Hello everyone, this is Luis writing from (Brühl) Cologne.

If you reading this, it should meant that you are thinking about coming here with an Erasmus grant. I hope you are sure about it. Don’t misunderstand me, this is great... but you have to be ready to let go lots of little things to be able to have fun and learn something valuable from your staying in a German “companz”.

That is a really common typo here. The “y” and the “z” keys are reversed. It’s really bothersome because when you get used to it and go back home / hotel / flat you have to type in your Spanish laptop.

But let’s not go astray. You may be thinking: Why should we be so sure about coming to Germany?

Yeah... If you make yourself valuable to the company, they will pay you well. Really well. If you make yourself valuable that is. They are not giving away the money just because we are pretty handsome, or because we have better skin color or some bizarre reason.

First you have to work, maybe even at something that is not initially related to Web Design / Develop. Think that they are testing your mentality too. Then there will be times when you won’t have anything to work at (yaay whatsapp time), you will have to look for something productive: learning that technology that they are using, debugging some script / JavaScript / ... or any other thing you could think of.

And last (after jumping over a long list). You have to socialize (Nope, no whatsapp). Outrageous!!! I know... I also loved being alone tanning in front of my computer screen myself. BUT!! If you don’t say a word in three months, how will they come to know you?

Anyway, it seems like there a lot of cons but no pros. THERE ARE lot of good things, but you only know of them if they really interest you. So I won’t be pointing them, go to that lovely Google and do some findings.

In the end if you don’t find anything, then think in the children. Because nobody ever think of them. But if you can't do that then:

1. Don’t build up weird expectatives.
2. Start looking for a place to live NOW. You are already late.
3. Look all the info you may want to have earlier than taking the plane. You want to have things to do, things to see, things to eat.  
4. Send mails to those that could help you. Your future mentor, friends you know in Germany, people from Campanillas that live in Cologne. You don’t know who will lend you a saving hand.
5. Keep smiling. The most important one. If you are positive you will find solutions and people will help you earlier. The Germans are not that closed or unpleasant.

That’s... that’s all my friends.

See you!! Hopefully in Germany.