When you study abroad for a year, going home for Christmas isn’t as simple as it normally is. Despite the Manchester to London train being expensive, flights to and from America do actually manage to top that, and so whether you stay abroad or go home is a question that needs to be asked.

On-arrival thoughts & first impressions By Emily (North Carolina, USA) As this blog is for those trying to get an idea of life as someone on study abroad as well as trying to help you decide where you want to go, I’ll give you a couple of reasons why I chose NC, Chapel Hill before I get into my first impressions. As an English literature student there was no particular country that connected with my degree, which meant I had lots of choice when it came to picking a university. As someone who isn’t particularly strong with languages I knew an English speaking country was a priority.

By Amy Williams, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill To explain the title, it would be easier to simply say that that is what the students at UNC call themselves. It has some links to the Confederate side of the U.S Civil War, but that’s all I know. Writing this I realise that I’ve been here at UNC for three weeks, but it feels so much longer. Settling into campus life hasn’t taken long, and I even have the joys of my first midterms next week.

Arriving back in Chapel Hill was really difficult given the change around that had happened. My roommate had moved out and I didn’t know my new roommate at all yet. It felt like I was having to settle in all over again, especially considering the excitement of the Christmas break had now come to an end and I was having to adjust back to getting down to work. I also started working at the Student Stores – a 3 storey shop in the centre of campus which sells everything from textbooks to everything you could ever want in Carolina colours. I am now 6 weeks into term and it has…

Meeting my parents and sister in Tampa, Florida was a big sigh of relief. I had made it through four months without them successfully, the longest time I have ever spent away from the three of them. I had also academically made it through my term and finished my exams and could now relax and enjoy the holiday. I arrived to the airport to my sister (Jennie) standing at the bottom of the escalator and then met my parents a little later in our hotel’s lobby. We left the hotel the next morning to head down to a small island about 2 hours south of Tampa called Sanibel. Sanibel is…

Living the US for 3 months by November had provided a lot of experiences. Therefore, I decided that making the decision to stay out here for the Christmas break would only enhance my experience. I was lucky enough to be able to convince my parents and sister to join me too, and November saw the flights get booked and the holiday be planned. I would then fly to LA to visit my other sister who lives there with her family. I was excited to say the least, especially as this would help me push through the last couple weeks of the semester.