Studying Abroad: My Advice

After revisiting this blog after a little while, I thought it made sense to write some kind of conclusion, so here it is.

 Having been lucky enough to spend the 2015-2016 academic year in the University of New Mexico, I'd like to think I'm in a position to give at least some relevant advice to somebody thinking about studying abroad. Obviously, somebody else's experience is going to differ wildly from my own, but there's still a sense of reliability between myself and others who have been on this journey. It's always nice to exchange stories, but I think it could be just as nice to exchange tips too. So here are my top five tips to getting the most out of your Study Abroad experience, based on my own.

1. Money. The obvious advice would be to be sensible with your money. Don't blow it all in the first week of having received your loans because "it's cheaper than it would be in the UK" (I used that excuse for many a splurge - it's not wise). Similarly, don't spend it all on food. If your meal plan turns out to be utterly extortionate like mine was, temptation to eat out at restaurants all the time is very very high. It's also quite a bad idea - your money will go down a lot faster than you expect it to. But at the same time, if you've saved up to enjoy this year as you should, don't be afraid to spend it. Which leads me nicely onto...

2. Travel. The best possible use for any spare money is, in my opinion, travelling. There really is nothing quite like a road trip with your friends, and the area I was placed in was the perfect place to grasp these opportunities. I do regret spending money on crap I didn't need, but I don't regret a penny I spent on my various trips throughout the year. Not even the silly amount I spent in 24 hours in Vegas. Not even the drunkenly-bought ticket to Cancún. None of it. Make a bucket list of all the places you want to visit or sights you want to see, and do your damnedest to get it all done.

3. Talk to people. This probably sounds obvious, but more specifically, talk to a variety of people. I could not recommend befriending the other people from your country any more. I found my little group of Brits, and they have become some of my best friends. But don't limit yourself to your immediate group. Talk to the people from the country you're in. Talk to other people studying abroad! I've met a bunch of wonderful people from mainland Europe who will serve as wonderful reasons for future trips. Maybe most importantly, talk to your room mate. I only had a room mate for the first semester, and we never spoke. We just strangely co-existed, and it could get uncomfortable at times. I know I'm not the only one to blame - I put about as much effort into the could-have-been friendship as I got in return, which really wasn't very much at all. But hopefully you will have better luck than I did and if you do, definitely take advantage of it!

4. Say yes. This was something I struggled with sometimes. If my friends went to a party, or somewhere for the day, I didn't always say yes to joining them. I hate blaming things like this on anxiety, but when it comes down to it, I know that was the reason. I wish I'd been able to say yes to some of the things I missed out on. You never know - you could meet a friend for life at a party you decide not to go to. On the other hand, I'm very glad I said yes to all the ridiculous things I actually agreed to. If you're in a position to say yes and put yourself out there, I 100% recommend you do!

5. Promo. If you're on an exchange program, it's likely you'll be asked to talk about your home university at a study abroad fare/talk/event wherever you are. Alternatively, you could do some ground work like I did. After all, you never know who may be interested in studying abroad unless you start the conversation. As it turns out, one of the best friends I made in the U.S. wanted to do a year abroad, and I managed to convince him Swansea was the right place for him. So you never know - maybe you'll end up talking a friend into making one of the best decisions of their life, whilst feeling the benefits of one more year with them yourself. It's a win-win, really!

And that concludes my 5 Study Abroad Commandments. You don't have to listen - I'm not here to tell you how to live your life! Ultimately, you're embarking on this adventure to enrich your academic experience and to have fun. And as long as you do just that, I'll be happy for you!

Thanksgiving!

Before I start, I should probably admit that I'm currently procrastinating. I have more deadlines than friends at this point and the final two weeks of the semester are well and truly destroying my soul. I have nine more days of sleep deprivation, constant work and irrational stress before I can relax for a month. But obviously, writing a blog post is more important.

So, Thanksgiving. That was a thing!

Sydney Dickens, freshman, and UK enthusiast offered to host me for Thanksgiving right at the start of the year. Who was I to say no to that? She lives in the most suburban suburb imaginable in Fort Collins, Colorado, so that's where we headed on Wednesday morning. The seven hour journey was made considerably easier by obnoxiously loud music and singing, as well as the anticipation of an actual real home-cooked meal. Given my budding and sturdy relationship with ramen that's built up over the last 5 months, I was excited to say the least. 

Fun fact: Colorado gets COLD. Most of the nights I was there dropped to around -10/12 Celsius. I like it cold, but I don't like it that cold. Even my gums were cold. I didn't realise that was possible. On the upside, there was snow all weekend and it was beautiful. It began to snow just as we reached Fort Collins and we woke up the next morning to a nice, thick blanket of snow, which stuck around all weekend. Perfect timing, really.

Sydney's parents, Cary and Suzanne, were absolute gems. They're such lovely people. They reminded me of people I know back home, which was a big comfort. There was no awkwardness or anxiety when talking to them or asking them for anything - we got on like a house on fire. They are my kind of parent-people. Plus, we didn't want for anything all weekend. I was completely and utterly spoiled. I owe them a big, big thank you for that. Plus, they went through the trouble of making a proper beef roast for me on the Friday night. Yorkshire puddings and everything. What a night to be alive.

On to actual Thanksgiving. We ate dinner at Sydney's aunt and uncle's house. There was a pretty big crowd, around the same size group as a Christmas dinner gathering at my grandma's house. It was homely and welcoming and lovely. I couldn't fault the food, with the exception of 'candied' sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes covered with marshmallows. What's all that about? It wasn't for me. The rest of it was, though. Needless to say, I stuffed myself.  After eating, everybody spent the afternoon playing games and chatting. It was really enjoyable. It was very much like Christmas day if you took away the fuss of presents. There was also an ongoing joke that I was the 'replacement Ashleigh'. Sydney has a cousin Ashley (incidentally, her name is Ashley Rose, which was a bit weird) who couldn't make it, so I filled in. Apparently, I was a decent enough replacement.

Saturday was spent with Sydney's grandma on the other side of the family. She was adorable. Really. She took an interest in where I came from (she made me point out my exact home town on a map), as well as my views on American politics and other such topics. She was just a really great person to talk to. In the evening, Sydney and her parents took me to a pizza place for some kind of special Colorado pizza. The main difference was the fact that the pizza crust alone was probably big enough for a decent meal. It was big. When we got back, I made Sydney watch Gavin and Stacey with me. I think she enjoyed it. If she didn't, she's a good liar. But who doesn't love Gavin and Stacey?

Before we left on Sunday, we went for breakfast at a place heavily decorated with dead animals. I tucked into my breakfast sandwich being stared at by a stuffed mountain lion and countless wall-mounted fish. It's a good job I'm not easily put off food. It was at this meal I learned that you can add eggs to absolutely any food imaginable, and Americans will call it breakfast. Steak and gravy + eggs = breakfast. Corned beef hash + eggs = breakfast. Fascinating. 

Armed with considerable munch (including British biscuits, much to my delight), Sydney and I left Colorado embarked on the eight-hour drive back to Albuquerque. The drive back took longer because of the dreadful weather. Snow is great to look at when you're not going anywhere, but it's an absolute nightmare to drive through. All in all, a wonderful weekend. Thank you very much to Sydney and her lovely family for putting up with me. It's very much appreciated and I won't forget your generosity in a hurry!

The only picture Sydney managed to successfully take of me all weekend.
It's an alright one, too. Thanks, gal x

Well, that was a nice break. Back to work, I go. December 10th can't come quick enough!

Filling In The Gaps

So let’s talk about how I’m four weeks away from finals.

How the hell did that happen? How could I possibly be drawing to the end of my first term at UNM? Can we all slow down for five minutes please? I’ve hyped this year up since Year 13 and now you’re telling me it’s nearly half-way over?

This means I have four weeks to whack out two response papers, one essay and two final projects, on top of studying for finals. Well, this should be fun.

But it’s not just the current looming work load that’s making me want to slow time down. It’s also the fact that I’m having a bloody good time here. Even when I’m sat in my room doing nothing, I feel like I’m doing something or achieving something, because I’m doing it 4000 miles from home. This is flawed logic, I am aware. But it’s just because I’m enjoying it.

One monumental weekend of enjoyment I never got around to writing a post about was the Fall Break road trip I went on. I’m annoyed that I never got around to it, but all of the photos are on Facebook so family and friends at home could deduct how much of an INCREDIBLE time I had. But for the sake of writing it down and remembering it, here’s the lo-down of the trip.

A few of us couldn’t leave until late in the day because we had a mid-term that finished at 6:30pm on the day we were leaving. This meant we didn’t arrive at our first stop in Utah until pretty late. Bright and early the next morning, we set off for Monument Valley. Here, I saw some of the coolest natural sights there arguably is to see on Earth. I also obtained the memory of hanging out of a car window with three other people driving around the Valley, sun shining down on us, singing Elton John obnoxiously loudly. I will genuinely (or certainly hope I will) never forget that experience for as long as I live. It’s borderline embarrassing thinking about how cool we felt.

Bryan and Ashleigh feeling a lot cooler than they are

The next stop was the Antelope Canyon in Arizona. Without the tour guide, I’m not sure this sight would have been worth the $40 we paid for it, because without them, we wouldn’t know how to appreciate. It’s essentially a place to take really, really cool photographs, and the guide showed you where and how to take them. It reminded me of the cave in Little Mermaid where she hoards all her human clutter, only this place was clutter-free. From there, we stopped briefly to watch the sun set at the Horseshoe Bend. This sight was delightfully free and slightly overwhelming. We were (very) high up, and it was difficult to tell how far down the water was, let alone how deep it was. The sight itself was so enormous, no camera in our possession really did it justice. Still, we all tried our best.

Horseshoe Bend - maybe the most underrated but brilliant sights of the tip

 The next day, we headed to Zion National Park, Utah. It was beautiful, and what started as us driving through quickly to attempt the hiking trail turned into us stopping so many times along the way to take pictures and admire it, that we didn’t actually have time to hike. We weren’t too disappointed though, because from there, we began the drive to Las Vegas. Poor us.

I say this wholeheartedly: everybody in the world should get the opportunity to experience Vegas at least once. Half of us were under 21, but the group decided to stick together regardless, and we had a brilliant time. Some of the sights to see are incredible. The hotels are stunning. They have this way of making you feel very fancy, but at the same time, remind you of how woefully poor you are. One day, when I’m mysteriously rich, I’m going back and I’m staying at the Mandalay Bay hotel and I’m going to love it. I can hardly complain about the hotel we were at, though, which was Circus Circus. You couldn’t get bored there, that’s for sure. We had to tackle the strip in two halves, experiencing one half in the night with the mania and the lights, and the other in the day. It was no less manic, but everything seemed to make sense, as if we were seeing a behind the scenes of Night Time Las Vegas. We also rode the New York rollercoaster, which was fun, if a little rough (especially with a tiny little hangover).

Leaving Vegas almost a whole day later than planned, we drove to our motel in Flagstaff (two days after the university shooting there – scary stuff, I spoke to a Swansea Uni students there this year, all was okay if a little shaken) ready for the drive to the Grand Canyon the next day. The Grand Canyon was exactly what you’d expect it to be. Really, really, really big. It was so big, it was almost like an optical illusion. You have no idea which layer of rock is the bottom one when looking down. It really was breath-taking.

So all of that, followed by a very long drive back to Albuquerque in a car full of very tired students, concluded my Fall Break trip. At the risk of sounding cheesy, it was nothing less than unforgettable.

Flash forward a few weeks. The only real social event that’s happened since the trip is, of course, Halloween. I’d heard a lot of hype about American Halloween, it’s pretty well known that it’s a much bigger deal here than it is at home. Unfortunately, I didn’t really experience too much of it. I know there were plenty of parties and I’m told I missed some pretty good costumes but for a few reasons including lack of motivation/funds to buy an awesome costume, and me being a socially anxious so-and-so, I decided to stay on campus and spend it with the trusty bunch in my building. I’m slightly bothered by the fact I didn’t pull up my socks and go to a big party, but in honesty, I couldn’t have seen it going well for me.

I also attended my first drag show last night, which was an experience. It was basically a drag lip sync battle, but I rolled with it. It was very entertaining, I’ve got to give them that. It won’t be my last.

Okay, so this post essentially turned into a delayed Fall Break post with a few other things thrown in, but I feel like I needed to fill in the gaps. I can't see me having a great deal to share over the next few weeks other than my Thanksgiving experience - that should get its own post. 

Note to self - don't slack on this thing again. You'll want to read all of this back in a few years.

Giving Sports a Go

Anybody who knows me will know that I'm really don't have much time for any sport that isn't rugby. But when in Rome, I thought, I might as well give Roman sports a shot. But I'm not in Rome - I'm in America. So I went to see a baseball game and, of course, the Lobo's first football game of the season. Mixed reviews.

Isotopes Stadium

Two Sundays ago, I went to see the Albuquerque Isotopes play the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. It was the last game of the baseball season, so I figured I should go to at least one game while I had the chance. Now, I'll admit it - I didn't have particularly high hopes. Everyone I knew who had watched baseball before told me it was really boring. The premise of the game, after all, isn't the most exciting. Hit the ball, run around the bases, the end.  I have to say though, I actually really enjoyed it. It might have dragged on a little, but there was so much happening in the stadium between plays, it wasn't hard to keep yourself from feeling bored. I'll admit that I got a little distracted from the game towards the end, but I still enjoyed myself. Also, the Isotopes lost, but they did put on a fireworks display to make up for it. I am a sucker for a good fireworks display.

           

The following Saturday was the UNM Lobos first football game of the season against Mississippi Valley State. Luckily, we actually won this one, 66-0. Even though that's a pretty impressive win, I really don't have much to say about it. I'll be honest, we got a little caught up pre-game tradition (let's call it that, I'm not getting myself into trouble!) and actually ended up missing most of the first half. We also left early to get a head start on post-game tradition. So well done Lobos - sorry I didn't offer a little more school spirit! I've seen American football before, though, so I kind of knew what I was missing. 

Engaging in 'tradition' may or may not have hindered my ability to take as many photos as I'd have liked to, but here's a low quality snapchat picture of the Lobos stadium, and another of Ashleigh and I sporting the Lobos' colours.

Over the next few weeks, I'll actually get to enjoy my kind of sport now that the Rugby World Cup is almost upon us. Despite recent tragedies in the Welsh team (I don't want to talk about it), all three of us Welsh here at UNM plan to watch as many games as we time zones will let us together and hope for the best. You never know, Wales could surprise us.

One Week Down

Well, I've officially completed my first week of classes. It's different to the UK, I'll tell you that.

Before we arrived, we were warned that there was a lot of work. We were told that the work was easier than what's expected at home, but there's a lot of it. This is absolutely true. Five days of classes in and I'm already drowning in reading. I'm sure to somebody used to this kind of work load would look at the amount of reading I have and laugh at my stressing. But the fact of it is, it's so much more than what I'm used to.

Let's be honest - the study schedule of a typical British uni year is sitting tight in lectures, doing a bit of background reading for your seminars, then leaving the bulk of reading/cramming until the week of your essay or exam. It's not the right way to do it, but it's certainly the most popular. And there's absolutely no way you could get away with that over here. There's required reading for every class ad if you don't do it, you really do feel like an idiot as everybody jumps on each question the lecturer asks. Everybody is so involved with their studies here, it's quite inspiring. Daunting, but inspiring.Maybe that's because class participation is a chunk of your final grade, but whatever it is, it certainly works to get people involved.

To get on top of all this work, I've bought myself a little planner. I feel like I'm back at secondary school, but I honestly think that's the only way I'll remember to do it all. I'm just going to have to get used to doing a little bit of work every day. Luckily, I have quite large gaps in my time table, and I'm finished for the day by 10am on Mondays and Fridays. So I have the time to do the work, it's just getting the motivation to do it that's going to be the tricky part. Still, hopefully I'll get into the habit and bring it back to Swansea for my final year. What an optimistic hope.

And of course, with the end of my first week of classes came the first weekend of the semester. Not really sure what to do with ourselves, Ashleigh (the girl I came with from Swansea - we're easy to remember since there are two of us) Grace (our new Scottish friend) and I were invited to a fraternity house party, which turned out to be a pretty chilled evening that broke almost every stereotype I had in my head about frat boys. The vast majority of them were lovely guys. One of them? Not so great. But I'll talk about him another time. The rest of the weekend has been spent flicking between reading and procrastinating, with a few meals and a quick trip Uptown in between.

I have officially had my first Target trip which, I have to say, I was irrationally excited for. I wish I had more time and money to spend there this afternoon. I also wish I could take 99% of the homewear and ship it off to my bedroom at home. I wanted SO MUCH. I foresee many a Target trip this next ten months. I'll apologise to my bank account in advance.

So now that a little spell of procrastination is done, I suppose I'd better get back to reading. Hopefully I'll get used to it soon enough!

First Impressions

I've been at UNM for almost a whole week now, long enough to really establish a first impression on the location, people and general college life. I have to say, I'm really impressed. Considering UNM didn't have a place on my list of desired Year Abroad locations, I'm glad I was put here.

Having spoken to some locals, both staff, student and other, I've heard that Albuquerque isn't exactly a social hub of the U.S. For the people who live here, there isn't a great deal to do because, as they put it, 'we've done it all before'. But I don't think that will be the case for me. In the grand scheme of things, on the spectrum of eternity, 10 months really isn't a very long time. I'm confident that there'll be enough sights to see and people or places to visit to keep my occupied in my free time here. I already have my eye on a few possible trips and activities, so hopefully I'll get to do them all.

99% of the people I've encountered here have been great. Obviously, there's a problem with intimidating passers by, but isn't that a problem anywhere you go? Thus far, the good have outweighed the bad. Earlier in the week, I visited a great organisation called the ISI, which is a Christian organisation who help international students by providing short-term host families, free lunches for two weeks or so, and free second-hand furniture for those living in unfurnished apartments off campus. Whilst I was there, somebody kindly offered to take my friend and I to Walmart to pick up all the bits we needed, which was very much appreciated - thank you, Dillon!

Much like any new place, the campus itself has been a bit of a problem to get to grips with. It's huge, or at least a lot bigger than what I'm used to at Swansea. That, and all the buildings seem to look the same - big, square and brown. It's a lovely campus though, once you've figured how to get around.

The only real culture shock I've experienced so far is the food. Don't get me wrong, I'm hardly a health buff when it comes to food, I just crave vegetables out here. There really is only so many variations of burger (or something similar) and chips a person can find appealing. Especially when the portion sizes could feed a small family back home. Honestly, I'd kill for a Sunday roast, and it's only been two weeks since my last. The struggle is real on that one.

But over all, my first impressions have all been positive. I've definitely set out on the right foot to enjoy this year. So far, so good, UNM!

A Ticket For One: Travelling Alone

Without a doubt, the thing I dreaded most about the whole year abroad experience was the travelling. In my head, I'd built it up to be this absolute ordeal, in which I'd have at least four meltdowns. As it turns out, flying alone really isn't that bad. I wouldn't say it was enjoyable, but it certainly wasn't bad.

The first stop was Heathrow. Luckily, I had both parents and my little brother in tow, so the check in process (which, in my opinion, is the most stressful part of any airport experience) was pretty much done for me. I then had the hard part - the good byes. Some how, I managed to keep it together as all three of them shamelessly wept. Here's a tip - don't look back. Once you've said so long, don't turn around and look at them all weepy and hugging, because THAT will make you cry.

I didn't have a great deal of time to kill at Heathrow, which was fortunate for me as I really didn't have the money for all the make up I'd undoubtedly NEED to buy if I looked at it for long enough. I boarded fairly quickly and with minimal fuss, and I was away.

I flew with Delta for both the long-haul and the connection flight. I have to say, I really couldn't fault them. The crew were wonderful, the seats were pretty comfortable as economy flights go, the food was great (unless you hate cheese - So. Much. Cheese.), and the entertainment system was the best I've seen on a plane to date. There were a few technical issues with some film/tv show viewings, mine included, but there was a large selection of music to pick and choose from to make playlists. I was happy as Larry. I'd recommend Delta to anybody going to America for next year's year abroad, or for any other reason.

Atlanta Airport was probably the worst part of the journey. The airport itself, or what I experienced of it, didn't have the greatest of organisation. Of the 20+ kiosks at immigration, only three of them were occupied by staff, so the queue to get through was so much longer than it needed to be. Fortunately, flights were slightly delayed due to thunderstorms. If all had been on time, it would have been a tight squeeze to get to the gate for the next flight at a comfortable time. Fortunately, though, I made it.

Arriving at the university campus was slightly daunting. It was pitch black, and about 5am in my brain's time zone so I had no sense of orientation whatsoever, but I had a brilliant taxi driver who hunted a friendly face down to take me to where I needed to be.

All of that, all on my own, and not one single melt-down. A pat on the back well deserved, I'd say. I think the trick is honestly just to pretend you know what you're doing. Just pretend you're a sophisticated individual (even when you're really really not) on a well-planned and highly successful trip. That's what got me through, anyway!