On the 18th of August 2014 SQ306 landed at Heathrow Airport in London 160 days later SQ321 left Heathrow Airport on the 25 of January 2015. This is a video about those 160 days I spent living in the beautiful country that is the UK studying at the University of Dundee.
For more Information of University of Newcastle iLead and Study Abroad :
iLead - https://www.newcastle.edu.au/international/while-you-are-here/get-involved/international-leadership-development
Study Abroad - https://www.newcastle.edu.au/international/study-with-us/study-abroad-and-exchange/study-overseas
In less than 12 hours I'm on a plane back to Australia, and if I had to describe how I'm feeling it would have to be bittersweet. All this time people have been telling me that it will be hard to leave, but it will be amazing to go home. Yet in the cringe inducing words of the boy wizard himself "I'm not going home not really" despite all that 5 months of my life had jammed back into my suitcase which is now precariously close to the 30kg weight limit and I'm looking around a nearly empty hotel room getting ready to leave but it doesn't quite feel like I'm going home. Home is now stretched across multiple different countries at least 3 continents and a splattering of people across the globe who have made this experience what it was. So I'm not going home, but I am going back to the place where this all started, I'm catching the train I caught upon arriving in London 160 days ago in the opposite direction and I'm heading back the way I came.
And while I look forward to my own bed, and not having to cook for myself and my favourite burger place, I'm going to miss living with a bunch of my friends, and ordering dominos at like 1am and my favourite cafe. Someone asked me the other week if doing a study abroad was worth it, and to anyone who's reading this who might be considering it, yes, yes it is. These part 160 days have comprised of some of the happiest, saddest, most stressful and incredible moments of my life and I can still 100% say that its the best thing that I have ever done.
So for now I'm going to go, but like I'm not done with this blog yet as I now have a backlog of about a months worth of adventures that I still need to post about !
Tomorrow I leave Scotland - and on one hand I'm thrilled about it, the next great adventure spans 12 days, 12 days until I'm home, 12 days of seeing new places, experiencing new things until I get to return to the wonderful excitement that will be me sleeping for approximately 12 days straight.
Someone asked me today if it was worth it, if uprooting my entire life for 5 months and then re-uprooting it just when the little tree I am had started to grow in its new home. The answer is the same it was the day I left, the first time I cried because I felt home sick, the time I considered just coming home, the times I spent with friends and the time I spent alone. Yes, yes it was worth it, yes I would do it again, yes I would recommend that anyone do it as part of their university experience.
Choosing to study abroad is the best decision I have ever made, better than picking me degree, better than any other travel experience I have ever had. It had given me friends across the globe and some of the most amazing memories.
So thank you to everyone who has made my time here as amazing as it has been, and well I'm sure I will be back sometime Scotland, your not getting rid of me yet.
Wednesday while here in Dundee has meant swimming day, which means getting to hang out with this amazing bunch of people while we drag our body weight through the water a fast a possible.
For someone who was relatively scared about joining the swim team back in September I can 100% say it was the best decision I could have possibly made. Not only did it give me friends outside the internationals circle but it also gave me a ton of hilarious stories to regale at a later date. And between Stirling Sprints, Swim Socials, and the SU & Christmas Dinners there sure are a lot of them.
So I suppose thanks to anyone in the DUSWPC for making my semester here as wonderful it has been :)
100 days, that's how long its been since SIA306 landed at Heathrow airport at 8 in the morning with little old me aboard. So in honour of it being 100 days since I dragged myself through boarder control and across London with only a suitcase of belongings, here are 100 things I have seen, done and experienced since I arrived in the UK 100 Days ago !
Successfully located the terminal 3 tube station
Participated in the first Alyssa to Family Facetime home - In a stair well at Earls Court McDonalds
Saw the London Bridge
Visited the View from The Shard
Climbed one of the Trafalgar Square Lions
Saw Matilda the Musical
Accidentally rode too far on a barclays bike in London and got lost
Got a photo with the Harrods Bear (and the key chain to match)
Visited the Brighton Lanes
Stayed in a hotel that had a port hole for a bathroom window
Visited the Doctor Who Experience
Saw the Season 8 Premier in Cardiff
Had a Bath - While in Bath
Discovered the wonder that is 2 for 1 cocktail hour
Visited the Roman Baths
Experienced the wonder that is thermae baths
Got lost in Cambridge
Visited the Bridge of Sighs
Got lost, alone, in the forest
Survived getting lost in the forest and returned to where i was staying only slightly soaked by the rain
Visited Glasgow and saw the Duke of Wellington statue WITHOUT a cone on its head
Watched the end of summer fireworks at Edinburgh Castle from the top of a hill with the radio streaming through a phone
Visited Ikea
Purchased a large amount of things from ikea
Named my plant
Reenacted Chariots of Fire while taking photos on West Sands
Discovered the wonder that is Jennetta's
Spent a day on a lake
Move into halls for the first ( and probably only ) time.
Experienced the wonder ( and horror ) that is freshers week
Matriculated !
Masted the laundry room
Developed an addiction to Jammie Dodgers
Discovered that Oreo Dairymilk chocolate bars are still available in the UK
Saw Hodor from GOT play a DJ set
Discovered that I do fit inside the tiny window box in the kitchen
Joined the Swim Team
Discovered the wonder that is ASDA home delivery
Mastered the art of catching the bus to St A's
Learnt that i do not enjoy boats
Visited the Isle of May
Had Fish and Chips at that shop in Anstruther
Discovered that Headphone discos in carparks are really fun
Found out I am surprisingly not terrible at beer pong
Developed a vendetta against Dundee Dominos
Owned a potato that was almost the size of my head
Discovered i can leave 5 minutes before any class starts and still make it
Realised that above conclusion was incorrect - Psychology labs take an 8 minutes walk
Successfully completed student night at "Overgate" in 20 minutes
Organised a Canadian Thanksgiving with the Canadian flat mates
Tried pumpkin pie for the first time at Canadian Thanksgiving
Entered food coma from said pie and many other pies
Entered a higher plane of exhaustion after thanksgiving
Re-Learnt to knit
Knitted myself an awesome scarf
Mastered the art of cooking for one
Visited the Farmers Markets
Discovered that swim socials are the best type of nights out
Sold my soul to the cocktails at the union
Attended Raisin
Was mentally scared by Raisin
Ate really good indian food after consuming much alcohol during raisin
Visited Aberdeen
Survived a hurricane in Aberdeen
Also got lost during said hurricane in Aberdeen
Went to Edinburgh
Tried to get on the wrong plane how from Edinburgh
Decided Autumn is actually super pretty in a country where the leaves actually fall off the tree
Discovered that owning a car just makes going to the movies easier
Bought new Doc Martens
Discovered that having the flu when you're not at home is quite annoying
Carved my first ever pumpkin
Discovered that pumpkin guts feels really gross
Dressed up for halloween for the first time ever
Discovered the wonder of food on four
Climbed up the Law
Went to Stirling for fixtures
Experienced bonfire night
Got my first sports team photo in like ever
Won snakes and ladders at game night
Lost words with friends
Went to Stirling again
Attended Stirling Sprints
Dressed up as a ( purple ) minion from despicable me to go clubbing
Finally visited Folk Cafe - food was a good as I had heard
Went to the library before 8am to finish as essay
Got dressed up all nice and pretty for the Sports Union Dinner
Didn't break a limb while Ceilidh Dancing
Successfully wore heels for 7 hours straight
Locked myself in my room to finish an assignment
Baked cupcakes from scratch in a poorly equipped kitchen
Went to see Mockingjay Part 1 with a Canadian and a Finn
Saw sunshine for possibly the first time in months
Got lobster socks
Purchased gloves because I enjoy having feeling in my hands
Went to Glasgow
Saw the Duke of Wellington statue with the traffic cone on
Went to Zoella's Book signing
Read said book in under 2 hours
Had way too much fun, made many friends and will be going home with more memories than I can count
This week has been a swimming week like lots of it, really.
I have my first ( and only ) big-ish scottish student sport event today, and I'm like sick to the stomach about it - I did however make myself an amazing looking lunch
I have started calling butternut pumpkin butternut squash, this needs to be rectified immediately
Last night I won at snakes and ladders and failed at words with friends. I did however have way to much fun playing them so thats what really matters.
I have about 5 trillion things due next week ( okay its only 3 ) but I also have a birthday get together to attend and sports ball ( goodbye sleep see you later)
Its almost a month until semesters is over and I am not ready and by not ready I mean I am not okay with going home but I am 100% on board with exams being finished
Carving my first pumpkin - it just as messy as expected but took way longer than I thought it would.
Erica (shadow hunter), Kym (Merida) and Myself (creepy doll) prior to the halloween party)
Myself and my flatmates Heather and Jess ( Danny and Sandy from Grease)
My most prized ( and now rotting in a garbage bin ) possession - my pumpkin this little guy took like 3 hours to carve because I kept adding things.
Kym, Jess and Myself at Frankensteins Flashback on Floor 5 of the DUSA
All is All halloween was a blast, many songs where sung dramatically, people lost years of their life from mini heart attacks and micro naps where taken in chairs in the corner.
As far as university traditions go St Andrews runs rings around the rest of the field. With Red Gowns, Academic Families, May dip and the famous Raisin Monday Foam Fight I can't think of a single university world wide that can match that ( like the most exciting this my home university does is a go kart race across campus during the drunken antics that is autonomy day).
Needless to day when my favourite St Andrews resident invited me to come down for a little but of raisin weekend fun I said yes. like immediately.
Now if like myself not too long ago your knowledge of raisin weekend can be summed up in the shrug of a shoulders then here is a mighty quick ( and probably inaccurate ) guide.
During your first couple of months in St A's the goal in life is to be 'adopted' by some of the older students these will be your 'academic parents' and there sole aim is to introduce you to St A's and guide you through the drunken antics that is raisin weekend.
Raisin Sunday : Go to your mums from 'morning tea and games' ( read as alcohol and drinking games) with your academic family. Then follow that on with either a flat or pub crawl with your academic siblings with your academic fathers family
Raisin Monday : The famous foam fight is Sally's Quad during which you must wear your raisin costume designed by your academic mum.
now that that has all be over simplified.
Raisin Sunday for me began with the bus trip from Dundee and then a shot before the time of 11am because I may not have realised that the "don't be early don't be late" on the invitation also referred to out of town visitors. The next two hours consisted of ice breakers, drinking games and the most disgusting game of twister I have ever played ( its was paint and canned food and sometimes I swear I can still feel canned tomato's in between my toes sometimes) the party games where over and it was onto the scavenger hunt portion of the afternoon.
me post twister - pre having paint and mushy peas smeared all over me
As with all scavenger hunts that include some level of intoxication the items on the list where ridiculous and many. For the sake of plausible deniability I will not be sharing the photos with you however I will share a couple of a favourite tasks.
Maypole dance around the pole at the end of the pier
Take a photo of your entire team on a slippery dip
Propose to a cat
Do the Can Can up the main road
The day finally ended with watching easy a, taking a nap and acquiring indian before I took the bus back home. No other words can really be used to describe raisin other than an experience I laughed to much, face palmed a few to many times, witnessed things I would rather forget, and made memories I never will - all without actually being a St A's student so good job there me.
My Lovely little academic siblings, parent, aunt and cousins prior to the scavenger hunt.
