A few months ago, Schwäbisch Gmünd was just another frightening German word that made very little sense to my simple Aussie mouth. This would however, turn out to be the German town where I would be spend a semester studying product design. (more…)
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I am currently sitting at the halfway point here on my semester at Nottingham University in Ningbo, China. From the moment stepping off the plane in Shanghai on the 7th of February 2017 till now, its been such a jam packed and amazing experience. (more…)
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Lausanne Switzerland!!!! When it comes to mountains, chocolate, fresh air and cheese, Switzerland is the place to be. It has been just over a month since I’ve arrived in Lausanne, Switzerland and I am loving the Swiss way of life. The first week of my exchange however was quiet frankly hard and felt as if I played against Roger Federer in a game of tennis. Haha. From day one, upon arriving in Lausanne from literally the other side of the world, I was thrown in to the deep end. (more…)
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Berlin is great. You already knew that. But it is great!
Arriving early march was painful, coming from the lovely warm spa town of Baden-Baden in germany’s south. I had known this cold before but the wind was bitter. My roomate revealed to me, that the repressing cold only made the locals want to go out with greater desire, party harder and return to their rugs and heaters. The beer is cheap with food, art and cinema everywhere – the city burns at night against the cold. (more…)
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Firstly, whilst Germans are stereotyped for their efficiency, they do not hesitate to schedule their semesters much later than the rest of Europe. This being said, I won’t officially begin my studies until the latter half of April at TUM in Munich. As such, I am unqualified to comment on my studies over here! However, I left home in early January and have spent much time living out the Aussie travelling stereotype; venturing as far east as Russia and also to the most westerly point on the European mainland in Portugal. Here are some of my reflections after months on the road. (more…)
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“So, why go to Sweden?” was the hot question I was asked from everyone I knew for the period between acceptance and my flight. To be honest, I had no idea why… I think it was the combination of snow and culture shock that I was after and that did not fail. I am currently studying at Lund, which is south-west Sweden. It is a 10 minute train ride from Malmö and 30 minute trip to Copenhagen, making it extremely easy for me to travel anywhere in Europe as you’ll see should you read on. (more…)
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Ten days after completing my final exam of 2016, I embarked on my first ever Euro-trip. As 27 March 2017, I have been on this extended vacation for a total of 114 days. Within my first two months, I had visited 2 continents, 11 countries and 24 cities…and that’s the beauty of exchange: the opportunities are absolutely endless. (more…)
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I’ve been in Copenhagen for almost three months. Landing in mid January, I weathered the last of the winter, a couple of impressive city snowfalls, and now April lurks on the horizon, and with it, sunny Spring. Over the last few weeks, as the weather’s gotten warmer and the sunny days longer, it’s been like getting to know a second city that’s emerged from a winter’s hibernation, the streets, parks and bridges are full, the bikes are plentiful, and flowers have bloomed with a suddenness and completeness that I think you only get in Europe. And though the sun has been more than a blessing, the morning I rode in the dark and through the snow for 9km and still got to school on time is probably something I’ll put on my resume.
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To say the least, the beer here in Germany has been my most regularly purchased item. By choice obviously. My name is Matteo and I am on a student exchange in Berlin, Germany! I spent the first week of my exchange here mostly alone and travelling the city to familiarise myself with my surroundings. After meeting all the other students on exchange I have been opened up too many different countries around Europe and the Americas. There are SO many people from Brazil its crazy. On Friday night we had our welcome party for all new students in the housing here at Victor Jara in East Berlin in something referred to as a ‘Bier Keller’. Translated to beer cellar in English, we spent most of that night drinking a lot of beer (can’t expect any less) and socialising and understanding many peoples cultures. It was a great transition especially when you didn’t know any of these people only a few days before! Meeting people from Finland, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, Russia, Denmark, France, Brazil and many more has been extremely interesting to interact with people from a wide range of cultures and we have all gotten along really well and partied all weekend together.
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I had travelled Europe extensively for 4 months after finishing high school, but this experience is one that is completely different because its not just travelling, but living and studying in a foreign country which you grow to love! (more…)
