Today marks 6 weeks since I packed up and flew to Denmark to begin my semester of study abroad at the University of Copenhagen, and I’ve already made so many memories I don’t know where to start!
I decided to take part in the pre-semester Danish language course, which I would definitely recommend as a great way to meet other exchange students and settle in before classes. I’m also lucky enough to be living at what is arguably Copenhagen’s most sought after dorm, Tietgenkollegiet, where I have met so many of my now great friends – both Danish and internationals alike.
Taking advantage of the last summer days in Copenhagen on a GoBoat
There is lots to see in the city, and no better way to see it than by bike! The bicycle lanes in Copenhagen are amazing (there are even entire bridges dedicated solely to cyclists) and everything is a 10-15 minute ride away.
I’ve been eating and drinking my way through the city, so thankfully the biking is forcing me to do some much needed exercise! I would recommend Grød for unbelievably good porridge and homemade caramel sauce, Sankt Peders Bageri for onsdagssnegle (sticky cinnamon rolls only made on Wednesdays), food markets at Reffen, the meatpacking district (Kødbyen) for cool bars/restaurants and Francis Pony for 2-for-1 cocktails every night of the week!
Magstræde, the oldest street in Copenhagen
WARNING: for everyone as addicted to coffee as me… it is liquid gold in Copenhagen and sells for A$7-10. I just invested in my own Nespresso machine to avoid spending my life savings on my usual 3-4 coffees a day. Despite this atrocity, I can confirm all other prices are very similar to Sydney – if not better, in some cases!
The location is also super easy to travel from, with the airport only an easy 10 minute metro ride away from the city. So far I’ve travelled to Greece, Germany and Norway, and have trips planned to Oktoberfest in Munich, Iceland, Finland, Portugal, England and Poland to name a few! There are also lots of day trips to do from Copenhagen, such as visiting Helsingør for Hamlet’s Castle or Malmö in Sweden. It’s well worth keeping an eye out for cheap trips on Ryanair, easyJet and FlixBus – the hard part is pulling yourself away from Copenhagen too often.
Hiking to Trolltunga in Norway!
All in all, I’ve fallen in love with this amazing city and the people in it, best summed up by the concept of ‘hygge’. It’s no surprise Copenhagen is constantly ranked one of the happiest cities in the world!
Katrina Engelbert Bachelor of Business (Finance) / Bachelor of Laws Københavns Universitet Denmark
Hej Hej from Sweden! Jag heter Shasha and
I’m currently undertaking my exchange at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. If
you don’t know much about KTH, it is one of the top technical universities in
Sweden. Many Swedes and other students from Europe study really hard to get
into this uni, so consider yourself very lucky if you have the opportunity to
study here!
Let’s talk about what it’s like to live in Sweden. First of all, it is freezing here and its only Autumn but if you love the cold, then this is definitely the place for you! Despite the weather, I still managed to be able to swim at one of the lakes located close to Stockholm University.
Sweden also has a great coffee culture. If you love coffee and having an afternoon catch up with your mates, Sweden has coined a term for this and it’s called “Fika”. I often like to enjoy Fika eating these amazing pastries called a Kardemummabullar (cardamom bun) and I can already see myself having withdrawal symptoms when I return back to Sydney. There is also this amazing reuse/recycle culture here in Sweden, so there are second hand and vintage shops everywhere, especially in the Slussen and Södermalm area.
Although Sweden is located in the Scandinavian region and is apart from central Europe, it is still super cheap and convenient to travel all throughout Europe. I even flew to Poland for only $33 (with Ryanair) and since meat is quite pricey in Sweden, I binged on pork knuckle and sausages! I also travelled throughout Italy for 3 weeks before coming to Sweden and I’ll shortly be leaving to experience Oktoberfest in Germany!
Now what is KTH like? I am currently undertaking 5 subjects on my exchange, these include a Swedish language course for beginners and a Swedish Culture and History course! If you’re planning to study at KTH, I would definitely recommend taking the culture and history subject as you get to learn a lot about the culture and political atmosphere, but best of all, you get to go on free excursions and city walks! As for the language course, it’s a super fun atmosphere to learn Swedish, however everyone in Sweden speaks fluent English, so it’s not necessary to learn the language. My other subjects are centered around human-computer interaction/interaction design and innovation. The workload at KTH is a little intense, so definitely be prepared to hand in the odd assignment every week! Even though there’s a pretty big workload, this university is amazing and KTH graduates are considered some of the most employable graduates in Sweden.
Some handy tips about studying at KTH/Sweden:
You’ll need a student residency permit to study for 6 months or more in Sweden, this usually takes around 2-3 months to get processed, so be sure to apply for it as soon as you get accepted.
KTH has a great student society called THS International. They are essentially a society which organise events for international and exchange students studying at KTH. Be sure to register as soon as you get accepted (registration is free) as they hold a lot of events before the semester starts. I would also recommend joining the buddy program through THS International as it is a great way to meet new people!
If you’re studying in Sweden, join the SSSB accommodation queue as soon as you can. They’re essentially own and run many student accommodation places all around Sweden and this can give you more freedom around your choice of accommodation when studying here.
There’s only around 5-6 hours of sunlight during winter in Sweden, so be sure to stock up on vitamin D tablets! I would also recommend starting to take your vitamins around the end of summer/start of autumn, so you’re not depressed during the winter.
Eating out in Sweden, especially Stockholm, is quite expensive, so try to shop at Lidl as often as you can (it’s the European version of Aldi).
Even though I’ve only been studying for
around 3 weeks, being in Europe and having the opportunity to study in Sweden
has been the best experience of my life so far and I would definitely recommend
it!
Shasha Chaicharncheep Bachelor of Information Technology Co-op KTH Royal Institute of Technology Sweden
Hey! My name is Tom and I am currently on exchange at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. If you want to know how it feels to be on exchange here in Hong Kong, well basically if I was told that I had been here for one week or 4 four months, I would believe you! This first month has been action packed and I’m truly having the time of my life.
Hong Kong, the city
itself is nothing short of amazing. If you like the idea of living in the
middle of a city where you are just a few MTR stops away from everything, come
to HK. Also, if you are someone who likes to hike long trails for that perfect
Instagram picture, come to HK. The city is always buzzing with various workers,
locals enjoying their day and other exchange students (it’s quite hard to walk
the streets without seeing at least one person you know).
Student life here at
PolyU is really quite different from back home. Although this may be due to the
fact that I’m studying in a different department. Social Science subjects
consist of one three-hour lecture a week. While this is taking some time to get
used to, the content is interesting and I am really enjoying the opportunity to
study something that is different to Business, but can also assist me in my
understanding of the world.
By far my favourite
thing about life here in Hong Kong is the people that I have met over the
journey so far. My friends vary across many different continents, countries and
cultures, which has been such a fun and interesting learning experience (Also,
I have a reason to travel to their countries now!). Living in the halls allows
for the ability to hang out with friends in an instant.
Now onto the most important part of exchange… Food and nightlife. There are so many little restaurants around the area near the student halls, ranging from all cuisines across the globe. You couldn’t really get bored of the food here, it’s really great. I have been eating out nearly every day as it is so much easier and much cheaper (and better tasting) than what I could make at home. The nightlife in Hong Kong is really a highlight. If you ask enough people on any given night, you will be able to find someone who wants to go out. There is no better place to do this than LKF, which is a street full of clubs, bars and pubs (what could be better?), except this wonderful city allows you to drink on the street so going to 711 to purchase drinks is a must!
Finally, the location
of Hong Kong makes travelling across Asia super easy and super cheap. So far, I
have travelled to the Philippines and had an absolute blast! I certainly plan
on travelling to as many places in Asia as I can while I am here too.
Surprisingly, Hong
Kong isn’t as much of a Cultural shock as I had expected, it’s actually an easy
place to get used to. There is no reason I could give for you not to come to
Hong Kong for your exchange. You won’t regret it!
It’s only been a
month, but I am having such a great time here and as of now I want to ride this
feeling for as long as possible.
Tom Quin-Conroy Bachelor of Business Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hong Kong
Australian Government New Colombo Plan Mobility Grant recipient.
I am thrilled to get off the plane, we’re finally in
Copenhagen, the world’s ninth most liveable city in the third happiest country.
I want to find out why they’re so successful and after two weeks, this is what
I’ve learned so far:
Laser cutters are awesome
In my very first class we were given paper and told to go
make something with it. Oh, and, by the way, we are strongly encouraged to use
the laser cutter, just so we feel comfortable with it. Yes please!
What do you do when you’ve got to print something and
assemble it in less than 3 hours? We printed bowling pins. Only, the design we
found on the internet was intended for thin sheets of wood, not (ahem) paper
thin materials. So instead of being able to construct 6 bowling pins, we end up
merging them into one epic bowling pin. Oh, and then we built a crossbow out of
paper to knock the pin over. Because a bowling ball is boring.
Peak hour is super early
People talk about the work life balance of Denmark being
crazy good. Let me confirm, people are not exaggerating. I was unsurprised to
see that bikes were not allowed on the local metro during peak hour, but it was
weird that they defined peak hour as 3:30pm – 5:30pm. That can’t be right… Two
days later, I’m walking down the main road with my partner. It is the late
afternoon and we notice that the traffic seems to have quieted down. This must
be a quiet area, we think. Hold on a second, it was crowded yesterday. Oh wait,
it’s 5:35pm, everyone is already home!
Bikes are the best
Speaking of bikes, bikes are the best. Everyone in
Copenhagen rides, and I mean everyone. We bought some snazzy second-hand bikes
and have barely been back on public transport since. You can ride across
Copenhagen in less than 20 minutes. The only time we have been on public
transport is to take advantage of the S Train’s free bike carriages to visit
attractions out of town; like the deer park, with over 2,000 deer roaming
around woods and plains. What locals we’ve become already.
Alexander Lawrence Dacre Bachelor of Science in Information Technology IT University of Copenhagen Denmark
First week at Sophia University in Tokyo has been a whirlwind of culture shock, excitement and homesickness.
My first days in Japan I had severe culture shock. I ate ramen, but when my nose was runny I had to go to the bathroom to blow it. And when I went to the bathroom I couldn’t even figure out the flush button for a second (because there are so many buttons on some Japanese toilets!) Okay that’s a lot of bathroom talk but it’s the little things like that that confused me the most! Another thing was that most people don’t eat or drink on the go or on transport! A big shock for an impatient Sydneysider, where sipping takeaway coffee while jaywalking is a way of life.
However, I started to realise that my confusion was just because Japanese culture values structure, manners and technology and I started to adapt my way of thinking. I hate to be a cliché Australian recounting their experience of Japan but here it is… Japanese vending machines and trains are amazing! I recommend anyone visiting Japan to browse electronics stores and dollar stores. Just the niftiest things from pen technology to hair dryer technology- Japan has down pat. Japanese heat packs which are these lightweight paper sachets that heat up automatically when opened have also been something that has amazed me.
Now onto the food. You can find some super cheap chain restaurants with amazing food. My personal favourite has been a chain called Tendon Tenya, where I can get a delicious lunch of rice, tempura, miso soup and tea for around 700 Yen (around $7 AUD). A difficulty I’ve encountered is finding food as a pescatarian as beef, pork and chicken often frequent Japanese meals. So, I recommend downloading Google Translate (which has a camera translator) for all you Japanese beginners like me, and for you to also go looking up google reviews for good nearby restaurants with dietary options.
What’s really helped me settle in are the people. Japan has a reputation of being reserved when compared to Australian culture. However, most people are so generous with their time and patient with me and my broken Japanese and my Gaijin questions. I have an exchange buddy which the university organised which also helps. Also, the company which I found my housing through, Sakura House (100% recommend!) have also been a great support network for me. They arranged for me to attend a local religious festival called Mikoshi Matsuri, seen in the feature photo, which was heaps of fun!
‘Til next time!
Global Exchange Program Student
Australia Government New Colombo Plan Mobility Grant Recipient
Heyo, my name is Jack Pascoe and I’m a Bachelor of Information Technology student in my final semester of my degree. I’m in Stockholm studying at KTH (Sweden’s top technical university).
Stockholm is a really cool city, made up of 14 main islands and hundreds more smaller ones. It’s pretty cold, even in late summer when I first arrived. People call it the ‘Capital of Scandinavia’ primarily because it has the most people out of the all the cities in this region, and also due to its diversity and culture. Stockholm has a cool mix of everything, an old town called Galma Stan, a hipster mecca called Södermalm, a bustling shopping and business filed city centre called Östermalm and heaps more. But before we get into it, a quick disclaimer. Sweden is expensive. The 30% tax on most goods means that if you’re not careful you can spend way more than you’re comfortable with without realising it.
I love a few things a lot: coffee, ramen, basketball, programming, getting outdoors and coffee. That wasn’t a mistake I really like coffee. Let me tell you which Stockholm is good for.
Stockholm’s coffee scene is decent for Europe. Södermalm, that hipster district I talked about is the best place to find a good brew. My three favourites are: Drop Coffee, Johan & Nyström, Snickarbacken 7.
This feeds into a point I wanted to mention. Swedes have this really cool cultural activity called ‘Fika’. Essentially, it’s an opportunity for people to get together in the early afternoon and get a cup of coffee and a cake to take a break from work or meet with a friend. And oh boy. The sweets here are amazing. My favourite is a kardemummabullar, which translates to a cardamom bun. That’s right, a sweet bun with that weird spice cardamom on it.
These things are unreal. Your first experience with them will be confusing for sure, but I recommend you go to one of the coffee shops I recommended (Drop has the best buns) and try one.
Okay, we have coffee ticked off, now let’s talk Ramen – or more broadly authentic ethnic food.
We don’t realise how good we have it in Sydney. Our ability to find good, well priced authentic ethnic food in Sydney is such a luxury. I have yet to find food here that is as good at the same price I would at home, not even considering the tax. It’s essentially like buying pre-made food quality at the cost of luxury food in Sydney. So, prepare for that. That’s not to say that all the food is bad here. I’ve found some places that I really love. One is called Bird (http://birdsthlm.se/). This place is a fried chicken specialty place – very good, not cheap.
KTH has some really good social opportunities and seem to have a society / group for everything. I guess this hits my basketball point. There were some organised games etc, and I haven’t really gone out of my way to find a team etc. But if you have a passion, have no doubt that a group of people at KTH are already meeting regularly and you will be more than welcome to join them.
Programming. Stockholm is the birthplace of Spotify – one of the places I’d love to work. Kind of has the ultimate workplace vibe to it. Sidetracked. KTH being Sweden’s best technical university, and more broadly Europe means the classes are insanely engaging and up to date. I picked two programming subjects: Data Structures and Algorithms and Mobile Application Development, a design course: Media Technology and Interaction Design and two Swedish courses: one language beginner course and a Swedish culture course (free excursions!). Even if you’re not technically inclined, KTH has a really broad catalogue of subjects to pick from, and from what I’ve heard the quality is really high across the board.
Alrighty final point from that intro part.The outdoors. Stockholm is an amazing city. It’s ability to mesh futuristic infrastructure, old-towny buildings and sprawling outdoors is insane. If you like a city where you can ride your bike everywhere, go from your desk in class to a full forest in 5 minutes Stockholm is definitely for you. Sweden has something cool in relation to this called ‘Allemansrätt’ – the right of public access. This means:
“When you are in Sweden you have the right to walk, cycle, ride, ski and camp on any land with the exception of private gardens, near a dwelling house or land under cultivation. We call it the Freedom to Roam.”
This means you can camp, fish, pick berries and mushrooms, bike, canoe and do essentially anything your Bear Grylls mind can think up, as long as you don’t disturb anyone or damage the land. Really cool. KTH has a bunch of societies for stuff like this; camping and trips around Sweden.
Alright down to the important stuff: Money.
People will tell you Sweden is expensive. Hey I did that before – and it is. But certain things are blown out of proportion.
Alcohol is surprisingly quite cheap. A bottle of Fireball here is $30, a bottle of Captain Morgans is $40. Specialty coffee is the same, food can be pricey depending on where you go. Meat is expensive in most supermarkets. My biggest tip is find the closest Lidl (Aldi for Sweden). Same high quality stuff, way way cheaper. I had someone who’s english wasn’t great tell me it was 30 times cheaper than the ordinary supermarkets. Now that seems like an exaggeration but you get the point. Ryanair and other low cost travel options are your friend. I flew from Stockholm to Warsaw, Poland for $30 Australian dollars.
Alright I need to wrap this up. Stockholm is in my opinion one of the coolest cities on the planet, and if you are studying an Engineering or IT degree KTH is probably one of the best options you have available to you. Flights from here to main land Europe are cheap, so it’s a great base for travels during the semester.
Jack Pascoe Bachelor of Information Technology KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm Sweden
When choosing where I wanted to study for a semester and live for almost 5 months, I wasn’t sure what I wanted or what to expect, but the Netherlands and more specifically, Rotterdam, has blown me away with everything I could have wanted and more!
Rotterdam is an amazing city, a perfect blend of modern and traditional aspects. With a breathtaking skyline complete with dazzling bridges and weird & wonderful architecture, the city is very pretty. Complete with great shopping districts, bountiful markets and lots of bars & clubs, there is so much to do. The main mode of transportation is bike and everyone rides, young and old. It is a very fun and easy way to get around and see the picturesque natural sights such as the many lakes, canals and parks.
Erasmus is not only a highly ranked academic university but also great for students, with an amazing campus complete with extensive facilities. Studying at Erasmus is especially beneficial if you are doing an economics related degree, as the School of Economics is one of the best and you have the option to study interesting topics in a completely different and engaging way.
I am living in the Hatta building, which is great student accommodation with apartments mainly for international students. It is located on campus, which is 5 minutes ride to the city. Living in such a great location with lots of international friends makes student life amazing. There is also an abundance of events and parties put on by various student organisations, so you are sure to have the time of your life!
Rotterdam is also in a prime location with very short travel times to most of Europe, so you are able to have plenty of amazing weekends away! Having just spent the weekend in Belgium, I already have plans for Oktoberfest in Munich, and to visit many more cities which are very cheap and quick to get to!
Going on exchange in itself is a terrific experience to broaden your horizon by living in and hence truly experiencing a foreign country. By living in the Netherlands, you can honestly experience the lifestyle and culture more so than a tourist. This makes you really appreciate how strange and awesome the Dutch way of life is! Studying here thusfar I have really found a great balance of traveling, learning and partying, all mixed in with great people and new experiences. I would highly recommend placing this University as your first preference.
Chris Carter Bachelor of Economics Erasmus University Rotterdam The Netherlands
I’ve found Singapore to be a land of contradictions. Its not like China where you see whacky stuff all the time. Its not like Hong Kong where you’re constantly floating in a sea of people and energy. This city-state is both super comfortable and super challenging at the same time.
When you live on campus you can’t get enough convenience. Everything you need is 10 minutes away: food, shopping, people, bars, sports, social clubs, the clinic and library. But the problem is you’ll be drenched in your own sweat by the time you get there. The only time its not hot here (not even night time) is after a random thunderstorm that intensely rains for less than an hour and gives a brief reprieve from the relentless humidity and temperature.
Infrastructure is super efficient, like the metro and buses. Giant crowds are moved out of concert or sports venues better than kelpies move cattle. But then I almost can’t believe it when people crowd around bus doors so that its difficult for people to get out, or the amount of bureaucracy it takes just to be issued a student card, or to enrol in a subject.
People can be super friendly and unbelievably helpful. My first day here, I asked a local where to buy a pillow, and he not only took me to two stores on campus, but when they were out of stock he helped me out of campus to the nearest shopping mall. He showed me where to buy pillows, but also where the money exchange was, supermarkets, cheap places to buy things. He waved away my protests that he was being too generous with his time. But then its also hard not to notice the ‘us and them’ culture that exists between locals and exchange students. Also between different groups of locals. I’ve noted several instances of casual racism, despite Singapore generally being fairly multicultural and harmonious.
Despite being one of the richest countries on earth, you can still get delicious food for $3 or $4. Controversial point: I think Malaysian food is better. And its only 1/3 the price! Might be something to do with the MSG content, but hey don’t ask don’t worry right.
You may have heard about the harsh laws here. While I would definitely avoid littering or starting fights, there is a strong feeling of ‘live and let live’ here, where so long as you don’t impact someone else’s freedom or happiness, there is still a lot of personal freedom in this relatively strict country. Probably more so for the exchange students than the locals who take up to seven subjects. But this means you will probably have time to explore Southeast Asia, an awesome benefit of studying at NTU.
Peter Fallon Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Engineering Science Nanyang Technological University Singapore
Australian Government New Colombo Plan Mobility Grant recipient.
I am typing this after a relaxing Sauna session. It was the perfect way to clear my mind and be able to sum up the incredible adventure that was the last 6 weeks. I have visited Saunas over 20 times in the last two weeks. They are an important part of Finnish culture to keep warm, to relax the mind and the body, and as a form of bonding.
I arrived at my student accommodation in Helsinki, Finland to begin my exchange at Aalto University. I was nervous and eager to meet my five roommates. We are the most multicultural bunch – I live with a Russian, a German, an Austrian, a Singaporean and a Canadian. We are exploring the unique Finnish Culture together, all from different perspectives. I can’t believe it’s been only 3 weeks since I first met them. They’ve become like my second family.
My wonderful roommates took me on a hike on my Birthday to Nuuksio National Park – an hour’s drive from Helsinki!
O-week at Aalto was the most unique and adventure-filled week of my trip so far. Imagine the entire university sprinkled with stalls, food trucks and fellow students wearing colourful overalls. This is an important part of Finnish student culture – you order a set of overalls in the colour of your faculty and you collect and sew badges onto them from each event, activity and party you attend. The overalls are taken very seriously by the Finns. They tell your story and are great way to remember all theadventures.
Each stall offers activities – I tried tackle footy, flyer gymnastics, hockey, baseball, fairy floss-making and sauna water throwing. The best part about orientation was Mursujaiset – an event that lasts 24 hours (from 6am to 6am) filled with games, parties and activities to officially inaugurate the freshmen (referred to as ‘Mursu’ here). If you make it to 6am the next morning, you are crowned a ‘super mursu’. I have been sworn to secrecy about the happenings at this event but if you do become a Mursu yourself it’s a day you will remember for the rest of your life!
Finland is a land of contradictions – it is simultaneously both lively yet relaxed, unique yet familiar, proud yet humble. It’s a great vantage point to travel around Europe. I’ve only been here for 6 weeks and I’ve already travelled to London, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Poland, Czechia, Sweden and Estonia. I also have Denmark, Norway, Russia, Germany, Netherlands, Austria and the Finnish Lapland to look forward to, as well as many local day-trips! I will also be experiencing my first white Christmas and will hopefully be able to witness the magical Northern Lights!!!
Brașov, Romania Where do I sign to adopt a reindeer?? – Stockholm, Sweden
I am so glad I decided to come on this exchange. The application process can be tedious, with endless forms and planning but I promise you that it’ll all be so worth it. You meet incredible souls from around the world and get to see the world from so many different perspectives. What a way to be completing my degree. It’s going so fast and I’m trying to soak in every moment. I don’t want it to end!
Meygha Shankar Bachelor of Business Aalto University School of Business Finland
Torre de Alcazar, Segovia. IE has two campuses, one in Madrid (where I am!) and another in Segovia. Behind me is the Catedral de Segovia. Right near the Catedral is Meson Jose Maria, where we tried cochinillo (roasted baby pig), a famous Segovian dish.
The only way I can explain how arriving in my exchange city felt like, is to mention that overused movie scene. Sorry!
…
New York. The camera panning the skyline to zoom in and rest on some young guy or gal. In a yellow cab. Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. Complete awe on their face.
…
That was me, arriving in Madrid, after 29 hours of transit, not looking nearly as perfect as the people in the movies. And dying for a comfy bed. Some food. And with no urge to push through the jetlag. But that disbelief at what was before them, that was me. And I would have to say, every day since that I have spent in Madrid, has reflected that moment somewhat.
This city is like no other. And especially unlike Sydney. It doesn’t even feel like you are in the capital of a country. The paths are cobblestone, the houses have so much character. The culture screams at you from every aspect of life here. The streets, the buildings, the people, the music, the food, but most importantly the lifestyle. I immediately fell in love with the Spanish lifestyle. The streets are most alive at night. And during the day, it never feels like anyone is in a real rush to be anywhere. Everyone is down for a chat, and I’ve been in multiple scenarios chatting to a local and just nodding, saying ‘vale’ or ‘bueno’ every now or then.
Celebrating my Spanish friend, Julia’s birthday with friends in Murcia, Spain (We lived together in UTS Housing last year on her exchange – and now she’s one of my best friends)
It sounds picturesque and idealistic. And true, maybe it is a little. It is easy to forget you are on the other side of the world, away from all your family and friends. But I promised myself I would start my exchange with an open mind, and I think I delivered. The amount of times I walk out of my apartment and forget that I need to switch to Spanish speaking mode is unbelievable. I’ve been here for several weeks, and by no means am I fluent. I can order myself some ‘pan con tomate, aceite y jamon’ and ‘una cerveza’ (all the important things), but I challenge myself to speak, even when those around speak English. It’s all part of the experience and my Spanish is already improving.
Starting at a new uni was actually more nerve-racking for me than being in a new city. And having to choose groups for assessments, well my worst nightmare. But all the local students have so far been so accommodating, and the other exchange students are in the exact same boat– not to mention all the exchange activities for Orientation. Hot tip: I don’t know about anywhere else, but at my uni, being Australian is almost a shoe-in with the local and exchange students – we are so exotic, being all the way down near the South Pole!
I’m not lying when I say I am living my European dream with this balcony off my bedroom – I feel very Spanish
I have been away from home for 7 weeks now, and (sorry Mum and Dad), don’t miss it one bit. I’ve spent 5 weeks travelling (or rather eating my way) through Europe, and already done a couple of trips around Spain – to Sevilla, Segovia and Murcia. Each place is as incredible as the last. So far it’s been the best of my uni experiences and sure, there’s a long way to go, but I don’t think I’ll want to go home. Do not get me wrong, I’ve had days where things have gone wrong (mostly travelling), or I’ve felt a little like a fish out of water. But so far, I’ve managed to land on two steady feet in an insanely beautiful location. And who’s to say I wouldn’t be having those days back home in Sydney?
I was nervous about living in a non-English speaking country, but my gut was screaming ‘Spain’ and hell, listening to my instinct was the best thing I’ve ever done. For the food and cheap booze alone, this is where I’m meant to be.
Plus, google translate is always at my fingertips.
Adios chicos!
Emily Vickery Bachelor of Management (Events), Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation IE Universidad, Madrid Campus Spain
