UTS Think Global

Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria

October 7, 2018

I’d tossed around the idea of studying abroad for months, deciding not to go. Until 2 nights before applications closed when the fear of missing out on a once in a lifetime experience forced me to hurriedly put my application in. I’m only 2 weeks into my exchange in Vienna, but I can already say that it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made.

Before arriving in Vienna I spent 3 weeks in England where I wandered the colleges of Cambridge, experienced the English seaside, walked through the streets of Shakespeare’s hometown and, just as any other London tourist, visited Buckingham Palace.

I remember feeling nervous the night before my flight to Vienna, yet excited to begin my solo travels. After lugging 2 massive suitcases through the underground, I stepped outside and looked up in awe. Tall buildings with magnificently traditional architecture towered above me. This is a common sight here in Vienna, yet one that still doesn’t cease to amaze. Strolls through the streets of Vienna, basking in the beauty of this City, are one of my favourite things to do here.

The public transport system is also so accessible. With trams, trains and buses that come every 5-10 minutes, getting around Vienna is never an issue. Vienna is also so centrally located, making it a great base for further travels around Europe. Classes don’t start until October for me, so I’m using the month of September to explore Vienna.

2 weeks in and I’m feeling quite at ease. I’ve met people from all over the world. I no longer have to Google translate my way through the supermarket aisles, and even mundane tasks such as doing the weekly groceries have been a welcome taste of independence. I’m quite surprised how my directionally-challenged self has managed to manoeuvre a foreign city alone. Perhaps this is one of the greatest benefits of solo travel – it forces you to do things you’d otherwise rely on others for.

I’m excited about the coming months and the new experiences that lie ahead for me. As classes begin, the weather becomes colder, and the Christmas markets pop-up. I’m also curious to see how I will evolve by the end of my exchange semester.

Arashdeep Singh
12544399
Bachelor of Accounting
WU Vienna (Vienna University of Economics and Business)
Austria
École supérieure des sciences commerciales d’Angers (ESSCA), France

September 28, 2018

Bonjour tout les monde!

For as long as I can remember I have always wanted to live overseas for a portion of my life. To experience a whole other culture and really become a local of the city. When I heard about the exchange program at UTS, I saw my opportunity and took it. France has always been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember and UTS gave me the opportunity to live that dream.

Angers, France is a small but beautiful city set in the Loire Valley. The cobblestone streets lined with traditional French architecture were exactly how I pictured it to be. I was fortunate enough to get university housing that was close to the Angers Castle and the Maine River.

View of the Sunday Markets from the Angers Castle

Inside the Angers Castle grounds

Saint-Maurice Cathedral Angers

ESSCA University (Ecole Supérieure des Sciences Commerciales d’Angers) is set across the river from the city centre which is easily accessible by bus. Though a small campus, it hosts exchange students from all over the world and is extremely accommodating. ESSCA hosted a 2 day orientation where we learnt the ins and outs of the school. The university also organised an amazing welcome team for all the exchange students which went above and beyond helping us get settled into Angers and become a part of the exchange community.

Credit: ESSCA International Facebook

The team organised the integration weekend where we participated in numerous activities; kayaking on the Lac de la Maine, dinner at the Creperie, night out at La Peniche (a boat night club), picnic with a view of the castle and river and a trip to the nearby Castle of Brissac. The weekend gave all the exchange students the chance to get to know who they were going to spend time with for the next couple of month.

Angers, France has gone above and beyond what I expected. I have already created so many memorable moments with the greatest people and I feel that this amazing start to my exchange will continue over the rest of my stay here.

Au Revoir xx

Denise Clemente
12906400
Bachelor of Management and Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation
École supérieure des sciences commerciales d’Angers (ESSCA)
France
University of Economics, Prague – Czech Republic

September 26, 2018

“Prosim, dam si jedno pivo?” This is the only Czech phrase you need to know and it means “I would like one beer please.”

Ahoy, My name is Tiffany and I am currently studying in the Prague which is the capital of The Czech Republic. After travelling Europe for 6 weeks, I finally reach my new home in Prague and couldn’t be more excited to exploring the oldtown, try Trdelnik (Czech dessert with ice cream) and meet all the other exchange students that are staying at the dorms.

View from the Prague Castle

So why Prague?

Firstly, the host university, University of Economics, has been very helpful with assisting students with settling in to Prague. They even have an active buddy system where they assign each exchange student with a local Czech student buddy who will pick you up from the airport and show you around all the local hotspots in Prague. Speaking of the buddy system, they also hold organised club nights called “Nation2Nation” parties as well as numerous trips around The Czech Republic and other neighbouring countries.

Secondly, Prague is cheap, like really cheap. You will be lucky to spend more than $15AUD on a pint of beer and a meal in this city. So you can expect a very comfortable and social student life throughout the semester.

4am visits to Charles Bridge

Thirdly, Prague is literally in the centre of Europe, so travelling on weekends becomes extremely easy and inexpensive. You can literally take a bus for 20 euro and be in a new country in 3 hours. Also, Prague is located in the centre of the The Czech Republic so exploring the Czech countryside and little towns just become easy day trips. So far I have travelled to Český Krumlov, a UNESCO Heritage site, and Pilsen to visit the Pilsner Urquell brewery where they made the first pale lager and most popular beer in the Czech Republic . It is also the largest beer exporter in the world so you can understand how iconic this beer is to the Czechs.

Day trip to Český Krumlov

Honestly though, if you want to go on exchange where English is a second language, living costs are comfortable, food is great and the adventures are abundant, then I highly recommend Prague as the place to study abroad.

Tiffany Clayton
12544856
Bachelor of Accounting
University of Economics, Prague
Czech Republic
Viña del Mar – Viviendo en un paraíso. Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Chile

September 24, 2018

How’s life in your host city? What is the University like?

Viña del Mar is a Paradise. This place is one of a series of about 4 or 5 neighbouring coastal cities and is a highly developed vacation retreat. The majority of exchange students studying at UAI live in apartment blocks overlooking the beach and are able to enjoy luxurious living conditions for reasonable to cheap prices (especially in comparison to Sydney). UAI is considered the most prestigious university in Chile and is competing for best in South America. “Specially Designed Courses” for exchange students do however allow for freedom in travelling and have a lower degree of difficulty as the Uni understands the students’ desire to experience and explore rather than solely study.

What have you found most surprising about your new country/ culture?

The most surprising factor about this country I thought personally was how high class Viña del Mar is. I initially spent a few days in Santiago, a highly populated but rather grey and rundown city, which left me under the impression Chile as a whole shared this same form of underdevelopment. It is important to note that the district Viña and the University are located in could be considered a bubble, in the other ways more “South American” rest of the country. This however makes it an ideal location to be based and return to after travelling to various other locations throughout the continent.

Have you taken up a new sport or activity while on exchange?

While on exchange I have joined the University football (soccer) team that exercises an intense form of competition with a training schedule consisting of 5 days. This is at times a liability as the exchange student lifestyle offers a 24/7 late night activity lifestyle and training is frequently at 8am or other early hours of the morning, a fact that could be politely referred to as “inconvenient”. Nevertheless, the university offers many sporting teams as well as organised gym classes, which one is able to sign up for through the student app.

To conclude, the exchange experience so far has been a blur of parties, sight-seeing, snow and sandboarding, surfing, beach, studying (I guess), sport, friendships and a variety of other positive activities and adjectives.

I highly recommend Viña del Mar to commence an exchange session.

Neil Hussain
12554150
Bachelor of Global Studies (major in Business)
Universidad Adolfo Ibañez
Chile
Lund University, Sweden

September 21, 2018

Hej hej from Lunds Universitet! After 7 weeks of travelling the European summer I have settled comfortably at my exchange university in Lund, Sweden.

Lund is a small town with a vibrant personality to say the least, located in the south of Sweden just 40 minutes from Copenhagen. The location makes it extremely convenient and cheap to travel the rest of Europe and Scandinavia. Students make up almost half the population here, giving it a youthful and lively atmosphere revolving around bikes, fika and the nations. It’s been a big change coming from Sydney’s bustling city life to a small student town and learning the Swedish way of living.

Despite constantly being on the go prior to my exchange, the well-structured orientation program at Lund University for international students did not provide many opportunities to relax. These first 2 weeks have been overwhelming yet exciting and like most new students I had to buy a bike (an essential) and a good raincoat, settle into my student corridor and google translate almost everything whilst grocery shopping. I cannot vouch more for the orientation program here in Lund as the university eases you into the culture here step by step, organises a tremendous amount of O-week events for international students and provides such a warm welcome.

If you’ve read anything about Swedish student life, you may have heard about the ‘Nations’. In Lund there are 13 different student run societies (‘Nations’) that host various activities through the week including, lunches and dinners, pubs, sports, formal balls and best of all a night out in their club. Each nation has their own ‘house’ where they host their events for all students. Just last week I signed up for Västgöta Nation, best known for its Wednesday Metro Club.

You’ll see almost every night of the week students all over town riding their bicycles to the nations to party and packed out falafel shops at the end of a night (I recommend Lunda Falafel). Be ready to swap your comfortable Uber rides in Australia for some interesting bike rides.

Fika is a word you will hear often when in Sweden, meaning, to take a break from an activity and to drink coffee/tea, eat dessert or anything else of your preference. I’ve had many fika’s since settling in Sweden and have found it’s an awesome way to catch up with friends and a good excuse to eat more desserts/pastries!

Honestly exchange has been an insane experience so far and I cannot recommend it more to get you out of your comfort zone! I hope you’ve found this blog useful in deciding whether Lund is the place for your exchange semester. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any other questions!

Christine Chen
12545808
Bachelor of Accounting
Lund University
Sweden
University of Ottawa, Canada

September 19, 2018

Arriving in Ottawa

To be completely honest, I knew next to nothing about Ottawa before I got accepted to study at uOttawa on exchange. From hearing things about Ottawa from other Canadians I had met on my Europe holiday before arriving in Canada, it sounded pretty much like Canberra – a place where no one really gets excited to go to but if you’re living there as a student then life can be pretty great. When I first arrived in Ottawa it seemed like that was all true, not much seemed to be going on. Later that day though I walked through the Byward Market in Downtown Ottawa next to the university, and I actually really liked it! There were lots of restaurants and pubs lined up and there were pretty fairy lights along buildings and trees, and there was a massive shopping centre (Rideau Centre) right by uOttawa as well which I knew was going to end up being my second home here in Ottawa. I got pretty good vibes from the area and got excited knowing that I’ll have 4 months here to explore Ottawa.

Accommodation

Arriving in Canada I was still super stressed about the whole experience mainly because I didn’t actually have accommodation for the 4 months yet. The day before I left to go overseas to travel for 6 weeks before exchange, I found out I didn’t get an offer for on-campus residence. After being in close contact with the housing office at uOttawa from the day I arrived, I still didn’t have any luck with any housing options around uni. After the first week though, I, along with another UTS student on exchange at uOttawa eventually found a nice house to live in although it was about 30 mins away on public transport. I personally was pretty bummed about not being on residence and I felt like I had completely missed out on such a big part of what I hoped my experience would be, which was being on residence surrounded by other students all the time. But this has been one of the first lessons I’ve learnt from exchange and I’m only in my second week here – things don’t always go how you want it to go and you’ve got to be able to adapt and make the most out of whatever situation you are in. The start of my exchange hasn’t been how I had also imagined it to be, but I’ve now settled into my new home that I’m sharing with 4 other girls, and I’m more eager to discover more parts of Ottawa and make more of an independent effort to go and meet new people.

University

University of Ottawa is actually pretty similar to UTS in terms of the learning expectations and hours. Back at UTS I’m under the Business and Transdisciplinary Innovation faculty, but here in Ottawa I chose elective subjects under the Social Sciences faculty. I’ve never really thought this in my life but I was actually pretty keen to go to class because I have a genuine interest in all the subjects I’ve chosen. With my subjects at uOttawa though there are no tutorials, only lectures, and these lectures were completely full with up to 250 people in each.

As a part of one of my subjects, Women, Gender and Feminism, we have the option to complete an alternative assessment by completing a Community and Service Learning Placement with one of the organisations that the university partners up with, whose scope of work revolves around racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, gender and/or feminism. In the past I have been involved in a range of different community and service activities and found them to be great learning experiences, so I was really impressed and attracted by this offer from this course. Positions were available to less than a quarter of the cohort, and I luckily registered right before the positions ran out and successfully received a placement with Acorn Canada as an Outreach Assistant. The placement requires at least 30 hours of service outside of uni hours, but I thought this would be a good way to meet some more locals, learn more about the culture and community in Ottawa, and experience some volunteer work in a foreign country (and thought it would look really good on my resume too!).

Amanda Tandjung
12891723
Bachelor of Management and Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation
University of Ottawa
Canada
Chinese Language and Doing Business in China

September 17, 2018
Share the experiences of three students who completed the Shanghai University-UTS SILC Winter School Program.

Group calligraphy lessons

How did this BUILD Abroad Program relate to your course or future goals?

As a business student, the SILC program offered subjects that were particularly helpful for my management course. It was basically a crash course about business in China, covering Chinese economics, human resources , and entrepreneurship, which are exactly the subjects I’m learning in the spring session. SILC allowed me to view my management course through an international perspective which will be definitely helpful for my future. The business tours SILC arranged were particularly helpful as they allowed us to see what we learnt in action ! They took us to Coca-Cola and Sinsun (a very innovative robotics company).

– Chia
- My calligraphy
- Exploring with friends
What was the most memorable/impactful part of this BUILD Abroad Program?

The most memorable part of the experience was when some friends and I took the train to a city called Hangzhou, only 1 hour out of Shanghai. We spent the whole day there exploring different temples and pavilions, enjoying the views of the lake, joining in with locals dancing by the water, and of course eating delicious food! It was a little get away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Shanghai and it allowed us to gain a greater understanding and appreciation of Chinese culture and history!

– Hugo
- The Shanghai Skyline
- Our group visiting different temples
Is there anything that you would recommend to be changed or improved in this BUILD Abroad Program?

There is very little I would change about the experience! The program was organised well, allowing students to learn some everyday phrases in mandarin, achieve an insight into Chinese culture as well as experience one of the world’s most incredible cities! I am very grateful to the BUILD team for providing me with the opportunity!

– Luke
- Exploring the city
- More sightseeing
To find out more about SILC and other BUILD Abroad programs check out the Global Short Programs Database.
Exchange in the Austrian Alps – MCI, Management Center Innsbruck

September 17, 2018

After travelling in Europe for almost four weeks with a broken suitcase, I’m finally settled in at my student dorm in Innsbruck, Austria. Surrounded by the Austrian Alps, Innsbruck is a relatively small city in the picturesque Tyrol region of Austria. I’ve been in Innsbruck for about two weeks now, but I still do a double take every time I see the mountains in the background. With university students making up about 40% of its population, there’s no shortage of fun to be had. In my short time here, I’ve tried the Tyrolean dish käsespätzle (Austrian mac and cheese, topped with fried onions), been swimming in a lake surrounded by mountains, and drunk more beer than I care to say.

I’m doing my exchange at Management Centre Innsbruck (MCI), one of the smaller universities in Innsbruck. I’m taking subjects from MCI’s medical engineering program, and from their international relations program. The international relations program doesn’t start until the main semester commences in October, and the rest of the exchange students arrive. The classes that I have had so far are very different to what I’m used to at UTS. Being a small university, MCI’s class sizes are very small – about 10-15 people in each – a big change from the hundreds of students in some of my lectures back home. While it takes some getting used to, the small classes do make it easier to meet and get to know my peers.

Innsbruck is different to Sydney in a lot of ways. The shops here close ridiculously early, and almost nowhere is open on Sundays, which means last minute grocery shopping is nearly impossible. Also annoying is the fact that a lot of places take cash only. It’s not all bad though – the alcohol here is ridiculously cheap compared to Sydney (50c for a 0.5L can of beer!!).

It’s still pretty hot here at the moment (30 degrees yesterday!), but winter is on its way, and within the next months it’s expected to cool down significantly and even start snowing, which will open up a whole new world of adventures.

I’m only two weeks in but I’m already falling in love with Innsbruck, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of semester brings.

Auf wiedersein!

Clare Robertshaw
12544957
Bachelor of Engineering Diploma in Engineering Practice
MCI – Management Center Innsbruck
Austria
Bologna to Venezia, Italy

September 14, 2018

Bologna – home of parma

Before my exchange begins next week, I have been travelling around Bologna and the Adriatic Coast (a mere hour drive).

Bologna has been a fantastic destination. It is a student city that is very close to the airport, so I highly recommend it for travellers looking for an easy and accessible city to visit. The city itself is beautiful with grand buildings and an old world charm. Don’t bother going out early in Bologna, everything comes alive at night here. Locals are out from 8pm to the early hours of the morning. Hundreds of Italians sit around for hours nursing their Aperol Spritz and cigarettes. I highly recommend skipping the pizza and ordering the local specialties: plates of mozzarella, ham and tigelle. I spent three days in Bologna and that was a perfect amount of time: it doesn’t take long to navigate around the whole city.

Also, take a drive up to the Sanctuary of the Madonna. It is a large monastery built on top of a hill near the city. The drive takes you through the bologna countryside, where you have panoramic views of the valleys. In my opinion, Bologna is a great alternative to somewhere like Rome- it is less touristy and boasts an amazing array of eateries and bars.

However, being a student city, there are some issues I came across in Bologna. Some areas of the city, along the outskirts of the centre, are places best avoided at night- or at least travel with another person.

Adriatic Coast- warm water, zero waves

The Adriatic Coast is the next stop I have taken. This coastline has been a wonderful relief from the heat of the late summer. The beaches are flat, with the smallest swell – perfect for relaxing into the afternoon. There are no sharks, but there are some large jellyfish. Note that a lot of the stretches of the beaches are reserved by hotels, but you can easily sit down on one of their lounges when the beach is not busy. Again, Italians in this area stay up late with the streets extremely busy at night.

One Beach Tip: You don’t burn in the sun as easily as you do in Australia. I have pale skin so I usually burn quite easily, but I have been in the sun all day, for 3 days, and I have not burnt noticeably- maybe just a little red on my arms. One annoyance is that I could not find proper sunscreen anywhere. The best I could find was 20 SPF, and it was around $15 for a tiny tube. WARNING: most sunscreen products here contain TANNING PRODUCT. I nearly bought a ’30 SPF’ bottle (the highest SPF is 30 here), and then realised it was also for ‘bronzing’.

One Nation-wide Negative: Smoking is everywhere. Smoking whilst driving. Smoking whilst cycling. Smoking inside cafes (not actually legal but alas it still happens to my dismay). Smoking literally everywhere possible. If you don’t smoke, like me, be prepared to be engulfed in it.

Typical Bologna meal – 20 euro for a massive plate of cheese, meat and lots of tigelle. It showcases all of the local produce.

One Food Tip: Be prepared for pasta, pizza, and bread. There is so much heavy food that I have been struggling to eat anything but carbs. I’ve realised that a lot of Italians don’t seem to eat lunch, just a few snacks. I have adopted this approach because having a huge carb meal twice in one day seems a little much. Check out the local supermarkets for a good range of snack foods, fruit and yummo yogurts.

One Language Tip: Most Italians can speak some English, mostly broken, but you can get by without knowing the Italian language. The younger generations are more likely to have a better grasp of the English language and are happy to accommodate hopeless Italian speakers like myself.

Andrea Kovacic
12905360
Bachelor of Law and Communications (Creative Writing)
Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
Italy
¡Las Últimas Aventuras! – UDLAP, Mexico

September 12, 2018

A street in downtown Puebla

Hola a todos,

Aquí estoy en las calles de colores brillantes de mi hogar nuevo. ¡Hay fiestas toda la noche, perros en los techos del barrio y hay fuegos artificiales… todo el tiempo!

(Here I am in the brightly coloured streets of my new home. There are parties all night, dogs on the rooftops of the neighbourhood and fireworks… all the time!)

Despite all the noise I am surrounded by, I am feeling pretty zen and have just signed up for a semester-long vinyasa yoga workshop at UDLAP (la Universidad de las Américas, Puebla).

The weeks at university are busy but the weekends provide time to sight-see and relax. I would like to share with you my latest outdoor adventures: a trip to the river in Las Estacas and a challenging hike up an inactive volcano in Puebla.

Las Estacas

I went on a welcome trip with UDLAP and the Amigos Internacionales (supportive group of local students) to the neighbouring state of Morelos to visit a natural water park se llama ‘Las Estacas’. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any photos as we were busy doing a raft-building activity (our team won *fist pump*) but here is a picture of the river there.

Source: http://www.parquesacuaticosmorelos.com/morelos-oriente/las-estacas/

We had a traditional lunch which included Sopa de Tortilla and a species of cactus and it was a great afternoon of swimming, jumping from rocks and swings and getting to know some of the exchange students at my university.

La Malinche

My roomies and I hiked up an inactive volcano with an elevation of 4 461m last weekend. The day started at 1am and we returned, exhausted, after midday. The views were definitely worth the long trek. I saw (a small patch of) snow for the first time and found out the hard way that my boots were not exactly ideal for the journey.

As the sun hit the side of the mountains

Here we are happy to be descending and escaping the cold!

There is much to do, eat and learn here and the vast and diverse landscape makes for an unforgettable experience. For those considering it as an exchange location, I can tell you that it is very affordable – meaning you can do activities every weekend, eat street food and sign up for language classes, sports and various other activities without breaking the bank.

As this wouldn’t be a blog post about México without some mention of la comida (the food), here is a traditional dish with the three colours of the flag, se llama ‘Chiles en Nogada’:

We ate this in a restaurant which is basically in the house of a Mexican family. I have noticed many signs in Puebla on front gates advertising things like: “Chiles en Nogada, $150 pesos, 2-4pm”. This dish is always the most expensive on the menu as it is seasonal and a delicacy of comida poblano.

¡Saludos chicos!

Clare Manera
12900953
Bachelor of Global Studies
UDLAP (Universidad de las Américas, Puebla)
México

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