Step Three: Moving to Cologne

Fachhochschule Köln
Cologne University of Applied Sciences

Though you may be unclear on the different terms associated with your exchange, as I was at first, there is a major difference between acceptance and enrollment at a university. The city of Cologne demanded my matriculation paper which is a specific document from my host university that details my enrollment at their institution. In order to obtain this piece, I needed to seek out the international office which is a short walk through a park filled with large, aging trees that stretch upward toward the sky and outward to greet the small children running through their shaded gaze. The building itself is majestic in its age and stature with three sets of iron clad doors that both beckon and prohibit entry; her back faces the long and wide stretch of the river Rhine that wanders with a wink toward the cluster of students filing in and out of the doors. I made my way into the quiet gut of this stone-cold building and sought the directory which was helpful for all who spoke the native tongue of Deutschland. For me, however, it became a riddle of numbers, letters and hallways. After a bit of confused wandering, which had not gone unnoticed by an older gentleman behind a desk on the opposite side of the lobby who offered a corner of a smile to me, I made my way down a sunken hallway and sought out the esteemed coordinator from whom I had received so many cordial communications.

The architecture of Cologne has
 a character of its own

The process itself, after having finally found the lady who was much more vibrant than I had imagined, was fairly straightforward and proved to offer few speed bumps. I had arrived more than a month earlier than expected and was greeted with surprise but not with refusal. It seemed to be that I was on my own until September when the student benefits would start to kick in, though I had mentally prepared myself for such a case. My passport and insurance exemption form were requested with a smile and a well-prepared, well-accented English tongue. Just a few moments, simple questions and colorful, welcoming brochures later, I was on my way to picnic under the convivial trees with a sandwich and many forms through which to rifle. With another step completed, I paused to breathe in the delicious Cologne air before running off to find the registration office and the infamous “Laurenplatz” with just a notebook of address and a good head for maps.

The International Office of the Cologne University of Applied Sciences is located at Claudiusstrasse 1, room 56. They are open from 9 am to 4 pm Monday through Friday. Be sure to ask about the ‘Karibu’ program for incoming international students. 

Step Two: Moving to Cologne

The second component in the moving to Cologne on exchange was that of insurance papers. I was required to take the insurance policy offered by the international office at my home university, so I applied for those papers in March of 2012. Because I was planning to be abroad for 15 months in total, my coordinator somehow ran across some speed bumps in the paperwork process. Despite my requests, continuous reminders and pleas for coverage, my insurance policy arrived not only more than 3 months after I requested it but after I had been abroad for one month already. Going abroad without insurance coverage is extremely risky and I would not advise it. Paranoia can grip you, trust me. Though it’s always important to be careful when traveling, the risk of being uncovered is not worth it and I advise you to take matters into your own, capable hands when it comes to this. Every coordinator has a supervisor. Don’t let one person’s apathy or refusals discourage you from pursuing your new adventure and dreams (in more cases than just this one).

Being in Cologne on business
yields interesting discoveries

Once you receive your policy from your home institution or if you have coverage from a parent’s policy that reaches the borders of your new home, you will need to file with the city of Cologne (or wherever you’re going in Germany) to receive an exemption form. This form is required to enroll in your host university. I tried to organize the last four components to be on one day trip to Cologne, in order of their required papers. I made my way to the office with the first train from Siegen at 5 am and arrived as soon as their doors opened 8 am. Be sure to check the address, opening hours, required documents and directions to the office you seek. Having all of this information with you will make your journey so much easier.

I emailed the office ahead of time to make sure that there would be someone who spoke English, to verify the hours and address, and to make sure that they could fulfill my needs accordingly. Check. The process itself was not so complicated. The secretary was very helpful and sought someone who understood my language better than he; the new girl input all of my information from my lease agreement as proof of address, my passport as proof of identity, and my policy papers as proof of insurance. They then printed two documents for me: one for my host university in order to enroll and the other for the city of Cologne in order to apply for my residence permit. Graciously, they offered me a free planner to help with my studies and reviewed all the information that I would need to know.

A stroll through Cologne from office to office

You can use a few different offices around the city to complete this task, but the one I used was the AOK Rheinland on Zulpicher Strasse 58. They are open from 8 am to 4 pm and you can visit their website at www.aok.de/rh

Next stop, running to my new university to enroll! I was wearing a nice, business casual outfit with a backpack full of papers, snacks and a train ticket. Don’t mess with this girl, she’s got an agenda. 

Step One: Moving to Cologne

Moving to a new city can be daunting, but I’ve done it several times now in three different countries, so I want to share the process for the future ease of those to follow me. I am the first student from the University of Northern Colorado to embark on an exchange to the Cologne University of Applied Sciences so I take my ambassadorship very seriously. I will document it, so take notes before you jump on the plane to follow me. My mistakes shall become your successes and my successes shall become your triumphs.

The riverbank of the Rhine river in
Cologne, Germany as I awaited my bus to the airport.

There are five major components (lease, insurance, enrollment, registration, and residence permit) that I have discovered must be solved in moving to Germany. I will cover each of these separately.


The first of these is finding somewhere to live because proof of housing is a requirement for each of the next steps. As an exchange student, it is very valuable to check with your university, fellow students and blogs for advice as to what types of housing are both available to you and would best fit your needs. In France, I lived with a host family and it was the perfect link for me to learn French as well as study the daily home life and culture of true French citizens. For others, living in a host home may equal loss of freedom or too similar an image of that which awaits them in their home country. Since I have already experienced a homestay, I decided to seek other options as I embarked on my newest adventure. I used a site called www.housinganywhere.com which is a network for both interns and exchange students to sublease housing. I first had to contact my host university in Cologne for the password to this site, and then I flipped through the ads based on their geographical location, price and duration of availability. After having sent several brief messages of introduction and inquiry, I received only one in return after replying to each offer twice. I offered to immediately come to Cologne to look at the place and discuss a contract. Housing is hard to find in a big city and, when it becomes available, it is generally very quickly snatched up. Being flexible and making consistent communication with your landlord or lease-holder is pertinent to obtaining a contract.

I was setting off for Cyprus via Cologne with Björn, my German boyfriend, on the afternoon of a Wednesday in July, so we took an earlier train to Cologne and met David, a German student who would be spending a year abroad on internship.  The apartment was beautiful, spacious and very cheap for only 280 euro a month, including water, electricity and internet. Most leases do not include the utilities, so make sure to check before signing anything. Rent in Cologne can be anywhere from 250-400 euro per month for a place close to the university so be sure to also know what you can afford and make a list of your expectations as you search for a place. I had asked David to prepare a contract before my arrival and we discussed all aspects of the exchange in English. The contract, however, was in German so I asked Björn to look over it before I signed.

With everything settled, I had a receipt of my down payment on the apartment (this can be anywhere between 400 and 900 euro depending on the length of the contract and request of the leaseholder), and a contract for 11 months; David and I each held copies of all pertinent documents. You will need copies of your lease or sublease contract to show during the next very important steps of your exchange, so hang on to it!

The famous Dom in Cologne, Germany.
Many people sit on her steps to wait for
trains at the HBF across the plaza.

After that was settled, I walked down the streets of my soon to be home with my first lease tucked safely in my bag and the firm hold of my handsome translator leading the way to a plane en route to paradise. Step one, nailed it. Move in date: August 21^st. The excitement was building in my gut; with each step I came closer to my new life. I knew that something big was in the air, just whispering at me to keep climbing the difficult steps to my future.  

For housing in Cologne, I searched with the following that may be helpful for you:
www.housinganywhere.com
http://germany.accommodationforstudents.com/Koln.asp
http://www.kstw.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=315&Itemid=11&lang=en (This is the Student Housing site that operates for the universities in Cologne)

Changing Expectations

Sunday, June 3rd, 2012
Siegen, Germany

Expected: Wandering around the city center, eating a quick dinner and buying a scarf at the market.

Experienced:   Björn took me wandering around the city center to buy a scarf and then led me to H&M to pick out some summer clothes for both of us. Following, he took me out for delicious, home-made ice cream, famous at a cafe on the main square, then dinner on the plaza (noodles and chicken) to people-watch and converse. Then we walked some more; I thought we were going home because we had taken the bus toward his apartment. I kept trying to head in the direction of home, showing that I had learned my way around, but Björn kept stopping me; at one point, he took my hand and said, "Bethany, just trust me. Let go. I'm going to show you something and it involves you not being in control. Let go and enjoy, okay?"

So I did. I let go. We went to the movie store and he let me pick out a movie for tonight because on Sundays everything is closed so we try to plan the day beforehand. Then we started walking. And walking. Higher and higher we climbed this steep hill. I inquired repetitively and constantly a multitude of questions like, "is it something touristy? Is it a castle? Dinner? Shopping? Friends?" On and on I continued but he just smiled and held my hand as we kept going up, up, up. Eventually this large, beautiful church rose up on the top of the hill where tons of people were gathered. The sun was setting at this point, and he walked me to the church and we stood next to a fountain. I looked onto the plaza to find hundreds of white balloons floating in the air and candles all along the sidewalks. Organ music was cheerfully emanating from the church. He turned to me with a blushing grin and announced, "Tonight in the 'Night of a Thousand Lights.' I wanted you to see it. It only happens once a year."

Night of a Thousand Lights; Siegen, Germany

I giddily grabbed a brochure from the bar and read that the whole city center would light little candles along the roads and in the store windows to celebrate this event. It was so beautiful and magical. A little while later, he bought us"currywurst mit pommes," which is my favorite German dish, and we shared it on the steps of the church. After wiping the German delight from our fingers, we tiptoed into the church to catch a concert; the band was actually fairly good and performed pieces from a variety of eras. Soon after the concert, we meandered down the path that the city had set up as a lit walkway. Pure magic. There was music drifting from every street and people wandering around, all with smiles on.The biggest smile of all, however, was painted on my own visage.

The Newest Adventure: Deutschland

May 21, 2012

Siegen, Germany

Once again, here I find myself in the enchanting land of Europe. I believe that some people would term this repetition as addiction, but I prefer to call it passion. Just over one month ago, I received a final word from the international office in Berlin that I had not made the final cut for the DAAD Study and Internship Program; I was devastated. My world whirled for only a few minutes as I struggled to find my list of plans B through E; I had prepared for this moment just in case but the rejection hit me hard nonetheless. Within an hour, I had filled out an application to Sejong University in Jochiwon, South Korea, created a list of programming ideas to keep me excited for being a Resident Assistant at my own University in case I needed to stay, filled out a budget for a French school in case I could gain acceptance for the fall and had called my mother. I marched into the Center for International Exchange at my home university the very next morning and presented my circumstances to the coordinator. She looked at me confusedly and inquired, “I thought you wanted to go to Germany?” 

Well, that IS what I thought. I wanted to go to Germany because of so many reasons really: I wanted to expand my language repertoire, I wanted to study at one of their top international business schools, I wanted to be back in Europe and I wanted to be near my boyfriend, Björn. We had decided in February of 2012 when he came to sweep me back off my feet that we couldn’t possibly continue living without the other in our lives. Strangely, I had applied to the SIP in Germany before he even came back because I was so taken with the idea of this competitive program and prestigious university in Cologne. Now, here I sat in the international office with love back in my life but no ticket to Germany.

My coordinator pondered for several very long minutes between my anxious eyes and my application and then quickly turned to her computer, murmuring something under her breath. Typing quickly and dragging a file with my name into the attachment box of an email, she smiled, “What if we sent you to Cologne anyway?” Here’s the part where my heart stopped. No, there were no romantic beat-skippings taking place; my heart just took a brief vacation from pumping my blood in order to wander around the room for a minute. “Seriously? Was that ever an option? It’s not on any of the catalogues or website and I talked to everyone in the office and…” She stopped me short. “I know, Bethany. Let’s make an exception.”

I walked out of the study abroad office that day with all of my other applications and plan Bs still in my hand and a soaring heart (it had graciously decided to return to my chest). The University of Northern Colorado had decided to send me to my university of choice as an ambassador and hoped to create a solid exchange program with them following the success of my exchange. There was the possibility of scholarships, I had already filled out my course lists and glanced over living accommodations and area transportation because I had applied to their school through the SIP earlier that month. It was all in place. My family was a bit shocked that everything was happening so quickly and, admittedly, so was I. Björn’s jaw dropped when I told him the news that I would be living in Germany, at a school only 90 minutes from him, for 15 months. We planned to start our time together in June and I would stay with him and his hilarious roommate, Miki, over the summer.

On the 14^th of May, 2012, less than a month later, I was on a morning plane to Deutschland to surprise my adoring boyfriend for his 23^rd birthday. I had coordinated with several of his friends and the surprise went down with few hitches; he was shocked for several hours, kept kissing me and wouldn’t dare let me go. That night, he whispered to me while his arms were lovingly wrapped around me, “Baby, I can’t believe you’re here. Please still be here when I wake up.” 

Now the 21^st of May, I’m still here, completely relaxed, absolutely blessed by the Lord, totally in love and I couldn’t be happier with the way life has changed. I have an extensive list of wonderful things, ancient places and lovely people to visit this summer. Björn will finish his semester in July and then we’ll take a vacation to someplace exotic, romantic and new (maybe Croatia) with my best friend Gena, her Czech boyfriend David and perhaps Miki and his girlfriend as well. I will move to Cologne in August or September and then begin my studies until the end of July 2013. 

This is me. This is my life: always on an adventure.

What's Next: Death Defying Gravity

Thursday, December 01, 2011

Greeley, CO USA

Plunging deep below the 59◦ Fahrenheit waters of Table Rock Lake in Missouri led me to my longest and deepest dive coupled with a face to face conversation with death, Christ and myself. I had the magical experience of seeing my first ship wreck lodged onto some silt covered rocks and bashfully hiding her damaged port side. “Miss Gayly,” as I discovered after some gentle exploration on her hull with a fingertip and a flashlight, had sunken with a hit to the side and the key still in the ignition. No one knows what happened to her passengers, but I felt as if I had my own mystery tale to unravel.

Continuing on, my father and the guide, AJ, and I had difficulties with visibility as we meandered over the cliff edge and dove deeper down into the darkness. Though the sun ruled the surface waters on that breezy but beautiful Wednesday, silt and algae took their claim on the depths. In the 1970s, a city called Oasis, Missouri was evacuated and drowned out by the damming of the river to create a reservoir. To this day the city, several boats and a forest remain untouched and unmoving below the surface as the bottom plunges to roughly 225 feet deep. The forest itself, around 88 feet down and off the edge of a smooth cliff is hauntingly beautiful. Her shadows lie a few feet from each other and unraveled their tales to my doubting eyes slowly as my fins cautiously navigated the water behind me. As I desperately tried to maintain sights on my father swimming in front of me, hold my flashlight in a generally straight manner despite the pesky light refraction underwater, maintain neutral buoyancy, navigate the trees and keep my goggles cleared, a renegade shadow branch grasped my regulator cord and ripped it out of my mouth. In my attempts to regain my mouthpiece, time slowed to a standstill and I floated helplessly in a desperate strain toward oxygen and sight in the blackened, gloom of the forest. I felt as if I was hanging from a limb, weightless, stranded and face to face with Monsieur la Mort, gentleman of the demise. He looked me straight in the eye and asked me one question; “Are you prepared to meet your maker and end this strange adventure you call life here on earth?” Silent, yet still reaching for my lifeline, I felt a gentle and bizarre peace set over my shoulders and slide over my wetsuit until it had engulfed me. “Yes, I am. I am ready to die.” In uttering these words to whomever I was talking to, two things came to me quite suddenly and abrasively.

1.)    I had not said goodbye to my mother.

2.)    I had not told the man I loved that I, indeed, loved him.

I knew full well that my friends and family knew how much I loved them, for I sought to show it and express it as often as possible, yet for some reason I could not shake these two things. Death raised an eyebrow. “So, what’s the conclusion then, darling?” In this moment, I imagined Christ himself handing me my regulator and murmuring gently, “Bethany, I have so many plans for you. I want you to continue to love and continue to learn. Keep swimming.”

Suddenly, as I placed my regulator back into my desperate mouth and cleared it of un-breathable water, time rushed back into place and I could hear the familiar repetition of respiration as my own life bubbles danced in the water above my head. Keep swimming. Keep loving. Keep learning. Those are tasks toward which I can strive. Those are tasks that I can handle. Those are tasks that I adore, in fact.

Though I became lost a time or two after that and I continued to view caves, cracks, cliffs and catfish, this memory haunted my soul. Among the shadows of a forgotten forest, I came face to face with something that used to scare me and realized that I have but two regrets. I saw my mother again, so that was taken care of. As for number 2, I called him a few days later and my heart is still smiling.

What's Next: Today I Need.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Reeds Spring, Missouri, USA

As I start my day today amongst the hugs and happiness of a stirring, Blackburn family, I notice how the sun is hesitant to shine. Today, I really need it to shine because my father and I are taking a daddy/daughter trip to SCUBA dive the infamous Table Rock Lake, a lake in which I have swam since I was tinier than the majority of fish that dominated her waters. Today, I really need it to shine in order to stay warm as I slip beneath the gentle waves caused by the renegade boater who is slightly less daring than I as he grazes the top of the lake. Today, I really need it to shine because I am trying so hard to keep my wits and smile about me and ignore the pressing blur that keeps setting in as of late. Today, I really need it to shine because I want a reminder from God that everything really will work out, though I may be missing the other reminders that he is providing me at the moment. But today, I am with my family, so I choose to seek out the little pieces of sunshine inside the house so that I can squish them together and see the love that everyone brings to the Thanksgiving table year after year.