A Quick May Life Update

Just a quick life update post to make up for the lack of recent blog posts…

First off, sorry for not blogging much this month. With being on holiday, returning to England, and sorting out various admin stuff, I haven’t really had the time or the inspiration to write a blog post recently. Hopefully that is going to change soon.

As always it feels slightly strange to be back in my home town after the end of another academic year. I live in a small seaside town and there’s a definite contrast when I return there from university. Particularly when I’m returning from another country!

Despite the fact that I have left behind Canada and I’m now in England again I haven’t really experienced any major feelings of cultural displacement or culture shock or anything like that. I think that doing a year abroad definitely proved to myself just how adaptable I can actually be.

I recently bought myself a sewing machine! I love sewing and making things so it was about time I finally bought a sewing machine so I can take my craft projects to the next level. As a test I made a couple of basic doll dresses for my Elena and Megara dolls which I think came out well. Future projects with my sewing machine include more doll crafts and starting to make my own cosplays!

The Final Post About My Year On Exchange

It’s all over now. My year on exchange in Canada has reached its conclusion and I am now back in England. This is (probably) my final post about my year on exchange.

Going to Canada for a full academic year was initially fairly daunting but I am really glad that I did it. There were some really good moments both semesters and overall it was a fantastic experience. The experience I had living and learning in Canada was definitely different from what I am used to in the UK. I did have to confront unfamiliar situations but to be honest I never got really homesick and never experienced culture shock. If anyone reading my blog is considering doing a year abroad I would wholeheartedly recommend that you do one.

Whilst I liked the university where I studied in Ontario, I am looking forward to returning to university back in England this September. I think the place that I miss the most is Toronto. I just had a wonderful time every single time that I went to Toronto. In my mind I am going to go back to Toronto at some point.

So what’s next for me? Well I have a long summer break ahead of me. I already have some plans to keep myself busy, I’m sure I will end up writing multiple blog posts about what I do over this summer holiday.

A Little More Canada Before I Leave

I’ve finished my academic year. But even though I am done studying abroad I’m not heading back to England just yet.

My parents flew out on Friday – the end of the semester – and we are having a family holiday before I leave this country for good. We started with me showing my parents around the town in Ontario where I have been staying. It was a really nice way to say goodbye to the place where I have been living since last September.

Also whilst we were in Southern Ontario we went down to see Niagara Falls. There was evidence of the long winter and repeated freezing spells in the large chunks of ice that had formed around the base of the falls. However Niagara Falls was just as stunning as I remember. If you are ever in the area you really need to see them.

The second leg of our journey took us away from Ontario to the Pacific Coast. We landed in Vancouver, British Colombia.

There’s no denying that Vancouver is a stunning looking city. The entire city is located on a waterfront, and when you look to the North there’s mountains. I don’t think I have ever been anywhere else like this. But whilst the city does look amazing, I honestly I don’t actually think Vancouver is that great. It is a great photo taking city, but in terms of things to do I just wish that there was something more.

However, in Stanley Park I saw four raccoons! Raccoons are my absolute favourite animals. But in my entire time at the university I only saw one briefly. Yesterday I saw four and one of them came really close to me! One of my best experiences in Canada.

Finals Are Here (And Then I’m Gone)

It’s Finals season again. Well, actually it’s finished for me. Yesterday I had my last exam, though it’s not quite over yet as I have a take home exam to submit on Wednesday.

Since classes finished, finals and getting ready for finals is pretty much all my life has revolved around. Every day I’ve either been working on a final essay, taking an exam, or revising for my next exam. My coffee addiction has returned in full. About a month back I was only having one or two cups of coffee a day. Now I’m back up to about three or four cups of coffee a day! (Safe to say I love coffee!)

For the first time in quite a while I was actually getting pretty stressed about one of my exams. Usually because of effective revision and stress managing tactics I manage to stay pretty calm about exams. But this time I started to worry, mainly I was worrying because I wasn’t sure if I was targeting my revision at the right parts, and even though I had been to every class I couldn’t relearn the entire course. Despite the stress I think I still managed to do pretty well, I know that I did that my best.

I think at the end of the day that is what is truly important with exams, to do your best. There’s always going to be that part of you thinking ‘I could have done that’ or ‘I should have learnt that’. But as long as you tried to revise and you did the best that you could, I think that is what matters most with exams.

It’s interesting how everyone has their own way of getting ready for an exam. I know some people like to revise hard right up to the last moment, that just makes me more stressed and I think if you have attended the classes and done your revision then there’s nothing that you can learn in the last couple of hours which you shouldn’t already know.

I’ve found that the way for me to get ready before for an exam is to de-stress as much as possible. I like to just completely unplug and put away the books about two hours before my exam so I’m in a calm head space when I go into the exam hall. This academic year I’ve really got into the habit of reading a comic before my exam, particularly DC Bombshells. I also like to try and avoid listening to music with words before an exam so I don’t get random song lyrics stuck in my head for the duration of the exam. Particularly since about 2012 I listen to I Am The Doctor from the Doctor Who Series 5 soundtrack before I go into an exam, it always manages to get me motivated.

Everyone seems to have a different reaction to exams and finals, but for me the most important thing is to just try to stay calm, and do the best that I can.

Thinking About Returning To England

Several of my recent blog posts have talked about how my Year Abroad is approaching its end. But what about once I’m back?

I have a really long summer break this year. I break up from University significantly earlier than I do in England. I then don’t return to Uni until towards the end of September. It’s going to be a long one. I do have some plans to keep myself busy and stop getting bored. I have a few projects in mind that I want to work on other summer. I also want to make a start on researching for my dissertation. There will likely be numerous blog posts over the summer about what I am getting up to.

When I am back in England I am definitely looking forward to the weather. (Never thought I’d type that!) But at this point anything over 5 degrees feels warm to me! Seriously, the Canadian winter just drags on and on and on. It was fun at first but after a while it just becomes tiring.

It’s going to be nice to get to spend some quality time with my parents again. Obviously I miss them when I am away. This semester has been the longest I have ever gone without seeing them, even though we regularly speak on FaceTime that’s not really the same as actually seeing them. I am pretty independent so I can cope on my own, and I always know that my Mum and Dad are happy that I’m off having fun, doing well, and living my best life. An important part of the university experience is about living on your own and having space to grow, I know that I have grown as a person from being independent. However at the same time I am close with my parents, I’d say we have a healthy, happy and positive relationship. I think that’s how it should be with your parents when you’re a student.

I have definitely enjoyed studying in Canada, it’s been interesting taking different courses and learning in new ways. But I have also missed my uni back in England and I have missed my uni city. I am looking forward to going back there in September.

There’s other little things that I’m looking forward to when I go back, such as good quality instant coffee. Canada just doesn’t do good quality instant coffee.

I would say that rather than focusing on the sad parts of leaving Canada I am choosing to see the positive side and think about what I am looking forward to once I am back in England.

February Reading Week in Canada

For the past week it has been Reading Week, classes resume on Monday and so as the week is coming to an end I thought I would do a blog post about it.

At one point I had been considering going off for a holiday over Reading Week, however in the end I decided not to. I decided that the best use of my Reading Week would be to really push myself to get ahead on my work load. Partially because I have a lot of work due over the course of March, I am naturally organised and I always like to be ahead in my work whenever possible. I also wanted to get some of my assignments done because in March I am going to be away over a weekend to staying overnight for a Comic Con.

I was actually very surprised to see just how many people left on Friday – the last day of class before Reading Week. Usually when I’m at Uni back in the UK a few people will leave for Reading Week but the majority of people tend to stay. The university also tends to run events throughout the week so that there’s something going on. But here in Canada the campus and residence has been pretty much deserted for the entire week. To be honest it has been weird seeing the campus so empty but it also has been pretty quiet which has given me a good working environment.

I haven’t just been doing work, I did go to Toronto on Monday and I did have a good day.

Also over the course of Reading Week I have decided to give up being vegetarian. I just missed eating meat a little too much. In fairness my New Year’s Resolution was only to try being vegetarian, I never intended to make it a lifelong commitment and I did manage to be completely vegetarian for a decent amount of time. I do plan to keep on cooking veggie meals, I’m just going to be having meat every so often. My plan now is to treat meat as more of a luxury item than an everyday foodstuff.

So in conclusion, I definitely had a productive Reading Week and even if it was maybe not the busiest I still had a good time.

Nearly a Week Back in Canada

I arrived back in Canada on Friday last week and I thought it was about time to write a quick post about what has happened since then.

First off, the weather. It is definitely winter right now in Canada. Travelling from Toronto airport when I arrived was not fun, it was seriously cold! I think it got to around - 20 °C. This sort of weather would probably have brought the country to a standstill back in England but here in Canada everyone just keeps going about their business. On Monday there was some pretty deep snow and I even had to walk to class as it was snowing, I was listening to the Frozen soundtrack whilst walking to class. Fortunately since then it has warmed up a little, today it was even + 2 °C. I’m pretty sure that next winter when I’m back in England I am going to be completely insufferable about the weather (so apologies in advance to whoever I’m living with).

There’s not a Fresher’s week/O-Week at the start of this semester so it has been just straight back into classes. To be honest even after three years of being a student I’m still not entirely sure if I like that or not! However I am glad that I had the weekend to adjust to the time zone, get over the jet lag and have chance to settle back in before getting back into classes.

I have now been through at least one class of all the classes that I’m taking this semester and I’m happy with what I’ve chosen. From that point of view this is definitely going to be a very interesting semester. I only have one night class instead of two this time round, even though I don’t find night classes too bad it’s preferable to just have one.

So I’m back in Canada and so far everything has been going good for me.

Finally Finals

Well once more its exam season, and this time I really mean it! Its finals!

I’m actually dealing with the stress pretty well but I just wanted to write a quick blog post to summarise how things have been going for me recently.

I’m keeping on top of my revision but also trying to be creative and intelligent with the ways that I am revising. My focus is on doing revision in amounts that are little and often so as to avoid overwhelming myself with information.

I have three exams, a final project and a take home exam all of which are due within a fortnight (two weeks). It’s new for me to have such an intense amount of work, back in the UK we usually have to write a final essay for a class and deal with what I call Coursework Season but there’s rarely a final exam as well.

In residence it’s actually been strangely enjoyable. Sure everyone is stressed out and working hard but we are still making time to spend with each other. In the past week I’ve watched Planet Earth II and Mulan with my friends on an evening, and on an afternoon I’ve been having coffee and cake with friends. It’s strange to say that exam season is fun but it kind of has been. I’ve mentioned before just how incredibly lucky I have been with the group of people that I am living with, it’s a great group and we get a long really well.

So that’s what’s going on at the moment. Even though everything is centred around exams I am still having a good time here in Canada whilst on my Study Abroad experience.

Surviving Coursework Season – In Canada!

Back in May I wrote a post called “Student Life - Surviving Coursework Season”, as I have just finished my first coursework season during my time studying abroad I thought I’d write a blog post about surviving coursework season in Canada.

First off, more accurately than it being coursework season this is mid-term season. Generally mid-terms are sit down exams. However I have been fortunate enough to only have had one out of the five classes I am taking set a mid-term exam. I prefer writing coursework essays to taking an exam as I do quite well with the whole process of researching, formulating an argument, writing and then editing.

As I just mentioned I am taking five classes this semester, back in the UK I only take three classes a semester. This does mean that I have more coursework to do over here but generally they have not been as long. All the essays I’ve had to write over here have been under 2000 words whereas back in the UK my essays have usually between 2000 – 2500 words long.

I am naturally quite an organised person and this is a very helpful trait to have when dealing with writing coursework. I keep an eye on when deadlines are on their way. I will always begin writing an essay with enough time to have a couple of days before the deadline to repeatedly go over it and edit it. The downside of being organised like this is that I then tend to become stressed out if I deviate from my plan, even if it’s just running a day behind schedule.

One real struggle has been that classes are still running completely as normal whilst all these coursework/mid-term deadlines have been occurring. This means that there’s still been the regular amounts of reading to do alongside writing essays. Usually in the UK a lighter load of reading is set for weeks when there’s coursework due.

However overall I have managed to adapt to the differences and once again have survived coursework season!

Thanksgiving Weekend

I celebrated my first ever Thanksgiving!

Here in Canada we just had a long weekend (7^th – 10^th of October) to celebrate Thanksgiving. In Canada Thanksgiving takes place in early October instead of in November like it does over in America. The reason why is apparently because Thanksgiving is more about celebrating the Harvest over here in Canada. Going into the long weekend I didn’t really know what to expect because I have never experienced Thanksgiving before. But it turned out that I had a really great time and I really enjoyed myself.

Most people on my floor in my accommodation either went home for the long weekend or went off exploring places. As I’ve mentioned before usually my accommodation is very sociable so it was weird to find it so quiet, though it was kind of a refreshing change! I spent nearly the entire weekend with a couple of friends who live on the same floor as me and were staying for the long weekend. The three of us had a really good time together.

On Saturday we didn’t do too much, though I did go to a local farmers market which was really nice. I spent a lot of Saturday chatting, hanging out and just generally enjoying spending time with my friends.

On Sunday evening we had been invited to go to one of our other friends (she’s also one of my suitemates) home to join her family for Thanksgiving Dinner. It was a really good meal with lots of good food. We just had a really nice evening. Beforehand I know we’d been worried that it might be a little awkward but there wasn’t really any awkwardness. Once more the stereotype about Canadians being friendly welcoming people was proven to be true!

On Monday a lot of places were closed - as it was a public holiday - but we wanted to get out and do something. We found a local farm with a Corn Maze and a Pumpkin Patch was open and so we went there for a little outing. We managed to get lost in the Corn Maze but that’s part of the fun! It was a good harvest themed attraction which was nice to visit over Thanksgiving.

On Tuesday we had pancakes, we hung out some more and we went for a walk. There was also a second Thanksgiving dinner on a smaller scale than the big meal but on by the university. In the evening more or less everyone who had gone home returned, even though we’d all seen each other on Friday it was still good to have a reunion with all the friends I’ve made on this floor!

So that was my first ever Thanksgiving, as you can probably guess, I really enjoyed myself. I kind of want to bring celebrating Thanksgiving with me next year when I am back in the UK.

Niagara Falls and Other New Experiences in Canada

Can it really be over a month already since I arrived in Canada for my Study Abroad adventure? Apparently it is and so following on from ‘The Pep Rally and Other New Experiences in Canada’ I’m going to be sharing some of my more recent new experiences.

At the weekend (the one just gone) I went to Niagara Falls which was incredible. Going to Niagara Falls is one of those things that you just have to do whilst you’re in Ontario and I’m glad I did. I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I went but it was just stunning. Seriously, Niagara Falls is amazing. I saw it from the Canadian side of the border which is apparently the better side to view it from (and not just because the Canadian side is in the better country!) Me and the group of friends I went with went on a boat trip where you go right up to the Falls (and get wet) and then we walked along the top to look down at the Falls. It was a great day out.

I’m trying new foods! Specifically Poutine. I had never heard of Poutine until I got here but apparently it’s a Canadian speciality dish. For my readers who don’t know what Poutine is basically it’s fries with cheese on top and gravy. At first I wasn’t sure about it but once I gave it a try I found that I actually liked it. I particularly liked the one I had with pulled pork on top.

Another recent new experience was going to Toronto. I talked about that in more detail in my post ‘I Went To Toronto!’ but it’s worth repeating because it was amazing.

Living in accommodation has been a positive experience. I’m actually making friends which is something I have struggled with in the past. I talked about this more in my post ‘Differences in Accommodation’.

A way from fun days out and new cultural experience I have also been having new experiences in class. I have night classes now which it turns out are not so bad. Work is more intensive other here, I usually have several smaller tasks each week as opposed to one big one at the end of the semester. This definitely has its advantages as it means there’s not the pressure to do one big essay which is worth 100% of the grade.

Also there’s midterm exams. I had my first one on Tuesday. It was kind of weird for me to be taking an exam again given I didn’t have any exams during Second Year. It turned out that it was nowhere near as awful as I’d been anticipating and I’m cautiously optimistic that it went well for me.

Coming up is a very new experience for me, my first ever Thanksgiving! In Canada Thanksgiving takes place in October, apparently this is because October is the time of the Harvest. This year Thanksgiving falls on Monday the 9^th. I’m lucky enough to have been invited to go round to a friend’s house to spend Thanksgiving with her and her family. I’m looking forward to experiencing first-hand what Thanksgiving is all about.

Overall I am definitely having a wonderful time out here in Canada. I actually think it’s better than I had allowed myself to anticipate it would be and I’m certainly trying my best to make the most of all the new experiences that come with being in a new country.

The Pep Rally and Other New Experiences in Canada

I’m writing this on Friday afternoon as my first full week in Canada draws to a close, I thought this would be a good time to reflect on some of the new experiences I’ve already had since I’ve been here.

First up, the Pep Rally! As you probably guessed from the title I went to (and participated in) a Pep Rally this week. For my non-North American readers a Pep Rally is this a big event that happens towards the start of a semester, groups go out onto the football pitch perform a routine that is set to a medley of songs and cheer for their group and the other groups. At my uni we were divided based on our residences, I’m in East Residence. One of our cheers was ‘WE HAVE KITCHENS’ because our flats have kitchens but not all of them do. Part of our routine was set to We’re All In This Together from High School Musical which was a fun song choice, of course I am happy that I live in one of the residences that got a song from a Disney movie! Another part of the Pep Rally was that we had to wear t-shirts in the colour of our residence as well as getting face paint put on. Most of us also wore bandanas, again in our residences colour. The Pep Rally was awesome, it was a lot of fun to participate in. I just can’t imagine anything like that ever happening back in the UK, there’s something uniquely North American about the Pep Rally and how everyone puts aside their cynicism and gets involved. There’s just so much enthusiasm and spirit for the university and our residence. I honestly don’t think I ever seen or done anything like it ever before.

I’ve been complimented on my accent multiple times! I have an East Yorkshire accent, normally in England I am never complimented on it. I’d even go as far as to say that I don’t really like my accent that much. However here in Canada I have received quite a lot of compliments on my accent. I’d even say that having an accent from Northern England gets more compliments than other regional accents from England.

Another new experience happened in my residence. I don’t know if this is something that is uniquely Canadian or if it’s just something that I never got to experience when I lived in university accommodation because where I lived in first year was a bit different. But it’s common over here that when you’re in on an evening to leave the door to your suite open so that people can just pop in and have a chat. I really like this and it’s a good chilled out way to spend an evening.

Then, on Thursday, classes began. After over a week of fun, international arrival stuff and orientation events it suddenly felt strange to be reminded that I’ve come out to Canada to do work. Going to class is obviously something I do back in the UK, if you know me then you’ve no doubt heard me boasting about my near perfect attendance and how one of the only times I’ve missed a seminar was to meet Mary Berry. So the act of going to a seminar is nothing new to me. However the way that they’re taught here feels different. It’s true that classes are larger over here. Also (and I think it does partially depend on the module) a seminar over here is more like a cross between a lecture and a seminar. The professor will talk and lead the class like in a lecture style however it will then pause to have smaller discussions as individual groups within the class.

I am definitely settling in well and I have really enjoyed my time over here so far. I hope that the new and interesting experiences are going to keep coming throughout the academic year. Also, if you’re wondering, yes it is true that Canadians are friendly people!

Piecing Together The City

So I’ve recently arrived in Canada for my year abroad and for me one of the most important things to get sorted (after all the admin stuff) is to start to piece the city where I’m going to be living together in my head.

By piecing together the city what I mean is the way that as you start to get more used to a new city it becomes pieced together in your mind. For example how the university is situated in location to the nearest grocery store and then how that’s located in relation to the main shopping area and the mall.

I’m not sure if I’m just misremembering but it seems as if it’s harder to piece together the layout of a Canadian city than the city I go to uni in back in the UK. It could partially be because I haven’t fully explored all of the city yet. I think there’s also a part of it that’s harder for me to piece the city together because it’s just different from the UK! Definitely the roads are wider than they are in the UK. Canadian cities – a lot like American cities – are laid out in a grid system, this makes it quite easy to navigate.

On Friday a couple of friends and me had decided we want to go to Wendy’s for dinner (we don’t have Wendy’s in the UK so this is exciting to us!). However we’d assumed that Wendy’s was quite far away and given we’d had a long day we weren’t sure about walking that far. But it turned out that the nearest Wendy’s was only a couple of minutes further a long from Walmart which we’d been going to a lot since we’d arrived!

I don’t know if this is a general thing with cities in Canada but here it seems as if the Downtown area is mainly full of independent stores. The chain stores are mainly in the mall and on the street surrounding the mall. This is an interesting change from UK cities where chain stores are increasingly pushing the independent stores out of business and away from the Downtown/City Centre areas.

Also, I have now located the comic store which I am obviously very pleased about!

The Start Of Studying Abroad!

Well it’s finally here. I am now in Canada beginning the start of my Study Abroad experience. So far I’m beginning to settle in and get used to things over here. Right now it is currently the start of my second full day in Canada and I thought it was time to just share a few initial thoughts about how it’s going so far.

At the moment it sort of feels like I’m out here for a holiday and not here to study. Speaking to my fellow exchange students I’m not the only one who feels like this! I suppose at the moment it is sort of a holiday, classes don’t begin until Thursday next week and right now I’m partaking in the international students welcome events. Obviously academic work is coming up soon but right now it’s more about being relaxed, getting used to things and having fun.

The weather out here is lovely. Since I landed I’ve enjoyed more sun over the past few days than I did the entire summer back in England! Generally you don’t think of Canada as being a particularly sunny country however from my first-hand experience I can tell you that it definitely is sunny! I know that a long, cold, snowy winter is coming but right now I’m enjoying the sun.

There’s many differences between Canada and England, I probably end up writing many posts about cultural differences. However one of the biggest differences that keeps hitting me is just how big everything is over here. The campus is enormous! At least four times as big as my Uni’s campus back in the UK. I’ve walked across quite a lot of it and still barely scratched the surface of just how far it extends. By the end of the year I will have done so much walking!

So far so good and I’m looking forward to finding out what is going to come next!

Probably The Last Study Abroad Post Before I Set Off

Well the title says it all, this is probably going to be the last post about me studying abroad before I set off for Canada.

So, what’s happening right now? Well as far as I know I have now got more or less everything I needed to do in the UK before I set off done. I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns out that something unforeseen comes up in the next few days, but hopefully not. The whole process from right back when it started seems to have involved not much happening and then suddenly loads of things to do at once!

At the moment the main thing I’m feeling is that I am just ready to go. It’s like when you’ve been revising heavily for an exam and you get to that point a day or two beforehand when you feel like there’s not really much more you can do and you just want to get on with it.

I have previously talked about what I’m looking forward to doing once I’m there so I won’t go over that again. It’s just going to be a really interesting experience.

I will continue to blog once I am out in Canada actually finally doing it. There’s probably going to be lots of posts about me getting used to cultural differences! However I think this is probably going to be the last post before I fly out on Tuesday.

Study Abroad – Two Weeks To Go…

In two weeks’ time I am going to be heading out to Canada where I will be studying abroad for the 2017/18 academic year. It’s very nearly here!

So, here’s a few thoughts and feelings about where I am right now in the process of doing a year abroad...

·         August seems to be flying by. It really doesn’t feel like it can be two weeks since I was writing about it being a month to go.

·         By this point I’m pretty sure I have everything I need to do sorted. I’m sure there might be something else that comes up but right now I am on top of everything.

·         I plan to be using holidays, breaks and weekends to travel about in Canada and America.

·         I’m really looking forward to experiencing a proper Canadian winter. I might not be saying that in January 2018 but right now I’m excited about proper snow!

·         One of the things I’m looking forward to is finding out about various cultural differences. Not just the big obvious stuff but the little everyday things too.

·         I also want to experience holidays and events that I’m familiar with (like Christmas and Halloween) in another country to see how they differ.

·         There’s going to be a lot of differences, even in the stuff I’m studying. I decided to use having a year abroad to take a different selection of modules to what I usually do.

I think overall I still feel excited more than anything else. There’s some nervousness but that’s always the case whenever I try something new. Studying abroad for a full academic year is a really exciting prospect and I’m looking forward to living in a different country!

Studying Abroad – A Month To Go

In a months’ time I am going to be in Canada right at the start of my time studying abroad. I’m getting to a point where it feels like whilst I now know quite a lot there’s still quite a lot still to find out.

In the past week I found out where I will be living on campus and who I am going to be living with. Knowing where I will be living makes the whole experience feel more real. Now I have a more accurate idea of what it will be like for me when I’m living there. I’ve ended up being assigned the ‘International House’ which I’m pleased with. I think it’s going to be a good experience living with people from around the world. Dealing with culture shock and cultural adjustment will also probably be easier for me if I know that there are other international students around. I am also glad that I have a single room, given my tidiness preferences I didn’t want to have a shared bedroom.

Overall the main emotion I’m feeling at the moment is excitement. I’m excited to get out there and just experience new things. I really enjoy being a student and going abroad almost feels like I’m getting chance to experience being a student for the first time again, except this time will be better as I feel more confident and have learnt more about myself since first year. However there is a little bit of nervousness. Mainly at the moment it’s the things that I am still uncertain about which is making me nervous however that’s something which will resolve itself over time.

I first thought of doing a year abroad back when I applied to uni back in October 2014 so this has been a long time coming, possibly that’s part of why I don’t feel too nervous as that means I have been mentally preparing for it.

It still doesn’t feel like I will be in Canada ready to begin my Study Aboard adventure in a month. However I think I’m ready to go out there and seize the opportunities.

Studying Abroad is Starting to Become Real

I’ve talked before about how I am going to be studying abroad in Canada during the 2017/18 academic year, but it now feels like it is starting to become real.

Honestly, there’s still part of me that thinks it’s like a year off until I go. It’s all just come around so quickly from the first meetings with my uni’s Study Abroad office when they were explain how the process of applying and being allocated a place works. But I now have my plane ticket to fly out and I will be going out there in under two months. I am honestly really not that nervous all things considered.

It’s the little things that are making me feel the most nervous. Actually nervous is probably not the right word so much as I am finding certain things weird. Things like getting used to having an academic email address which ends in .ca instead of .co.uk seem really strange to me right now. In terms of cultural adjustment I suspect that when I am out there it’s going to be those little things that get to me more often than the big things do.

In some ways I am sort of seeing this as being similar to going off to university for the first time. I will be living in a new city, I will back in university accommodation and I will be learning in a new place. First year taught me a lot about independent living. Second year taught me a lot about having the self-confidence to do what I want to. I can be a very self-reliant individual which is something I have developed over the course of my first two years at university. I feel like in many ways what I have already experienced has helped to prepare me for going out to live and study in another country on another continent.

I have been told a lot that I need to embrace every opportunity whilst I am out there. To be honest this does sound a bit cliché but it is something that I intend to do. Studying abroad is an amazing opportunity and I know that I am incredibly lucky to have this opportunity so I am going to make the most of it. At the end of the day I will probably never have another opportunity like this so it’s definitely something that I am going to embrace.

I will keep updating this blog as I get closer and closer to going out. I am also going to record what I get up to once I’m in Canada because it is an amazing opportunity. I have been told by my friends and family that they want to keep reading about how it goes on here.

Back from Uni

So it’s now a week since I came back home from Uni for the Summer Break. Compared to my average week at uni this past week has been rather quiet for me.

One of the most noticeable things that a changed in this past week is the weather. I don’t entirely mind this. Just before I left my uni city it was getting a little bit too hot. I usually think I’m pretty good in the heat however I don’t think anyone is very good when it’s that type of heat that just doesn’t cool down and all the buildings keep holding in the heat. But this sudden spell of bad weather began more or less as soon as I returned home. If this lasts for another couple of weeks I am sure I will be fed up of it but for now it’s a welcome change.

I live in a small town and go to uni in a reasonably large city. There’s quite a contrast between the two of them for me. Generally things are much quieter for me in my small town. I know my summer break is going to be much quieter than my time at uni has been but that’s just what I expect. I grew up in a small town and so this is what I have known for most of my life. When I first went to uni I noticed (and still notice) that there’s a definite contrast between those of us who are from small town backgrounds and those who are from big cities. There’s various things such as how people from small towns tend to be more forgiving when a bus is running a little late because we grew up having to put up with really unreliable bus services!

However I’ve been trying to keep busy over the past week or so. I’m back into sewing again, which is a hobby I tend not to do as much when I’m at uni. I’ve also been having to do a lot of unpacking, I know I’m a collector but I still find it amazing just how much stuff I have! There’s also been general stuff around the house that needs sorting out from how things were when I left them at spring break so that has all been taking up a significant chunk of my past week.

I will keep running this blog throughout summer break. Obviously my weekly Doctor Who reviews will be coming to an end this Saturday however I plan to watch some Classic Doctor Who over the summer and so I might review a few stories. As I live in a small town I won’t be able to keep doing my Saturday shops so My Haul posts will not be up anywhere near as regularly, however I hope to do a few hauls when I go out shopping. I have several new doll rooms planned and it’s likely that I am going to write a post about how I make them when I get around to making them. Also as I mentioned in my post about finishing second year I will be writing about going out to Canada.

Even if it is a quiet summer I know that at the end of it my year of Study Abroad in Canada begins! In some ways it’s good to have a calm and familiar summer before the excitement of what is undoubtedly going to be the biggest adventure of my life so far.

Second Year is Very Nearly Over

My Second Year of university has nearly come to an end. For my Third Year I’m going to be studying abroad in Canada.

This year has flown by, I know that is something of a cliché but it really is true. University years just go by so quickly. It doesn’t feel like it’s been 9 months since I was writing about starting this blog and writing about how I have friends now. Although at the same time when I think back to things I was doing in the first few weeks of first semester that all feels really long ago now! I’ve managed to do a lot of stuff this year. It’s strange how it can be both feel as if it has passed in an instant and like I’ve been here for ages.

I definitely have more friends than I did in first year and I have managed to do more socialising this year. Comparing first year and second year it really is obvious that I have gotten better at making and keeping friends. I’ve also got better at actually doing stuff with my friends, it’s difficult sometimes to get everyone’s schedules to sync up but it can definitely be worth the effort. I’m still a bit awkward with making friends and keeping in touch but I think I’m getting much better. Though I still can’t figure out if I’m an outgoing introvert or a social awkward extrovert!

I think this year my sense of independence has also really developed. It started to develop during first year but it’s even stronger now. Now if I want to do something then I will just do it, even if I have to do it alone. I don’t have a problem with doing stuff on my own. At the end of the day it’s more important to do something that you want to do than not doing because of someone else.

It always disappoints me how things just sort of fade out into the long break at the end of the academic year. I suppose because everyone finishes at different times and then everyone heads home at different times it’s hard to have a complete finish to the academic year or the individual semesters. However that doesn’t stop the way it so often gradually ends and fades away being disappointing.

This really is the end of an era for me as when summer beak comes to its conclusion I won’t be heading back to my usual university, I will be heading to Canada! Obviously I am very excited about my year abroad. For the most part I think I’m more excited than nervous which I guess is a good thing. I’m going to write a few posts over the summer about what I’m looking forward to and how I’m feeling about studying abroad so I won’t go too in depth with that here. However it is weird knowing that in Autumn 2018 when I return to university in England things will be massively different - most of the cohort that I started university with will have graduated!

Second year has generally been a positive experience for me. There’s been some parts that have been bad, hard or difficult but on the whole I think it’s been a good year for me.