UTS Think Global

Discovering Toronto

August 31, 2014

I’ve now been in Toronto for 3 days and its exceeded my expectations, I love the place.

First up, it’s surprisingly warm – my thermals won’t need to come out for another month or more at least. Yesterday a group of us went to Sugar Beach, which is really a lake with dark sand but it was super relaxing.

Toronto is a really cool city with lots of cultural diversity, I feel it’s a mini New York. It’s flat so it’s easy to get around and many people bike ride. There is a 28 km underground walkway called the Path that links the city and will be very handy when it get cold outside. I’m excited to discover different parts of the city like Chinatown, Toronto Islands, etc.

Ryerson University is located in the middle of downtown with lots of shops and places to eat nearby. It’s like UTS but with more university spirit. The staff have been really supportive of international students and RISExC has organised lots of social events (like a Niagara Falls trip next month), which I’m looking forward to. I start classes on Tuesday and I’m interested in the differences there may be between Canadian and Australian learning.

I’ve spent a fair bit of time organising my room and buying pillows, sheets etc (I recommend Honest Ed’s – a huge store that although a little overwhelming, sells absolutely everything at cheap prices).

The stereotype is true: Canadians are the nicest people on Earth. Everyone from the bus driver to the shop assistant is helpful and friendly. I’ve met quite a few Australians here along with other students from The Netherlands, Spain, France and more and I know global friendships will be formed.

I’ve still got lots more to see such as TIFF, a Blue Jays game and weekend trip to Montreal. I can’t wait!

Jennifer Wong
Aarhus in the middle of our street

August 31, 2014

What’s not to love about the happiest country in the world?

Denmark is filled with gorgeous people who cycle everywhere, eat lots of liquorice, drink a ton of Tuborg and Carlsberg beer and they pay a heap of tax for free education and health. I am definitely going to love studying at the Danish School of Media and Journalism in Aarhus.

After travelling around Europe for a month I arrived at my new home. It is Denmark’s second largest city and is located in Jutland. It sounds like it would be a huge place but compared to European standards it feels like a quaint non-tourist kind of place. After living out of a 20kg Kathmandu backpack for what felt like a lifetime, I was very excited to call Aarhus home.

The university provided us with accommodation. I am living in Vilh. Kiers Kollegium where I have my own room and share a kitchen/common room with 14 other people. There are only one other international student on my level so the kitchen is a great way to meet Danish students. It is nice to have my own space with my bedroom, bathroom and study but then share a communal space as well. Each housing complex is different so some of my international class mates share a contained apartment with just one other person. Though dorm parties or dinners are a fantastic way to make friends.

Before coming to Denmark, I was told the Danes are a reserved bunch of people. They will always be polite and friendly, but if you want to get to know a Dane, you might need to make the first move. Ask a couple of questions and the conversation will start flowing. The Danes love to drink so after a couple of beers, you will become the best of friends. They are also very funny, mostly through their love for sarcasm.

The first thing I noticed after arriving in Denmark was the weather. Apparently it is “summer” here which involves putting on a t-shirt, a sweater, a jumper, a scarf and maybe also a raincoat. It is the wind that really makes a difference. Aarhus is located near a harbour and it is very flat, so what seems like a sunny hot day becomes a rather chilly. The weather can also change in an instant, so one minute you are boiling and the next you are freezing. For someone who has never seen the snow, I am going to get quite the shock when winter arrives! But everyone loves to chat about the weather, especially Danes. It is a great conversation starter.

So far I have been in Aarhus for two weeks and I have loved every moment. As soon as I arrived, the International students organised to meet up so we felt like one big family before we even started classes. Most people don’t know any one else so everyone is eager to chat, talk, hang out and drink a few beers together. A group of us decided go to Legoland and bonded over childhood nostalgia.

A great place to visit while in Aarhus is the modern art gallery ARoS. There are some amazing installations and the famous “Boy” by Ron Mueck and “Your rainbow panorama” by Olafur Eliasson. Despite being a city many Australians have never heard of, you don’t need to worry about being bored. There is so much happening around Aarhus and it’s surroundings. Over the weekend there was a medieval festival as well as the Aarhus festival with stalls, shows and music.

Cycling is massive here so getting a bicycle is a must. Almost every student rides to university because getting a car is just way too expensive. Cycling to university is an easy flat ten minute ride. However getting into town is a little harder. Cycling there is a downhill ride (easy peasy!), but cycling back home is a painful half hour hill. My muscles will definitely be getting a work out this semester. The Danes also have the special ability of riding a bicycle in any sort of attire, including high heels and dresses. However the Danes usually dress for comfort. The general style is black on black on black with some comfy converse or nikes. Usually I am in bright patterned outfits so I stick out like a sore thumb.

Denmark is not a cheap country. Living in Sydney, I expect everywhere else to be much cheaper but alas not in Denmark. My coffee addiction had to be curbed after finding it cost $5-8 for one cappuccino. I am slowly getting used to instant coffee or drinking lots of tea. Eating out is also expensive so cooking at home is the best option and brining packed lunch (in a Lego lunch box!). Often the international students will take turns to cook at different kitchens. You can win over new friends with a delicious chicken pie.

Finally, classes in Denmark! I have only had a week of introductory classes but it has been very interesting so far. The Danish School of Media and Journalism is very hands on. They want to give you practical information about journalism. I can’t wait to get out there are start filming video stories!

By Gemma Piali
Toronto :)

August 31, 2014
So what can I say about Toronto

As far as things go I have been an unsuccessful tourist, a low achieving traveler and a bit of a failure as a Torontonian (I’m told that is the correct terminology).

To list my expansive ineptitudes as a new Torontonian thus far,
- I have not been to a blue jays nor a red sox game
- I have not been to the Toronto zoo
- I have not been to Niagara falls
- I have not been to the Toronto islands
- I have not been to the CN tower
- I have not been to the fashion district, china town, the gay area, or the entertainment district
- And probably most unforgivably I have not yet had a Caesar…. I know it’s deplorable
For those of you who are not aware, a Caesar is like the bloody Mary’s way hotter, way cooler cousin who everybody wants to talk to at the party. I have yet to meet a Canadian (specifically a Torontonian) who does not get a glassy-eyed look of longing when asked about the aforementioned Caesar. There are different schools of thought as to what ingredients go in, some like a bit of celery salt, others a pickle but the most important and quintessentially Canadian ingredient is Clamato Juice…. Yes that’s right Clamato… Clam juice + Tomato Juice. Have you ever heard of a more repulsive combination? Probably not. However, and this is a big HOWEVER, if you can wrap your mind around the idea of drinking clam juice comfortably, then Clamato juice is in fact one of the tastiest creations known to man. It’s like tomato juice but better, sooo much better, confusingly, confoundingly superior… But I digress, my point here is the fact that I have not yet had a Caesar in it’s natural habitat. Lamentable I know. But I shall endeavor to explain my shortcomings in all of my Canadian ventures…

You see I’m homeless. Yep, two days before semester and nowhere to hang my hat…. Might get you down a little…Yes?… I thought so.

Well to explain I arrived in Toronto exactly five days ago and have been on the property hunt (almost 24/7) ever since. For those of you coming to Canada in the future, get accommodation before you get here. I spend my days oscillating between furiously trawling craigslist, kijiji and any other search engine for rooms and running out to room viewings in the outskirts of Toronto…Let me just say this of the Toronto property market. There are some extraordinarily rundown, decrepit and dodgy places out there. You might be thinking well at least they would be cheap? No, no my friend they’re not, because the landlord knows there are hundreds of students, just like you, looking for a room so the room will get rented regardless of the price.

Unfortunately for me the amount of time and effort I have put into avoiding impending homelessness has not yet paid off. And that has put me in a bit of a bad mood. It has stopped me from seeing the city, from meeting people and from enjoying my time away. So for those reading this about to go to Canada, get organized early.

Okay so whilst I may be miserable, frantic, stressed out of my freaking mind, I do have to say that I absolutely LOVE, love Toronto.

Here’s a few of the many reasons I’m discovering why Toronto and Canada is awesome:

Canadians ARE FRIENDLIER, they really just are. Anyone will stop and have a chat with you if you ask. AND being Australian seems to be an extreme novelty for them, they’re always offering to help. And yes they do apologies profusely for the most innocuous things. Adorable!

Toronto is a pedestrian city – It’s flat. Absolutely no hills and it’s set up on a grid pattern so you can pretty much always orientate yourself by finding a main intersection- super handy for when you’re drunk 😉

Squirrels – I know this is silly but they seriously make my day. They’re everywhere and soooo much cuter than possums. If you don’t believe me just youtube ‘squirrels’. Hours of entertainment, you can thank me later.

Street cars – Pretty much just trams with a different name but when they stop, its in the middle of the road so you have to navigate through traffic to get to them – adds a little bit of excitement to your day.

Toronto in general is just a really cool city, there are so many places to eat, drink, hangout and everyone seems to want to get out and be social (at least whilst it’s still warm). It’s really diverse with people from every walk of life which makes it a really interesting and sometimes unusual city.

Alrighty I’ll try and give a rundown of my uni, with classes not actually having started.

Ryerson…

Well our mascot is a female ram (not sure about the logistics of that but okay) who’s name’s Eggy and is often seen dancing around campus.

The campus is in the center of downtown which is really, really cool. There’s heap of shopping, good food, and cool things to see nearby.

And Ryerson has Spirit. LOTS of it. Walking through the campus during orientation week I’ve seen groups of students doing cheers for ryerson, people with Ryerson themed shirts and costumes, scavenger hunts and all sorts of FROSH activities. That’s another word you’ll be hearing a lot: frosh and froshing. Seems to be Ryerson’s amalgamation of ‘fresher’ and ‘rush/rushing’.

Anyways that’s about all of my meagre knowledge of Toronto at this point in time – to be expanded upon :).

Gemma Chapman
DOING IT DUTCH

August 31, 2014

What an incredible last 2 months its been!

I left Sydney at the beginning of July to embark on an adventure of epic proportions, slowly crossing 3 continents to finally arrive at my destination in Amsterdam.

First stop, Vietnam.

Vietnam in a nutshell. SO HOT! So humid. Vietnamese iced coffees with sweetened condensed milk. INSANE TRAFFIC! Scooters everywhere. VERY VERY HOT! Pho, all day everyday. Saigon. Hot. Nha Trang. Even hotter. Scuba diving in Nha Trang. I love Vietnam!

Next stop: PARIS. Vin rouge. Escargots. Confit de Canard. NAPOLEON III / HAUSSMANN. Versailles. Latin Quarter (Left Bank) – Hemingway, Ezra Pound, Orwell, Stein. Shakespeare and Co. Musee du Louvre.

Bohemian Buskers

Hall of Kings – Versailles

Musee du Louvre

French Countryside. Lazy, warm, quiet, comforting. I was lucky to know some people who live in the French countryside, in the Charente region. I stayed here for most of my travels, using it as a base to do short trips from. In the summer, fields of sunflowers bigger than my head paint a yellow and green sea in all directions.

Coco, the French schnauzer

MOROCCO. One of my favourite places I’ve ever visited! Vibrant, fun, busy, dusty, chaotic, HOT. I got really into the bargaining (and discovered a new talent!). I stayed mostly in Marrakech, and then did a an overnight journey to the Sahara Desert, where we rode camels into the sunset and slept under the stars.

Inside the souks of Marrakech – a spice seller.

High up in the Atlas Mountains

Sahara Safari!

SPAIN. I visited Bilbao and San Sebastian, in Northern Spain, otherwise known as the Basque Country. It was a whir of Sangria, Paella, and Pintxos! One of my favourite memories was in San Sebastian, eating an enormous Paella in the cramped alleyways of the old quarter, when marching band after marching band began dancing, singing, leaping, and beating their way through the tiny streets. We danced and followed them around for a time, 1 euro glass of wine in hand, and were led out onto a wharf where we were greeted with the most beautiful firework display!

Bilbao – the Guggenheim Museum and Jeff Koons flower puppy!

Hired a motorbike and rode through the Spanish Pyrenees and along the Basque coast, encountering beautiful fishing villages along the way.

San Sebastian fireworks during the festival season!

Last stop: BELGIUM! My first taste of Dutch in the Flemish speaking Brugge / Bruges. Beautiful city! So many tourists! Next, Brussels / Bruxelles. So many great flea markets and vintage clothing stores.

Brugge is Beautiful

Canal dog life

You have arrived at your destination: AMSTERDAM! Such a fun, bustling, diverse, and beautiful city. I’m living in a shipping container apartment! It was pretty sparse when I arrived, but one trip to IKEA later and voila! Wandering the canals (or grachts) is my favourite thing to do here, and peeking into the beautiful canal homes.

It’s so easy to get around and the Dutch are super friendly, and speak perfect English! However I’m looking forward to my Dutch language course that I’m undertaking at university. There’s a great going out culture in Amsterdam, with so many fantastic bars and pubs. The city also boasts a very diverse culture, which is reflected in the fantastic variety of food available – they are really really into Argentinian grills. It’s very fun wandering the cobblestone streets and discovering hidden treasures like gorgeous cafes or galleries or boutiques.

I got my bike! It was an interesting first experience, jumping on a bike that’s slightly too big for me and trying to traverse through the INSANITY that is Dutch traffic. The cyclists here are ruthless! However I’m getting the hang of it, it’s definitely the best way to get around and see the city. Feeling like a local! My assimilation into Dutch society would be solidified if my bike, or at least a wheel, were to be stolen. However fingers crossed that doesn’t happen!

I’m really looking forward to starting classes this week and exploring subjects that aren’t available to me at UTS, such as philosophy, art history, Dutch history, and Dutch language. So far Amsterdam is ticking all the boxes for me, I’m really happy that I chose to do my exchange here!!

Eloise Flanagan
Uppsala: Where the Bikes do Roll

August 31, 2014

Exchange was always a concept far off in the back of our minds. It was this exciting opportunity that we’d been planning for basically our whole university careers, a treat of sorts to celebrate an end to another era in our lives. After two and a half years of planning and six months working hard at our internships we were all set to go. With a few tears, hugs and many, many farewells we were off.

With a good two weeks before orientation festivities began at Uppsala, Sweden, we were able to travel throughout Europe. The ability to travel from country to country in a matter of hours never ceased to amaze us. Trying to squeeze in as many sights, countries and food as we could on our journeys we managed to visit:

Italy

Croatia

Prague

Munich

Amsterdam

Paris

London

After all our travelling we were finally in Stockholm, Sweden, just a little outside our final destination. We explored the city visiting old town, the palace and applied for our residency cards.

One day and a fifty minute train ride later we were finally in Uppsala.

Meeting new friends, learning to co-habitate with other students, getting friendly with our new bikes and learning swedish has already been a massive and intense journey. We’re anxious for the semester to begin. Wish us luck.

Irene De Lara – 11380488

Miranda Lin – 11379260

James Barclay – 11393131

Jonnie Walker – 11380235
Where East Meets West

August 31, 2014

Hong Kong!

What a place. Before I arrived, I was warned by many how extremely humid it would be – and they were right. Spending around 5 years in Indonesia as a child, I was accustomed to periods of intense humidity; I felt quite sorry for others I met on exchange here from northern Europe who were only accustomed to the cold! Thankfully, anywhere indoor in Hong Kong is equipped with air conditioning, though at times this can be equally as frustrating due to the blast of 18 degree air freezing your dripping-in-sweat back. While I was also told about the extensive air conditioning, something (albeit small) I would tell new-comers to Hong Kong is to watch out on the street for the drips of cold water falling from buildings – though it is only from the air conditioning, it is not pleasurable to be alarmed by cold water dripping down your back on a packed street (yes, it happened!).

View down a street taken from the Central Mid-Level Escalator.

Hong Kong may be humid, the constant hot/cold may give you the sniffles, and you may feel like a sheep shuffling through the herd in the street at times, but Hong Kong truly is a beautiful city.

Iconic view from Victoria Peak.

The thing I already love about this city-state (autonomous from China in all aspects apart from foreign and defensive matters) is the amount of greenery and nature it boasts. Around 60% of Hong Kong is natural terrain – from nearly anywhere, you are able to see the hills of the New Territories or southern Hong Kong Island in the background, a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. Hideaways beaches and scenic hiking trails await those who are ready to explore the 650km2 of untouched land. While most see photos and hear of the extensive skyline (that is most definitely stunning), I think what truly sets Hong Kong apart is its connectedness to nature amidst the highly urbanised city centre.

Travelling across the Tsing Ma bridge from the airport towards Hong Kong island.

The city itself is great for a lone traveller – bring some good walking shoes though! As someone who is used to being cautious walking the city streets late at night, and more often than not getting into a cab if I need to get anywhere more than 5 minutes away, Hong Kong is safe, clean and unintimidating, no matter if you are walking around at 3pm or 3am. The transport system is very easy to understand and use; real-time maps highlight the travelling direction of the train, which station the train is arriving to and departing from, as well as which station is best to interchange lines. Taxis are readily available, though it is wise to have your address written in Chinese (I have a photo on my phone) as not all drivers can speak or understand English. The city is extremely walkable, and a day can easily be spent exploring one of the many different areas Hong Kong has on offer.

Busy night out in Lan Kwai Fong, or LKF, a popular expatiate night-life area.

Safe to say, it is clear why so many people from all around the world love Hong Kong – between its skyscrapers and scenic coastlines, this city has something to offer for everyone.

The Hong Kong skyline.

Natacha Saba – 11686425
A semester in Leprechaun land

August 30, 2014

The 5th of August came around surprisingly fast, after months of counting down, planning and organisation it was finally the day I was off on my 6 month adventure to Dublin City University (DCU). After a few hugs, tears from Mum and final goodbyes I was finally on my way.

I spent my first 2 weeks in Dublin, staying with family and getting used to the city. I had previously visited Dublin in 2010 whilst on a family holiday but this time I have quite different expectations seeing as I will be living in the city as a 20 year old student. After getting settled in, I then travelled to London and I’m currently still here. I have been visiting more family, seeing the sights and enjoying my downtime before the semester starts in the end of September. I am heading to Greece next week with other UTS Students that are also doing exchange which should be a memorable trip.

I’m excited for the coming 6 months, I’m particularly looking forward to being able to live by myself and the freedom and challenges that I’m going to face not living in the family home like I do in Sydney. Fending for myself is definitely going to be a big change for me, but I’m fairly confident that I have the ability to adjust quickly.

I’m involved in a lot of sport and extra curricular at UTS, which I will hopefully be able to mimic whilst at DCU. I’m going to see if I can try gaelic football (a sort of soccer come rugby sport with a bit of AFL rules chucked in there too) so I’ll be really thrown into the culture, at least in the sporting side of things. It’ll be interesting going to DCU where the campus is very big and spread out, especially coming from UTS where everything is relatively close and built up together. I guess all these differences are only going to make my semester abroad even more interesting.

I have orientation at DCU starting on the 15th of September, with classes starting the following Monday the 22nd. I’m wasting absolutely no time during my trip, with a quick trip to Munich for Oktoberfest planned on the weekend between Freshers Week and Classes.

Hopefully by throwing myself into everything I can at uni, travelling when I can fit it in, getting to know more of my family from this side of the world and living independently in the centre of a currently unfamiliar city will all add up to me having a very memorable and worthwhile exchange. I’m already loving the experience and it’s only been 3 weeks, I’m excited to see what is going to happen for the next 6 months. I certainly don’t feel like I’ll be in a big rush to get home!

Bronte Finegan – 11417235
Calm before the storm

August 30, 2014

My first month of living in Innsbruck, Austria has now passed and I can only say it has made me even more excited to embrace the “Innsbrucker student lifestyle” once uni begins in a few days.
Having a considerable gap between the end of my UTS semester and start of MCI semester, I thought I’d give myself a bit of extra time here to settle in and explore the city. I had already organised my accommodation through a friend also living in Innsbruck before arriving, but moving in and seeing the view from my room was still a pleasant surprise…

View from my new room… will get even better in winter 😀

Living with 4 other people in an apartment has instantly opened the doors to this little paradise as I have been shown the best bars, where to buy affordable groceries, and been lent a bicycle which seems to be the most popular and useful way to get around here. And if its raining or your feeling lazy the network of tram connections will get you to where you want to be within minutes.

Innsbruck during this time of year has an apparently strangely calm feeling, as most of the 30,000 students which contribute a quarter of the total population here, are away visiting family in their uni holidays. Knowing this has kept me in some suspense as I now await a rush of life to be injected in the next month as uni starts, not to mention the energy as the snow begins to fall and the snowboards and skis are brought out. However I have also embraced the calm before the storm as I have had time to explore a little outside of Austria as well. Being so close to some of the worlds greatest driving roads made hiring a car and driving down to Italy irresistible.

car we drove (audi A3 😉 )

We drove down the stilfserjoch which was unfortunately a little crowded (likely due to its amazingness) to Lake Garda without any accommodation bookings (but a tent in the car) and were able to eventually find availability at a campsite using a mixture of our german, english and hand gestures.
The views were breathtaking and seeing how close together so many different cultures and landscapes are was quite astonishing.

My uni orientation is in 3 days and within weeks the ski season will finally begin! I have a feeling the next few months are going to be very intense (but in a good way). I am bursting with anticipation, and expecting to spend the next 6 months either in a Uni class or on a snowboard.

-Julian Meyer
Eiffel in love with Paris

August 30, 2014

It’s been over a week since I’ve arrived in France, and I’m loving every minute! I cannot believe this will be home for the next few months. I’m in Paris! Quoi? PARIS!

I managed to score housing just a 20-minute walk away from the University of Paris Dauphine; which is a blessing, granted it is next to impossible to find accommodation in the congested, touristy city of Paris. And what’s more? Upon exploring my residential area of Neuilly (pronounced New-ee), I noticed the Eiffel Tower, casually lurking against the skyline just 5 minutes away. Moreover, upon crossing the road just a few streets down, you know how you look left and right, to ensure you won’t get run over by mad cars? I did the obligatory left and right head shaking, et voila:

Seated to my right, was the Arc De Triomphe at the end of the road. On the other side of which, is the Champs Elysées (you know how it goes – “♫ The Champs Elysées is a busy street! Parlez-vous Français? Parlez-vous Français?♫”)

I could get used to this #newHome #newHomies

Looking forward to it all! The dream is to return to Sydney equipped with a fluent French accent, a travel journal that needs more pages, a collection of snow globes from across Europe and an external hard drive overloaded with a billion pictures and videos of my semester on exchange.

Written by Rochelle De Silva
I can Cope(nhagen) with this!

August 30, 2014

I have been in Copenhagen for a month now, having arrived early to undertake the Pre-Semester Danish Course. It was hard work, but I’m so glad I decided to do it as I made a lot of friends during that time.

Copenhagen is beautiful (as are the people!) and now that I’ve settled in and got my bike I almost feel like a local. Cycling has to be one of my favourite things about this city, it’s so easy to get anywhere when you have a bike. We ride to uni, to the shops, to the bars. Everywhere.

The uni campuses are great. They’re much nicer than UTS! There are four campuses all up but I’ve only been to two. One is hundreds of years old in the centre of the city and the other is brand new. My favourite part though has to be the food. The cafeteria is amazing, it’s a buffet (predominantly vegetarian which is perfect for me) and you’re charged by how much your food weighs. A full plate is normally only around $6.

What I also love about Copenhagen, like all European cities, is the history. Copenhagen is scattered with palaces/castles, monuments, churches and so much character. But on the other side of the spectrum Copenhagen has so many new, contemporary and quirky buildings. It has already become very obvious why Denmark is known as such pioneers in design.

I’m already sad by the fact that I’m a fifth of the way through my trip, and with a trip to Iceland, the UK and Greece on the cards, it’s safe to say I’ll be in no rush to come home!

– Olivia Shead

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