Herr Campus: Rex Kramer

Here at Exeter, we're lucky to have a large international community that enriches the university and helps us make friends from all over the world.

As well as a significant number of students from the Far East and many of our friends from across the pond in the States, there are several of our classmates who visit us from the continent, especially its economic powerhouse, Germany.

In the first of a series of articles, The Drop interviews German students to get their perspective on life in Exeter.

MMc: Guten Tag, Rex! Could you firstly introduce yourself?

RK: My name is Rex Kramer, I'm 25 and I'm studying for a masters in Law.

MMc: Whereabouts in Germany are you from?

RK: I come from Saarbrucken, in Saarland.

MMc: So how did you end up in Exeter?

RK: I attend the University of Saarbrucken, which runs an exchange programme with Exeter.

MMc: What do you perceive to be the main differences between the two cities?

RK: Here in Exeter, everything is walking distance – you can get anywhere in fifteen minutes. Architecturally also, it's beautiful here. In Saarbrucken, we don't have brick houses. The populations of the two cities are similar, but Saarbrucken is more spread out.

MMc: What do you do here when you're not studying?

RK: When I came here, I started playing rugby league. It's not a big thing in Germany – having done a bit of research, you can count the number of clubs nationwide on two hands!

MMc: Why did you pick league and not union?

RK: Billy Glover (club treasurer) gave me a leaflet. I didn't know the difference!

MMc: How similar is Britain to Germany culturally, in your opinion?

RK: Pretty similar – English culture has a strong presence in Saarland. A lot of people regularly speak English there, and you find yourself switching between the two languages, something which still confuses me!

MMc: What's your favourite club night in Exeter?

RK: It would have to be either Arena Thursday or Timepiece Wednesday.

MMc: How does it compare to German nightlife?

RK: Well, alcohol is cheaper here for a start. Also, the clubs close much earlier here, which I like. In Germany, clubs will close at like 5am, and I'll find myself having to get up at 8 – in Exeter I can go out and actually get some sleep after!

MMc: What about the difference between German girls and English girls?

RK: I knew you'd ask me that…a lot of English girls wear just leggings in winter? That's something most international students appreciate, so can't complain!

MMc: Some quick fire questions next…Berlin or Munich?

RK: Berlin.

MMc: Beef wellington or sauerkraut?

RK: In general, German food is more balanced and healthier – I'll say sauerkraut.

MMc: Beckenbauer or Best?

RK: Surely the Kaiser!

MMc: Schalke or Bayern?

RK: Schalke.

MMc: Tits or bum?

RK: …I'll go with tits.

MMc: Would you rather sleep with the Queen or Angela Merkel?

RK: The Queen, I think, would be more shocking. So the Queen!

MMc: Finally, have you got a confession you're willing to share?

RK: I've already owned up to being 25…OK, once I was dating a girl for a while and on a night out, I started to kiss her cousin because I thought it was her!