Check out Hannah’s video of her experiences at Queen’s University, what she learnt, and why she thinks her year abroad was ‘just the beginning‘.
A pair of flip-flops and walking boots – Australia
A very belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Australia! I left my last post on a not so good view of Australia note and the build up to Christmas didn’t help; it is my favourite holiday because of the decorations, the shopping and the family time. Decorations, here, do not bombard your every…
Looking forward to a year in Grenoble, France
To me, spending a year abroad is exactly what it means to ‘make most of your time at university’, and since I cannot think of a reason not to go abroad, I find it pretty hard to pin down what I am most looking forward to. But I have tried to do exactly that here….
Erasmus at the oldest university in Europe – Bologna, Italy
I spent my third year of university studying at the University of Bologna. As a history student, I was required to take history courses in Italy which were all taught in Italian. I took modules in Contemporary African History, Ancient Greek History. It was certainly interesting studying African history from an Italian paradigm. Italy’s frustrated…
The Canadian experience at UBC, Vancouver
I was a full-time student at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada from September 2014 to April 2015. I wanted to study abroad in Canada and Vancouver looked like a good city to spend a year in! I knew I wanted to do a year abroad from first year so I had a lot…
Thoughts before a year abroad in Hong Kong
My name is Hannah, and I am a law student about to embark on a year abroad at the University of Hong Kong. I am currently up to my ears in preparations for heading out to Hong Kong (i.e. visa applications, learning agreements, figuring out just how many pairs of socks will be required…). As…
What brought me to Ottawa
For me, going on exchange was an inevitability; my addiction to travel gave me no choice in the matter. I could not even contemplate waving goodbye to my friends as they jetted off on exchanges while I was left behind – I had to have my own adventure. The only factor that made me hesitate…
Hello! I’m Jess, as new to blogging as I am to being a Brit abroad so I apologise in advance for my stunted ramblings and irregular posting. I have little faith in my own blog-maintenance abilities but every faith in the International Office politely reminding me that it’s been a while since I posted an…
10 American Clichés (that are true!), by Yaiza Andres
Have you ever heard of the American dream? Well, I’m living it and it’s as clichéd as you can imagine, and then a little bit more… I am currently an exchange student at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, also known as the middle of no-where; it’s picture-perfect small-town America. However, don’t let that deter…
First impressions, by Lily Settari
So here I am, almost two weeks after I headed off to France, trying to put my first impressions into words. I’m taking a break from Edinburgh here in Grenoble, a city in the French Alps with about 100,000 inhabitants. I’m not a language student, so this was an entirely voluntary decision, because living abroad,…
Top tips on how to make your exchange a fabulous anthropological experience, by Carin Ivarsson
Go abroad – challenge your personal values and bias, unlock the opportunity to a whole new catalogue of courses, meet new people from your destination and internationally, become a whiz at navigating through complex structures both socially and logistically, and take the opportunity to appreciate the wonderful things at home while on pass-or-fail; it will…
Lund University, Sweden by Yusong Tian
Hi! My name is Yusong, 3rd year Physics student doing exchange in Lund University, Sweden. Actually before I came here I was thinking that there may not be so much difference except for some letters that don’t exist in English: it’s not very far away from Scotland, how different it can be? While once I…
Queen’s University, Canada by Izzy Davis
So, I arrive in Canada excited and nervous for my year abroad, and the weather isn’t exactly what I’ve been told to prepare for, it’s about 30 degrees with sunshine constantly. I started off the year in shorts, being very hot, and now in the middle of winter, it’s a question of how many layers…
Only the beginning – by Anna Boström
As I am walking down the wide busy streets of downtown Montréal I cannot help but feel small and insignificant. Who would really notice if I disappeared right this instance? Then I meet the eyes of a stranger and we share a smile. Suddenly, everything seems different. The skyscrapers aren’t so daunting anymore; instead I…
One Country, Two Systems – Hong Kong, China
Despite being born in Korea, I spent most of my youth abroad in Kuala Lumpur where I have found myself deeply inclined towards Chinese culture as I was getting along with overseas Chinese in Malaysia. Now that my passion for working in a cross cultural context, stimulating cross-border activities between Korea and China has been…
Finding the true meaning of ‘joie du vivre’ in Montpellier
Why on earth would I want to spend my third year abroad in France. For the sun? For the Mediterranean beaches? For the french cuisine and wine? Hardly enough incentive for me to go, and this before we even think about the french culture and haute-couture. Is this enough to inspire? Surely not. The south of France…
“If you think you’ve seen it all, you haven’t been to China”
I once thought moving to Edinburgh from Sandefjord, a tiny town in Norway would be a big transition – and it was! But now I am approaching a new go-abroad experience and I am still struggling to wrap my head around the idea that this time I’ll be spending it in the most populous country…
