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Challenges of Homesickness, by an English living in America
By Megan Bateman, Indiana University Bloomington, USA At the current time of writing, I am exactly 2 and a half months into my year abroad in the USA. I can say it has absolutely flown by, which is why I have only just found the time to write my first blog post on Manchester On The Road! Whilst I have already experienced many different things here like my first American football game (separate blog post coming for that!), American culture and nightlife, there have been times when I have found myself really missing Manchester.
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Arizona State – A look back on ASU
I feel some things are just rightly assumed about the long-run advantages of doing a year abroad – yes you become more cultured, yes you’ll gain confidence, yes you’ll view life differently, yes there’s new opportunities… but what actually are some examples of these? A (by no means exhaustive) post on how my year abroad impacted my life.
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New York, New York; The Iconic Landmarks
By Eleanor, at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey It’s no secret that one of the main reasons I chose Rutgers for my year abroad was due to its vicinity to one of the most famous cities in the world, compared to other destinations in the US offered by Manchester. I feel I made a great choice. My apartment at Rutgers was literally one minute’s walk from New Brunswick train station, perfect for someone like me who tends to run fashionably late. From here, New Jersey Transit trains run directly to New York Penn Station in the heart of Manhattan, taking between half an hour to 50 minutes. For…
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An Ode to New Jersey Weather
By Eleanor, at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey When people have asked me “How is America?” one thing I always mention is the weather, in typical Brit fashion. However, I feel justified in this as during my time studying abroad, I have braced all temperatures, and at a more leafy university, found a new appreciation for the outdoors.
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Fall break, Thanksgiving and Remembering Why You Chose to Study Abroad
By Imogen Henry-Campbell, Case Western Reserve University, USA As the end of the semester approaches, and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought I would reflect on the incredible experiences I have gained from studying abroad. It is easy to forget why you chose to study abroad when you doing the third round of midterms and have spent endless evenings in the library. I was feeling slightly lost, terribly homesick and unmotivated until I realized how lucky I am to have experienced new things and to have travelled around the world. Over the last month alone I have managed to travel to Toronto, see Niagara Falls, experience a traditional American…
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Reflections on Studying Abroad (just another excuse to keep talking about my year abroad, really)
By Elizabeth Pace (Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA) So this is my eighth and final blog (try not to get too upset) and its basically just a short one to talk about what it’s like being back in Manchester, post-Illinois.
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End of exchange reflections (penned somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean when I really should have been trying to sleep)
By Elizabeth Pace (Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA) So 10 months later and I’m permanently back in the land of real bacon, correct spellings, day/month/year and people who know how to make a proper cup of tea (I’ve had 12 already). For my final blog, instead of getting all sappy and emotional about how amazing this year has been I thought I’d finish off by sharing some of the worldly wisdom I’ve acquired since August. Here are a few of my top tips and insider hints for studying abroad at the University of Illinois, navigating the USA in general, and for all of those things you think will…
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Spring Break Travels (or Cuba: Fun yet Maddeningly Frustrating)
By Elizabeth Pace (Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA) “Fun but maddeningly frustrating” is the line used to describe Cuba on the back of the Lonely Planet Guide and by the end of our second day in the country, it had pretty much become our mantra for the trip. If you’d asked me a year ago where I thought I’d be spending my spring break while on exchange in the USA I’d probably have said Mexico, or Florida, or some other typical location known for its beaches and partying. Then one day someone mentioned off-hand, “Guys, wouldn’t it be hilarious if we went to Cuba for spring break?”. I’ll…
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Semester Two Update (or its midterm season again so seems like the perfect time to start writing another blog)
By Elizabeth Pace (Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA) I’m now five weeks into my second semester here at UIUC, so it’s probably a good a time as any to talk a bit about what it’s like being back on campus, what I’ve been up to so far, what’s different about this semester and what’s very much the same.
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Academic differences in the USA (because it’s not called “study” abroad for nothing)
By Elizabeth Pace (Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA) So now that I’m officially half-way through my exchange and no longer in the midst of the panic and stress of final exams I thought it would be a good time to take a step back and talk about the actual “study” part of studying abroad.
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Thanksgiving Travels (or the real reason I went on study abroad in the first place)
By Elizabeth Pace (Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA) So here it is. After 13 weeks, 8 midterms, 9 lab reports and countless homeworks and surprise quizzes we finally got a week off. Thanksgiving break; the first decent length of time I’ve had to escape Illinois and actually see some of the country I’ve been living in for the past three months. As any of you who are friends with me on Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat will know I definitely made the most of the (much needed) time off as me and a couple of other fellow Brits set off on an East coast adventure I like to call…
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Arrival reflections (how temporary housing turned out to be the best thing to ever happen to me)
By Elizabeth Pace (Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA) Actually that’s not totally true but I’ll get to that later…
A study abroad journal by students, for students.
