Transportation and Living in the Gold Coast

Aloha,
As stated in previous blogs, I lived in Surfers Paradise which is a city directly on the beach. This in my opinion is probably the best place live for someone who is temporarily living in the Gold Coast and is new. This is because the city has an assortment of options for all your living needs and has the best transportation. Plus the beach is always really close! This was the view of my apartment and the beach that is practically a 1 minute walk from the front desk.

I am so fortunate to live in an amazing location and will always recommend people the same place I stayed. The apartment I lived in was called Surfers Century. At the time I lived there it was filled with other international students who also attended the same university as me, Griffith University. During my stay it was a lot of Americans for some reason all were from Pennsylvania. However, every semester it is filled with international students who all typically attend Griffith University. 

Transportation was also something that made life so easy in Surfers Paradise and Gold Coast altogether. To go to school I would use the light rail system that travels up and down the coast. From my apartment to University it would take about 30 minutes to get to class. What made this system so simple was their paying methods. I got a gocard which is what they called it and this card worked pretty much like a debit card for public transportation. You would use this card to tap on every time you got on a bus, light rail, train or any public transportation provided by the state. And all you had to do was transfer money onto the card every time your balance got low. What I would do was put 50$ on at a time which would typically last a month or so. However, what I really loved about their public transportation was the ability to bring your surfboard. In Hawaii, the bus is our only transportation and surfboards are not allowed. In the Gold Coast, you were allowed to bring surfboards and but it gets better. It the light rail train system there were even board holders inside the train. This allowed you to lock your board up safely while you road to where ever you were going. The transportation was amazing and I was so lucky to have a system like this to facilitate such a great experience. 

Surfing in the Gold Coast of Australia

Aloha,
I am a huge surfer and every time I travel somewhere I try my very best to surf as much as I can. There is just some thing about the feeling of surfing a new spot especially when the waves are good. I grew up surfing in Hawaii and could say my expectations for waves are pretty high. When planning my semester in Gold Coast, I knew there was good waves before I went. But I never knew what to truly expect. Let's just say my expectations were fully met. I lived in an apartment in the main city which was a 3 minute walk to the beach. This was amazing but it gave the opportunity to literally walk to the beach every single day and surf. I literally would surf every single day once in the morning once for sunset, with friends or by myself. However, unfortunately my semester was the main season for surfing. So though I surf a lot of great waves and had some amazing sessions, I also surfed some pretty poor waves. Just the ability to walk to the ocean and surf was a blessing in itself. During there Fall (January-April) is when the waves on the Gold Coast turn from really good to world class. Surfers from around the world gather and surf these amazing swells produced by Cyclones. These waves are right handers and when it's a perfect swell you can be barreled multiple times on one single wave.

However, with these great waves comes a huge crowd of people. Considering what I said about not being in the best season for surfing with this next statement. When I surfed one of the better swells for the winter season there were about 200-300 people in the water. All of them, including me, fighting for these amazing waves. This takes place and snapper rock, this infamous and world class surf spot. Considerably one of the best waves in Australia. Considering the constant and insane crowd of people at Snapper I would often surf other spots. Gold coast, oddly enough is a long coast filled with golden surf spots. Where I lived up North was the top of the Gold Coast where the waves started then going all the way down south to Snapper rock and Duranbah was the end and the epicenter of amazing waves. Whenever, I felt like getting great waves and fighting the crowd I would go down south. This actually happen pretty often, lucky enough to have a good class schedule I would catch the light rail train system and the bus for 40-60 minutes down south every morning for sunrise just to score these great waves. Later throughout the semester I made a great group of friends who surfed and had cars. This was a real advantage and was able to check out some secret spots that I cant name haha. However, lets just say my favorite spot on the Gold coast was less than a 15 minute drive from my apartment in Surfers Paradise. At this spot it has some of the best beach breaks barrels than anywhere I have surfed in the world. Surfing in Australia and especially the Gold Coast is a must. If you surf, and there is swell, there is a good chance you score some great waves!

Hiking in the Gold Coast of Australia

Aloha,
My time in Australia was amazing and I enjoyed every part of it. There was a lot to do especially outdoors. Where I am, whether it be traveling or at home I like to include going outside in my daily life. Where I lived in Australia was a city directly on the beach which was amazing for surfing, which I will get into on my next blog. However, nature was really never hard to find in the Gold coast. Where most people lived was pretty flat except for the few hills spread out a long the coast. These were actually great little hikes and had some exceptional views like this one.

Burleigh hill

This was a hike that my friends and I commonly did for sunset. Considering it's short length and really cool views. In the background is the city I lived in and a short bus and train ride would get me to Burleigh, which is also where my friends lived. Besides these short little hikes, gold coast was pretty flat. Coming from Hawaii I am pretty used to ridge hikes on mountains. Gold coast luckily had a national forest but it was an 1-2 hour drive. It was called Springbrook national forrest. Whenever I had the opportunity to go with friends who had a car, I would. There are fun ridge hikes, but mainly Springbrook had a lot of beautiful waterfalls. Unfortunately, during the time I lived there was the dry season. So there were still waterfalls but they were somewhat small compared to the summer. Heres a picture of a waterfall I loved. 

Natural bridge waterfall 

This waterfall was insanely beautiful and was actually really special to local people. This is because of the luminous fungi that lived within. Unfortunately, only really glowed during the summer. I loved Australia for a lot of things. But one thing that was much different was the wildlife I encountered when hiking. In Hawaii, typically you only encounter wild life in the Ocean. Where in Australia there were always some cool animals lurking around. Like this cool dude.

Hiking in Australia was an amazing experience and though I have 100's of pictures for the numerous hikes I did. I only scratched the surface, there is so much to experience in the Australian outdoors!

Post 3: COVID-19

I am so sad that this semesters study abroad students were all impacted and had to return home and cut their travels short due to the shutdowns of COVID-19. I was sad to leave all my new friends and wondered how was this online learning thing going to go? Was it going to hinder my grades/learning? Will I still get to finish? Will my credits transfer? Will I graduate on time? 

I had my last weekend trip to London, and when I got back to my apartment I had to make flight arrangements to come home 2 days later. Once returning back to Colorado, where I am from, I was able to finish all of my online courses and SKEMA, the school I was attending, was very understanding with the time zone changes and worked with us, allowing a larger window for our exams to be turned in to accommodate for students that were not in France anymore. 

I think what I am most upset about with this whole thing, is the plans I made to travel with friends. Tomorrow I was supposed to be starting a 2-week road trip across Morocco, with a few French students that I met in one of my classes. I am extremely bummed that we won’t be getting to do it, but it gives me a reason to go back and get to see the people I met and go on an epic adventure once the world is healthy again! 

I am glad to be home with my family in this time of crisis and cannot wait for our world to go back to normal! 

I hope everyone is staying safe, and had the best time abroad while it lasted. 

Who wants to plan a trip for once all this is over?! 

Post 2: Weekend travels!

Genova/Portofino, Italy: 

This was my first weekend trip of the semester and I  just went with a big group of people that I had just met that week. We took this bus called a FlixBus ($26) from Nice to Genova, Italy where we stayed Saturday to Monday in an Airbnb. We had amazing Italian food all weekend long. We took a 1-hour train ride to a near city called Portofino which had beautiful site seeing and lookout areas above the ocean. Going with a big group was nice, but it is also a little hard with so many people sometimes. So, I suggest traveling in groups of 5 or less.  

 

Budapest, Hungary:

Weekend trip #2 and I will definitely be going back in the future! It was beautiful (even with the rain and fog) so I can only imagine what it looks like with clear weather and sun. Here we did a ton of walking. The main places we stopped at were the Gellért thermal baths, Buda Castle, got some good luck at the statue, Fisherman’s Bastion, River cruise down the Duna River, checked out the House of Parliament, and met some cool people from around the world. Budapest has food that is to die for, stew, goulash soups, and mulled wine to keep us warm in the 30 degree weather. 

 

Monte Carlo, Monaco:

Monaco is another place I got to visit. It was a 45 minute train ride from where I lived in Juan Les Pins. Round trip about 17 euros. This is a place you want to pack a lunch and bring it with you because the least expensive thing in this country is a 6 euro Coca Cola! They are know for their luxury shopping and yacht club, as well as their Casino. I went to the aquarium and it was actually the cheapest aquarium I have ever been to, 10 euros for students, and absolutely incredible! 

Stuttgart, Germany and Strasburg, France: 

Had a fun filled weekend in Stuttgart, Germany and Strasbourg, France. We ate amazing food and saw awesome sights. Met up with a friend we met on our weekend trip to Budapest and of course walked a ton. We went on one of the last open to the public conveyer belt elevator, climbed to the top of the Strasbourg Cathedral, and ate in my first Michelline Star restaurant. In Germany, they have these giant stuffed raviolis, by far my favorite food I have had abroad. 

Cannes/Nice:

Stayed in town this weekend and my best friend from high school who was an exchange student came to visit me from Italy! I haven’t seen her in two years and we picked up right where we left off. Checked out the night life in Nice. We had a day trip to Cannes for a day of shopping and a trip to Nice and saw Promenade Des Anglais, Marche Aux Fleurs, Place Garibaldi, and walked up the stairs to the lookout of Bellanda Tower.

Walks, wine, and charcuterie boards on the beach by my apartment happened quite often.

Prague, Czech Republic: 

Na zdraví to the best weekend in Prague. I was able to stay with my friend Haley who is doing study abroad, which was a great way to save on housing while I was there. In this quick little weekend trip we saw the crawling babies, Charles Bridge, Prague castle, Katedrála Svateho Víta, John Lennon wall, dancing building, Prague astronomical clock, NH Prague hotel to ride the gondola to the top for an amazing view. Haley took me out to her favorite stops and we grubbed out on some delicious food along the way. I highly recommend going to Prague if you get the chance, I loved it there and will definitely be going back one day!

Holiday Break – Paris / Kehl, Germany / Luzern, Switzerland / Milan, Italy (mom and Gramma)

Finally can check Paris off my bucket list! My mom and gramma finally made it to Europe after some complications, but my friend Haley came to keep me company on another spontaneous weekend trip! 

In Paris we went to the Musse D’orsay, watched the Eiffel Tower sparkle at the top of the hour, took an electric scooter to see the Louvre lit up at night, walked to the Notre Dame, walked the 1000+ stairs at the Eiffel Tower, Mona Lisa at the Louvre, and at fondue and wine out of baby bottles*** à A MUST GO if in Paris!!

Kehl, Germany, Strasbourg, France, Lucerne, Zug, and Geneva, Switzerland! 

Definitely a packed full week playing tourist with my 2 favorite ladies. We went to Kehl, because my my moms maiden name and my grammas last name is Kehl, so we thought it would be cool to get to say we went and stayed in Kehl, Germany! Gramma could not find any sweatshirts that said KEHL on them and there are no German restaurants in Kehl, Germany, everyone told use to go to Strasbourg, FRANCE for German food! The astronomical clock at the Strasbourg Cathédrale was more interesting to learn about then actually watch. It is incredible how the astronomical clocks work, and I have no idea how someone was able to come up with it. 

Switzerland was breathtaking with Lake Lucerne, cheese factory, Swiss alpes, chocolate factory making chocolate bars, lake Zug, and lots and lots of yummy cheese fondue. Switzerland is somewhere to visit after you’ve been saving up for a long time and know that once you go you won’t have very much left… or go with your mom! 

Being able to have my mom and gramma come visit and travel for 2 weeks was such a highlight and something I will never forget, I am so thankful they were able to come before the outbreak and shutdowns! 

London, England:

Last weekend trip of study abroad in London. Took pictures at platform 9 3/4, Covent gardens, Buckingham palace, went to the London aquarium, took a ride on the London Eye, went through Tower Bridge, walked all 311 stairs to the top of the Monument. Traveling with Kayley (my roommate) was quite the trip and I’m so happy I found such a great roommate. 

She will be a forever friend and I can’t wait to visit her, her visit me, and plan another adventure together! 

Post 1: School/Accommodation/Roommate:

I am studying abroad at the SKEMA Business School in Sophia Antipolis, France. This is located in the southern part of France in the French Rivera. If you like the beach and the mountains this is the perfect place for you. The school is located in the hills and a 30-45 min bus ride from where I live in Juan Les Pins. The classes are a lot different than at HPU. Each class is 3 hours long with a 15 min break in the middle, but you only meet one time a week. So, I have a pretty good schedule that allows me to have 4 day weekends every week and do weekend trips almost every weekend. 

If you are interested in going to school in France at SKEMA you are able to find accommodations on a platform called Studapart. Make sure to do this and I highly recommend to not live on campus. The rooms are very big, but don’t feel like home at all with only 1 light in the corner. I made the mistake of thinking it would be just fine to live on campus, but I later found out it was not enjoyable at all. It was convenient for only having to wake up 10 minuets to get to class, but that was about it. Especially if there are bus strikes going on you were just stranded on campus and you need the bus to go anywhere, even the grocery store! The bus strikes where extremely difficult to get around with at first, but after meeting more people, shared Ubers and locals are the way to go. When I first got here, they occurred more often, but they happen less and less now. 

Luckily on the first day of orientation I met who is now my new roommate and I was able to move into the open room in her apartment. We became friends instantly and have now gone to 4 different countries together and get along so well. She even lived on Oahu when she was younger right in Honolulu! Our apartment is steps away from the beach which makes it feel a little more like home. We are a 2 min walk from the train station which makes it extremely easy to go to Cannes, Nice, or Monaco! Train tickets are from 1.5 – 4.5 Euros, depending on where you want to go. These places are perfect for day trips when you have a free day. Check out my next post about my weekend trips and how easy it is to get around once you are in Europe!

 

Juan Les Pins, 1 block from my front door

Campus Life in Madrid Blog Post #3

Hi everyone, my last blog post will be about campus life in Madrid, Spain at Comillas University. I personally had a great experience at Comillas with my classes and friends. The international group was a lot larger than I had expected, as it averages around 200 students each semester from countries all over the world. This made the classroom scene very diverse as I had a mix of Spanish, American, and students from nearly every country you could think of.

The Comillas campus was on the smaller side and compact, but in my opinion this was better because it meant less walking in between classes. Although it was a small campus, Comillas still offered updated facilities and a pretty extensive library, as well as lounge areas for the students in between classes. One of my favorite parts about the campus was the university cafeteria, which was actually a bar and mini restaurant. There was a section of the cafeteria that operated like a sit down restaurant with waiters, and offered a new menu daily that was super affordable, usually around seven dollars for a three course meal. I loved this because I often had long days on campus and couldn't go home in between classes for meals.

Another great thing that Comillas did was organize optional trips for the students throughout Spain during the semester. During the fall semester Comillas organized around four trips to Basque Country, Granada, Malaga, and Valencia. I really appreciated this school led trips because they were always cheaper than planning the trip on my own.

Overall I really enjoyed the resources that Comillas offered me as a student!

Commuting through Madrid Blog #2

I'm writing this post on commuting through Madrid for school and fun. Madrid has amazing public transportation and offers trains, buses, and metros to get around. It is also very cheap with the "abono" pass which you can apply for once you're in Madrid, its 20 euros a month and allows unlimited use for all of the buses, metros, and trains within the city. Applying for the abono is a must if you plan on studying here at Comillas!

My daily commute was a mix of using the bus, metro, and train to get to campus but I also chose to live in the south of the city when my campus was in the north. My advice is to look for housing near Sol, which is the center of the city that way you will only have to hop on the train to get to campus. Comillas actually has its own train station right outside of the building which is pretty cool. I posted a picture above of the metro lines that run through the city, and as you can see its pretty extensive.

The metro and bus hours are really good and usually run until 1:30am, and opens back up again in the morning around 6am. All of the transportation runs on time and efficiently which is a nice change of pace from the buses here in Hawaii. Madrid also offers long distance public transportation by bus and train to other cities throughout Spain which is great for weekend trips!

Spanish Visa Process Blog #1

Hi everyone, I'm writing this post on the Spanish visa process. This post is meant to be realistic NOT discouraging, so I will say that if you are planning on studying abroad in Spain that being on top of the visa process and starting early is a must! 

As soon as you are committed to studying in Spain, go onto the Spanish Consulate website and start trying to get an appointment. They are usually booked out months in advance (i'm talking anywhere from 2-4 months in advance, that is why you must not leave this until the last minute). You may not see an availability for the time frame you want, don't panic! Check back daily for cancellations as they happen all the time.  Since we are in Hawaii, our consulate is based in San Francisco. I have done the Spanish Visa process three times and each time the rules have changed, but the most recent time I was there for a Visa, it was required that you present yourself in person for both the application AND to pick it up about 4 weeks later. That being said, check the website prior to booking flights and confirm that you have to be present for the pickup. In the past I have brought a prepaid express envelope with my address on it and a return trip was not necessary as they shipped it to my house. 

     Once you have an appointment, you can start collecting all the necessary documentation needed to get your visa. I personally prefer to start many months in advance so that I have plenty of time to fix things if something goes wrong, and that way I don't need to stress about meeting the deadline at the very end. For example, last year my consular appointment was in May and I started collecting all my documents in February. You can find the student visa requirements on the consulate website. Note that many of the documents need to be notarized or the consulate will not accept them. A super useful piece of advice is that when at the San Francisco consulate, if they tell you that you are missing a notarization, ask to leave and go across the street to the postal office. The lady who runs it is authorized to notarize and that way you can quickly go back to the consulate and not lose your appointment or your visa. 

I would say that perhaps the most daunting document you have to get your hands on is the criminal background check. You have two options, receiving one from the Department of Law Enforcement OR receiving a background check through the FBI. I have found that it is easiest to get the FBI background check and I have always gone through a third party in downtown Honolulu who will take your prints, send off your information, and have it signed and mailed back to you. You have to pay a fee but they take most of the work out of it for you so I would say its worth it. 

Lastly, when presenting at the consulate, it is very important that you present the documents in the correct order as listed on the visa requirements or they will send you to sit back down and reorganize it all. Make sure you do this before your appointment. I also always made copies of all my documents and kept them in a separate folder just in case. 

I will also add that if you plan on staying in Spain for the year and not just the semester, once you arrive in Spain you will have to make an appointment with a police station which will give you a student visa residency card. The visa that the consulate in the US gives you is only good for 180 days. Don't stress though this part is easy.

I know this was a lot of information and probably intimidating, but its really doable as long as you give yourself enough time to get everything done! I am more than happy to help anyone currently going through the visa process who has questions or needs advice. Feel free to ask the study abroad office for my information :)  Once you get to Spain you will realize that this visa process was worth it! 

Profile Jamilyn Chapman

Hi everyone, my name is Jami and I studied abroad last semester in Madrid, Spain at Universidad Pontificia Comillas ICAI. This was my second time studying in Madrid and I highly recommend to anyone who is on the fence about studying abroad in Spain to do it! Study abroad has allowed me to learn a second language which opens up a new world of people, culture, and food to experience. One of the many reasons Spain is a great place to study abroad is because of its amazing public transportation. I never have the need for a car when I am traveling throughout Spain thanks to their reliable bus, train, and metro systems. 

The Spanish people are very open and friendly, and the social scene in Madrid is very much alive. I love Madrid because there is a plethora of affordable and free things to do and explore, and being a college student often means admission is free or discounted for entrances to museums, movie theaters, and theater performances. During the warmer months there are numerous outdoor parks to study at or bring lunch to and pass time with friends, the most famous is El Retiro which is always bustling with people and has a small pond where you can rent rowboats. 

Study abroad gave me new family, friends, and amazing travel experiences that isn't the same as just visiting a country. Living and studying for a semester or a year is the only way to immerse yourself in the culture and feel like a local.