Welcoming Day

We just finished our welcome dinner in the 'Vaulted Cellar' which is, appropriately, a vaulted cellar that is over 800 years old and has been transformed into a dining hall. The food was not the expected schnitzel, bratwurst, and beer but rather female turkey, couscous, and a rice vegetable mix. Most people are adjusting to the fact that almost everything is carbonated, from water to apple juice to grape juice. You actually have to specify that you don't want carbonation, or 'gas.' Surprisingly, a lot of the American students speak German, with varying degrees of proficiency. Also, several of them have visited or lived in Europe. There are students from Arizona State, Texas A&M, University of Florida, NYU, University of Michigan, Washington University in St. Louis, Southern Methodist University, University of Southern California, Lancaster University, Indiana University, and myself from American University. This brings us to a grand total of 23 students staying in two separate locations, one directly next to WHU and one across a bridge on a long, narrow island. I'm staying in the latter and have to say the room is much bigger than expected. I have my own room and bathroom with a large desk and two separate closets.

We received a welcome introduction from one of our professors, Professor Michael Frenkel, who spoke to us about the German culture and the diversity of each region. He also provided insight about living in Germany and how NOT to be a completely obvious tourist. For example, tax and service are already included in restaurant bills, and therefore a tip above an additional 5% is a dead giveaway. He also said that the rumors about beer, bratwurst, and lederhosen weren't as pronounced as they may seem, but that there is truth behind every rumor or stereotype. Apparently the region in which Koblenz is located is not the correct region for lederhosen, but that Bavaria does still have individuals that wear them.

Finally, we have a LARGE binder with our required readings, additional readings, and assignments. We also have study hall every day, which is good considering we have a group project and final exam each worth 45% of our final grade. Participation is the remaining 10%. The groups are predetermined and mix up the schools as best as possible, and the project includes an 8-10 page submitted proposal and a 20 minute presentation. The background of the assignment is that we are a Strategic Task Force at an American company that produces and distributes high end consumer goods. The challenge is exploring opportunities to expand business in the 27 EU countries in order to improve growth performance by establishing a European branch.

Tomorrow we start at 9 in the morning and work through until 5, at which point we will start our guided tour and ending with a pub crawl.