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Where Sustainability Isn’t a Trend – It’s Just Germany
By Miranda Dreisin (Universität Leipzig, Germany) I had a friend visiting me recently in Germany, and on an afternoon walk through one of Leipzig’s most beautiful parks, she asked me if the entire city had randomly woken up that morning and decided to go cycling. It was that comment that made me realise that the sustainability that had initially suprised me, had become something I had slowly stopped noticing. Living in Germany has made eco friendliness seem like less of an occasional effort, and more like a consistent everyday expectation. The Culture of Recycling One of the first things I noticed after arriving in Germany was the recycling system –…
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A STUDENT’S GUIDE TO THE BEST BAKERIES IN BUDAPEST
By Nadine, Eotvos Lorand University – Budapest, Hungary If you’re anything like me, baked goods are a staple in your life. I’m not talking about the Lidl or Aldi type (although they do have their place), I’m talking about the handcrafted, exquisite, flavourful kind, where there’s always a queue outside the shop. When I moved over here, my bakery expectations were not very high. Honestly, I didn’t associate Budapest with bakeries — boy, was I wrong! Here is a student’s guide to my top four bakeries in the city (at least on the Pest side). Arán Bakery Arán, which means “bread” in Old Irish, is situated in the Jewish Quarter,…
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4 Interesting Modules of Law at the University of Helsinki
by Ria Mair, University of Helsinki, Finland 1. Animal Law I was excited to study this module since it was a specific area of law that I had not come across at the University of Manchester. ‘Animal law’ covered the main theories and approaches of animal law; local, regional and international regulation; and future prospects. There were many political aspects to this course, following the increase in practices such as animal testing and environmental issues like climate change. A lot of the theories regarding animal rights are linked to human rights, such as the topic of ‘sentience’, discussing where the line is drawn between beings, or the capabilities approach, which…
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How I Settled into my Year Abroad in Helsinki
By Ria Mair, University of Helsinki, Finland Initial thoughts… Before I arrived in Helsinki, I did not know what to expect. After scouring social media to gain insight into student life in Helsinki, it seemed student life would be fairly tame and somewhat dull, as there was not much content online. However, after speaking to a former University of Helsinki student who was on exchange from Manchester, it was the opposite for her, so I felt unsure. As well as this, Finland, and most Nordics for that matter, are not depicted much in media, so I had a limited schema, one I would build from diving into the deep end…
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Staying Financially Stable while Studying Abroad in the US.
Phoebe Faupel, North Carolina State University, United States Studying abroad in the United States is an incredible experience, but one thing i quickly realised after arriving at NCSU was how important budgeting and financial planning really are. From food and travel to social activities and everyday essentials, costs can add up super quick if you aren’t careful. While studying abroad is definitely something to enjoy, I’ve learned that staying financially stable makes the experience far less stressful and much more manageable. Here are some of the biggest lessons I have learned about managing money while studying in the US. Budget Before You Arrive: One of the most useful things I…
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Staying Sustainable In the States
Phoebe Faupel, North Carolina State University, United States Before moving to the United States for my year abroad at North Carolina State University, I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to live sustainably compared to being at university in the UK. I expected to rely heavily on cars and thought I might struggle to maintain some of the habits I’d built at home. However, one thing that genuinely surprised me was how many opportunities there were to make environmentally conscious choices in day-to-day student life. Here are a few ways I have managed to stay sustainable while studying abroad in the States. Walking More Than You Think: Although American…
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5 Things to know Before Going to University in the States.
Phoebe Faupel, North Carolina State University, United States Studying abroad in the United States has been one of the most exciting and eye-opening experiences of my university journey so far. Moving from the UK to study at North Carolina State University came with a lot of excitement- but also plenty of surprises. If you’re thinking about doing a semester or a year abroad in the US, here are five things i wish i’d known beforehand. 1: Campus Life Really is Like the Movies Before arriving, I thought American campus culture was exaggerated in films and TV shows- but in many ways, it genuinely isn’t. College campuses in the States often…
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My experience of learning Māori performance – your sign to try new things!
Kara Dillon, the University of Otago After reflecting on all the classes I have taken here at The University of Otago, one has really stood out to me. This was MAOR108. MAOR108 is a Māori performing arts class where you get to learn several ‘Waiata’ and ‘Haka’ alongside learning about Māori culture and values. Over the course of the semester, you learn 5 items which get assessed throughout, and the semester ends with a final performance of all these items. This sounds super scary, but trust me, once you attend the first class – you will never want to leave! Being a Geography student, I was apprehensive at first to…
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academics at the UvA
a blog by Chiamaka🎀(Universiteit van Amsterdam in the Netherlands) (me when i realised had to do work on exchange </3) campuses + campus lifeI studied on Roeterseiland Campus, which was huge. I think that the whole of UoM could fit on its grounds. It has an expensive but delicious canteen, 2 bars / cafes and even cinema rooms to rent. The location is maybe a 10 minute cycle from the centre and there is a metro nearby. There are several study spaces on Roeterseiland, which is perfect since the main library is in a random location. I visited Oudemanhuispoort once, which is the ‘aesthetic’ campus. It’s quite nice and is…
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A Collage of My Favourite Activities – Ver. South Korea
If my other posts have been about the big things – the culture shock, the travel, the emotional weight of leaving – then this one is about the small things. The afternoons, in-between moments that didn’t make it into the itnerary but made it into my heart anyway. Consider this a collage: unchronological, unpolished, and entirely honest. Cherry Blossom Walk Spring in Korea arrives slowly at first, snippets of sunshine, a warm breeze cutting through the cold, and then all at once. One week the trees look bare and the next the streets are lined with blossom so dense it almost looks like something out of a fantasy book. We…
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My Top Tips for Studying Abroad
A year abroad is, in my opinion, one of the best things you can do for yourself. But like anything worth doing, you get out what you put in. Here are some things I hope will help you to either decide whether or not to go for your year abroad, or some things you can think about while out there. Say yes (almost always, and within your means). The version of you that stays in and watches Netflix is not the version of you that comes home with stories. Say yes to the dinner invitation even when you’re tired. Say yes to the day trip you hadn’t planned. Say yes…
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January in Japan
Three Weeks of Food, Culture and Friends Winter in Korea is cold. It’s so cold. Temperatures can get down to -20°C… so I decided to book a trip to Japan to escape the worst of it. Don’t get me wrong, I love cold weather, but two months straight and you begin to feel differently. I left Korea and its -11°C weather, and flew to Japan, landing in 11°C (still not warm, but marginally better – I’m not built for winter okay) wearing layers upon layers. Happy to be able to take off most of them and not get hypothermia, I left the airport and was picked up by my friend,…
A study abroad journal by students, for students.
