Education Abroad Student Blog

Classes are almost over and a few of the European exchange students have already gone home. I have my last class on Monday which is a critique for Silkscreen Extended. I'll be silkscreening figures onto a cricket bat that my friend made in the wood studio. I've really enjoyed taking subjects that require me to use more traditional art techniques. It's been a nice change from sitting behind a computer and has given me many ideas for new media projects. [Read More]

Mid-semester exams are finished - finally! This past month has probably been the most hectic/stressful so far I guess having a fair bit of pressure on us over the exam period and all the project work piling up, but it certainly doesn't detract from the AWESOMENESS of being here!! There's still so much to do and not enough time in the day to do it, so time keeps flying by - before I know it I'll be reading blog entries from students going on exchange next semester...[Read More]

I can't believe that this trip is going by so fast. I realised that one month from now I'm going to be back in the United States working and trying to get myself back on track there. As much as I love Australia, I think one of the biggest lessons learned from studying abroad is how much you appreciate where you come from.

I think this is true no matter where you come from. You just know what is going on around you so much more when you're in your home. That being said, I'm truly going to miss Australia. But I guess I still have a month to enjoy it so I'll save the sadness of leaving Australia to when I actually leave the country next month.

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Hey guys, what's up people????

I hope everyone else is having the time of life on their exchange and if they are then I am going to be the envy of everyone because I just had my last exam and I am leaving Kelowna in few days :( , so it's basically time to say goodbye which is turning out to be worst part of exchange and now it's time for me also to do my packing and say good bye to all my friends but I am pumped up for my huge vacation in the US and the UK, so hopefully I will see every in August. WOOHOOOO!!!!![Read More]

This semester is passing by so quickly. I don't know if it's because I have so much work to do in such a short space of time or because I'm having so much fun!

Last week I was in Lapland on a trip organised by TaiK. We were joined by a group from the Sibelius Academy which is the only music university in Finland and one of the biggest music universities in Europe. It took 14 hours to get there by coach which was fine for me however the Europeans who aren't used to travelling more than three hours weren't so keen. We stayed in a fairly basic old lodge which which was heated by old wood stoves and had it's own sauna by the river.

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Time sure is going quickly here! I can't believe I'm nearly already into my fourth month and it's still getting better everyday. This last month has been really crazy with my travels growing, workload increasing, exams approaching, and bank account figure dropping rapidly.

Living on campus continues to pay for itself time and time again with all the fun we have, and I received a 'housing benefit' from the residence company that rented my apartment out to me which means they pay for half the rent each month - a much needed financial aid! Its ridiculous how easy it is to spend all your money so quickly over here so I strongly recommend to all you future exchange students to budget for how ever much you think you'll need and double it!

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Tom and I are both getting into the local sports scene here in Kuching. We went to see our home team, Sarawak play soccer against a West Malaysian team on Saturday night. The result was a 2-4 loss and the crowd was not happy! They became ripping the seats out of their foundations and throwing them on to the field. If the referee started made a call against the home side drinks and food would be thrown at the referee. At the end of the game these army guys brought out a temporary barricade for the players to walk though and surrounded it with riot police. [Read More]

Here time is deteriorating quite quickly. After spending a week at 40 degrees, we finally fall into the ruthless Melbourne autumn. Take the rain in Paris in March, multiply the force of wind, rain and frequent changes in temperature by 10 and you get the weather here. So, do you still envy me? : D

Last week, we had a week's holiday. We went to the Great Ocean Road, which is the road that runs along the west coast of the Bay of Melbourne. Last week, we had a week's holiday. We went to the Great Ocean Road, which is the road that runs along the west coast of the Bay of Melbourne. We rented a minibus, for twelve people, and we followed the coast all day on Sunday, stopping at Bells Beach, near Torquay, to watch the Surf competition...

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So what did I do on my break? Well, first let's start with before the break. After I settled back in from Tassie I did some research and booked some more trips. This time I booked a trip to Sydney to meet up with some friends studying at Sydney Uni. Which is exactly where I'm going next. Not only am I getting a wonderful glimpse of Melbourne and all the culture there is here, but I'm getting a wonderful view of the bush as well.

Ok, so maybe not the bush but definitely a town not even Australians have really heard of. The place is called Merimbula and the airport is about half the size of the one in Tassie ok. The thing is tiny. There's only one terminal. The only airline that flies out of it is REX. REX only flies to small nowhere places from bigger cities so when I say this place is remote, I'm serious, it's tiny... [Read More]

Since my last entry work at uni has become very busy. I've sat my Finnish oral and written exam, handed in a few assignments and started work on two larger projects. Before I was looking for extra subjects to take and now I'm looking for extra time.

Despite the increased work load I'm still making sure I do something 'touristy' each weekend. A few weeks ago Helsinki had a good covering of snow so four of us jumped on the bus, headed to Vantaa (an hour out of Helsinki), found a hill, built a jump and down we went.

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Hi Guys

Hope everyone is doing great at Uni and enjoyed your Easter holiday.

This month went pretty quick and I am just left with 3 more weeks of my school and then it will be time for exams. But trying to enjoy each and every moment I have.

Well now weather over here is at least getting pleasant. So I have been going around Okanagan valley with my friends and this is a beautiful place to see, full of beautiful sceneries and yes wineries.

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So now I've been here in frog kingdom for just under 2 months and everything feels like it's running at one hundred miles an hour! In short, I'm still having a ball and loving every minute - even the ever so challenging moments where I find myself sitting helplessly in the lecture seats of what seems to be a never-ending lecture theatre packed with Frenchies left, right and centre, scratching my head as to what 'le fruage' could possibly mean.

Eventually, however, I bring myself together and work up the courage to turn to the gorgeous French boy next to me and politely ask if he could please re-explain what the lecturer just said. Then success, finally.

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We have been in Kuching for over a month now and we are still having a lot of fun now we are settling in. We no longer sweat five litres of sweat an hour (down to about three), and the very same food that had us sprinting to the bathroom six weeks ago has become a pleasure to eat (and digest)...

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A lot has happened since my last post. Needless to say, it's been an amazing journey so far and I'm looking forward to what is coming up next.

Since the last time I wrote I've made some Australian friends. This also means not only did I make Australian friends, but I've also been exposed to Australian culture at its finest. I can't begin to explain how much fun Australians are and I don't understand why Americans aren't this much fun. Anyway, without getting into too many details, I've had many nights past 1am if you know what I mean!

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