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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,…
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The Truth about Coming Home
What no one warns you about when you depart for your exchange is how difficult coming home will be. Obviously this feeling is different for everyone; some may find that, at the end of their exchange period, they are ready to come back. Some may want to come back sooner and some may never want to leave. I was the latter. During all of the preparation for my exchange year, so many people told me that I will likely get homesick, and that even if I find it really hard in the first few weeks, to stick it out and give it a chance. I knew there was a slight…
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The Library Always Finds You: A Semester in Sydney, One Year On
By Meg Luddington, University of Sydney, Australia I am writing this as I enter the very final week of my degree. Outside my window is Manchester, a city that I love, even when it is raining, as it currently is. Endings always make me reflective, and a time I try to gather my thoughts on the chapter that has just been. As I reflect on the university chapter, I keep finding that many of my fondest memories are not from Manchester at all, but from my semester in Sydney.
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How Studying in Finland had an Impact
By Ria Mair, University of Helsinki, Finland Learning about different cultures Through my social circle, I learned a lot about different cultures during my year abroad. In the first semester, my friendship group consisted of people from various countries, and so we hosted a ‘bring your own dish night’. I had the opportunity of trying French quiche, Dutch ‘Poffertjes’ and even a New Zealand ‘mousetrap’. Beyond food, I became aware of other cultural differences. For example, when listening to music with my friends, I was introduced to different genres, and now I have a more broadened taste in the arts. I learned about different structures of language, as my French…
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A must do Nordic trip – hiking in Lofoten
By Ria Mair, University of Helsinki, Finland The Lofoten Islands, a beautiful archipelago located above the Arctic Circle in Norway, was the most breathtaking and fulfilling trip of my study abroad in Helsinki… The Cabin in Kabelvaag My home for the trip was a cosy little cabin right by the sea, which was perfect for a trip of long and exhausting hikes. I shared the place with my good friend from the University of Helsinki, and three other exchange students that I did not know – my little family for the next week! Showering, cooking and resting in the cottage became the prize after each day of physically pushing ourselves…
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The Best Eats of Helsinki
By Ria Mair, University of Helsinki, Finland Sushi Buffet Something all tourists should do when visiting Helsinki is try a sushi buffet. There are several dotted around the city, and all are delicious. With fresh seafood from the Baltic Sea, and plenty of vegetarian options, it is the perfect tourist spot. The nature of Finland is that the country is very trusting, and sushi buffets are an excellent depiction of that: you can trust that everyone will be respectful and tidy up after themselves. Although many things in Helsinki can be expensive, in comparison to the UK, sushi is one thing that is loads more affordable in Finland – and…
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An Insider’s Guide to Activities in Finland
By Ria Mair, University of Helsinki, Finland Walks + Hikes Around Helsinki, there are plenty of scenic walks to go on. My favourite one was from the harbour by the Market Hall, and then along the rocky coast until the beach. During Winter, along this walk, you would come across outdoor ice-skating rinks and Christmas lights. I preferred Helsinki in Summer, watching the sunset from the coast, watching people play volleyball at the beach and seeing more happy faces about. Just outside Helsinki, in Vantaa, was Nuuksio Park – an expansive hiking spot. When friends and family from home came to visit me, I always took them to Nuuksio, an…
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EAST COAST MAXXING – How to make the most of your time in the USA
By Lucy Kyle, Rutgers State University of New Jersey, USA The USA is massive and it can be overwhelming to decide what you want to see and where you want to go, so I have put together a guide of weekend trips you can do on the east coast to maximise your time there! NEW YORK CITY, NY First and foremost, New York City, there is so much to explore here and it is super easy access from New Jersey as well as many other states via public transit – NJ Transit, Amtrak and Flixbus. Once you are there it is also easy to get around via the Subway! New…
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What to pack when moving to New Zealand
Kara Dillon – The University of Otago, New Zealand With a reputation of being an over-packer, facing the challenge of packing my cases ready to embark on my journey to New Zealand, was not the easiest. However, now having lived here for a year, I have come to realise what was necessary to bring here… and what was not. Firstly, with New Zealand being a country with endless opportunities to travel, hike and camp, I thought it was necessary to bring my 75 Litre rucksack, my sleeping bag and my sleeping mat. Despite having used these, they took up a lot of space and weight in my suitcases. Little did…
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a complete guide to: KONINGSDAG (king’s day)
a blog by Chiamaka 🎀(Universiteit van Amsterdam in the Netherlands) The city is fully recovered from King’s Day celebrations this past April 27th. The streets were filled with orange, the sun was shining and speakers were blasting. In this blog I will prepare you for the most anticipated bank holiday of the year. It is a annual bank holiday celebrating the Dutch monarch’s birthday. It was originally Queen’s Day (the Netherlands had a queen for 123 years), but the current monarch is a man. People take to the streets for parades, festivals and markets, and the streets are decorated in orange. People also celebrate King’s Night the day before. There are…
A study abroad journal by students, for students.
