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Life on Campus at The National University of Singapore
By Florence Slade, National University of Singapore, Singapore When friends and family ask me to describe NUS, the first words that come to mind are exciting, different and welcoming. With over 2,000 exchange students alongside local students, there’s a brilliant mix of people from all over the world, meaning endless opportunities to make new friends. I live in University Town, the newer part of campus, and was immediately struck by its convenience, cleanliness and community atmosphere, all designed with students in mind. My home is Residential College 4 (RC4), at the northern edge of campus. Within a five-minute walk I have a corner shop, lecture theatres, libraries, coffee shops, food…
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Life in the Sustainability Neighbourhood
By Imogen Lewis, University of Otago, New Zealand Growing up in the English countryside, gardening with my family was a big part of my childhood. But since moving to Fallowfield, the lack of a garden, abundance of concrete, and proximity to Sainsbury’s yellow stickers meant that the thought of gardening never really crossed my mind. I’ve always cared about sustainability and the environment, and I think eating locally is one of those little changes that people often forget about. So, when I was applying for flats in Dunedin and saw there was an option to live in the sustainability neighbourhood, it seemed like the perfect opportunity. The sustainability neighbourhood is…
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“Sorry, I don’t speak Swedish”
By Connie Foy, Stockholm University, Sweden There’s nowhere in Stockholm, from the metro, in a swimming pool, to the supermarket, where I have not apologetically repeated the phrase ‘Sorry, I don’t speak Swedish’. Despite my new Swedish friends telling me that I could pass as Swede here in Stockholm, the second I opened my mouth it quickly became apparent that my Swedish skills left a lot to be desired. I used Duolingo over the summer before moving to Stockholm, however I’m sure you won’t be surprised to hear that the words ‘milk’ and ‘bread’ come up a lot less in daily life than Duolingo anticipated. My frustrations at the language…
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Kaneelbroodjes (Cinnamon Rolls)
(cinnamon rolls and adjacent baked goods I tried in Amsterdam and what I thought) By Chiamaka Ojigbani, Universiteit van Amsterdam I had my first cinnamon roll in Amsterdam, and immediately became addicted. Here are my recommendations to add to your rotation: Et ClaireExcessively fancy café in Zuid. 7/10. The bun had a unique shape and had some orange flavours involved. It had a jam-like filling and good dough texture. Scandinavian EmbassyCute, aesthetic café in De Pijp. I didn’t fully enjoy this (6/10) but I don’t typically enjoy Scandi-style viennoiserie. I find them too doughy, and I think this one didn’t have enough cinnamon or sugar on the inside (though it…
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Montreal: Pedals, Parks & Public Transport
By Katie Dolan, McGill University, Montreal, Canada From the very first day that I arrived in Montreal, the city was noticeably vibrant, clean, and well-taken care of. In the summer time, there was music on every street, and every restaurant was full of people sitting outside on terraces. But as the months passed and the weather got (A LOT) colder, the atmosphere didn’t change. People embraced the cold weather and the snow. Every frozen lake became an ice rink, and winter jackets were fashionable. Over the year, the respect and love that Montrealer’s have for their city became so obvious. Montreal is such a unique city because it is literally…
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Merci Montreal
By Katie Dolan, McGill University, Canada After facing every challenge that comes with moving 3,000 miles away from home for almost a year by yourself, it truly is saying goodbye that is the toughest part of going on an exchange. I always thought going on an exchange would be a great experience, but I never could have imagined just how great it would be. After being home for a couple months now, I have had some time to reflect on my year in Montreal and all my favourite areas of the city, classes that I took, and trips that I went on. I feel so lucky to have lived in…
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When the Plan Doesn’t Go to Plan
By Christos Nicolaou, UNSW, Australia The start of my year-long adventure to Australia didn’t quite start as planned. It was supposed to be perfectly timed: right after my birthday, escaping the grip of the August heatwave, and landing with a day to settle in before my orientation day on campus. Instead, it began with receiving an email from the airline that my Monday night flight had been delayed to Tuesday morning subsequently meaning I would miss my connecting flight in Shanghai. From there, the panic set in. I hadn’t even left the country yet and things were already going wrong. Nobody from the airline company was answering my calls. After…
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Lyon: first impressions
By Zehra Kes, Université Lumiere Lyon 2, France Bienvenue à Lyon! It has been officially 1 month since I moved to Lyon and here are my first impressions. The city is super lively and there are plenty of things to do. I have so many restaurants, shops, cafés on my wish list to explore. The weather was super nice and sunny when I first arrived, it was very sunny and jolly outside — if you don’t count the bugs. Luckily, my flatmate took me to tour around Vieux Lyon and we came across a beautiful vintage market. I love the artsy aspect of Lyon. It is very likely to run…
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Why Singapore? My initial NUS experience.
By Holly Scholfield, National University of Singapore, Singapore When deciding where I wanted to spend my year abroad, I had two main considerations beyond academics: finances and travel opportunities. Both led me to put the National University of Singapore (NUS) as my first choice. After two months here, I have had the chance to experience both sides of student life in Singapore, from eating at hawker centres and navigating the huge NUS campus, to travelling around Southeast Asia. Here is why I think Singapore is the best choice for a year abroad. Finances: Is Singapore really that expensive? If you have watched Crazy Rich Asians, you might assume that Singapore…
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7 Reasons To Go Abroad
Here Amelia details 7 Reasons why YOU should go abroad!
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Post-year Reflection
By YiPin Wu, University of Tokyo, Japan It’s been a month since I left Japan. I still can’t believe how fast the year went. Before the year, I was nervous and genuinely unsure if I’d made the right decision. However, I didn’t go in with any expectations, like no vision of what the year should look like. I just wanted to see where life took me and experience whatever came my way, even if it wasn’t what I’d planned. And honestly, it was just so amazing :)) !!! Sure, there were moments where I felt homesick or just a bit low. But the good stuff so massively outweighed the hard…
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Weekend Trip in WA
By Beth Cook, University of Western Australia Throughout the semester, it has continued to be normal to spend weekday afternoons at the beach, or have a brief lunch trip and have to race back to make it to a compulsory lecture. A Manchester study break walk around Platt Fields doesn’t quite compare! As a result of these impromptu trips, reading week was much required to prepare for some mid-semester quizzes; however, we managed to squeeze in a two day trip out of Perth. We left Perth on the Friday morning and stopped off in Lancelin for some breakfast and a wander to a beach with incredibly clear blue water, before…
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