Introducing the blog

Dear all, I will be using this blog to talk about my experiences as an exchange student, here in Hong Kong.
I have done a little bit of travelling: Macau, Vietnam and Cambodia, but there is a lot to do in Hong Kong itself anyway. I have seen the Giant Buddah,
been on numerous hikes, seen the skyline from the highest bar in the world and eaten great food.
Eating is the most popular activity to do here, it is not just a means to get energy. Some of the highlights include: Dim Sum, which is like Chinese ‘tapas’,
so you get a lot of small dishes. There is even a Michelin star Dim Sum restaurant, which is the cheapest Michelin star restaurant in the world.
BBQ is also big here, but don’t expect burgers and sausages, they have small slices of duck or pork. Then there are some of the strangers foods: chicken feet,
duck tongues and congee, which is meat in porridge.
despite all the differences to the UK, I think that I have settled in now and have imensely enjoyed my time so far. I am also excited about all the possibilities
coming up this next semester.

2015 – The start of your adventure?

2015 could be the start of your adventure for many reasons.  Perhaps you have already applied for SA/Erasmus, maybe you are considering it for next year, or it could be that you just want to travel!

Nothing inspires me more than reading others stories and so here are a few stories to inspire your taste for adventure…

Caitlin Regan – Economics – University of Western Australia

Ever since I was in year 8 of school I wanted to study abroad, fuelled by my Dad’s epic stories of his year abroad to the States when he was at uni, I knew I wanted to follow in his footsteps.  Whilst on exchange I visited Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, 4 out of the 6 states in Australia and China.  Studying abroad gave me the confidence to travel independently, explore the world and make memories that will last forever.  I now have friends that live all over the world, in almost every continent, who I would love to visit at some point in my life.  By moving to a different country for a year of your life you are forced to make your own decisions on everything, you grow up very quickly.  This also is a massive advantage when it comes to Graduation day and we are all faced with the real world.

I made memories this year that I know I will keep with me forever and will carry on telling people until I grow old. To anyone considering a year abroad, I would say stop hesitating – every reason you could possibly have for choosing not to study abroad can be flawed by the benefits and the gains you will get, and I personally will be happy to come up with those arguments to encourage you to do it.

I wish I knew how quickly the year would go – make the most of every single second when on your year abroad!

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Elliot Parry – International Politics and Security Studies – Sciences Po, Paris, France        

I enjoyed everything during my Erasmus year; it has been one of the best periods of my life, so far. The city of Paris is incredible to live in; it is vibrant, beautiful and full of things to do (restaurants, museums, walks, cafés…). Paris’s nightlife is amazing as well; they do not have a culture of clubbing but more of going to bars or to somebody’s flat that I enjoyed a lot because it easier to meet and socialise, I met incredible people as well; all this because Sciences Po is a great University with so many module choices (over 80) all taught at the highest standard, and therefore you are bound to do courses you enjoy. I guess Paris and the University are what I enjoyed the most because they were the center of ‘all that was good’ during my year abroad.

There are a lot of benefits to take from an Erasmus year: you learn a language, you meet a wide range of people from all the over the world and you get to experience a different culture and lifestyle. The British culture is very widespread but there are still a lot of countries that have not adopted it and France has managed to keep as they say ‘France as French’. Finally, I would argue that experiencing another education system is important; the different norms to which you must adapt and being taken out of your comfort zone is very important because in a few years’ time as professionals we will be forced to adapt ourselves to different surroundings. Studying abroad for me was a life lesson.    

I choose my university according to the exchange programme offered and Sheffield was one of the rare high ranked Universities where you still get to do a three-year course that included an Erasmus, most offered an Erasmus but the degree was four years. So I knew from day one that I wanted to study abroad. For me, the closing argument was that during the Erasmus you are ‘paid’ to study abroad (the British Council gives you some financial aid,­ the amounts depend on the country) and I had hardly any tuition fees to pay, so financially it made sense. I was baffled, personally, as to why people preferred not to do Erasmus or exchange programs in general.

Erasmus is a life experience not to be missed, the lessons you will learn cannot be taught in any other way than by experiencing them first­hand.

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Dominik Hatiar – International Politics and Security Studies – The University of Konstanz, Germany     
An exchange year makes it possible to truly discover yourself.  An exchange makes this possible because it puts you into an environment which is radically different from your university or hometown. This involves the process of getting acquainted with new, for you so far unexplored things in all the spheres you can think of (ranging from culture, the domain of your study, gastronomy, music to nature and its landscapes).

In my opinion the benefits of studying abroad are?
1. It advances you’re academic skills. Usually, universities abroad have different grading systems and different expectations to which you have to adjust. For example, in my case I had to get used to holding marked presentations and writing research papers instead of writing essays and exams like in Sheffield.
2. It gives you new, valuable contacts and friendships which last.  Plus you also don’t have to worry about losing contacts with your friends at your home university as you can stay in touch through todays developed social networks and after all, you will be abroad only one or two semesters.
3. It helps you to explore yourself better. You realize what you enjoy, get a better idea where would you like to live, with what kind of people would you like to spend more time and to that you can adjust the major decisions you will be making once you graduate.
4. ERASMUS and its grants combined with some sort of a part-time work enable you to become fully financially independent from your parents (living costs in continental Europe are genuinely lower than in the UK) (plus, tuition fees are in these countries much lower or non-existent!).         
5. You can learn a new language.
A vital aspect was my desire to finally really learn the German language.  I have had difficulties with learning a language from books and dictionaries, not to talk about finding motivation to do so while living in a country where the language is not used. But by being in a German environment and thus interacting with the language on daily basis I was forced to actually learn it. Thus, my study abroad has been very successful in fulfilling this goal. Secondly, my decision to study abroad was further reinforced by the fact of not having to pay whatsoever tuition fees while completing my second year of studies at Sheffield in Germany.  Don’t be lazy to overcome all the initial inconveniences, paperwork and other difficulties, in the end effect it will be all worth it! With a little help and advice from Gloabl Opps it’s certainly not a risk to go study abroad as “risk comes only from not knowing what you’re doing”.

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A Year In America – Matt Williams

I spent my third year at University exploring America, and all it has to offer. It is such a huge country, and so diverse I understand why many people never leave it.

Though the year was also full of work, the most exciting parts to read about are the non-academic ones.  Here’s a brief recap of some of my adventures.

THANKSGIVING

My wonderful friend Sophie was kind enough to invite me to stay with her family for Thanksgiving. This was amazing in two ways. First, Thanksgiving is just like our Christmas, but with more food and more (American) football. What’s not to like!? Second, she saved me from staying in an empty dorm and wondering what I was doing with my life.

Highlight of the trip: Sophie’s aunt made a baked brie that I would do unspeakable things to get hold of again.

ESCAPING A WINTER STORM

Between Christmas Eve and January we took a trip along the east coast. After spending Christmas and New Years in Manhattan, we proceeded down the coast, then in across the Smoky Mountains to Nashville and New Orleans.
I just so happened that we were about a day ahead of the huge winter storm that decided to turn up along the eastern seaboard. Have you ever been so cold that your ears are physically hurting? I have.

Photos below range from Manhattan to Washington DC, Nashville, New Orleans and Chicago.
Highlight of the trip: having the whole crowd singing along as I performed Macklemore’s ‘Thrift Shop’ and Montell Jordan’s ‘This Is How We Do It’ at a Kareoke in New Orleans.

SUMMER TIME: GETTING TO THE WEST

Eventually summer arrived and it was time or me to begin my trip of a lifetime. Starting in Toronto, I made my way across endless fields and a few cities in the northern states to reach the start of where all the action would happen: the Rocky Mountains.

Highlight of this section: Somehow I ended up staying with the artist Tim Holmes. We had some long conversations, shared some food, shared some stories… All in all he was an impeccable host!

THE BADLANDS

Eventually, I arrived at the first of my extended geography lessons in The Badlands. Sitting between two endless prairies on two levels it is completely jaw dropping. Photos don’t do it justice.

Below you can see my wonderful chariot and luxurious accommodation for the trip, Mark the Third, in all his majesty. He stuck with me the whole way and didn’t break down once!

On the second night I camped in the wilderness. After wandering around for hours I decided on a spot and slumped my pack onto the ground. The fantastic thing about all these places is you can’t help but feel envigorated whenever you’re in them and I quickly recovered and settled in for the night.

In the early hours of the morning, however, the badlands began to live up to their name. A torrential downpour same out of nowhere. Come midday, with no sign of the downpour ending, I had to try and pack up in a lull in the heavy rain. The dry, cracked surface you see in the pictures completely transforms under rain into a sheet of slippery mud more treacherous than any ice. As fate would have it, the van was parked at the bottom of a ravine. Instead of ending my life early, I thought it was best to take the long way round, adding four hours onto my hike out.

I left with a new appreciation of the settlers who first crossed this area. They definitely had some screws loose.

Highlight of this section: Sharing breakfast with the Buffalos.

YELLOWSTONE AND THE GRAND TETONS

Next up on the trip across the Rockies was a joint venture into the Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks.

After a brief day in Yellowstone and camping out in the wilderness around Heart Lake I headed down into the Grand Tetons. In contrast to the consistent height of Yellowstone, the mountains of the Grand Tetons are a much grander sight. They jut out of the earth with little warning, often cradling a lake at their base. I hadn’t even planned to go originally, but my wonderful National Geographic guidebook to the National Parks made sure I didn’t miss out.

Highlight of this section: After chatting with a girl on her way down the chasm we had both just hiked, she offered to pay for my ride across the lake – cutting three miles out of my trek and getting a nice little boat ride out of it. Wherever you are, Laura, you rock!

Yellowstone. ‘Nuff said.

SEATTLE

After being alone in the great outdoors for so long, I thought it was best to splurge a little bit and have some social interaction. Seattle treated me very well. I tried sushi for the first time (amazing), met a medical marijuana supplier, and it didn’t even rain!

Highlight of this section: Half price mains after 9pm at a restaurant around the corner from the hostel. Had two meals in one sitting. Both yummy.

THE OLYMPIC PENNINSULA

The Olympic Penninsula is a wonderful area. Probably my favourite of all the places I visited. The National Park encompasses everything from mountains, to rainforests, beaches and islands. It was all gorgeous.

Highlight of this section: Visiting the natural hot springs and having a good old soak. Great after a long walk.

WASHINGTON TO CALIFORNIA

Some stories are better in person. I will tell you I got to fly that plane…

A REALLY BIG TREE

And that’s only about a third of the way up!

SAN FRANCISCO

I’m pretty sure you have to pay a toll to go over the Golden Gate Bridge… I didn’t. Whoops!

Despite becoming a petty thief (not by choice), San Francisco didn’t punish me in the slightest. In fact, the weather was grand! This let me wander its various hills and parks to my heart’s content and get a good feel for the city. Though its under constant threat of impending doom from the fault line it sits on, the only vibe you get from this place is one of relaxation. That is, after everyone has rushed around the city, they can retreat to their own little hideaway; be it the beach or the forest or the various wooded parks.

I also HIGHLY recommend deep fried oreos. Don’t judge me.

Highlight of this section: Having a read in a nice square and witnessing a little dog party.

THE BIG SUR

An exceptionally good drive. Considered one of the best in the world by many… I could see why. The twisting road leads you along the coast for miles and miles of breathtaking cliffs. Constantly trying to steal looks away from the road got quite risky towards the end!

VENICE BEACH

I ended up spending most of my time by the skate park here. The boardwalk was interesting, but probably a lot better if you had a party lined up.

4TH OF JULY!

SAN DIEGO

Marking the end of my trip, I ended up staying here for quite a while. I had to sell Mark the Third to be able to afford my plane ticket home. I was couchsurfing with a guy, Jeff, working at the university. He put me up for over a week and was a brilliant host. We had some good times together and even managed to go on a weekend adventure. Hopefully we’ll see each other again sometime in the future.

Highlight of this section: Visiting a Man vs Food location and having, by far, the best burrito I have ever eaten.

SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK

We managed to get away for a weekend amongst these magical trees. I had driven through the redwoods in Northern California on my way down, but I got to spend more time amongst (and inside!) the trees this time. They really do create this wondrous sense of age and humble everyone who visits.

Highlight of this section: Driving through a tree!

Then it was home time 😦