Fair Dinkum Mate

The last couple of weeks have been really fun; I definitely feel more like a student of UNSW these days rather than that initial lost puppy phase you find yourself in when you make a fresh start somewhere. As a country girl coming from a little village it took me a few weeks to figure out all the nooks and crannies of Edinburgh and I still find awesome little places hidden away there, the same thing is happening here.

The campus is very modern and fresh in many respects; you don’t get the stunning architecture of Old College or views of Edinburgh Castle but on the other hand you don’t have the Appleton tower! One thing that baffled me was the food courts on campus. They’re exactly like the places you get at the airport or in a shopping centre, and there’s more than one! The choices are endless, selections of Asian food, sushi, vegetarian, Indian, juices, cafes the list goes on…apparently Australia is the second fattest nation behind America, and it’s not hard to understand why when you look at all the amazing food they have on offer everywhere you go!

Starting on Monday is Arts Week which is UNSW’s annual celebration of the arts and creativity. The program is run by volunteers and includes exhibitions, entertainment, workshops, activities and competitions. There is going to be some awesome live music gigs that I’m hoping to go and see, and I’ve registered for a couple of workshops which are completely free but very competitive! There is also going to be heaps of art exhibitions which I’ll love, many hours I’m sure will be spent enjoying all the stuff that is happening over the next few days.

Last weekend I headed into the city with a couple of friends. It was a beautiful day; 26 degrees in the middle of winter ain’t bad for a Pom. We went to the Rocks market which is across the harbour from the Opera house and on the way to the harbour bridge. I’ve seen the Opera house several times now over the past few years but I still get giddy when I look at it! The Rocks is one of the oldest areas of Sydney and has heaps of pubs and restaurants, it’s very chilled and being market day was buzzing with people. The market was so good, had everything from ‘Aussie tucker’ stalls, to art, to waffles, clothes, photography etc. I will definitely be heading back there when I need to buy presents or when I just have some more disposable income!

I’m in the process at the moment of trying to organise some kind of work placement at a Law firm with a view to perhaps converting to law once I’ve finished my degree at Edinburgh. I’m getting a lot of help from one of the parents from the school I worked for in Geelong on my GAP year, being a lawyer herself, she’s been awesome with helping get addresses and law firms etc so hopefully that will amount to something over the next few weeks.

I went to get my work visa yesterday in the city and saw a bus going to Palm Beach, aka where Home and Away is filmed, much excitement. I had to restrain my urge to jump on, saving that sacred journey for when my sister comes over!

First blog from Sydney

Having arrived 3 weeks ago now, I feel like I’ve got my bearings and pretty much settled in. I decided not to go for University accommodation (which is very limited generally in Australian universities and expensive!) and thankfully my housing situation has turned out really well. Organised completely over the internet (could have all gone horribly wrong!) I moved in with 3 other people into a house about a 20 minute walk from UNSW, a 15 minute bus ride from the city and 10 minutes on a bus to the beaches. I definitely think I made the right choice in terms of living arrangements, after being in a flat in Edinburgh I don’t think I could go back to halls and I am getting on with my housemates. I’ve learned quite quickly that there is an infinite amount of accommodation available in Sydney, catered to all kinds of people and budgets so even if things had gone wrong here, there’s no doubt I could have found a place quite easily. My rent is $150 a week, which works out as approximately £260 a month.

I flew into Sydney on the 13^th of July, with the ‘Orientation Week’ for exchange students starting on the 17^th, going against the general advice to arrive at least a week before uni starts, but again I think this was the best choice, as it meant that things pretty much got started straight away after I had got over a bit of jet lag, no time to get homesick or feel lost! The ‘Orientation Week’ was good, 3 days of information, talks and a couple of trips in and around Sydney, really well organised topped off with vegemite sandwiches…yum.

I’m now going into my third week of uni and already there are differences in the teaching that you realise immediately. On the whole, the atmosphere is more relaxed, adhering to the stereotypical view of Australians, but that isn’t to say that it is any less academic as some may conclude. I have found that the approach is a little more flexible, for example, history tutors are more than happy for you to analyse a film instead of a book as long as it is relevant and you validate your choice. The most significant difference is perhaps in the lectures which come off as much more interactive than what I’m used to in Edinburgh. Whereas back in Scotland most sink into their seat and avoids eye contact when the lecturer asks one question in 3 months, at UNSW the floor is open to raise questions, challenge any information and chat with your neighbour about a particular topic. This of course varies from lecturer to lecturer, I have heard horror stories about some that are very strict, but in my courses, you are encouraged and expected to speak up. So while I’m there feeling thoroughly embarrassed for the person who has just interrupted the lecturer, everyone else is formulating their own questions and waiting for the right time to pounce!

There is so much to do in Sydney. I’ve made it into the city a couple of times, just wandering around and trying to get to know it. Last weekend I went to see Harry Potter at the IMAX Theatre which is home to the largest 3D movie screen in the world! I’ve also taken a day trip out to the Blue Mountains, which is a 2 hour train’s journey from Sydney, which was awesome having met up with some old school friends for the day (it’s a small world after all). There are heaps of markets happening every day, which I love, the only one I’ve managed to get to so far has been Paddington with my housemate, lots of art, amazing food and bargains galore. The walk along the coast from Bronte to Bondi is beautiful, and although in the midst of winter, the sun is out every day shining down on the crisp outlining of the beaches.  Picture perfect.

Santa Barbara #1

After months of waiting it was finally revealed today by sources close to Alan Murray that he was to spend his 3^rd (Junior) year in Santa Barbara.

The 2^nd year (Sophomore) Economics student, already being dubbed by some as ‘Internation-alan’, is said to be ‘delighted’ and is already planning his year away. Our reporter brings this exclusive interview with the man himself:

 What made you decide to go abroad?I’ve travelled throughout my life, which has (unfortunately for my wallet) only served to make me want to see every corner of the world and experience everything it has to offer.  I think studying at an American University offers a unique opportunity to see the USA from the inside as most tourists from the UK don’t.  I lived with 6 American exchange students in my first year and was very interested in how they saw Edinburgh compared to their home institutions; it would seem a waste to me not to take advantage of the opportunity to see the difference for myself.  Also, a little break from the weather in Edinburgh would be nice! 

How do you think UCSB will compare to Edinburgh University?I’m looking forward to finding out.  From what I’ve heard the academic schedule is likely to be a little more rigorous and although UCSB doesn’t rank as high as Edinburgh internationally, the teach-ing in America is of a very high standard, and is more hands on, which I think may suit me.  This is certainly something I’d be interested in writing about whilst I am out there. 

What are your plans for your free time?In three words: travelling, travelling, travelling!  I’m in reasonably close proximity to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon, LA, San Francisco and Mexico.  I really want to spend New Year in New York and possibly Xmas in and around Boston.  Having lived with 6 Americans in my first year I have certain boxes to tick in less obvious parts of the country too.  So all my study breaks will be spent sampling as much of America as possible.  I think in order to afford such a travel schedule I’ll look to get a job too, possibly as a barman or waiter (I’ve heard the tips are good for those with a convincing enough British accent!).  Being by the ocean in California I guess it would be something of a sin to not at least try and surf, although I don’t hold high hopes for my ability to remain on my feet or uneaten by sharks!  I enjoy running and there are plenty of public races dotted around California that I’d love to take part in.  Also, Santa Barbara is surrounded by beautiful mountains, I’d hate to come back leaving them all ‘unconquered’.   

Any final thoughts?Simply that I can’t wait.  The whole year this year has in some way been spent thinking about, applying for or organising this trip.  I’m ‘über-keen’ now just to enjoy it!

Three Months to go!

Hi my name is Eve Armstrong and before I tell you about my exchange experiences I’ll fill you in a little about myself. I am a 19 year old, native Scot studying a BSc in Geology and Physical Geography and am going to spend my 3^rd year at Carleton University in Canada’s beautiful capital city, Ottawa. I’m an obsessive scuba-diver and swimmer with a tendency to have a go at almost anything with a bit of danger to it! I’m huge music fan with wildly varied tastes and a love of live bands. As well as having a liking for brightly coloured clothes and even brighter hair colours.

OK, onto the exchange. So far my exchange experience can pretty much be summed up with one word. Paperwork. With all my course selection, visa application, accommodation, flights, insurance, release form and loan application I have signed my name a thousand times and lost track of why! The big motivator is that it is definitely going to be worth it.

Since buying my flights (and after worrying about my bank balance) the excitement has been building and I can’t wait to leave. I am looking forward to living the fantastic, bustling capital city of the second largest country in the world. It looks like a vibrant city with shops, museums, history, the obvious political influence and annual festivals and events celebrating everything from music to tulips! Canada also has varied and exciting landscapes which encourage many activities- mountains to climb up, islands to sail round, artic wildernesses to dog sled across, buzzing metropolises to get lost in, great lakes to Scuba-dive in and so much more I worry that a year just isn’t long enough especially when I need to fit all this around actually going to classes!

Thinking of studying I am actually excited about the work I will be doing at Carleton- honestly I am! Learning in a whole new environment with a new teaching style and new expectations is going to be an interesting experience.

However what affects us the most in life is not where we are, but who we are with. So naturally what I am most excited about is people. I can’t wait to immerse myself in a new and exciting culture with its own traditions, holidays and language (I dread to think about ‘pants’ and the countless other words I’m going to suddenly be using wrong). I can’t wait to make new friends and explore this exciting country with them. I have already started this process by meeting the other exchange students from Edinburgh heading to Carlton with me and I hope to make many more friends once I arrive in Canada.

 So welcome to my blog! In three months time I will be arriving in Canada, the country which I will call home for the next year and I will keep you posted on how I get on with my exchange year all the madness that it will surely bring with it!

Sydney #1

As I write this I am a second year History student about to embark on a journey to the other side of the world, one of the furthest exchange hosts affiliated with Edinburgh. I have been offered a place at the University of New South Wales in Sydney and start in less than two months. As the 11^th of July, my date of departure, draws closer, inevitably mixed feelings influence my anticipation of joining the Australian metropolis in all its glory. Questions of accommodation, courses and travelling arrangements remain unanswered, but these by no means inhibit my excitement. In the spirit of the stereotypical ‘Aussie’ I’m adopting a laid back attitude and have full confidence all will be resolved without drama or mishap. 

My motivations for the exchange application are rooted in my gap year experience of living and working in Geelong, an hour south of Melbourne. I absolutely adored my time there and fell in love with the Australian way of life; I craved more and jumped at the chance of being able to once again immerse myself in something completely new and exciting; truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. Though I have spent time in Australia before, this by no means negates the significance of my year abroad, in fact I think it can work to my advantage. I know that with this exchange I will make the most of a unique chance to experience the unfamiliar challenging atmosphere of UNSW. I am yet to hear confirmation of my courses but I am really excited about some of the possibilities. Third year was always going to offer more scope, depth and variety, but with my year abroad I feel I have a great opportunity to study things not offered to History students at Edinburgh. I hope to study some Australian history and really get to the grips with the vast country’s heritage from their own perspective rather than with a Eurocentric approach. Asian history has captured my imagination this year at Edinburgh and courses such as ‘Pre-Modern Japan’ and ‘Women in South East Asia’ offer the chance for me to explore these areas in more detail. 

Sport has always been integrated with my academic schedule from a very young age. It has been a feature of my university career so far and I hope it will continue in Australia with pursuits in either netball or soccer. Whilst I have found out as much as I can from the websites, ultimately my sporting endeavours will have to be decided when I get out there and see the competition! 

There is no doubt in my mind that one year from now I will be dreading the return plane bound for Heathrow, making the most of my last few weeks in Australia and envying the new exchange applicants on the cusp of their own years abroad. But alas, I have 12 months ahead packed to capacity with parties, sun, beaches, bbq’s, surfing, kangaroos, studying, koalas, new friends and travels…so for now…that’s all I’m thinking about! 

Polly Blenkin, History Student

Okayama #1

Hello! My name is Erin. I hail from sunny Pensacola, Florida, USA. Come this fall, I’ll begin my studies at Okayama University. This will comprise the third year of my studies on the Japanese Honors program at the University of Edinburgh. First, let me say a bit about myself. I currently live in Florida, but I’ve spent most of my life living in a suburb of the District of Columbia (aka Washington, DC). I was lucky enough to attend a high school that offered a Japanese program. I decided to study Japanese on a whim and I’ve not looked back since! I greatly enjoy studying Japanese language and culture and I’m very excited about spending the next year at Okayama University. After all, the best way to understand things is to experience them first-hand!

My first impressions of Okayama have been good ones. The people I’ve met from Okayama have all been very kind and the general consensus from those I’ve met who have visited Okayama has led me to believe that it will be a place where I will be able to cement my Japanese skills and experience everyday life in Japan. They also say that the local cuisine is very good! Over the course of my experiences, I’ve found small cities to be warm and welcoming. In this case, I think that Okayama will be both warm, as it is reputed to have some of the best weather in Japan, and welcoming as a fairly small city. Okayama is located in the southern area of Honshu, facing the Inland Sea. There are many parks, small towns and islands to be visited that are just a stone’s-throw away. I hope to visit many different places during my time spent at Okayama University.

The program that I will be studying under at Okayama University, Exchange Program Okayama (EPOK, for short) looks like it will be challenging and engaging, offering a variety of activities and courses to keep me on my toes. Okayama University is among one of the Japan ‘s largest national universities. I look foreword to meeting and befriending fellow exchange students and Japanese classmates. I also hope to participate in a few of the clubs and extracurricular activities offered.

I’m interested in the way that new medias (such as blogs, video sharing websites, and online communities) impact popular culture and have helped to develop unique internet cultures that disregard the barriers of region and status, so I think that keeping a blog would be a great way for me to both document my journey and contribute to this culture.

This summer I’ll be visiting friends and family in Washington, DC and Arizona. My family is excited and my parents look forward to visiting me in Japan. Things almost seem unbelievable at the moment because I have the opportunity to do something that not many people have the chance to do. But I’m finally feeling like things seem real and I can’t be more excited than I am right now. Now, I need to keep studying and think of what to pack!

Granada #1

Erasmus Blog

By this time next year I could be fluent in 2 foreign languages, I may have celebrated my 21^st birthday with people I don’t even know yet, and I could have seen and travelled to places I never would have gone as a tourist. It’s an exciting thought, but in all honesty, it’s a little bit daunting. I know the Universities I’ll be studying at, (Granada 1^st semester and Verona 2^nd semester) I know things about the towns, I have a vague idea of courses I’d like to study, and that’s about it! I don’t know where I’m living yet, and won’t know until I get there. There’s nothing like easing you into Spanish life by having to phone a Spanish landlord, ask if the rooms free, negotiate directions, rent and when you can move in. I wonder how many times you can say “habla lentamente por favor” before it sounds rude! There isn’t a way round it though, and as the other option is homelessness, you know you are guaranteed to make it happen! Then I want to get to know the people that live around me, maybe the batty old woman that lives downstairs or the family that run the coffee shop, or the women in the hairdressers, things that make it feel like home. And I believe Granada is the only place in Spain to still serve free tapas with drinks, and there’s nothing like free food to brighten up your day!

I have an incredibly romanticised view of Verona, and whereas Granada seems both daunting and exciting (perhaps because I’m going there first), I imagine myself in Verona floating around the cobbled streets in the evening, then settling down to “some pasta, washed down with a little Bardolino from up the valley” – I read that in the article that has made my fall in love with Verona before I’ve even been there. I know the language barrier will be a problem, my Italian is not as strong as my Spanish, but nevertheless, something makes me think I’m going to be really happy there. The location is perfect, I’m a huge skiing fan and the mountains are only a stone’s throw away, the city looks amazing, “jumbled, elegant and mysterious” according to my article, and I can’t think of somewhere I’d rather spend a semester. 

In terms of studying, I think the most daunting element will be the change from organised life in Edinburgh, when you know where you should be, what you should be doing, and who to speak to if it’s going wrong…oh, and it’s all in English. By the sounds of it, it’s not like that in Granada or Verona. The professor that you have could determine whether you pass or fail, sometimes they won’t be there, or they will, just in a different place to where you thought. But it’s all part of the experience, the ‘University of Life’ as my mother likes to call it, but it’s true, we’ll have to adapt to their way of doing things, go with it, see what happens and have fun along the way.

    

Tuebingen #1

I worry that the lack of people from England learning foreign languages makes others perceive our country as culturally arrogant. This is one of my main motivations for studying abroad; to counter such negative stereotypes.

 

My name is Emily, and I am going to Tübingen University in southern Germany next academic year. It feels so strange writing that down- the reality of my decision to study abroad hasn’t quite sunk in yet. As a Theology student, a year abroad is not compulsory for my degree – it’s quite hard to think that everyone in my year will remain in Edinburgh, whilst I go away. I am sure I will miss so much and find it strange coming back to things which won’t be as familiar as they once were. At the moment I sway between excitement about going and complete panic. I am quite scared of how hard things will be at first, especially as I am a perfectionist when it comes to University work. My first week will be like a Fresher’s week from hell; trying to work out where everyone in Tübingen comes from is going to make my brain hurt. In fact, speaking German all the time will do that too. On the plus side, going abroad has enabled me to justify buying an Ipod (can’t possibly fit a CD player into my suitcase now can I?).

 

I like to flatter myself and think that I always try to understand why other cultures act differently, yet to call some cultures “other” almost always implies a negative judgement. I think you only truly challenge yourself and your prejudices when you put yourself into an alien environment and I hope that my year abroad will highlight my faults and help me to change them. I want to talk to people in Germany about how they view England, and come to understand more about the similarities between our two cultures rather than the differences.

 

The other day my friend played me some German rap music, and I was completely blown away. My futile attempts to manipulate the German language into something credible have never expressed such eloquent, beautiful phrases. The exposure to how wonderfully the language can be used has really opened my eyes to what I am going to gain from a year in Germany. I am gaining the opportunity to become part of a different culture- through a deeper understanding of its language. Everything that comes along with this statement is amazing-access to not only music, but a whole country’s poetry, history, and literature. Their importance is so often understated, yet when you understand these things, you begin to understand the mentality of a country.  Maybe I’ll begin to find out about the famous German sense of humour!

Montpellier #1

MONTPELLIER UNIVERSITY III  I’ve done this once before: I have packed up all my stuff into two oversized, overstuffed, overweight suitcases, and dragged them half way across the world to a city I had never visited full of people I had never met.  That was when I moved from the suburbs of Philadelphia to the Cowgate in Edinburgh when I was a Fresher in 2005.  Everyone I meet inevitably asks me why I chose to come to Edinburgh out of all the places in the world, and I never quite know how to answer.  There are a lot of factors that I cite to justify my final decision to come here, which range from the quality of the course that I wanted to do to the fact that I had some romantic notion that being in Britain would feel a bit more civilized than being in the United States, not least because I would be allowed into cocktail bars.  Yet, the reason, which more often than not, finds its way to the top of that list of infinite reasons is adventure.  For, moving to a new country, if nothing else, facilitates an abundance of opportunities for adventure,  This is partially because being abroad forces a change of perspective.  Even in moving between two Anglophone countries, the differences, while sometimes subtle, are palpable on a daily basis.  Somewhere between the accents, the architecture, and the pitchers of Pimm’s, you begin to realize that, even in doing mundane things like the washing up, your life is kind of fundamentally different than it was before.  I’ll soon be moving from Edinburgh to Montpellier for my year abroad, and this time around there will be distinct differences that may make it much harder to adjust.  Not only am I going to a place where – in spite of six years of training including a month of immersion courses in Québec – my language skills will be dubious at best, but where I’ll be rather more conspicuously a foreigner.  I’m also much more apprehensive to leave Edinburgh than I ever was to leave the States, partially because I love this city and the life I’ve created here much more than I ever loved anything about my stifling school days.  Plus, it would be so much easier to stay here in my beautiful flat with my wonderful flat mates in this fantastic city which I’ve already learned to navigate.  Yet, as the September semester draws near, I find myself getting excited again; I’m excited about the possibilities only a new place can offer; I’m excited – if wary – about the challenge of living my life in a language that isn’t English, and the changes that might inspire in me; I’m excited about the fact that I get to know another city intimately; and I’m even excited about all the dodgy places I’m likely to get lost when I accidentally get on a bus two stops in the wrong direction.  While all the details are frighteningly unresolved – I still need to sort out things like student visas and accommodation – my anticipation of the move increases.  I may not know what this next year will bring, but I am delighted that it will most certainly be an adventure.    

Welcome to Exchange Bloggers

Welcome to Edinburgh University’s Exchanges Blogpage.

 On this site you  will find weekly blogs from all of our contributors this year from their various locations. We hope that this will give you an idea on how an exchange student (ERASMUS or International) feels and copes with life abroad. And maybe it’ll inspire you to go on an exchange next year!

Enjoy!!