Two days ago, everyone finished with final papers and projects at the Center. It is crazy how fast time has gone this semester. I know I speak for everyone when I say that it flew by much faster than we would have liked. Since I have been here longer than most people who do this program, I think it will be that much harder to say goodbye. For my final post, I just wanted to share a few thoughts and things I’ve learned while Studying Abroad.

The world is much bigger now. I have travelled to other countries before coming here, but that was nothing compared to living in another culture. I figured out how to travel on my own, and navigate a completely different culture on my own, and for that reason, I will never look at the world the same way anymore. I am no longer a part of a small, American bubble; I have international eyes.

It’s okay to not go it alone. I am a very independent person. I don’t mind going places on my own, and being on my own. Sometimes I function better that way. But I could not have done this without the people that I have had the honor of meeting this semester. They have taught me that I don’t always have to be alone, and that building relationships with them and making them my family is just as important as the things I’m doing and seeing.

Take the jump. I take risks all the time. I wasn’t afraid of spending a year in another country, away from my family and friends and my home. I knew that this place was going to be my home, and I was okay with that. But I have also learned that if I have ever had to make a decision about taking a day trip or staying home, going out or staying in, making friends or staying away, you take the jump. Do the things you might not want to do, and you might find something incredible. It’s worth the risk.

It’s okay to do things for you. One of the things that I am best at is taking care of other people. If you need help, you can bet that I’ll be there, and if you need me, I’m here for you. When you spend so much time taking care of other people, sometimes you forget to do things for yourself. This experience abroad has been all about doing things for me, and while that took a lot of getting used to, it was the best thing that ever could have happened to me. I got to know myself, who I am, and who I want to be so much better, just living here. It’s an eye-opening thing, and I am so grateful to have had that opportunity.

Goodbye is not forever. One of my housemates has said to me, “Turn what you love about this place, and make it your reason to come back.” Living here for a year, and not wanting to go home at all, it’s hard to hear someone say that, because it doesn’t help me feel better about leaving. But what he said was true, and it’s important to remember, because this doesn’t have to be the end. This place is your home; it leaves an impression on you, takes a piece of your heart. I know that I will be back, and that I have all these memories to hold onto. Saying goodbye to this experience doesn’t mean that this is where it ends; I will come back home.

It’s been an amazing year, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. I appreciate the opportunities I have had while I’ve been here, and I look forward to the next chapter in my life as this one closes. Thank you all for reading.

Stephanie

Last weekend, six of us travelled to Scandinavia to see fjords in Norway. When we came abroad and someone told us that we would have the chance to go any place in Scandinavia, we probably wouldn’t have believed them. And looking back on it, I am so glad that we went. It was one of the coolest and most unique trips I’ve ever been on.

We flew into Oslo on Thursday night, and on Friday morning, took a train across the country to Bergen. We wanted to see fjords and there are a lot of fjords in Bergen. The train was six and a half hours long, but it didn’t seem that long because we had gorgeous scenery the entire way. A lot of the way through, we saw many little mountain towns. But when we really got up into the mountains, all the trees disappeared and we found ourselves in a frozen tundra where everyone travelled either by skis or by snowmobile. It was a beautiful ride, and didn’t feel long at all.

Bergen was an amazing city. We got there in the afternoon, and took a tram up a mountain to a scenic overlook over the entire city. We wandered around the mountain on trails until sunset, where we watched the sun go down over the fjord and the city. It was a gorgeous sunset. For dinner, I had the BEST fish soup I’ve ever tasted. It was INCREDIBLE, and a wonderful way to end the evening.

We spent Saturday in Bergen before training back to Oslo. We walked along through an old castle in Bergen, and walked up to the top of what looked like it may have been the remnants of the castle keep. It had a great view of Bergen, and we spent an hour up there, taking pictures. After that, we wandered around the town before our train left, and all bought hats to let everyone around us know that we were tourists. But they’re really warm and will keep us very happy in the frigid Valpo winters.

Our last day was spent in Oslo. We walked to a castle that was built in the 1700s. Most of the buildings weren’t open, but the grounds were open, and we got to climb on top of the walls and walk around them. We also got to see a woman riding her horse around the grounds for awhile.

We were all so sad to leave, because it was such a beautiful place. We were very lucky to have good weather the entire trip, and it was amazing to see a country that not many people think to go to, and where the culture is so incredibly different from our own.

While everyone has been off galavanting over Spain and Italy during first break, Jessica and I have been taking several small trips around England. Our first stop was last week in Dover, and our next trip was to Windsor and Eton to see Windsor Castle.

Before we left, we checked online ahead of time just to make sure that it was open, because we didn’t want to have a repeat of our Dover trip where we arrived and found the castle closed. Luckily for us, the castle was open and we hopped onto four different trains to Windsor. The castle is very cool because on the outside, it looks old and very medieval, but on the inside, it has been renovated and decorated.

During the winter months, the State Rooms are often open to the public. We got to wander through all of the State rooms, which were very interesting. St. George’s Hall had hundreds of family crests covering in the walls and the ceiling. The stairway entering into the rooms was covered in a great display of antiquated swords, guns and other weapons, showing off the power of England to all who come to visit. My favorite room was one decorated in red (my favorite color) and gold, with an entire wall of windows that overlooked the gardens outside.

We also got to see Queen Mary’s dollhouse. This dollhouse is absolutely amazing. It was built to reflect the culture and fashion of the times, and was incredibly elaborate. They said that all of the golden plates in the dining room were made of real gold, and the Crown Jewels were actually small jewels. If I had a dollhouse like that, I could have played with that dollhouse for hours.

Because we went on a Sunday, St. George’s Chapel was not opened to the public, as they were holding services all day. We did get to see the outside of it, and the rest of the outside of the castle as the sun was going down. It was very pretty.

We had a great time traveling down to Windsor, but were very happy to take a few days for a break before our next day trip adventure. Coming up next is our trip to York!

Part of the reason I wanted to study abroad for an entire year was so that I could completely immerse myself into English culture. One aspect of that culture is the education system. When you study at the Study Center, you take classes at the center with a variety of different professors. There is, however, the option to take an English or History course at the local community college, Anglia Ruskin University. This is something that I have chosen to do both of the semesters that I have studied here, and I am very glad that I have.

Taking classes at Anglia Ruskin gives you the opportunity to see what school is like in a different country. For my English classes, in general, we meet only once a week for two hours. The professors (or tutors, as they call them here) are laid back. Your final grade is determined completely by your final paper, project, or exam. This means that all reading, learning, and writing, is up to the student. It’s a very different style than the ones that I am used to at Valpo, and a welcome change of pace.

Being at the Study Center is great. It’s nice to know everyone, and REALLY nice to only have to walk across the house to go to class. But sometimes, I miss the feeling of being on a college campus. I miss passing people trekking across the lawns and waving to them, and I miss being a part of a larger community. Taking classes at Anglia really has helped me to feel more at home and like I’m still in college. I get to walk to classrooms, and sit behind an actual desk or table, and learn in an actual classroom instead of a room in a house.

Taking a class at Anglia Ruskin also allows you to make new friends, ones that you may not have otherwise made in Cambridge. Being friends with people that are familiar with the English culture is really interesting and enlightening, because they have a lot of different perspectives on life. This can also be said for the professors at Anglia Ruskin. Oftentimes, they have assumptions about America and Americans that you may have never thought of before, and it makes you think a little differently.

I would absolutely recommend taking a class at Anglia Ruskin if you were to stay at the Cambridge Study Center. It is a great way to immerse yourself in a different culture and get to know new people, and I am very grateful to have the opportunity to do so. And, if nothing else, it gives me the chance to walk through the town early in the morning and watch the snow fall on the River Cam, which always makes for a good day.

Snow on the way to class

Snow in the park on the way to Anglia Ruskin

When you go abroad, everyone will tell you to travel as much as you can and see as many things as you can, because you never know when you’re going to get another opportunity like this. Meeting new people and seeing new places helps you grow as an individual, and gives you a completely new perspective of the world. While I agree that these things are essential to a Study Abroad experience, I would also argue that it is also incredibly important to create a community with the people you are studying with. Creating a community with the other Valpo students with me has really made my study abroad experience that much more fun.

This weekend was an example of this. After everyone went to Scotland last weekend, we all decided that this weekend was going to be a stay-at-home weekend with fun activities planned for each day. Friday was the first day of the weekend, which we called “Baking Day.” As you may have already guessed, Friday contained a lot of baking. In total, we had two kinds of cookies, two kinds of cake, one bread, and one Rice Krispie treat batch, with some Baked Alaska still to come. Everyone had a blast making our favorite treats, and no one complained about having more sweets in the house.

Emily Pauline, Jessica Kok, Sarah Pruitt, and Emily Meredyk on “Baking Day”

Saturday was “Game Day,” and the director Matt Ringenberg came over with all kinds of games for us to play together for the afternoon. Half of the group played some kind of game with trains and a board, while the rest of us played Carcassonne. For those who haven’t played it before, it’s basically a game of building cities in a medieval kind of setting. It was very fun, and I had a great time figuring out how to build a town.

Another part of building a community in Cambridge is also about participating in things in and around Cambridge. For example, a small group of us have recently started going to Quiz Night on Sunday nights at Sir Isaac Newton’s pub. Last week, our group came in last out of ten teams, so we got to pick one of the topics for tomorrow night’s quiz night– Major League Baseball–and we’ve been studying up on our baseball history to get ready. So our last big event of the weekend will be Quiz Night.

It’s nice that when I am not traveling, I have a group of people that I am close with that I can hang out with and spend time with. It has really made a difference getting to know everyone, and building these friendships and spending time with all of these other Valpo students has really enhanced my Study Abroad experience.