Endless Corn Fields

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I can say with confidence that I absolutely loved everything about my first few weeks on my

study abroad placement at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, in the heart of the United

States’ mid-west.

 

I remember the one-hour car ride from the airport to the small town of Muncie very well.

Even after over twelve hours of travelling, the site of the Indianapolis skyline with the Indiana

Colts’ famed Lucas Oil American football stadium in the foreground didn’t fall short in filling

me with excitement for my forthcoming adventure. As we got further away from Indianapolis

I began to see the real Indiana. I was struck by the natural beauty of its rural setting. The two

words “Corn” and “Fields” would suffice in perfectly describing what the general terrain looks

like throughout the state. The earth is flat for miles in every direction and all you can see is

clumps of trees growing sparsely amongst the vast agricultural landscape. To put it into

perspective, if you ever happen to be driving through Indiana you could you fall asleep in the

car and wake up an hour later to find that the view from your passenger window hasn’t

changed at all. That just about sums up the endless, and no less beautiful, setting that

comprises the state of Indiana.

 

It didn’t take me long to settle in to ‘college life’ once the semester commenced. I was placed

in Studebaker East, which is Ball State’s dormitory for international students, however there

were American students there as well. The mix of Americans and fellow international

students was great as it meant that I had a group of friends to experience this new culture

with, and then friends who were keen to show us their culture and vice versa. This meant we

had a great group with which to go to the college American football games, and basketball

games which really became a big part of our weekend most weeks. The tailgate parties that

preceded every college football game were a lot of fun. It felt like a very American experience;

with people dancing next to big trucks that had huge speakers on them whilst others were

grilling burgers on their portable Barbeques. And then we would all venture off to the game

itself.

 

Academically, I found that Ball State’s system took a little bit of getting used to, simply

because it was different to what I am used to in England. I really like how Ball State students

could pick classes from different departments within reason. For example, I took two classes

from the Telecommunications department, a class from the English department and a class

from the Art department. I benefitted from this variety as it allowed me to steer my education

in the direction I wanted it to go. My classes in the end were Photography, Screenwriting,

Advanced Video Production and Telecommunications Management. As my degree is Film, you

can see why these courses were beneficial to me. The class-room based, more relaxed

teaching styles made classes feel more personal and enjoyable. Particularly in the

Telecommunications classes (Advanced Video Production and Management), both of my

instructors filled their classes with clear information and helpful anecdotes of their

experiences in the industry I wish to work in.

Arrival in Australia

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When I arrived in Australia, it wasn’t exactly the weather I expected, grey, cloudy and windy. Luckily, thanks to the study abroad co-ordinators at my host university setting up a Facebook group, I had managed to find people on my flight from Abu-Dhabi to Perth in which I was able to travel to the university with. I was the only one at my flat when I first arrived, reality then hit that this was going to be a challenging experience, many emotions ran through my head but already having friends who were in the same boat made it a lot easier (it’s hard not to develop a close friendship 26 hours flying). Being in student accommodation made it a lot easier to meet people from all across the world, something I had not experienced at Reading.Curtin’s O-week is pretty much like the fresher’s events we have on campus. It allows you to get to know the campus, what societies and sports they have to offer, and also to get familiar with the happy hour they have at The Tav (their equivalent to Park Bar). The study abroad department, and accommodation office organise a lot of trips, which allows you to experience the city and also spend time with those also studying abroad. So far this has involved going to Caversham Wildlife Park, where I got to see koalas and kangaroos, Freemantle Prison, Kings Park and many more. My friend in other accommodation has hired a car which meant we could easily get to and embrace the beaches now that the sun has come out.

With trips to Bali and Sydney being planned, I am looking forward to my next few months in Australia and seeing what Curtin has to offer!

Oktoberfest

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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

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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

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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

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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.

A Visit to Tübingen

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In June Wendy Smith and I spent three days in Tübingen as part of the Staff Mobility programme run by Marcus Dowse of the Study Abroad Office. We had made contact with relevant staff at the Vivat Lingua! language school a couple of months earlier and had found them both helpful and welcoming. This continued when we met, and we were able to spend time with various tutors and the head of the school, and to observe classes at a variety of levels. On occasion we were allowed to join in! We were impressed by the teaching and by the friendly and welcoming atmosphere. We also looked in detail into the possibility of courses for students studying German with IWLP in Reading; the Vivat Lingua! language school offers 3-week courses throughout the year for students studying German as a foreign language, with about 20 hours of language tuition per week in the mornings. There are some outings organised in the afternoons, and students are also free to explore the lovely old town of Tübingen and the surrounding area.

Tübingen is in southwest Germany and is home to one of Europe’s oldest universities. Wendy and I enjoyed wandering through the large pedestrian centre with its maze of old streets full of beautiful old wooden-beamed houses, some displaying old paintings or ornate wrought-iron signs. The weather was hot so we were grateful for the Eiscafés! We walked up to the castle with its wonderful views, where there is a museum of ancient culture, and took the bus to the lovely medieval abbey of Bebenhausen.

We now feel confident in recommending the courses at Vivat Lingua! to our IWLP students and are sure that they would benefit academically and have a very enjoyable stay.

Alison Fenner

German, English and Russian Co-ordinator

Institution Wide Language Programme

Erasmus+ Staff Training Week at Tampere University of Applied Sciences (Finland)

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My hosts at Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK) definitely rolled out the welcome mat during their Erasmus+ staff training week on the topic of “The Secret of Innovative Partnerships”! Colleagues from Austria, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Palestinian Territories, Slovenia, Spain and the UK came together with our Finnish hosts for three days of activities from 11 – 14 March.

After an introduction to higher education in Finland, including touching on the recent partial merger of TAMK with the University of Tampere, we were given a tour of the campus buildings. Thankfully we did not need to head outside during the tour, for as can be seen there was snow and ice accompanied by a temperature 10 Celsius lower than that I’d left in Reading! It was hence a relief not to have to wrap up and head outdoors! The tour included the Library (home of many origami birds made by TAMK students and staff), student Service Street (home of the Erasmus+ student and staff exchange offices), and the cafeteria. It was also interesting to see some students working on 3D printing projects, including getting the chance to sit on a 3D printed chair they had made (no, I didn’t break it…).

In the afternoon, we split up into two workshop streams. I had decided to join the Research, Development & Innovation stream, mainly as an opportunity to learn about an area of international partnerships I did not know much about beforehand. The first session focused on our institutions’ general research themes and areas of interest, with the second and third sessions over the following two days looking at turning project ideas into viable working projects and boosting our international networks. Building on the latter, if you are not connected with me on LinkedIn already, you are more than welcome to via https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisbonham11/! I had been slightly nervous that coming from a non-research focused role at Reading that I would not be able to get much from the workshops. However, I was proven wrong with the help of the workshop leaders and other participants, and definitely hope to build more support of research focused mobility into my role going forward.

The programme put together by TAMK colleagues also included a discussion of the use of social media in our marketing activities, and an introduction to the Y-campus, an incubator for student-led enterprises. In the social media discussion, it was especially interesting to learn about social media platforms not much used in the UK. These included Jodel, which allows users to post public messages anonymously to other users in their local area, and VKontakte, the most popular social network in Russia and hence used by TAMK colleagues to promote their programmes to prospective students from there.

All in all, my few days in Tampere were great. If you would like information about how you can participate in an Erasmus+ staff mobility, please drop by the Erasmus & Study Abroad Office (Edith Morley 203) or email studyabroad@reading.ac.uk.

Chinese History Learning and Voluntary Teaching Programs

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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

Erasmus+ Staff Training week at Aarhus University (Denmark)

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Having encouraged 100’s of UoR members of staff to participate on the Erasmus+ staff mobility programme over the years I realised that I had never properly participated myself.

So when Aarhus University (AU) emailed to highlight their Staff Week, with a very short application deadline, I speculatively applied. There was a lingering doubt as to the relevance for an ‘old timer’ like me, but when informed of my selection almost immediately there was no easy way to back out (thankfully!). Did I really have the time to take a week away from work? Not really, but too late…

Was it worth it? Absolutely – 100%.

The 4 day programme consisted of some fantastic sessions run by AU colleagues & external speakers covering a wide range of mobility and internationalisation topics. These included the ‘staples’ of any Erasmus / Study Abroad office e.g. Orientation & Welcome programmes (analysis / innovation); Study Abroad Promotion, pre-departure & re-entry activities etc. There were intriguing sessions about Danish Education and the plethora of ongoing national educational reforms, AU’s ongoing internationalisation plans, institutional priorities and ambitions. There were Faculty lead introductions, campus tours and sharing of detailed local-level information and insights. All very useful and thought provoking. However it was the non-standard content that was truly engaging, including:

– an informative session about Behavioural Design, provoking a lot of group discussion as to its relevance to and appropriateness for Study Abroad activities;

– the HR Director of LEGO – preaching to the converted – noting that Study Abroad demonstrates curiosity, which is the main attribute LEGO looks for in its recruitment of new staff. Study Abroad = International Mindset = Open Mindset = Curiosity. It’s nice to feel validated.

The highlight (for me at least) however was a very passionate talk by an Aarhusian (?) who had set up the Warm Welcome Society – a citizen led initiative to welcome all new arrivals to Aarhus – Danes, students, workers, immigrants etc. He explained the rationale, the history and its development, and how citizens had worked outside of and recently with the municipality in helping to try to make Aarhus one of the most ‘stranger’ friendly cities in Europe. Best described as GIVEISM, there was now an established network in place to help make all new arrivals welcomed in Aarhus and giving them the opportunity to truly be part of their local communities. I think he polarised opinions, but I loved his view that we need to THINK BIG to make any meaningful change! Relevance to Study Abroad? Loads – so many ideas to plunder, but it generated and inspired tangents that will hopefully help ESAO further develop our activities.

On top of the formal sessions there was plenty of networking and discussions with the 28 other participants from all over Europe, the USA, Peru, China and Japan. Each had their own stories, expertise, experience and opinions – I learnt something from everyone, in different ways.

In conclusion, I would massively encourage anyone who is eligible and interested to participate on an Erasmus+ staff mobility week, if you have the opportunity (look at IMotion Erasmus Staff week to see if there is something that interests you!). If the advertised content appears relevant, and you are willing to get involved, then there could be a wonderful learning opportunity awaiting!

Contact us in the Erasmus & Study Abroad Office ESAO (studyabroad@reading.ac.uk ) if you would like any further info about Erasmus+ Staff Mobility.

 

Marcus Dowse

Erasmus & Study Abroad Manager