This Week Abroad - 4/17/15
Blogs Abroad: How to Travel Flawlessly While also Avoiding Giving Yourself an Aneurism
This is Arcadia's weekly roundup of highlights from student blogs abroad.
As promised last week, most of our Student Bloggers just finished wrapping up their Spring Break adventures (or at least took a break to write about them). Eien gushes about the amazing time they had exploring Melbourne, while Jackie, Remy and Meredith take advantage of their Spring Breaks and go adventuring! But, in order to go on adventures, we need some travel tips. Lauren is taking care of us in that department, with her blog about visiting Ireland and travel complications.
How to Travel Flawlessly While Also Avoiding Giving Yourself An Aneurism
"If I were to give a single word of advice to potential study abroad students it would be, patience. Not only does this apply to the various cultural differences you will encounter but it certainly applies to the travel aspect you WILL be participating in. I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve sat helplessly in airport after airport begging the plane gods to land something suitable for flight on the tarmac outside my gate.
Often times, an hour flight can turn into an 11 hour day of travel by plane, train, ferry​, and automobile (sometimes even bike) and this is where patience can really come in handy. Be prepared to change your plans at the drop of a hat and always be willing to sleep on the floor because there is no shame in using your luggage as a pillow. Just a hint, various clothes items can be used as blankets and sheets in times of desperation. Flexibility is the only thing that has allowed for me to keep my sanity while traveling around the world. Embrace the unexpected, sometimes a 7 hour delay can end in adventure or at least a tragic story to tell at the pub later."
Going Out My Door, Part 1
Meredith in Canterbury, New Zealand
"April in New Zealand: a time of chilled rain, changing leaves, and adventure abound. For the University of Canterbury, April also means no school. That’s right, from April 3rd to April 26th, my fellow UC members and I are free to do as we please without the constraint of our usual class schedules. Students are quick to fill up each one of these days with big travel plans, not wanting to forgo a moment of this opportunity. Being the schedule-loving planner that I am, I too spared no time creating my April itinerary. Time is the key that opens the door to adventure, and with the door open wide, I am determined to take a step outside!"
The Perfect Spring Break
"British universities have many differences from American universities: class structures, how they grade, how many years you go to university. But one of the most advantageous differences for study abroad students is the two-week long spring break students get between the last day of classes and revision week (the week before finals). For British students, they use this time to go home, celebrate Easter and spend time with family while revising for their upcoming finals. For study abroad students, these 2-3 weeks means one thing: travel. Fortunately for me, this break meant family as well, for my mom had planned on visiting me during the first week of spring break since I got accepted into Arcadia’s program. Therefore, after my last day of classes I set out on a week long spring break trip starting with visiting a friend from home in Rome, and then onto France (Paris and Normandy) with my mom, and ending with my mom and me spending time in London."
Spring Break: Cape Town Edition
Remy in Cape Town, South Africa
"This one has to be full of pictures, as there is no adequate way to describe the adventure, exploration, laughter, and memory making that occurred over spring break in and around Cape Town.
The “vac” as it’s called here began with an entirely unprecedented hike up the famous Table Mountain last Saturday. What was supposed to be a walk around the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and a “short and easy” hike with a friend turned into the most gorgeous, terrifying, but epic adventure here in Cape Town. From Skeleton’s Gorge, we just kept going. As we reached the top of the mountain, the sun was on it’s way out. This made for the most beautiful scene I had ever witnessed. We frolicked on the rocks like we were on top of the moon, and it was out of a fairytale for a few minutes. The only problem was that the cable car was on the opposite side of the mountaintop, so we ran like Olympians and somehow found our way to the cable car station just in time to take the last car down with the Table Mountain staff. Unreal."
Melbourne Explorin'
"Last week was so exciting! My friend and I took an hour and a half plane ride to Melbourne on Wednesday and got back this past Sunday. Our first day we went shopping and exploring, just to get a feel for the area. We we inside the center city of Melbourne, only a couple blocks from everything. Thursday we accidentally found our way to the National Gallery of Victoria; then made our way to the Shrine of Remembrance, a memorial for all those from Victoria that were lost to war, and the Royal Botanic Gardens (which was the original plan). So it was a lot of walking but also beautiful! I wish I could post more pictures because I took a couple hundred during those 5 days!"