getting settled in Minneapolis...

Almost one week has passed no and I am getting settled here in Minneapolis. The Exchange Office of the Carlson School organised a great orientation week, during which we could enroll for the courses and getting organised. We were thoroughly briefed about visa issues, do's and don'ts in the US as well as how to succed in academic matters. It was all very well organised, sometimes even with breakfast and lunch - well twice pizza but I like that :-)

Just to give you a short impression: The University of Minnesota, where the Carlson School of Management is attached to, is quite a bit bigger than the HSG... all in all, there are 45'000 (!)students, assistants, profs and other employees working on the campus. The UofM itself is like a city within Minneapolis: There are three buslines on the campus for free usage. The UofM offers furthermore cinemas, bowling, a vast amount of computer labs, libraries, student lounges, restaurants, a huge bookstore, a bank, huge recreation center with pool, tennis, football, squash and so on... During the colder months you are also able to walk from A to B in underground tunnels or covered skyways - all in all over 3 miles! They even have "wärmelampen" at the bus stops, but believe me I already used one of them... ;-)

Today was the first day, that was really cold: the temperature went down to -16° Celcius, somewhat I have experienced last time at Brice Canyon. It is so cold, that I am voluntarily wearing a cap! The next two to three weeks are going to be the worst, I was told... afterwards it will steadily get warmer.