Greetings from the Emerald Isle! I’ve been in Dublin now almost 2 ½ weeks, with getting paper work sorted, starting classes and learning what grocery stores sell the cheapest beer.
Average Dublin courtyard
But before jetting on down to Dublin, I made a small detour, in the form of a 1 ½ month trip around Central Europe, travelling around the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Spain, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands to name a few.
AmsterdamBruges
For my first big trip out of Australia, the proximity of everything is mind-blowing. Especially from Dublin, Ryan Air is a girl’s (or guy, they don’t discriminate) best friend, with cheap flights to most places.
The International Team at Dublin City University are great, and not only picked us up from the airport but sent us away on a daytrip trip to an Irish farm, where we learnt Irish life skills like hurling (think a cross between American grid iron, soccer and hockey),
MVP
baking soda bread, tramping through peat bogs and playing the Irish drum, the bodhrán (said bow-rawn).
I have no idea what i’m doing.
Similar to UTS, DCU was founded in the late 20th century, and while it doesn’t have the impressive buildings of Trinity, or the literary history of UCD, DCU does have chicken goujons and chips at the Uni Bar, and my god, I’d swap them for all the James Joyce in the world.
Deep fried goodness.
DCU is set in the suburbs, a 40-minute ride on the Dublin Bus to town, but I managed to get a room in Shanowen Square, student accommodation just up the road from the main campus. The leafy tree- house ratio is incredibly high in Dublin suburbs, with lots of green areas to chill, on campus as well as the surrounding suburbs. Coming into autumn, the colours in the trees and vines around the campus are really beautiful.
What happened to the old DCU you say? We don’t talk about it.One of the parks near DCU.Autumn vine.
The centre of Dublin is where the nightlife is though. Dublin’s population sits at just over 500,000 but it feels much bigger, with so many amazing museums, historical monuments, parks, pubs, music venues all crammed into the centre around the winding River Liffey, it’s been pretty easy to spend a casual day wandering the streets, especially with the Indian summer Dublin is currently having.
Jameson Whiskey Tour: Daytime Drunk.O’Connell Bridge over the River LiffeyMolly Malone and her exquisite bronze décolletage
However, its not all beer and sunshine, as I am here to actually do some study. Although at home I’m a science student, here I am studying Humanities. I was a bit apprehensive at doing something different, but so far it’s been great. A lot of my classes are mostly international students, so they understand we don’t know every little detail about the Irish University system. But the classes where there are a lot more Irish students are great craic (fun), even if a couple of the in jokes kind of fly over my head.
I’ve still got at least 20 pages left in my passport, an Irish bus pass and a need to do and see everything (also a sneaky membership to the DCU Harry Potter club), so who knows what will happen this semester.
After arriving in Stockholm just a little over a month ago, it was surprising to see how little I knew about the country i’d be spending my semester abroad in. With a warm welcome, the university guides had met me at the arrivals terminal, and escorted the rest of the incoming international students to the university i’d be studying in – KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Founded in 1827, KTH is one of Scandinavia’s largest institutions for tertiary education in technology. Like all the other newcomers, I was amazed at how enormous this university was. From the buildings alone, it was easy to tell that KTH was full of history, pride and a status symbol for higher education in Stockholm.
Quadrangle at KTHKth main walkwayFireworks at KTH event
My accommodation is situated 15 minutes north of central Stockholm, and only 5 minutes away from KTH. It is the largest student accommodation in Stockholm, housing thousands of international students tucked in a forest away from the city. There are so many international students here and so little Swede’s it almost makes you question whether or not you are still in Sweden.
Stockholm itself is a beautiful place, no matter where you are in the city there is always a picture-worthy scene. I hadn’t experienced as much culture shock as I had expected, with the Swede’s speaking perfect english. The city is very tourist friendly, and getting around as a foreigner is relatively simple. The prices of everyday items such as food, beverages and clothing are a little bit more expensive than Sydney, but nothing to be too surprised about. What I hadn’t been warned about when coming into Sweden is the public toilets. They aren’t as common here when compared to Sydney, and when you do find one you have to pay almost $2AUD to use it!
Skinnarviksberget – the highest natural point in Stockholm
What surprised me the most was the culture of the Swedes. They are a very conservative, distant group of people who generally don’t get involved in small talk. This is such a large contrast between Sydney where you can instantly become best friends with your local barista, or have a chat with a random stranger on the train. I had been warned by a local Swede that this is often the case with internationals coming into Sweden, but ensured me that once i’m able to make a Swedish friend, I have a friend for life.
My past month here has been a smooth transition from my life back in Sydney. I have been welcomed with open arms by my university and the Swedes, and I am proud to be able to call this my home for the next 5 months. I have met some of the greatest people from all parts of the world, friends of which I know will continue to remain in contact with long after we go back to our home countries.
Group of friends i’ve met on exchange (left to right) – Genet (America), Yan (Australia), Anna (Spain), Zoe (America), Nick (England), Sofie (The Netherlands)Tyresta National Park
There is still so much more to explore here, and although summer has ended, and the days are slowly getting shorter and shorter, I cannot wait to see what winter has to offer. Having never experienced snow in my life, A Swedish winter will truly be an experience I will never forget.
I’m a big fan of all things Scandinavian so the choice to apply for exchange to Copenhagen was an easy one.
Københaven is one of the most beautiful cities I have visited. It’s like a scene out of a fairytale (which explains Hans Christian Anderson). I have now been here for almost two months and it really is a place with something for everyone, whether that be food, shopping, cultural events or sport (I have enjoyed all four!) I highly recommend checking out the Lousiana Museum of Modern Art, it’s an awesome gallery just outside of the city. Go on a sunny day and take a picnic!
I am living in an apartment in Orestad with two other foreign exchange students and a Dane just outside the city centre. I cycle in every day to the city (about 20 minutes). The city is built for bikes with bike lanes in every street. Unlike university towns, you really get the feel that this is a big cosmopolitan city, there are always new things to explore. The architecture in Copenhagen is beautiful and a bike is definitely the best way to see the city. The city is big enough so I always have something different to do but small enough to cycle around
The food is fantastic in Copenhagen, especially the fresh food markets that are right near Norreport Metro station. There is a great café scene, which will be great for the upcoming cold winter months. Whilst Copenhagen is expensive, it is manageable for Australians (we too are accustomed to expensive alcohol at least relative to the rest of Europe!).
Sweden in 30 minutes away by train, I have seen the small city of Malmö (a must-do especially if you’re here in time for the Festival) and the town of Lund is next on my list!
Coming to Københaven has been a great decision and one that I highly recommend if you are looking to come on exchange!
I have been in Mannheim for about a month now and let me tell you this, German people are really really friendly and helpful. Even if I were to ask someone who doesn’t speak English, they generally try their best to reply back and help you out. They are extremely polite and I’m just loving their accent! Mannheim is a small city with a grid like pattern, this is extremely helpful for someone like me who gets lost in a daily basis! Typical on-the-go German breakfast is a pretzel (Brezel in German) and coffee. I have gotten into the habit of getting my morning brezel for like 80 cents and coffee for like 2 euros. Did I mention that everything is really cheap here?
Germany is very environmental conscious. We have this machine thingo in a lot of supermarkets, this machine will pay you around 25 cents (per bottle) for returning all the plastic bottles. With the result, the whole city is fairly clean and everyone recycles everything here. I generally collect all the water, coke bottles, beer bottles etc. and go to the supermarket once a week to recycle and make some money haha! Did I mention that we can buy good German beers for 2-3 euros? It’s crazy cheap here!
As an exchange student, I have been travelling a lot. Just in this month, I have been to Heidelberg, Frankfurt, Paris and Munich for the Oktoberfest. It is so convenient to travel to other European countries.
Heidelberg
Munich at night
Munich at night
Paris
Oktoberfest…us gals wearing Drindls
Lourve Museum
I opted to live in student housing about 20mins by bus from the main University. I had heard some horror stories about this housing but I only have had good experiences here. The housing helped me meet a lot of exchange students and make friends. I know some students who opted to live close to the University campus. It’s definitely more convenient to live in the quadrant but if want to make international friends then I would recommend student housing instead!
Let’s move on to the main topic – Mannheim University. The main campus is called ‘Schloss’, meaning Palace. And boy does it look like a Palace!! It’s a magnificent campus with weekly parties inside the Schloss. When can you ever say that you partied in a palace?
Also, the first week is pretty daunting with loads of paperwork and documentation, but they are kind and helpful staff who will take you through everything step by step. VISUM is a student organisation that helps you by finding you a German buddy. My buddy was particularly helpful, she even came to pick me up from the train station!! She was with me when I was running around getting my documents fixed, she was with me when I bought my German SIM card, she was with me when I opened a new bank account, she was with me in ALDI and IKEA stressing out about blinds….she was with me through everything. Words cannot express how thankful I am to her!!
So classes have started and the lecturers are oh-so punctual! I had issues with clashing subjects but I have worked through them now…I must say that the lecture contents seem harder as compared to back home and some of the courses only have one exam worth 100%. Well, I guess you shouldn’t expect any less because Mannheim is known for being one of the top Universities in Germany! I also got the chance to represent UTS at the Global Exchange Fair in Mannheim, I met a lot of locals who are keen on going to Australia and experience our culture.
I definitely recommend going on exchange! If you are hesitating….stop worrying and do it now!
It has been nearly 2 months in Germany since arriving for the Sumer Academy (German language course) and there are still so many things to see and do! With a population of 300,000 people, Mannheim is a small city (30min south of Frankfurt) located in the border between Germany and France. As you can imagine this large University makes up a large portion of the city, so students populate the downtown/city area.
I arrived in early August to take an additional one month intensive course to learn Deutch. I cannot stress how much of a great job the University of Mannheim does for providing social/clubbing events, tours around Germany and extra curricular activities. It is run by a student society called VISUM and within the first month, VISUM had made it possible for me to attend 4 different cities in Germany, 2 Wine festivals and several hiking tours! I highly recommend if you have the chance, to attend the language course as you would also gain 6 ECTS and meet so many people.
So far from my experience, I have found the people in Mannheim, Germany very friendly. Since you will be spending a lot of time with other international students, I highly recommend to meet locals, you should be involved in many other student societies or every Thursday, each faculty hosts a party at the University.
Germany is cheap comparatively to Sydney, however since Germany is situated at the centre of Europe, you will definitely be travelling to other countries also! Within two months I have travelled to Spain, Italy and France.
With 3 months left I intend to make the most of this exchange trip. Mannheim isn’t a city like Berlin or Paris, but this University is considered/ranked as one of the top Business Schools in Germany, it is highly dedicated to providing a unique student experience and I highly recommend this University to any exchange students.
It’s coming up to almost two months since I’ve left Sydney and time has flown! Exchange has been something I’ve been looking forward to since first year and it has been great! Major photography fan here so hopefully these photos will do the experience so far justice. Also, photos are worth a thousand words so getting your bang for buck here. In short, go on exchange.
Starting off on Aug 11, I flew to Greece with a group of friends from university. In Greece, we covered Athens, Santorini, and Mykonos. Highlights of that trip: 2 euro gyros in Athens, cliff diving and sunset at Santorini – that place will take your breath away and is like no other, and running into Alessandra Ambrosio in Mykonos (yes, you read that right).
AthensSunset in Santorini
After a week, a few of us split off and hit up Croatia to cover Dubrovnik and Zagreb. On our way to Dubrovnik, our luggage got lost which ruined our travel plans a bit but with some adjustment, we were able to cover everything we wanted to. If you go, you must do the Old Town Walls Tour and go up to Fort Lovrijenac (for GoT fans, that’s the Red Keep) – the view is stunning. My favorite part of it all had to be sea kayaking though. My friend is actually a rower so we kept on being told off for going ahead of everyone. After two packed and intense days, we fly off to Zagreb for some needed R&R and the Plitvice National Park – amazing but slightly overcast when we went but nonetheless, should be on people’s bucket list.
Sea Kayaking in DubrovnikFort Lovrijenac in Dubrovnik
Ahh Spain…can never get enough of Spain. The culture, the people, the food – Spain nails it on the head. For the short five days I was there, I was in love and honestly regretted not choosing Spain for exchange. My friends and I covered Valencia (primarily for La Tomatina) and Barcelona. Valencia took my breath away – especially the city center. La Tomatina also took my breath away but more so because I was being squished against thousands of people and also because a tomato would be chucked at me just as I was inhaling. It’s something I’m glad I did but would never do again. Also if you do end up going, be prepared for several things:
Throwing away all the clothes you wore there
Washing your hair five times over only for your friends to still discover tomato residue
Equating the smell of tomatoes to throw-up
Avoiding tomatoes for the next two weeks
Making a memory to look back on (sometimes with laughter, sometimes with fear)
Now (one of) the best for last – Barcelona. My favorite city so far. Unfortunately, I only had two full days there. Now first day, we covered Magic Fountain, city center, Las Ramblas, La Boqueria, Gothic Quarter, Cathedral, and ended the night at Bar Rubi. The next day, we went to see Sagrada Familia, Casa Batllo, Casa Mila. Tip for each of these: cough up the money and actually go into these places with an audio guide, you’ll get WAY more of the experience because you’ll actually understand the significance of what’s going on. Unfortunately after those three, I was exhausted and sick so I ended up resting at home so I could catch my flight to Paris the next morning at 3AM.
Magic Fountain in Barcelona
I finally arrived in Paris on Aug 30th which unfortunately was a Sunday so all the shops were closed and after three weeks, I was desperate to restock on food and toiletries and to do laundry. I booked Airbnb for temporary accommodation and my host was absolutely lovely. The following day, I started my intensive french seminar which was to take place over the next two weeks for 3 hours a day. Having studied french from grade 7 to 12 and then subsequently forgetting all of it in Australia, it was definitely a nice reminder. It feels really satisfying to converse in French and actually catch what they’re saying but even better when they reply to my attempt at the language (I say it like I understand what’s going on all the time but really it’s like 30%). Nevertheless, one of the reasons I chose France was to improve my French and it’s really nice to find that I can check in to hotels, submit paperwork for accommodation, order at restaurants, complain about plumbing in French now.
So in a nutshell, of Paris as a city:
Cons: expensive $$$, bureaucracy, miss Asian food, plumbing is old
Pros: ALWAYS something to do – I’ve barely began to crack the surface of this city, absolutely rich in history, excellent pastries (for a country that has a wonky admin system, they sure know how to bake) , shopping here is 10/10, metro system deserves 11/10 and of course, the city itself is stunning
In terms of the actual experience.
Admittedly, was homesick when I first came. Latch that on to being physically sick (since Mykonos) and you’ve got one bummed out girl here. Starting out is always difficult but definitely enjoying myself now!
Everyone I’ve met here has been really lovely and the exchange club here always has something planned – if not, the city will. Highlights:
Joined a running club – I grew to love Sydney by foot and plan to do the same with Paris.
Exploring Paris – Notre Dame after orientation with snacks and drinks by the Seine; Le Marais between class, Champs-Elysee after class, Pantheon on La Journee du Patrimoine, sitting in a park and trying out French pastries with friends and in general, trying my best to find hidden gems here
Discovering France and Europe – this week I’ve gone to Giverny (for Claude Monet’s house and garden), Versailles, went to Bayeux (WWII tour and Mont Saint Michel) for the weekend. As a side note, probably one of the most fulfilling trips I’ve done. I’m actually heading off to Belgium this weekend and have London and Amsterdam lined up for the next two. It’s so easy to travel in Europe so definitely take advantage while you’re here. I’m excited to see where the next four months will take me.
Claude Monet’s CribVersaillesVersailles with the roomie (who’s also from UTS!)
Now the actual helpful stuff which I forgot about:
University: University of Paris Dauphine
Tip: tons of paperwork, be patient and check your email often
Courses: save your electives (I’ve ended up doing two English courses – Game Theory and Company Culture and three French – summer intensive french course, general language course, and a thematic course), do the intensive french course – you’ll meet a lot of people and feel more settled once uni rolls around, you MUST pre-register for classes and attend the first day to be enrolled. Pre-register for ANY class you think you might want to do.
Credit Points: Dauphine multiples exchange students ECTs by 1.5x. Usually, each class is worth 4 ECTs but for us, its 6ECT meaning to fulfill the 30ECTs, we only do five. The summer french seminar counts for 6ECTs meaning we end up going four during the semester.
Accommodation: applied through CROUS and was accepted. Others have done home stays or privately rented
Money: Citibank, wouldn’t recommend actually opening up one here – takes too long and Citibank works fine. Also save as much as you can
Food/Grocery: Carrefour, Franprix, Marks and Spencers, heaps around
Bedding, cooking utensils, etc: Conforma, Monoprix, Auchan, Hema (pick up some stroopwaffles while you are here)
Electronics: Darty, FNAC
Transport: Navigo/Decouvert (70 euro per month) but pretty much lets you go anywhere
SIM Card: Free.fr (20 euro per month) – unlimited calls and texts in France, free calls to landlines overseas and 3GB of data for 3G users, 20GB for 4G users, cancellable at any time
I’ve been in the land of bikes, canals, windmills and stroopwafels for just over a month now and am absolutely loving it. I’m staying in a town called Tilburg, which is approximately an hour and half from Amsterdam and an hour from the Belgian border.
My friend Emma and I exploring Tilburg by bike
Tilburg is a student town and while it doesn’t have the excitement of Amsterdam, there’s certainly no shortage of things to do.
This is probably largely due to the fantastic student organisation (IESN) that organises many social events around the city. Last week IESN organised a trip to Amsterdam including a stopover at a traditional dutch windmill farm.
Joining IESN, and living in Verbs, a very social block of student flats right near the uni, it’s almost impossible not to make friends.
Staying at Verbs has been the best decision I could have made. I have 17 other flatmates who are from Singapore, China, Spain, France, the US, Italy and Hungary to name a few! Our floor feels like a family already. There’s always someone to chat to and always delicious smells coming from the kitchen!
One of the advantages of staying in Tilburg is the proximity to an international airport (Eindhoven) that is a hub for cheap flights. This combined with good train and bus connections make it a very easy place to use as a base to travel to other parts of Europe. So far I’ve been to Brussels, Paris and Munich am currently planning a trip to Dublin and London.
The classes itself have been interesting and worthwhile. I must admit, I viewed the actual study part of the exchange as a secondary concern to all the travel and socialising I planned to do. However i’ve found myself really enjoying the subjects on offer. Tilburg’s law faculty appears to be progressive and human rights focused. Some of my subjects include Privacy and Data Protection, Genocide and War Crimes and Theories and Perspectives on Victimization.
Overall, i’d definitely recommend Tilburg. I haven’t met anyone who has regretted it yet!
Yes, everyone in the Netherlands rides bicycles. It is more environmentally friendly, cheaper, and safer than walking or driving. Roads and traffic lights are constructed specifically for cyclists and most of the time, they have right of way. So now you need a bike to fit in with the crowd, save money, be good to the environment, and to have a ride home when the trams and the metro stops at night. You can buy a decent second hand bike from bike repair shops or from other people for about 70 – 100 Euros. Bikes from the shops are checked and won’t be registered under someone else’s name.
All sorts of groovy bikes to choose from!
DO buy a good bike lock.
You’ll need it to protect your bike from said junkies who steal bikes to make money from them. How much is a sturdy lock? You’re looking at 20 – 30 Euros. What does the lock look like? Check out the one below!
Security game strong.
GET a Rotterdam Pass.
This little voucher book will give you discounts to so many cool places around town and will be your excuse to take advantage of all the freebies whilst exploring! It’s almost like our version of the Entertainment Book. Included are reduced prices to museums and other activities, discounted meal deals (yes, pizza and kebabs included), and free ice-cream.
Finger-lickin’ good…
FORGET your umbrella at home.
Invest in a rainjacket and waterproof shoes instead. You can’t juggle an umbrella whilst riding your bike in the rain. We’re talking about practicality here.
Very appropriate investment indeed!
TAKE advantage of the scenery and the people.
Rotterdam is wonderful because there is a balance of modern and traditional buildings. It also has water everywhere so you’re sure to take some cool pictures. This city is also extremely international. University students come from all over the place to study here and the corporate world is quite mixed too. Everyone is lovely and welcoming. The university also hosted 250 refugees in our sport building for a week. Everyone’s morale was definitely boosted!
Cityscape just outside my local supermarket… no complaints here.
BE PREPARED to feel short.
If you don’t have Dutch genes, you’ll either have to make up for the height difference by wearing a top hat or heels and a tiara.
I didn’t even make shoulder height.
GO to the markets!
They’re magical places full of fresh food and cheap goodies. It’s a great place to meet locals as well as practice your Dutch language skills.
Hong Kong might not have the annual Sydney City2Surf race but it does share a lot in common with Sydney, it has a great city & beach culture!
Having been in Hong Kong for little over a month now, I wanted to share with you some of the highlights of my time so far:
1. City Life:
Hong Kong is an amazing city! Having seen pictures of the skyline of Hong Kong before, it isn’t until you see it with your own eyes that you realise how beautiful it is. Hong Kong is very densely populated and there are high rises on every corner and you do often need to queue for things but what has impressed me is that everything runs so efficiently. From the subways coming every 2 minutes, to shops that stay open till 11pm, life in Hong Kong is very convenient and you never actually end up having to wait too long for anything!
Below is a picture of the Peak, which offers one of the best views of the Hong Kong Skyline. I recommend going up during the day and at night, you see a completely different view.
2. Beaches and outdoors:
I knew that Hong Kong was a big and busy city before I came here but what I never realised was that it has so many beautiful islands, beaches and hiking trails. In fact from any point in the city, if you look up just past the sky scrapers you see a number of lush green hills and it is often just beyond these that the hidden gems of Hong Kong lie.
Below is a picture of a beautiful beach called Tung Wan, which is on island called Cheung Chau, only a 45 minute ferry ride from Hong Kong Central. On the island you can find beaches, walking trails, fresh sea food and one of oldest temples in Hong Kong. It is just a very small part of the things that you can discover when you get go on an exchange to Hong Kong.
3. Finally – a few tips about coming to Hong Kong!
Make sure you sign up for things early, this includes your application to stay in student residence before you get here and once you get here – signing up for the university gym or language classes. There are a lot of things on offer in Hong Kong generally and at City University – but to take advantage of them you do need to get in early!
Although a lot of people in Hong Kong have a good command of English, but it is by no means universal, so learning a couple of phrases in Cantonese is really helpful.
Place de la bourse, popular spot for students to picnic at
Bonjour! Ca va? I’ve been in Bordeaux for three weeks now and I’m like it here ten times more than I would have ever imagined. Did you Know? 1810 hectares of Bordeaux is listed as a World Heritage site. There are a lot of beautiful buildings here from the 18th century, which makes the city a really nice place to stroll around. This is great because since I’ve been in France I’ve literally been eating baguettes, cheese, patissieries every single day. Strolling and biking around the city has certainly help me keep fit. Because Bordeaux is a lot smaller than Paris and Sydney, I thought I would grow bored quickly, but it is still a relatively large city and there’s actually so much to do here! The city apparently has the longest pedestrian walkway, called Rue Saint Catherine which is full of shops- Zara, H&M, Mango etc. On Sundays, there’s also a lovely markets around the city, one being a market along the Garonne river bank. Bordeaux is also what they call here a ‘student city’, which means there’s lots of universities around the area. You can actually see a lot of students everywhere as you walk down the streets here- sort of like walking around University mall at UNSW. That also means, every single night there’s some sort of party going on- definitely won’t ever get bored.
Then during the day, when I have a day off uni, I would sometimes travel with other ERASMUS students or my host family to close by places like Saint Emillion, Biarritz etc. Saint Emillion, is a little town with the yummiest canneles, macarons and has lots and lots of wine. The old buildings in the town are kept very well and you feel like you’re walking through a fairy tale. Definitely will recommend this place if you come to Bordeaux. And if you’re missing the beaches in Sydney, Biarritz is the place to go! Bordeaux is in the South West of France, along the coast, and is about an hour or two drive away from the beaches. I’ve only been to Biarritz, which is a popular place to surf, but there are other lovely beaches close by like Lacanau and Arcachon Bay.
Saint Emillion
The downside to staying in Bordeaux is that it isn’t as easy to travel to places such as London, Brussels, Copahagen etc. since you will usually have to go through Paris to do so. However, it’s extremely close to the Spanish border, so you can easily go down there for the weekend. Just before uni started, I tagged along with a couple of German people who drove down to Bordeaux on a road trip to San Sebastian. It’s a lovely Spanish town by the coast with lots and lots of yummy tapas. Tip: get an international driver’s licence before you go! Or just find friends who can drive.
Melting Potes, intergration day
Lastly, no matter where you go, I think the most important thing is that you enjoy being where you are. And I’m doing exactly just that at KEDGE Business School. It is quite a small university in comparison to UTS, so you will always run into someone you know as you walk around the school.The school offers a number of english courses, so alot of the French students here are pretty good at English too. Everyone is so friendly and helpful as I stumble over my French all the time. When I first arrived here, there was an association called Melting Potes that was ran by some French students. It aided lots of students to find housing and organised various events, for example ‘intergration day’ to help exchange students get to know each other. A good way to get to know more french students and make the most of your exchange is to join a student association. There are also alot of clubs and associations you can join- including a wine association that organises weekly trips to wineries around Bordeaux. Unlike UTS, where you have multiple sport clubs to sign up for, there is just one sport association here, but once you join the club, you have access to unlimited sport activities that they have to offer – basketball, futsal, martial arts, swimming and even horse riding! I’m starting my first lesson later this week and I’m pretty excited! I’m enjoying coming to university here and would recommend Bordeaux for exchange!
