried about where she should show me around in Mannheim, her housemate suggested we can go to Schwetzingen. She said we would definitely love it! We were shocked after we enter the castle garden, and then we realized the garden was really huge! This castle is so secret that even my German friend who’s been studying there didn’t know about that! What a big discovery!
Big Fountain!
Put a leaf, and it will flow along the water
little bridge
colourful autumn
Mosque in the castle
Enjoy apple strudel after the visit
by TravelTillIDrop | Feb 5, 2013 | english, study abroad
It’s common to feel lonely sometimes when you are studying abroad. In order to make the best out of your stay, why not meet more foreign friends, expand your social circle and chill out with friends during your leisure time! You never know, maybe some of these people you meet will become your lifelong friends.
Here are a few tips from me on how to meet new friends when you have just arrived at a new place:
1. Join some interest group
If you have some particular interests/hobbies, e.g. sport, movie, music…etc., you can join some interest class or group. Get to know some people who share similar interests and do something that both of you enjoy together!
2. SMILE 🙂
Sometimes, a little smile will bring you a new friend! Even though we are from different backgrounds and ethnicity, a smile can represent friendliness and reduce the barrier between you and your new friends!
3. Join different activities
Pay attention to different activities organized on the campus or outside the campus. Join different activities like visiting some nearby cities or countries together and increase the chance of meeting new friends!
4. Say YES!
Especially for the first week, if there is anyone inviting you to join some activities or parties, you have to say YES! Get to know the people first, and see who you can get along well with. After the first week, everyone already has their own circle of friends, so it will be harder to get into the others!
Share in the comment below if you have more tips!
by TravelTillIDrop | Jan 18, 2013 | english, study abroad
As a foreign student, the tuition fee is more expensive than usual. In addition, the living standard overseas is usually higher than that in Hong Kong. If you would like to alleviate your parents’ burden or save more pocket money to do something you want, the following 5 tips may be able to help you!
1. Buy 2nd hand furniture and clothes
As there are more and more foreign students around the world, it’s not too hard to buy their used furniture when they leave the country, because most of these students only stay in the country for a short period of time. In some places like the United Kingdom, it’s very easy to find some charity shops. They are selling second-hand clothes that people donate, the money they earn from the clothes are also for charity purpose. If you are lucky enough, you can find something cheap but of high quality!
2. Apply for a student travel card
Different cities may provide different student incentives. Try to ask some more experienced/senior students and check what kind of discount you may get. For example, in England, there’s a railcard for 16-25 years old youth. The application fee is around GBP30, but you can also enjoy a 1/3 discount when you are traveling with the London underground. Other than that, if you can ride a bike, traveling by bike is also a good option!
3. Don’t dine out that often
Dining out is more expensive usually. You can try to cook some simple dishes or if you are brave enough, look for some new recipes online and try to make it! Maybe you can gather your friends, and make dinner together! Rice cooker is not that common compared to Asia, you can try to look for ways to cook rice in a normal pot or cooking with a microwave, or if you really need it, go to China Town and get one!
4. Don’t always go out for entertainment
You can go to your friends’ place to play some games, bake a cake, or watch a movie at home! These entertainments will probably be cheaper than going to a cinema or other entertainment venue.
5. Make use of video call
It’s normal that your friends and family will miss you when you are overseas. When technology was not that advance in the past, the expensive bill for the telephone is kind of inevitable. But now, if you can make use of software like Skype, Whatsapp…etc., it will be so cheap and easy to communicate with your friends. (Skype also provides a monthly plan, so you can use the internet to call other’s mobile phone no., and the price is not expensive at all!)
Updated in 2022: Skype is probably no longer the hype, simply Facetime or Whatsapp video call is good enough nowadays!
