Oktoberfest

It’s crazy to think I have already been here in Australia for two months now! Time definitely flies when you’re having fun! In this time I have experienced Fremantle, Bali, Oktoberfest, a soccer game and plenty of beach trips, all among endless assignments and dissertation work!

In my first tuition free week my friends and I took a trip to Bali, somewhere I never thought I would have the chance to go to! This was such an amazing experience which we managed to fill with numerous activities in one week. Whilst we were here we managed to go to the monkey forest, beach clubs, Bali swing, Tegenungan Waterfall and in general just relax on the beach. These are memories that I will never forget and ones in which I am so thankful I am to have.

Getting to attend an Oktoberfest event here in which they hold every year was so much fun! I had never been to anything like it before, but it is now something I definitely want to do again! Seeing crowds of people in Lederhosen and Dirndl dresses, all dancing to music and sitting on a swing ride was definitely and experience I will never forget.       

In regards to work, because that’s the sole purpose of me being here, I have experienced more group work than I did at home! This has worked well for me, enabling me to speak to students who actually go this university and aren’t just on exchange. My classes are all split into weekly 2 hour lectures and 1 hour workshops which enables you to apply the information you have learnt in the lectures and discuss any topics you struggled to understand. The units in which I am taking are fairly similar to those at Reading, with Child Development being something we have already done at home it has been interesting in the similarities and differences in the way they teach the material and which aspects they tend to focus on. Here at Curtin they offer a Sports and Exercise Psychology module which I am thoroughly enjoying. This has been a topic I have previously been interested, from being taught in sixth form, but I had not been able to experience this at Reading. Keeping up with my units here and working on my dissertation has been a struggle, but my supervisor, project partner and staff here at Curtin have been really helpful and understanding which made it a lot easier!          

Finally, getting to go to a soccer game here was a highlight of the past month! The weather was amazing which made it even better. The crowd atmosphere was amazing, since I had never attended a sports game at home I thought why not start here? It is definitely something I will be attending again!

With my 21st soon approaching, exam fortnight and numerous trips around Australia, I am sure the remainder of my trip here will provide me with even more amazing memories!

Washington DC

Studying aboard is something I have always wanted to do as it allowed me to mix both studying and travelling together. When this opportunity became available to study aboard for 1 year, I was beyond excited and was determined to make the most of it!  So, I headed to the University of Mary Washington, and I am loving every minute of it.

At first, I was expectedly apprehensive as I was heading into the unknown – I didn’t know anyone, was in a completely different country, and 3,000+ miles away from my family and friends. I arrived at Dulles Airport on 21st August and began my journey. All my anxious feelings were quickly overcome as soon as I landed, met my new housemates and saw where I’d be living for the next academic year.

I decided to live in the International Living Community, also known as Framar House. This is a house of 20 students, and a mixture of both Americans and internationals. From living here, I was able to meet lots of new people and throw myself into all the activities going on. However, with a mixture of both jet lag and excitement, the first week was mostly a blur. There were lots of orientation events to attend, register for classes, meetings with the Center for International Education department (CIE) and fun events in the evenings.

After the first week of initially settling in, getting used to ev          erything, visiting the local historic and picturesque town of Fredericksburg, classes began. I was enrolled in their business college and had one or two classes per day. Getting used to a new education system, the accents and new classes and the new way of learning all proved more difficult than I had expected. But through already making close friends already with both housemates and classmates, and having understanding professors, I was able to adapt to this new way of studying.

                                                   

The first few weeks here at the University of Mary Washington, I was able to visit Washington DC and see all the wonderful memorials, monuments and museums (many of which are free which is all the better). My favourite part of DC was the Lincoln Memorial and the incredible view you get. Myself and other internationals (Alice, Silvia and Luisa) all spontaneously decided to do a sunrise hike up a mountain in Shenandoah National Park, although it was incredibly early and freezing, the ultimate view was definitely worth it! One of the American guys in the house, John, also offered to take us to all the local historic sites within Fredericksburg, to educate us on the Civil War, and how Fredericksburg played a key part.

Quite probably one of the most American things I could do but I have started a bucket list of all the American fast food places I go to that aren’t in the UK, and rating each one (how very American). So far, nothing can beat Chick-fil-a!

These first few weeks being here has allowed me to grow independently, adapt to new situations, and travel. I have also become very close to 3 new friends who I know I will have for the rest of my life, so I am excited to see where the next year here will take me!

New York City

Since my past post, I can confirm that studying aboard at UMW was a superb choice! I have finally fully adjusted to all my classes and the American culture. The work structure was definitely different to the one back at Reading, which took time adapting. For instance, there are more lectures, assignments are due on a weekly basis and exams are taken every few weeks. Although the amount of work is clearly more intense, I have found that it isn’t as tough content wise. So, as long as you stay on top of it, you’ll be fine!

Throughout these few months, I have managed to experience tons of lifelong memories and visit lots of new places, in Virginia and other states within this relatively short period of time. Some of these trips included going to NYC for Fall break with 5 others for 6 days. It was a fantastic experience because we got to see Brooklyn, Times Square, go up the Empire State Building to see the concrete jungle in its full glory, visit the MONA, go shopping on Saks 5th Avenue, walk around Central Park and Grand Central Station where I had flashbacks to my ‘Gossip Girl’ days!

I also got the chance to visit West Virginia and see Blackwater Falls at the height of the fall season which truly was a picturesque experience. It was incredible to see a National Park with all the vibrant colour trees and see all the amazing views! It was a fairly long car journey (3 hours each way) but the scenery was absolutely worth it!

Other activities included going to a soccer game in DC, going to King Dominion (a theme park) which had a fright night which was very spooky and fun! The University also arranged further trips for our house to visit DC, where I was able to visit several of the museums including the National history museum, the National Art Gallery and the American History museum. I also visited Richmond, went apple picking and went to a shooting range and shot a gun (which did terrify me).

Myself and 3 of the internationals living in Framar House got invited to spend Thanksgiving break in November with one of our friends Christian. We spent a lot of time consuming wine with his family, visiting the Blue Ridge Mountains, meeting all the immensely friendly family members and consuming lots of scrumptious food. Quite frankly I’ve never been so excited to see home cooked food!

The rest of the fall semester was spent focusing on my studies, as finals were looming and lots of assignments were due. Finals were obviously stressful as they are back home, but I felt the added pressure here since we didn’t get any time off to study for them. However, I got through this period with knowing that I was heading back to NYC to see it at Christmas. I adore Christmas, so getting this opportunity during this season was a dream come true! So, myself, Alice, Luisa and Silvia, headed to NYC on the 16th December and used these few days away to spend quality time together, relax and explore more of Manhattan. We endlessly strolled around Central Park in the snow, went to see Wicked, visited far too many coffee shops and saw all the sensational decorations at Rockefeller. It was here I additionally had to say my farewells to these girls since they were only studying at UMW for 1 semester which was very emotional since I have spent every day of the last 4 months with them and shared some tremendous memories. However, we have already planned to visit one another next summer, so I cannot wait to see them all and visit Italy and Germany.

Currently I am sat back home in the UK as I flew back for the Christmas festivities and the chance to see all my family. Being back here has allowed me to reflect on these amazing past 4 months, through all the great opportunities I got to partake in and knowing that I have grown in regard to confidence, independence and adaptability.  Although I am so grateful to be with my family, I am consumed with a sense of excitement to fly back out for the spring semester and see what new adventures I get up to!

Diving Down Great Barrier Reef

 

The five months I spent studying in Australia at Monash University at the beginning of my 3rd year of a 4-year course was by far the best educational experience I have ever had. While I love studying at Reading University, much like I enjoyed school, there is nothing quite like pairing studying a subject you love with travelling and exploring a country that is as stunning and incredible as Australia.

Studying at a different University was great, I was able to make some amazing, life-long friends both from English university but also from Australia. Monash University was very accommodating to all the study abroad and exchange students. They provided taxi services from the airport to our halls accommodations, they organised many trips throughout the semester to ensure we got to see as much of the local as possible, for example they took us to Phillip Island and to Healsville Sanctuary. They also organised weekly nights out to help us meet other people from different countries. One of the best things, however, was that every Tuesday we got a free coffee/ hot drink if we showed our membership sticker at the café on campus!!

My classes were different to the types of classes I have here at Reading, possibly because I was only studying art at Monash where as I do Art and Psychology at Reading. As apposed to lectures they were more like open spaces to work and ask questions of our teachers. They normally started the classes off with an introduction and some artist inspiration, but we were then allowed to just get on with our work. I do wish I had been allowed to study psychology there as it would have been interesting too see if that is taught/ assessed differently. Thanks to the Imagine funding I was able to purchase all the art supplied I needed to produce the work I wanted to. These included paints, brushes, different types of paper, glass, and a professional print.

In terms of travelling, I feel like I managed to fit a lot onto a short period of time. Rachel, a fellow Reading Student who was also studying abroad at Monash, and I did a lot of travelling together. We managed to visit most of Melbourne, Sydney, Tasmania, Cairns, Darwin and I also went to Adelaide and did a tour up through Central Australia to Alice Springs. I have been asked a lot what was my favourite place to visit and I couldn’t possibly answer, however, what I did find incredible was how vast the country was and how every place was so very different, for example going from a city as big and as populated as Melbourne, to Uluru in the desert, to the rainforests near Darwin to diving down to the Great Barrier reef!

I will forever be grateful for this opportunity, it rekindled my desire to explore the world. It also motivated me to come back to Reading and put 110% into my degree as I would love to be able to return there one day. I am so thankful to Reading, my subject departments, the study abroad coordinators and the Imagine funding organisation that made this possible.

Chinese History Learning and Voluntary Teaching Programs

The program is divided into two parts: one is about China’s past, the other is about China’s present. Chinese History Learning Program will be conducted by Center for Liberal Education of Tsinghua University from July 1st to July 8th. Students from the United Kingdom and other countries will be grouped with Chinese students from Tsinghua University to learn Chinese History and culture. They will visit the Museum of Emperor Qinshihuang and see Terra-Cotta Warriors in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province and visit other museums in Luoyang, Henan Province.

Voluntary Teaching Program is designed to recognize the contemporary China and it will start from July 8th and finish on July 23th. , Students of the same groups will teach English and/or provide culture talks and intercultural communication exercises to primary school pupils in remote areas in China. International volunteers are supposed to prepare teaching plans and materials such as English movies, stories, pictures and etc. or prepare talks to introduce their countries, hometowns and universities to expand the locals’ horizon of the world.

Tsinghua University and Tseng Hin Pei Charity Fund will provide accommodation, meals and transportation for participants during the programs in China. Accommodation would be basic, i.e. typical Chinese student dormitories and student canteens. Bedding, mosquito netting, and other basic necessities will be provided.

Find out more on Monday 21st January in Palmer 108 at 12pm. Sign up here https://reading.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/tsinghua-university

Goooooo Gators

I had the exciting opportunity to study at University of Florida for Fall Semester 2017. I arrived in Gainesville, Florida late on 14th August after meeting (little did I know at the time) my soon-to-be best friend, Julia a post-graduate exchange student from Germany, at Gainesville Airport. I remember looking out of the window of the hotel I would spend the night in and repeating to myself in awe that I was in America and about to start a four month adventure.

The next couple of days after I moved into Weaver Hall, the accommodation block specifically for exchange students from around the world and American students interested in meeting non-Americans, were a complete blur of meeting new people, attending introductory meetings, and exploring the beautiful campus. I had arrived at Weaver a couple of days before the official check-in day, so had the opportunity to get acquainted with my surroundings before the influx of other internationals, and my room-mate, Hallie, moved in. Looking back, it is unbelievable how quickly I clicked with everyone, and got involved in my Florida experience; within my first week of arriving, I had gone to clubs and bars in Downtown and Midtown, gone to a house party, and attended a pep rally which involved the Gator Band and cheerleaders.

Classes started on the second week and I quickly got into the routine of two classes a day every day: one class of American History before the Civil War and another after the Civil War, a class on the History of Human Rights, and a class about Nuclear History. All of my professors were passionate about their specialities, and later proved themselves to be extremely accommodating to the new pressures I faced under a new education system and, ultimately, different way of learning.

I did not realise how many new situations I would be in while moving to America – it was like when I first moved to Reading, but with a different culture that I had not experienced first-hand before. There was a new bus system, a different currency, taxes added onto purchases, and accents that were completely new to me; all in a country where I was on my own and with a negative five hour time difference to my family. This could have scared me, and I definitely felt this sensation creep over me now and again at the beginning of my time in America, but ultimately I was excited and amazed that I was living and studying on my own in a different country.

After the first week of school, I attended my first Gator volleyball event, spent the day at Lake Wauburg, and went to the mall with Julia. On Labor Day, Julia, Sam, and I went tubing (using big, rented, inflatable rings) in Ichetucknee Springs. The springs were the most beautiful place I have been in my life, and I had my first glimpse at baby alligators. I also had three dragonflies land on me as I drifted lazily down the springs. I was overwhelmed at the beauty I had only seen in nature programmes on television, and could not believe I was experiencing such wonders myself. The first few weeks at University of Florida taught me how important it is to balance school and fun, as I attended events and met friends who would remain close to me throughout my stay in Gainesville. Although I am writing this in retrospect, I hoped this experience would remain as joyful as it had been so far – and do you know what, although there were difficulties at times, it did.

 

Winter is Cold

Melbourne in winter is cold. But if you stand in the intense sunlight, it’s not too bad by my English standards. It hasn’t stopped me, and a group of other exchange students I met, from visiting the beach to enjoy bright vistas, or visiting the zoo to see the kangaroos and koalas first-hand. In fact, our first few weeks here have been very busy, with all of the orientation activities that Monash University planned for us. These included not only information sessions about the university, but also an array of social events.

The nights do feel like winter, with many establishments celebrating ‘Christmas in July’, and in fact the Queen Victoria markets, which we visited in orientation, were putting on an attempt at a Christmas market. It was very festive and cosy and even though it was winter and under a shelter, the Australians were not deterred from barbequing, so it did get a bit smoky! Monash is also in on this BBQ culture, and seems to have one every week on campus, if you are part of one of their many societies.

I have so far tried out the badminton society, which is extremely friendly and enjoyable, and will be joining the ultimate frisbee society next week. I have been told that the frisbee society is especially social, with regular BBQs, hikes and camping trips, so I am looking forward to it. There is also an outdoors society for this kind of thing, which I am hoping will help in my mission to see as much of Australia as I can before my exchange comes to an end. So far, it is going well, but I intend to make plans soon for wider travels. Australia is a big country!

So far I have been very lucky with my travels, as my family has been able to show me around and recommend some places. My cousin has even taken me to see some of Melbourne’s best street art, and Melbourne is a very artistic place. It is also very laid-back and friendly; everyone really is your ‘mate’. I think I will like it here.

MADA, or Monash Art, Design and Architecture, runs quite differently to the art department in Reading. You can choose elective units from anywhere in the department, if you’re an art student like I am, or from anywhere in the university, if you’re from a different Reading department, I believe. This allows us to be exposed to a range of different skills! I am learning about photography, illustration, coding, and film. So I will have no problem filling my time with assignments, as well as with all of the travelling I intend to do. Time is going by so quickly!

The Beautiful City of Uppsala

Uppsala is a beautiful city, and Sweden a beautiful country, and almost three weeks after I arrived I still think about how lucky I am to be here. After picking up the keys to my room and going to the Nordic Languages Department to register for my Basic Intensive Swedish class, I was struck by how international this place was. Students were here from all over the world, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Taiwan, South Korea and many other European students, and it wasn’t until a couple of days later that I met another English person! I was immediately made to feel welcome in this city as everybody spoke great English, although I was looking forward to immersing myself more into the Swedish culture by learning the language – more o  n this later.

After leaving the hotel with all my luggage and arriving at my new flat, I was shocked at how dirty the place was – it had certainly not been cleaned as I had expected. The place seemed a long way out of the city and was very quiet – I did not get the same warm welcome that I felt in the city. I decided to head to the Housing Office to request to be moved. The housing guide stated that moves are not possible, but I thought ‘if you don’t ask you don’t get’, right? They allowed me to move into the city centre accommodation two weeks later, which was originally my first choice – success!

The next day I bought a bike to cycle from my accommodation to class and around the city – this really made me feel Swedish. There are bike racks everywhere and many people cycle here, although the feeling to me was more nostalgic than typical, given that I hadn’t ridden a bike since my early teens. Later that week it was my birthday and the first time I have ever had to go to ‘school’ – one blessing of being an August baby! After the Swedish class, I went to an elk farm and saw a moose for the first time. Upon our return, it was time to head to the Systembolaget, the only place where you can by alcohol with an ABV of more than 3.5%. I was surprised by the cashier with what I thought was a small bottle of wine, until I got home and realised it was de-alcoholised.

Later I headed to Flogsta, where most of the exchange students who arrived early for the Swedish course were living, for a great corridor party. One thing I wish I’d done before my move was to photograph some of my important documents, including my passport and EHIC card. It wasn’t until the next day when I fell off my bike riding through the woods that I realised this. I had to go to the medical centre in the city centre to get a large stone removed from the palm of my hand, but without my EHIC card I had to return the next day with it to avoid a hefty medical fee!

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in Sweden so far and am sure even greater times will come. I have found the Swedish language course much harder than expected. I aim to really practice what I’ve learnt in class and try to avoid speaking English in the supermarket, cafes and shops, and hope to make a good improvement by the end of the first semester. Every day I find new places, see new things and meet new people, and I think this all adds to the excitement of an exchange. I am looking forward to starting my Law modules and explore more of what Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia has to offer!

My First Week

Aarhus has recently been declared the cultural capital of Europe, and this is evident in the mass portrayal and acceptance of many different countries cuisine. This is apparent in the Aarhus “street food” market which contains all different types of food, ranging from ‘Jamaican Jerk Chicken’, ‘Mexican Burritos’, ‘Chinese Duck’, curries and French Crepes. This is a really wide variety of food that shows the wealth of culture present in Aarhus. But to top off this creativity the whole market is built inside an un-used bus station. The stalls themselves are built and set up inside old ship yard containers. This means the theme of the Aarhus “street food” market is to not only re-cycle but to re-use old things and provide back for the public. The food as well was really cheap about 30 krona which exchanges to roughly £3.00. This makes it an ideal place for a student to grab a quick and easy lunch and when you are done, you have to wipe your own table with the disinfectant and towels dotted around the seating area.

The houses here have a cottage feel as they are small and are packed with essentials from the university such as pans, plates, cutlery to chopping boards and cups. I did not need to buy anything apart from food as it was all provided by the University! It’s not as cold as you think it is here, all though many will disagree but if you come prepared like I did by bringing a thermal coat, hat and scarf you can easily survive the cold weather. There are many nationalities that come to Aarhus to study but in my house I have 2 Canadians one Australian and one American. So the university put me with fellow English speaker which made it easier to talk and joke with each other.

My lectures at the university were not what I was expecting. I thought I would be in a class of all international students, and this belief was further enforced by the fact my lecture was in English, so I assumed the class of 24 students in my literature course had different nationalities and they were learning in the common language of English. So when I got put in a group I asked them if they were German as I heard them speaking to each other. They looked at me shocked and one of them said “no, we are Danish”. I was, and still am, shocked to learn that I was in a Danish majority English Literature class, with only 4 other international students. The fact the students were all conversing with the lecturer in English for an English literature module shows the high level of language skills many of the Danish actually possess.

This is a short blog of my time so far in Denmark, I have only been here for one week but I have already learnt so much about the culture of Denmark and its history. I expect I will learn much more in my weeks to come.

Land of the Rising Sun

I have fallen in love with this country over and over again and currently the thought of leaving makes me incredibly sad. It’s crazy to think that a year ago I was filling in my application forms for accommodation and now I’m sitting in the middle of Tokyo after travelling around, seeing the most amazing sights and meeting some truly lovely people. One of my favourite places in Tokyo is the Harajuku area of Shinjuku. It’s the young person’s oasis, full of fashion, restaurants and giant rainbow candyfloss. You’re definitely encouraged to be yourself here, as you’ll see many people expressing themselves with bright pink hair and platform shoes – think Camden with extra rainbows.

From Kyoto to Hiroshima, I have made the most of my Spring Break and seen as much as I could before my second and final semester begins in a few weeks’ time. Japan is a students’ paradise with so many incredible places to visit and not necessarily that expensive! I urge anyone coming to Japan to study abroad, or even on a holiday, to see as much as you can – you will not regret it. I’ve seen monkeys in Nagano, a snow festival in Hokkaido, more shrines and temples than I can count in Kyoto and a beautiful water jinjya in Hiroshima – and that’s just a small part of what I’ve seen.

Before studying abroad, Japan wasn’t even on my radar as a place I had to see and now I realise what a mistake that was! My time here has opened my eyes to the world in which we live; there are so many incredible places for us to discover! Living and studying here has been a truly wonderful experience. My classes are really interesting and thankfully my Japanese language skills have come along so much since I’ve lived here. However, the best thing about studying abroad is the people you get to meet. I now have friends from all over the world, from Argentina to Germany, some of whom I’m hoping to go and visit in their home countries!

I’m very lucky to be the recipient of a JASSO scholarship which has helped me live in Tokyo. As you might expect, much like London, it is not the cheapest of places to live. However, with that said, you certainly get more than your money’s worth. I urge anyone thinking about studying abroad not to worry about the financial side of things, as there are many scholarships and grants available to you as well as your normal student finance if you’re from the UK! It’s just a matter of research and applying for as many as you can!

I wouldn’t change my experience for the world and I still have about four months left to enjoy. Considering I nearly didn’t apply for year abroad, I’ve had quite an adventure this year and long may it continue!