New Experiences from Studying Abroad

Part of the reason why I wanted to do a year abroad in the first place was to have new experiences in a different culture. I thought living in a different country for a full academic year was going to be a fantastic chance to get to experience things I had never done before. I have definitely got to have some new experiences whilst I have been studying abroad, now as the academic year comes to a close I am thinking back to some of the experiences that have really stood out to me.

 The Pep Rally          

This was just like nothing I had ever experienced before, I doubt back in the UK I will ever experience anything like this ever again. I used to be a massive Glee fan so getting to perform a dance on an American Football field was pretty cool for me!

Toronto

I’ve been to Toronto a lot of times throughout the academic year and I love it, I’ve had a great time every single time. It really is a fantastic city to visit and I have enjoyed my visits there.

Thanksgiving

Being British I have never experienced Thanksgiving before so I didn’t really know what to expect. I had a really good long weekend and got to spend a lot of quality time with the friends I’ve made over here.

Haunt    

Halloween is increasingly becoming more and more of a thing back in England, but for Halloween 2017 I went to a Halloween event at a theme park which was a new experience for me and a lot of fun.

Christmas Party

Every year at university wherever I have been living, we have organised a Christmas party of some sort. This year was no expectation, although I think 2017’s was one of the very best. Everyone pulled together to organise it and we had a lovely evening.

Snow (at first!)

At first it was actually really exciting to experience proper snow. As the winter wore on I became increasingly less keen on snow. But I have not been short of excuses to make Frozen references!

Toronto ComicCon

One of the best things I have done this year was Toronto ComiCon, I just had such a fantastic time. It was an unforgettable geeky experience.

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.

Thinking Back to Wanting to Study Abroad

As I have mentioned before, my year abroad is rapidly approaching its end. It’s sort of funny how something I’ve been thinking about since 2014 is going to be completely over and done within a month.

I was thinking about studying abroad pretty much as soon as I started to seriously look through university prospectuses. I just knew that I wanted to take the chance to go out and study in another country. When else in life do you really get the opportunity to experience another country in the way you can as student studying abroad? In fact part of what sealed the deal for my uni and the degree that I am studying was that I could have a full year abroad instead of the more typical single semester.

Throughout last year I wrote quiet often on my blog about the process of getting ready to go on my Year Abroad. From submitting an application to getting a Study Visa, it was a long process. However it was not a continuous process, sometimes months went by with nothing happening and then I had about twenty different things to sign and submit all at once. The process of getting ready to go out made it feel like it would be a long time until my Year Abroad happened, then before I knew it I was sat in my bedroom with my parents figuring out how to cram everything I needed into a suitcase and a hand luggage bag!

I am really glad that I could have a full year. If I had only had a single semester then I would say the first semester is the better one to go abroad. There’s one major benefit to going out for the first semester and that is everyone else is new, as everyone is sort of in the same boat it’s a lot easier to make friends. I’m also glad that I didn’t chose to do a split year at two different universities as the stress that would have involved would probably have been too much for me.

There have been some trials and tribulations along the way, but ultimately I don’t think I would have done it differently. This year has probably not been what I was anticipating back in 2014 (for instance at one point I was convinced I would be in sunny California not snowy Canada!), however I have enjoyed my study abroad experience.

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!

Missed It Again!

I’ve forgotten to update my blog for a while and I am really sorry about that. It turns out that writing a blog and keeping it updated regularly is a lot harder than it sometimes seems! I had planned to keep it regularly updated but, between going to Disneyland Paris and then returning home for Spring Break, blogging has just sort of slipped down in my priorities at the moment.

I am aware that I missed out on doing a Disney Movie of the Month at the start of April, I’m currently unsure which film I want to pick as my next choice. There will be a Disney Movie of the Month for April but on this occasion it’s going to be later on in the month instead of right at the start of the month.

I also had planned to write a post about the highlights of my Disneyland Paris trip. The trip was amazing and I loved it but it also flew by and then once I was back in England I was quickly heading home for Spring Break. I might still do a post of my five favourite things at some point soon though.

It’s always slightly strange to come home for Spring Break. When I’m away from uni and student life I fully appreciate just how much I love it. I feel incredibly lucky that because of my year abroad I am going to be spending four years instead of three years on my undergrad degree. I get an extra year of being a student! 

I am nearly 20!

It’s my birthday very soon and I turn 20! It still doesn’t feel real that I should be turning 20. I’m not exactly worried about getting older, it’s what happens, isn’t it. Though it is strange to be thinking that I am no longer going to be a teenager. 20 is the start of becoming an adult!

Usually for my birthday I tend not to do big exciting parties, I prefer a good celebratory meal out. This year I am seeing Mamma Mia at the theatre the day before and I’ll be eating out on my actual birthday and we’re going to be watching Frozen (my favourite Disney movie and one of my all-time favourite films) at Disney Soc. This birthday is also a little different from usual in that I am not going to be spending the day with my parents like I usually do. I don’t mind this too much and after all it’s not like I can fly back home just for my birthday whilst I’m in Canada next year!

When I think back to where I was in my life a year ago and compare it to where I am right now quite a lot has changed.

 I think now I have more self-confidence than I have at any other point in my life. I still have moments of self-doubt but I’ve got to a point that I’m pretty assured in who I am and I don’t care what other people may think of me.

I have gained a hobby over the past year which I did not see coming but I really love, doll collecting! I previously talked about doll collecting but it really has become a massive hobby that I love. And it’s not just collecting dolls of my favourite character. It’s also making rooms, accessories and outfits for them.

In terms of friendship things have changed massively, I’ve talked before about how I struggled with friends in first year. But now I have friends! I meet up with my friends regularly, I’m even going to Disneyland Paris over spring break with my friends and I’m not trying to be friends with people who make me unhappy anymore.

In conclusion, it has been great being 19. The biggest challenge that being 20 is going to bring is my year abroad. I’m going out to Canada in September for an academic year. I’m a little nervous but I am mainly excited about going over there and trying out something completely new. I am actually genuinely happy with where I am in my life right now and I’m excited to keep seeing where my path is going to lead me.

Back to Uni after Christmas-Break

This is just a quick post to discuss how strange it feels to be going back to Uni after Christmas-Break and another attempt to force myself to blog more regularly. It’s certainly a memorable day to be the last day of the break given we had snow for once this morning…

But these last few days before going back always just feel strange. In some ways it feels like this break has flown by but at the same time it feels like it’s been absolutely ages since I was last at Uni. Christmas alone feels like a long time ago now, doesn’t it?

Writing this post I’m taking a break from packing my bags to go back. I have quite a lot of stuff going back with me but I absolutely need even more cooking utensils, a glue gun and a sewing kit at uni! I do have a tendency to over pack, which makes me slightly nervous about packing for my year abroad in Canada later this year.

But overall going back I feel ready to get back and embrace whatever challenges and surprises are waiting for me over the next few months.

How is it Christmas Eve already?

Happy Christmas to everyone who’s been reading my blog so far!

But I suspect I’m not the only one here who on Christmas Eve is wondering how it can possibly be December 24^th already!

I know there’s something of a cliché that advent flies by every year but this year it really feels like it’s gone by fast. A lot has happened over the past 24 days, such as finding out where I’m going on my Year Abroad next year (I’ll be in Ontario, Canada!), my university was also quite late in breaking up for Christmas this year (we started a week later), and I’ve written a ton of coursework (seriously in the past month I’ve written about 11,000 words of coursework!)

Obviously I am very excited about Christmas tomorrow, I wouldn’t be writing a blog post about Christmas Eve if I wasn’t! It’s just that every single year the countdown to Christmas takes me by surprise.

(Also I know it’s been a while since I last posted on here, but I promise I am going to try to get better next year!)