By Imogen Henry-Campbell, Case Western Reserve University, USA
So I have been in Case Western Reserve for just over two weeks and it has been hectic. After 2 days of travelling including 2 trains and 2 flights, I arrived late at night, extremely tired after being awake for over 24 hours.
When I finally reached campus the sun was shining and it really showcased the lovely campus. My home for the next year is in The Village, an accommodation on the north campus for the upper class (3rd and 4th years). My favourite part of the village is that all the houses overlook the track and field area where the ‘Spartan’ teams train. It feels extremely American and I love it.
It really has been an actioned packed few weeks but I will go through my highlights of what I have discovered so far. For the first week, I had orientation, which is sort of like freshers week in England but led by the University. We were split into groups mainly with freshman in it and had two lovely leaders who took us to all of the events. Although most of the people were a bit younger than me it was a good way to meet new people, get familiar with everything Case has to offer and ease you into the uni life. One part that will stay with me the most was the ‘tradition’ or class photo. As Case is a small school with around 5000 undergrads, every year they take a photo with the new class on the field. It made me feel part of the Case community and I think it’s a great idea.
It really has been an actioned packed few weeks but I will go through my highlights of what I have discovered so far. For the first week, I had orientation, which is sort of like freshers week in England but led by the University. We were split into groups mainly with freshman in it and had two lovely leaders who took us to all of the events. Although most of the people were a bit younger than me it was a good way to meet new people, get familiar with everything Case has to offer and ease you into the uni life. One part that will stay with me the most was the ‘tradition’ or class photo. As Case is a small school with around 5000 undergrads, every year they take a photo with the new class on the field. It made me feel part of the Case community and I think it’s a great idea.
As part of the orientation week, we had a ‘Discover Cleveland’ day where we chose a cultural location to explore for the day. I decided to go to the Botanical Gardens which is completely free to go to with your Case ID. Only 5-minute walk from campus and you are in a tropical greenhouse with colourful butterflies everywhere. I felt about five years old when the butterfly keeper put one on my hand. It was the perfect place to take a breather and see some nature whilst still being in a city.
On the same day, we also went to an Indians baseball game in the city centre of Cleveland or ‘Downtown’. Baseball is not the most exciting game (sorry) but the atmosphere was a lot of fun and we were even given a free Indians jersey (which I hear is a must have for any American party)
On labour day which is a national holiday in America, I a few of the other exchange students and I took a drive to Edgewater beach, located on Lake Erie. The beach is only a 20-minute drive away from campus and is so close to the city that you can even see the towers of Downtown Cleveland in the backdrop. I would highly recommend to take a drive there on a sunny day and take a day off to unwind.
That just about sums up my highlights of the adventure so far. Study abroad has been hectic and I have definitely missed home a few times already. But I would say if your feeling low or missing home try and fill your time with trying something new. For me, this has involved trying out for the Case ‘Kismat’ Dance Team which is an Indian fusion team (look them up on youtube as they are incredible). If that fails then a quick Face Time with your favourite person and a glance at all your old memories have helped me too.
I will be writing soon with my first thoughts and impressions about Case Western and any more things that I have discovered along the way!
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