Europe
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Day in the Life on Exchange in Barcelona
By Annabelle Henderson, ESADE Business School, Barcelona, Spain I thought I’d take you through a day in my life studying in Barcelona, so you can see what I get up to on my exchange!
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Hungarian Superstitions & Traditions You’ll Run Into as a Student in Budapest
By Louis Hazeldine-Cosgrove, Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary. Living in Budapest as a student is an adventure: new places, new people, and a lot of traditions and superstitions that might not expect. Hungarians have a long history of folklore and while some of their superstitions are just fun quirks, others are taken pretty seriously. Here are a few you will probably encounter while living here: 1. Do not Clink Beer Glasses! If you’re out for drinks with some new Hungarian friends, do not clink your beer glasses together. Back in 1849, Austrians celebrated the execution of Hungarian revolutionaries by clinking their beer glasses. Hungarians swore not to do it for 150 years…
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A Trip to Berlin
By Will Fisher, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands The travel options during a year abroad in Europe are practically unlimited. The density and variety of cultures just outside your door practically beg to be explored, and no exchange would be compete without at least a little extra travelling. Over January, me and some of the friends I’ve made in Amsterdam were lucky enough to get a chance to visit Berlin.
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Exploring More of Spain in Madrid
By Annabelle Henderson, ESADE Business School, Barcelona, Spain After spending over two months exploring the beauty of Barcelona, my friend and I decided to explore more of Spain and visit the capital: Madrid! Neither of us had been to Madrid before but were excited for our new adventure. We went for 2 nights and flew from Barcelona airport, which was only an hour or so flight and fairly inexpensive.
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Settling In
By Will Fisher, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands Believe it or not, moving to a different country can be tricky. Aside from the immigration concerns, housing issues, university work, and the rest of the practical concerns (all of which warrant their own blog post), just finding yourself can take time in a completely new environment. My experience with this is still ongoing, but after a term of living in Amsterdam, I’ve settled into more of a groove, and feel able to properly assess my time so far.
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Market Marvels – a visit to the Saturday markets in Lyon
By Zhuzhen Xie (Nina), Université Lumière Lyon 2, Lyon, France Have you seen the opening scene of Beauty and the Beast? It’s the moment when Belle walks through her hometown, greeting the morning crowd on her way to the library. Showered by the morning freshness, she makes her way through the market, saying good morning to the baker, the food merchants, and the housewives sitting by the street, chatting about this “bizarre” and unusual girl. In the background, Belle opens the scene with a light and joyful tune, which crescendos into a more intense symphony as the townspeople gradually join in.
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A Trip to the Arctic
By Charlotte Hussey, University of Bergen, Norway A few weeks before Christmas, I took a trip to Tromso – one of the northernmost cities in the world. Situated in the farthest reaches of Norway into the Arctic Circle, it reached -12 degree Celsius. I travelled with the new friends I made during my first semester of my exchange in Norway. It was a once in a lifetime trip – I had never seen anywhere like it before and was the perfect place to visit to get in a Christmassy mood!
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A Comprehensive Student Guide to life on a Year Abroad in Rennes
By Isabelle Hatton-Williams, Universite Haute-Bretagne Rennes 2, France So, you’ve made it through your first year. You’ve figured out the balance of student life: cooking semi-decent meals, living with housemates you actually like, and maybe even settling into some sort of routine. Maybe you’re on the hockey team, or maybe you’re on the committee for chess society. And just when you’ve started to feel comfortable, along comes the next big leap: a year abroad. I get it. I was you. I was in love with my routine – knowing where to get the best coffee, where to brunch, knowing where was hot, and where was not. The thought of packing…
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Lights Throuhg Time: La Fête des Lumières
By Zhuzhen Xie (Nina), Université Lumière Lyon 2, Lyon, France As we entered the festive month of December, vibrant neon lights and sparkling snowflakes appeared on apartment doors, shop windows, and streetlamps overnight. Just a few weeks before the long-anticipated family gatherings and holiday feasts at the end of the month, Lyon invites its residents and visitors to another flamboyant spectacle: La Fête des Lumières.
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Exploring Copenhagen On A Budget
By Rudy Cone, University of Copenhagen, Denmark The Economist has just rated Copenhagen the 8th most expensive city to live in the world, ahead of other notoriously pricey cities like San Francisco and London. If you are thinking of studying in Copenhagen, this may sound daunting. And I won’t lie to you– it is expensive here. The price of a single metro ticket or a weekly grocery shop does occasionally bring a tear to my eye. However, Copenhagen also ranks as the 2nd best city to live in the world. This is largely due to its rich culture and environment, much of which costs little to enjoy. To settle your…
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Rolling in Comfort
By Zhuzhen Xie (Nina), Université Lumière Lyon 2, Lyon, France “Would you like to come over and make cinnamon rolls?” my friend texted me. Although I hesitated for a few minutes, thinking about the full day of classes and exams ahead, I thought of the relaxation I would feel from a baking session after a long day. “Yes, let’s do it!”
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A Guide to Exploring Sweden From Copenhagen
By Rudy Cone, University of Copenhagen, Denmark One of the great things about Copenhagen is its proximity to the rest of Scandinavia, particularly Sweden. It is so close to Sweden, in fact, that from areas (such as the Louisiana Museum), you can actually see it from across the Oresund (a waterway which forms the Danish-Swedish border).
