My first (and last) all-nighter

/ Elspeth Dale / Leave a comment

To begin with I struggled a little to adjust to the workload both of second year and the university system at Binghamton. One night I made the stupid mistake of leaving one of my coursework assignments until the evening before it was due in. After starting work on it at 6pm, at 1am I was only two paragraphs in and having a complete panic. I didn’t think I could do it a. well enough or b. in time for the morning. Luckily I turned to my friends for help because if I hadn’t I would probably still be sitting there trying and failing to finish it. So here is my advice if you find yourself in a similar situation, or even if you are just finding something difficult to cope with while you’re on your year abroad: turn to someone who understands what you are going through.

A pile of library books stacked high

The first person I spoke to was my friend Madi, who is also studying abroad in the USA this year. She tried to boost my confidence and also recommended I take myself away from the situation and calm down. So next I messaged my friends from the exchange programme at Binghamton who were also adjusting to a different education system. I was invited to their flat to take a time out, watch TV for an hour and clear my head about my essay. One of them also suggested I sit down and just write without redrafting anything or worrying whether what I wrote was halfway decent. This really helped me when I returned to my work which I didn’t finish until ridiculous o’clock allowing me less than two hours sleep before my first class. What I took from this is that it is really important to establish a support system whilst you’re abroad. Making friends with other students on the exchange programme at your foreign university can be really beneficial. Secondly, I learnt not to do as the locals do i.e. DON’T leave the work right until the last minute and DON’T pull all-nighters; despite my grade turning out fine in the end, the stress and anxiety were definitely not worth it. With the increased work load it is more important than ever to organise your time. I personally rely on making lists and writing in my student planner. I make sure it I always up to date with what work is due in when so I can’t miss anything but you have to figure out what works best for you.

Highlights of Semester one

/ Dan Jones

For me personally, the highlights of my first semester were meeting so many interesting people from around the world, getting to see some wonderful places such as Niagara Falls, Algonquin Park and Montreal and finally just having the opportunity to experience such a different culture. Engaging with a completely new sporting culture was a highlight for me and I was able to learn about sports such as Ice Hockey which I previously knew very little about.

I spent a lot of time with other exchange students which helped me feel at home and adapt to Canadian life. I was lucky enough to have countless opportunities to get involved with lots of really cool events alongside other exchange students, whether it be a camping trip to Algonquin Park, a Jazz concert, an ice hockey game or a weekend trip to Montreal, the social group made everything even more enjoyable.

Image of Toronto City

I certainly loved my semester in Toronto and cannot wait to return after Christmas! All these great experiences overshadowed the initial struggle of adapting to a new culture and made it a really enjoyable experience. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to study abroad and I think it is a great thing for students to do. However it is great to be back to see my family for Christmas and I look forward to this break but I also very much look forward to flying back to Toronto for my second semester!

Campus life

/ Dan Jones

The university itself is situated in the city on a unique campus with lots of traditional architecture and a huge library with over 13 floors. It is a massive campus which is not surprising when you consider the fact that U of T has over 80,000 students. As the university is divided up into colleges, many have their own smaller libraries, which I often used for studying since they were nice and quiet.

I was initially surprised with the university’s lack of interest in sport as I assumed being a university of 80,000 students that the sport culture would be really alive and vibrant.  For sure there are football clubs, a boxing club which I joined and gym classes available to students but I must admit it wasn’t quite as I had expected. Perhaps this is because U of T is such a heavily academic institution. Nevertheless there are still plenty of opportunities to join clubs, I played for the exchange student football team and joining the boxing club allowed me to meet lots of new people. Clubs and societies are one of the best ways of meeting people and I am glad that I managed to get involved. This semester I am hoping to try out some new activities. I joined the Ski club in December and this semester I will be heading to Quebec with them on a 4 day skiing trip during reading week which I am really excited for!

Campus Life Toronto

Back at Lancaster I really enjoyed going to the gym and luckily for me there are three different gyms on U of T’s campus which are all great to work out in as a break from studying; I tend to go to the athletic centre because it is nearest to the majority of my classes. However there is the Hart House gym which is located in a very old, traditional building near University College which seems quite bizarre at first but is really cool. The other gym is next to the Varsity Centre which I haven’t yet tried but it looks very nice and modern.

No doubt, the workload in Toronto is more than what I was used to dealing with at Lancaster and there were a few times when it was difficult to balance work with my social life, particularly towards the end of the semester with finals. However there is certainly time to have fun and it’s really important to try and find a good balance. The way that my modules were split up into midterms in October and finals in December was good since I was learning continuously as opposed to just cramming for finals (like was often the case at Lancaster). Well, that is my positive way of looking at it!

Toronto

/ Dan Jones

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in Toronto so far and the city itself is great. It has a good transport system that allows you to get around the city easily. This was particularly helpful for me since I had to commute to the Scarborough campus for one module once a week. I noticed some of the other exchange students saying it was expensive but you pay per trip so when I went to the Scarborough campus it was $3 there and $3 back which for a journey that was slightly over an hour I thought was really cheap. You can also get a TTC (Toronto Transit Communication) pass which gives you access to the subway, streetcars and buses in the Greater Toronto Area for about $110 a month. They all run really regularly from Monday to Saturday from 6am to 1:30am but Sundays are slightly shorter hours. However I just payed per trip since I walk to university and didn’t think I would get good value out of the pass.

In Toronto there are the popular and iconic attractions such as the CN tower, The Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto Islands and Casa Loma which are all really cool and definitely worth visiting. But there are also lots of really cool areas within the city like Little Italy, Chinatown, St Lawrence Market, The Distillery District and Kensington Market some of which I am yet to visit. The food in Toronto is amazing and there are hundreds of fantastic restaurants to enjoy, any kind of food you want, name it and there are restaurants serving it here. This diversity is reflective of the wider culture of Toronto; it is a city where cultural and even linguistic diversity are the norm, which is completely new to me but is one of the things that makes Toronto great. In the city there are countless bars and cafes that are perfect to chill out in and talk to friends, Kensington Market is one of my favourites as it has a number of really nice and trendy bars. On nights out I tend to go to bars for drinks with my friends but for those who prefer clubbing there are plenty of clubs downtown.
An image of Toronto city taken by Dan Jones

One of my favourite things about Toronto is simply the fact that there is always stuff happening downtown and I found that by keeping up to date with both the exchange student Facebook Page and other Toronto based websites I was able to learn about lots of upcoming events in the city. In September there was the Toronto Film Festival which I was able to experience and in October there was the renowned Nuit Blanche, a unique and very popular Art Festival in Toronto which was really interesting. There were also unique exhibitions at the Royal Ontario Museum that were very intriguing such as a historical exhibition on Pompeii which I regrettably missed out on. Overall Toronto is a fantastic city with endless places to visit, countless events to attend and unlimited supplies of amazing food! The city lifestyle is completely new to me and was one of the main reasons I chose to study in Toronto and it is a decision I definitely do not regret.

Arriving in Toronto

/ Dan Jones

I arrived in Toronto in late August and was very nervous but excited before my arrival since it was my first time travelling abroad on my own and the first time I would be living in a foreign country.

The first few days in Toronto were challenging, since the accommodation I was staying in was not yet ready for ‘move-in’s’ so I spent the first few weeks hopping from hotel to hotel. Although this was difficult since it meant I could not settle down and meet everyone I would be living with, it was also quite a fun experience as I met lots of cool people in the hotels. Similar to first year, I initially had some negative feelings and felt quite homesick during the first few weeks in Toronto, but as I had learned from first year as long as I got involved and made an effort to speak to people and engage with them, I knew I would begin to relax and enjoy myself more. I kept involved in the CIE’s (Centre of International Experience) activities, meeting lots of interesting people and immediately started to feel more comfortable.

An image of Sears Tower in Toronto by Dan Jones

The CIE at Toronto was very good upon arrival and they organised numerous activities and meet-ups for all the exchange students. Our first trip was to Niagara Falls which was an amazing experience and one that I am glad I had the opportunity to see. Also later that month we went to Algonquin Park for a weekend camping trip which was fantastic. Algonquin Park is a beautiful provincial park in Ontario and was an amazing experience. We went hiking, swimming and canoeing which were all great fun and I met lots of really nice people that I would go on to spend more time with.

I remember at the study abroad meeting the head organisers were saying that the year abroad is not a holiday and that you are essentially there to work. This does obviously have elements of truth to it for sure, but to not take advantage of these activities would, for me, defeat the object of studying abroad. My older brother said to me before I set off to try be a ‘yes man’ as much as possible. Meaning that he wanted me to say yes to all opportunities that were presented to me. At times this was obviously not possible due to things like finals and midterms but I tried my best throughout the semester to stay active and involved and it definitely helped me get the most out of the first semester!

Getting involved

/ Dan Jones

For me one of the most rewarding parts of the study abroad experience so far is having so many opportunities to speak to people from different countries and completely different cultures. Never before have I had such a great opportunity to engage with people from so many different places, this is certainly one of the best things about studying abroad. I have spoken to Danish students, Spanish students, Swedish students, French students, German students and last but not least, Canadians.

I am a person who has always loved watching and playing sport, in England this has primarily involved Cricket, Football, Tennis and Boxing. In Toronto it has been really refreshing to experience a completely different sporting culture. I was lucky enough to go and see Toronto’s basketball team, The Toronto Raptors play against The New York Knicks. This was great fun and as an added bonus we were able to watch Carmelo Anthony play, a very highly rated American NBA player.

A picture from the audience watching a basketball game in Canada

I also went to watch Toronto’s baseball team, The Toronto Blue Jays play at The Rogers Centre. Although they lost I was really happy to watch my first baseball match and the throwing and fielding was amazing to watch. The Blue Jays also got into the playoffs for the first time in over 20 years so watching them on TV was fantastic and the excitement in the city was palpable and infectious, people were even watching the post-season games in lectures. Ice Hockey is also really popular here and I had great fun watching U of T’s first team play. At some point I would like to go watch The Maple Leafs, Toronto’s Ice Hockey team play. Overall this change of culture was great because I learnt lots about sports I previously knew very little about such as Baseball and Ice Hockey. One other popular activity in Toronto is ice skating and there are a number of places in the city where you can try it such as Nathan Phillips Square and downtown by The Harbour Front. Unfortunately I did not manage to go before leaving for Christmas but I look forward to giving it a go when I come back in January!

An image from the viewpoint of an audience member watching a baseball game.

The exchange student page on Facebook is really helpful and there is always posts from other exchange students regarding events and interesting things to do in Toronto. I found this very helpful because it informed me of countless opportunities to meet up and socialize with other exchange students which I took full advantage of. With all these events going on I was busy the majority of the time which was great as I was never bored or lonely. The Facebook page alerted me of an Exchange Student Soccer Team which I joined and had great fun playing in. Social media also informed me of Nuit Blanche, a hugely popular yearly art festival in downtown Toronto which I was lucky enough to experience with lots of other exchange students.

The 101 survival guide of being an exchange student – part 3

/ Laura Bingham

3) Don’t be afraid to be a tourist, get travelling. One of the most difficult challenges you’ll face as a study abroad student is the fine line between seeing the country you’re living in and getting good second year grades. During ‘Reading Week’ I did no reading at all as the name suggests and got the Greyhound all the way to Vancouver. I spent the week soaking up some rays and sightseeing. I don’t regret anything and ended up doing just fine. As soon as I got back I was straight in again with my work. Some weekends I really wanted to go travelling but remember you have time either before term starts or afterwards to go and cross some landmarks off your list.

Image of Vancouver

4) Take modules that you usually wouldn’t get the opportunity too. My study abroad advisor suggested this to me. As long as you’ve matched up the core modules that you’ll be doing in Lancaster then there isn’t much of a problem if you want to do a few wild and wacky ones. I did the whole geography of Canada so now I’m some sort of expert! It was really good to take modules offered by another university as much as the content that I did was focused on Canada and other North American cities specifically, so I found it really interesting to learn about the region I was living in. Nerdy I know.

5) Get a little part-time job. It’s the best way to meet new people and as a study abroad student it’s much easier to get a job on campus because most visas allow this rather than having to apply to work off campus and left waiting. I worked at two little Starbucks stores on campus. Nearly all of my colleagues were students so we had a great laugh taking the mic out of each other’s accents. They didn’t know what I meant by ‘rubbish’ and apparently I was saying ‘mocha’ wrong. I got discount off drinks and a guaranteed laugh. Those extra Canadian dollars also helped to fund my travelling!

Image of Laura working inStarbucks

6) Date an ice hockey player! This last tip is a joke. However I did date an ice hockey player during my time in Canada (hehe). If you don’t get the opportunity to date one (not that you’d want too, they embarrass you beyond words when they take you on a date ice skating), then attending ice hockey games is just as fun. The fans from both teams actually mix together and you can get unlimited hot dogs and beer. Watch out for the ‘dome beer’ though at the Saddledome, that stuff is lethal and you’ll be drunk after just one sip! The atmosphere is amazing at the hockey games and I know the Canadian National Anthem off by heart now. “Oh Canada…”

I hope that this mini guide has helped any of you considering doing a year abroad or are already down to do a year abroad, you lucky sods! I’m green with envy and I’ve only been back for a few months now.  If you want know any more then you’ll probably find me in Bowland bar, although as a third year student I should now be in the library until the early hours of the morning with my duvet and 5 empty cans of Relentless. I know that this sounds cheesy but follow your dreams and make the most of every minute during your year abroad.

Try to do things in moderation! “Work hard but play harder”, that’s something that they told me in Canada. If you do go to the University of Calgary though please be prepared for the fire alarms going off in residents. You’ll find yourself walking  to the dining centre, wrapped up in a blanket at 5am as they decide to do a fire drill. That’s the only downside of my whole trip!

The 101 survival guide of being an exchange student – part 2

/ Laura Bingham

So a little about the logistics! When it came to selecting my host university I only wanted to attend a Canadian university, all the US universities were crossed straight off my list, not because I dislike the US but because I’m a true Canadian at heart, get me some skis, a pint of Molsons Canadian and I’ll happily get up to some Canadian mischief!

I set about ranking the Canadian universities with exchange student places and was eventually told that I had a conditional place at the University of Calgary. So it was decided, I was going to Cowboy Country! In your first year at Lancaster you’ve got to get a minimum of a 2:1 to be able to study abroad. Getting an email confirming my first year results was the best feeling, especially as I was in Belin at the time.

Before I went away the prospect of taking 9 months worth of stuff in a single suitcase (I didn’t want to pay extra for another one because I’m tight), being away from my Mum and my friends as well as being in a ‘foreign’ country seemed very daunting. However, as soon as I started my journey to Calgary I couldn’t sit still, I was so excited I just wanted to get there. I found myself settling in straight away. I honestly had the best time of my life, so I’ve created a 101 survival guide on studying abroad so you can make the most of every opportunity like I did and things that I learned from my experience.

1) Attend all the events during O-week. O-week is our equivalent to Freshers’ Week. Here you’ll meet many freshers but you’re guaranteed to meet many other study abroad students just like yourself. You’ll find that the people that you meet in your first week will be your friends for life. Now I’ve got contacts all of the world, I have places to stay not just in Canada but in the Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the list goes on. It’s often these other exchange students that’ll want to do all of the touristy stuff with you such as go up the Calgary Tower that Canadian’s have probably done 1,000x before and find boring.

Laura dressed as a banana during O-Week

2) Get in with the locals. Whilst I was in Canada they had two Thanksgiving dinners. I had nowhere to go, it wasn’t like I could fly home for an extravagant Sunday dinner. So I resorted to making friends with Canadians. It wasn’t difficult at all, I just spoke to people in my classes and I soon had a whole group of Canadian friends. Honestly they were so hospitable and warm, my friend’s Mum invited me around on numerous occasions when she’d made too much dinner!  What? I know that I should like a vulture but I’m a student that normally lives off baked beans after all!

Laura's image of Thanksgiving dinner

Please see ‘The 101 survival guide of being an exchange student – part 3’ to find out the other must-do’s!

The 101 survival guide of being an exchange student – part 1

/ Laura Bingham

Sitting in the computer room at sixth form I was approached by my tutor who was delivering a thrilling lesson on how to apply to university. I think that he must have seen my forehead crinkling slightly as I stared blankly at the UCAS website. The problem was that I had no idea whether I wanted to go to university or not! When I told him this, well that was it, he started to lecture me on how intelligent I was and that it would be a shame to throw away all that talent, after all I was expected to get solid A grades… But still the uncertainty…

I began to look anyway, I copied what my boyfriend at the time was doing, ordering the same prospectuses as him (Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews… mmm yeah I wasn’t quite sure if those places were for me and that I’d even get in, I mean getting asked to describe an egg in your admissions interview, what the hell?!) and trailing my way through the different types of geography degrees offered.

Finally a prospectus from Lancaster University was delivered through my letter box, definitely not to be frowned upon. I opened up the prospectus and to my amazement there was a three year course which involved a year studying abroad in North America. Seeing this degree was such a relief to me, I knew at once that it was what I wanted to do. Having always had the travel bug and liking Canada so much after my first ever visit I thought why not?! I guess that you shouldn’t be as spontaneous in picking your degree like that but why would I want to spend three years in one place, especially Lancaster, yes they have a castle and a cathedral but still, it isn’t for me and it rains ALL OF THE TIME… Anyway, I’m a jet setter and couldn’t wait to set off!

Early Travelling

/ Laura Bingham

Visiting the Rockies is the most beautiful place that I have ever been!

Currently I have been lucky enough to visit Banff National Park twice! During those times I have been to five lakes: Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, Mirror Lake, Lake Taylor and Lake O’Brien. I cannot describe to you how phenomenal the Rockies are. They lie about an hour and a half away from Calgary depending on where you are going. Approaching them for the first time made my friend cry and also took my breath away! Seen as I cannot describe the beauty of the Rockies you simply need to go and see it for yourself. The best way to see them in my opinion is through joining the Outdoor Adventurers Society, a society on campus that bands together and drives you to your destination for a small fee. We went on hikes together through the wilderness and it was the perfect opportunities to get to know people, soak up the Canadian landscape and get some fresh air.

Image of Lake Louise

Lake Louise

Image of Mirror Lake

Mirror Lake

Image of Moraine Lake in the Candian rockies

Moraine Lake

I could talk about so much more, trying to fit a months’ worth of adventurers into this one blog update is proving to be impossible! I do not write this blog to make you jealous but to inspire you to come and visit Alberta. From my experience so far Canada is an amazing country with so much to offer! I have got the feeling that I am never going to get bored here and I will be sad to leave next year. Therefore, I’m going to make the most of every minute that I spend in Calgary. I have also got a trip planned to visit Vancouver during the term’s reading week. You can get a coach service called the Greyhound from Calgary to Vancouver quite cheaply, the only problem is you will be on a coach for over 10 hours, but I am hoping it will be worth it.

I hope that you enjoyed my blog this time round.

Bye for now,

Laura x