Alexa K. - Swansea, Wales - Fall 2012

Croeso!! (Welcome, in Welsh J)

I have now been in the UK for almost two weeks. Before even beginning my journey to the UK, I had issues arise. My flight from Chicago O’Hare to London Heathrow was cancelled the morning of my flight on September 2^nd. I spent 2 hours on the phone with a customer service representative getting another flight out that same evening.  I arrived in London the morning of September 3^rd.  I spent 3 days in London as part of my GlobaLinks orientation.

Public transportation (tube, bus, etc.), in both London and Swansea, has been a breeze! No reason to be intimidated. The City Centre in Swansea (shops, pubs, clubs, grocery stores, etc.) is only a 10 minute bus ride. By going through GlobaLinks, a bus pass for the entire semester was included. One less thing you have to worry about. Scotland, Ireland, and England are all very accessible by train, bus, ferry, or air.

Currently, I am taking a two week class entitled “British Politics and Culture Since 1945.” This class is only for international students studying for one semester at Swansea.  We’ve been on 2 field trips through this class and I’ve seen some beautiful and interesting places through those. It’s also an opportunity to make some new friends before the entire university population shows up! Returning students do not arrive on campus until September 21^st.  I do not actually register for classes until September 24^th and the semester does not begin until October 1^st.  

The nightlife in Swansea (and the rest of Wales) is a bit different from what Elmhurst offers. If you go out on any night of the week, be prepared to wear a dress, skirt, or leggings. NO JEANS! The locals will always be in a skirt or dress and 5-6 inch heels. Everyone in Swansea goes to the Nightclubs. The Welsh love to drink and dance. Prime hours are from 12am-3am. Pubs are popular during the week but often close around 12am. Just in time to head out to the club! If you want specific places to go, I can definitely get you those!

I’ve found that the grocery stores are very similar to back at home. You will be able almost everything available back home. Tea (with cream), welsh cakes, fish and chips, and tikka masala are all things you have to try at least once! Indian is extremely popular here, as well as your typical pub food. Because of many different people immigrating the different parts of the UK, there is a variety of food and restaurant options including American, British, Chinese, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Mediterranean, and even Portuguese (which is delicious). If you need to get your Mexican fix, head to Chiquito; the only Mexican restaurant in Swansea. 

I think I’ve covered the most important things… Feel free to post any questions and I’ll try my best to get them answered!

Iechyd da! (Cheers!)

Alexa

Caitlin N. - Paris, France - Fall 2012

Bonjour tout le monde!

Hello! I have been in Paris for 2 weeks now and I love it. I arrived here on September 3^rd and I cannot imagine leaving. I just finished my intensive language session and I will begin class starting tomorrow (Monday the 17^th). Needless to say I have had much time to do some exploring and I have found out many interesting things about the city.

The most important thing is learning how public transportation works. I learned the metro system right away and I take it everywhere. I have gotten lost on the streets a couple times but as long as I get to a metro stop I know that I am fine. One thing I found out is that the metro is CRAZY busy. There are a lot of people and most don’t care about you. They kind of push sometimes, I just ignore it. They also occupy themselves on the metro by reading a news journal or listening to music and they usually DON’T SMILE! That was the hardest thing to get used to, passing someone on the street and not smiling. But you honestly adapt quickly. But it is very important to learn the dos and don’ts of the transportation system because you take it everywhere!

One of the best things that I have learned about Paris is that a lot of the museums are free for students! So it has been a lot of fun going and seeing the many different museums of Paris. My program has also allowed me to access some great sights. With my French Class we went to 3 different places during the language session: Le Marais, Rue Mouffetard, and Montmartre. I had been to Monmartre before but it was so nice to go again (plus we got to see the non-tourist part as well. As for the other two, I highly recommend both, but especially Le Marais. It is considered the ‘Jewish’ part of Paris but a lot of students hang out there and it is simply wonderful. There are shops, food, history, and much more. I have visited twice now and plan on going back.

Another adjustment is dinner. We eat dinner late! Like 8 or 9 at night. That was a huge adjustment for me. Luckily I learned quickly to have a small snack between lunch and dinner! It helps. I am doing a homestay and my host mom is wonderful. She always asks me if I like something before cooking it. I however have yet to turn anything down. I wanted to come with an open mind and I actually learned that I liked a few things I would have never tried back in the states.

The best part of my homestay…I am a 10 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower, and let me say that the view is fantastic! I am really adjusting to life over here and just this past weekend I have already traveled outside Paris to Normandy and I must say it was fantastic! I recommend getting to know the city you are in first and then travel if you want! Let me know if you have any questions!

Christine S. - Australia - Fall 2012

 One cannot say that it was easy for me to be here, sitting on the balcony of Gilligan's Hostile on Grafton St. Cairns, Queensland. I can admit to having my doubts about what I was to expect, and I'm very glad that I did not trust those doubts, taking a chance to live my life. This is the first part of my study abroad experience for Australia. It took a lot of effort to get here and a few favors from friends, but in the end, it was worth all that it took to get here. I want to thank everyone who helped me get here, for if it wasn't for you I would not be sitting here, drinking my tea and listening to the soulful sounds of... Maroon 5. Not by choice, mind you, but by the choice of the fellow Americans two balconies over. They are a part of my group, a nice group of kids and they are very friendly.

The flight from Chicago to Los Angeles was long, at least for me it was, I was so excited to get to my destination, that I was really unable to sit still. Once on the plane to Brisbane, I had a bit of a hard time sleeping at first so I watched a movie, ate the dinner that they offered us, and then I was able to fall asleep. I woke up about three hours before we landed.
Now, let me tell you something that you must know. Australia is very very expensive. I've been here three weeks and really cannot believe the cost of things. I did expect the price hike on the foreign made and imported items, but the price of many things that are Australian made are still very high. I think part of that reason is due to their stronger dollar and another reason may be due to limited resources. Minimum wage here is between $17AUD and $20AUD, that is about $18USD to about $21USD. Our economy would be blossoming if our minimum wage was that high and if we kept the prices that are out now. Also, the US should include the tax in the price of all goods. It makes it that much easier to calculate what you will be paying at the register. So, if you will be studying in Australia in the Spring, make sure you start saving now! Then again, that advice goes for where ever you're going in the world.

Other than that, my trip thus far as been very enjoyable and eye opening! I was able to pet a kangaroo, hold a koala, pet a wallaby, and even snorkeled at the reef. It's been amazing thus far. If you are going to any of the Globalinks programs, you're going to enjoy it immensely. They help you every step of the way. Their Bridging Cultures program was excellent. I highly recommend it!

Now to end, I have been at Bond University for two weeks and so far I love it here. I'm starting to feel homesick, especially for Elmhurst's class structure and Chartwells prices. I also miss Elmhurst's campus size, as small a student body that Bond has, the campus is huge. I really can't wait till I get back for Spring. Then again, that could change by the time I leave.

Till next time, safe travels!

 (Me, holding a koala bear! I was trying hard not to laugh do to being nervous. I heard that he might dig his claws in, I was worried!) This little guy was shyly taking some pellets from one of the other students and eating away, I just thought it was an adorable scene and I was very happy to have been able to get the shot. The kangaroos were awesome! People were able to pet them and feed them, which was awesome. 

(My blog:  http://theadventuresoflali.blogspot.com.au/)

Ryszard - Osaka, Japan - Fall 2012

Welcome Elmhurst Students!

Japan has been great to me so far. Allow me to give you a preview of my adventure.

I flew into Tokyo from O'Hare on August 23rd, however, the flight to Tokyo was delayed for several hours in O'Hare. Therefore, I spent my first night in Japan in a hotel in Tokyo (what they say about the toilets is completely true). The following morning, I had to get up at 6:30am to catch a bus to an airport 1 and a half hours away. Let me take some time to praise Japan on being on time. Upon getting to the airport, going through security took about 15 minutes. My flight was scheduled for 10am. The boarding process began at 9:50am, and we were off the ground at 10:05am.

After ariving at the Osaka international airport, the true adventure began. Prior to coming to Japan, I had no training in the language. I managed to get from the airport to Kansai Gaidai all by myself without any help from anyone but a lady at the information desk where I asked for a map. The trains and busses here are precisely on time, which was great because I never have to wonder when they will actually arive.

I try to make time to explore more of the small city where the University is located, but it does get hectic sometimes with my schedule. One thing I recommend to anyone who comes here is to make sure you have enough money to last you until October. The reason why I say this is because as a full exchange student, you are required to open a bank account, a truly frustrating experience for many people. It usually takes anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours to fill out the application. After that is completed, it takes about 30 days for an application to process and be finalized. I am expected to have my bank account active around September 28th. With that in mind, I am forced to spend as little as possible, once again, a difficult challenge because the food here is extremely expensive. By that I mean that an apple or two can cost you close to $8 and a two liter bottle of soda ranges from $2-3. Due to these costs, I have decided not to purchase a bicycle, and instead walk everywhere (also because as an exchange student, I am not allowed to drive).

That aside, I have visited Osaka several times. Shinsaibashi-suji ( a HUGE!!! shopping street) is a wonderful place to be, even if you are only walking through it. There are so many shops and restaurants that it is truly awesome. There are people everywhere and everyone is having a good time just being there. The people here are very polite in everything they do, especially sales people. They always welcome you to the store and are very kind to you when you are at the register. I have also visited the Kiymizu temple in Kyoto.

Let's talk about classes, because I know that a lot of you are wondering about this topic. I am currently enrolled in:

1101 Spoken Japanese 1A
1201 Reading and Writing Japanese 1A
1411 The Dynamics of Modern Japan
1429 Shinto B
1602 Intermediate Ceramic Techniques

Spoken Japanese is a required course for all international students, and takes place in the morning 5 days a week. Reading and Writing also takes place in the morning, but only 3 times a week. The registration is quite simple, and takes place online. So far, these classes are wonderful and I am learning quite a lot in every one of them.

TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES ON YOUR TRIPS!!!