The English

With our Japan trip around the corner, I will finally wrap up my 8 month English experience. 

Studying abroad led me from one opportunity to another, and even from one country to the next. 

I realized all that I was capable of and the epiphany was empowering. It ignited confidence, independence, and a zest for life.

English Food

The most twisted thing about the U.K. is its lack of twisting. Lemons, that is. 

For many Americans, it strikes as culture shock that England is void of lemonade. The gloomy reality of English lemonade is that no fresh lemons are involved, and it is essentially sprite. 

The English love fresh-squeezed orange juice, halloumi, clotted cream, jam, biscuits, English Breakfast tea, weetabix and big, sweet strawberries that took decades to perfect.

The strawberry season is from May to September, so I came at the right time to eat my fill of juicy, ruby red, $2/lb strawberries. 

Berry season was delightful in England, I loaded up bucketfuls of blueberries from fields in South London, to make cobbler, muffins, or just smoothies and snacks. Even the exclusive and expensive London Borough Market had a great deal (pick three fruit for £1). 

Here’s where you should eat: see Cloë’s Google Reviews and

Camden Market

Portobello Market

Chinatown

The Real Wan

Westfields

Wagamama

40 Maltby Street

Ole & Steen (Download “Too Good to Go” app)

The English Rose

Coombeshead Farm

Gordan’s Wine Bar

Chisuru

Financial Transparency

Here’s how I paid to study abroad. I received these grants and scholarships: 

Generation Study Scholarship

Federal Pell Grant

HPU Need Grant

J. Scott Van Der Meid Scholarship

HPU Study Abroad Scholarship

Gilman Scholarship

Holomua Grant

This resulted in $25,417 of financial aid. I also sold my car ($5,900) before leaving. So in total, I had about $31,317 to pay for my tuition, accommodation, and travel, over the 8 month period. 

The largest and most realistic study abroad scholarship to apply for is the Gilman scholarship. The AIFS summer experience was $12,000 for 12 credit hours. The University of Essex Autumn experience was $19,000 for 12 credit hours. So that just about worked out. I’ve been home and back in the groove of work for the past two months. Fortunately, I am still on track to graduate with no debt.

If you’ve worked out the scholarships and grants necessary to cover HPU, an exchange school is a good option because this will transfer directly to the exchange school you attend overseas. I took 12 credits over the summer because that was the minimum amount required to receive the full extent of my scholarships.

Contact me with any specific questions about my application process and written essays.

Summer

My summer season in England was spent traveling/learning/working. 

On July 19, London reached its hottest day in history at 104.4 °F. 

I was right in the heart of London on a this day, walking to work. Was it as dramatic as it sounds? 

I think so. I saw people faint and desperate for water while firetrucks flew to and from incidents. London isn’t built for that kind of heat. 

If you only get the chance to spend one semester in England, I think Spring would be perfect so that you can experience the range of seasons. 

But if possible, stay a whole year! This summer 2022, pandemic restrictions were lifted and many people traveled around Europe.

Throughout the summer, from May to August, I looked up cheap flight and train tickets on Kiwi. Each trip included Airbnb, food, and transportation expenses. This ranged from $50 to $500 per trip. I visited Scotland, France, Croatia, Italy, Tel Aviv, India, Dubai, Sweden, and Vietnam. 

There are many places in England to explore, so you don’t have to leave the country for great adventures. 

But if you’re like me, island born and raised, try to seize this opportunity. Go all in and travel as much as possible!

AIFS

My home-base was a tall, thin Victorian house in London with a small garden and library throughout my 12-week program with the American Institute of Foreign Exchange. 

I lived with 9 students who also interned in psychology, finance, fashion and media placements. 

My roommates and I communicated before meeting because we all had to navigate our work visa and flights to London. I actually got my Visa from the Immigration office at Waterfront, building 2. It took two months to receive it, so apply early.

Upon meeting, we were instant friends. We adventured together, shared meals, watched movies, traveled, and had a lot of fun. I miss them! 

Some, like me, booked their own flights/accommodation and opted out of the optional AIFS Paris trips. Especially if visiting people we knew.

The other friends I made from my classes were in the first, second, or third three-week AIFS programs. For that reason, they were housed in a different accommodation that could hold more students cycling in and out. 

The accommodation was an apartment 40 minutes away from us via tube. These students didn’t intern, but took a three or six credit course instead. I miss them too!

The AIFS organization is there to help. They put together many events for us each week including: Shoreditch Street Art Walking Tour , Germany v Spain EUFA Women's, King Lear, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Brixton Walking Tour, Stratford-upon-Avon Daytrip, English Country Dancing Class, and so much more. 

This is similar to what HPU does each week, so that students have options for weekly activities when they’re getting used to a new place. 

Personally, I asked AIFS for a lot of favors. I requested to use their computer for my internship, and I asked them to get the interns tickets to the London Eye, afternoon tea, and take us out to a last hurrah dinner. They graciously accepted each request.

They also held all my luggage for me when I left for a month to Vietnam. AIFS has many resources, so they are happy to help. I recommend the organization. 

Fall-Winter

I spent my “Autumn” semester at the University of Essex, check out this blog to learn more! 

The University of Essex is based in Colchester, 40 minutes northeast of London by train.  (The train is overground, the tube is under.)

The University of Essex is home to a beautiful Fall, and it was my first time seeing leaves change colors. There isn’t much to do in Colchester, so the university has many clubs, sports, events, and activities to join.

Towards the end of November, temperatures dropped to 30°F. It was colder and colder from there, and difficult to get any sunlight. Behind a cloudy sky, the sun rose at 9 pm,  then set shortly after at 3pm. It was a true English winter.

Mid-December, it began to snow. Our white Christmas felt like a winter movie. The English ate mince pies and drank mulled wine. I wore a beanie and gloves from Tesco. It was a vibe.

English Adventures

There’s no limit to the English adventures available to you. While you’re there, you must visit:

Alcotraz

Wales

Stonehenge

Bath

Coswolds

The Mandrake Hotel “hidden terrace”

Sky Garden

Chinatown

Giant’s Causeway

St. James Park

Wellington Arch

Tower of London

Windsor

Lake District National Park

Cambridge

Oxford

Snowdonia

Kingston

Character Development - “It’s about the journey, not the destination” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

I think you have the agency to dictate your experience on planet Earth. You may even find yourself in a rocket to the moon. No matter where you end up, the journey will force you to grow and learn what you were born to know. 

We all come from different backgrounds, which you can use to your advantage or disadvantage. The immersion into so many lifestyles, languages, cultures, foods, education approaches, and personalities that you are not used to, will change you. 

I totally changed the course of my life in order to study abroad. I wanted a long and enriching experience for myself. I worked hard for many scholarships, reached out to family/friends around the world, and let go of any possession or relationship holding me back, which even included my car! Nothing about my experience was passive. I actively participated in sports, events, and skill-buildings lessons with an open mind.

Closing thoughts: Seize every opportunity abroad, have fun doing it, stay in touch with your global connections, take lots of pictures, and don’t expect to pick up an English accent. Be brave, be yourself.

The Japanese weekend

Below I will talk briefly about what you can do during the Hapan holiday or weekend(from my personal experience). Giving you a great idea to chill after school work/class.

1. cafe
Going to the cafe is a really popular thing among Japanese people, they go anytime. There are a lot of different themes or topics for the cafes. One of the ones I like the most is the old-style theme.
You can have coffee, a colorful drink. Also, borrow comics inside the store to read while enjoying your time inside the store

2. Event 01
When people think about Japan, they always think about the impossible/amazing things that happen around the country. Have you seen a moving robot(Gundam) lively in front of your eyes, here you go…

 (This robot can move around !)

(This is the game center, which you can find almost everywhere in Japan, fun to play around with it)

 ( Anyone down for onsen?)

3. Event 02

Japan also know for its Anime industry. You can find a lot of calibration here, with different games or comics. Below is one of the examples I took… (from a famous game called Genshin)

 ( calibration drink)

4. Traveling ~learning Japanese traditional culture and history by personal experience.
Visiting temple

place to write down your wish 

Cup noodles museum

(Glass Museum)

Beer Museum

Temple

         

5. If you are a food person,  no worry, I got you guys

alcohol ice cream ( The drinking age is 20 here)

The Japanese sunset

I traveled to different places/locations around Japan,  and they all look different. One of the most beautiful things I did here was looking at each unique sunset. (of course, taking pictures)

The satisfaction from all these pictures from your eyes become part of a beautiful moment in my life 

For the first group of pictures,  I took the place near Tokyo, about 1hr30min away from the downtown area. A place called Kamakura. This place knows for its transitional Japanese-style stores and streets. Most of them had a long history behind them. Most of the stores know for the small and hard sweet candies with different colors. They taste yummy. However, more people going for the sunset even. Below are some pics I took from the place.

I took the second group of pictures in Hokkaido in the winter season, which has a completely different view of it. The lightning if the sunset compared to the first group is less. However, it shows off the complete atmosphere which represents the winter beauty of Japan. - It was sad there were not a lot of pictures, because it was too cold :)

So you want to study at Comillas in Madrid

 When I first stepped foot off the plane and into Spain, I had no idea what to expect. Literally, my phone was dead, I didn’t look up directions to my apartment, and I had no plan. Everything worked itself out and after a self-made tour of the city, luggage in hand, I found my way. My goal with this blog is to be a one-stop shop for all the information I wish I had known before I left for the trip of a lifetime and encourage you to step out of your comfort zone as you embark on your study-abroad journey. 

As you are considering Spain for which school, country, and program might be a good fit for you I am sure you have many questions such as cost, school load, transportation, social life, and many others. While I am sure each experience abroad will be different and unique if you are looking for advice and assurance from my experience, I have nothing but great things to say. 

As for cost: Spain is one of the cheapest European countries to live in. If you end up choosing Comillas as your school, they partner with 5-6 housing sites and offer discount codes. I found my housing through Aluni.net which had a 20% discount for Comillas students. I ended up choosing a more expensive apartment that had a balcony and paid 560 (640 with utilities). There were plenty of apartments on Aluni’s site and others for around 350-500/month. 

As for groceries, I never paid more than $30 on one grocery trip. A typical shopping trip for me included pasta, sauce, rice, chicken, bananas, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, onions, peppers, and avocados. This normally totaled $11. On restock weeks I would purchase instant coffee, bread, eggs, milk, cream, pesto, flour, butter, sugar, and ice cream. On restock weeks I would total 25-30. I was conservative with my grocery bill and stuck to the same few meals. I would say you should budget 20/week for groceries. As for eating out, tapas bars are a great place to get some cheap food. Even nicer restaurants normally don't go over $25 including a drink. I tried to limit myself to only going out to eat maybe 2-3 times a month with friends. I frequent coffee shops 5-6 times a week. A cappuccino and croissant normally came out to 3-5 depending on the cafe. For myself, I tried to stick to $11-15 at the grocery store and under $20 on eating out per week, and under $125/per month on food as a general rule of thumb. You definitely can go cheaper, or more expensive, depending on how your meal plan and what your priorities and budgets are. 

The next cost to consider in your budget is how much you want to spend on traveling. I didn’t even really account for this in my original travel abroad budget, so I only visited some cities around Spain and Portugal. If you know you want to travel more, I would definitely add 1-2k extra to your overall budget. One amazing perk to doing your travel abroad in Madrid is there are some awesome travel and international organizations to follow on Instagram. SmartInsiders, CityLife, and Erasmus Madrid are three you should follow as soon as you know your plans. All three do excursion trips out of Madrid for great prices. I traveled with CityLife to Valencia and did several trips through SmartInsiders. The weekend trip to Valencia, including two nights hostel, breakfast, and transportation was $80. SmartInsiders does day trips to Segovia, Toledo, Cuenca, and many others for $25. A weekend trip will be $75-100, and they offer 3-5 day trips to nearby countries for $150-200. This can be a great option to go with a trusted group and not have to worry about your transportation and housing since they will take care of it all for you. If you are planning your own trips, RyanAir is a great cheap flight site, and Flixbus has some great options for closer travel. I used Flixbus to go to Lisbon and my roundtrip bus ticket was $20. 

As for school life at Comillas, again I have to sing their praises. One of the first things after confirming your exchange is being added to a WhatsApp group led by their international student organization and all the other students exchanging in the same semester. They keep you up to date on any information you need and plan a very thorough welcome week full of social events. Once school begins, you have two weeks to add/drop classes. I can only speak to the Cantoblanco campus and the International relations/politics/history courses, but the teachers were all really helpful, the native students were kind and welcoming, and the workload was not too much. For my classes, each had three assignments: an individual essay, a group project, and a final exam; the exam being worth 50% of the overall grade. I enjoyed having only three assignments because I had the time during the semester to work on them thoroughly and was not overwhelmed on a weekly basis. Also, something different about school in Spain is that the exam period is almost a month long. Classes will end and it could be 1-3 weeks before your final exam. They take studying really seriously. I took all of my classes in Spanish and all of my professors were accommodating of my imperfect grammar. 

Switching topics slightly, if you know you are going to be at the cantoblanco campus you might be debating about where to live or how the public transport works in Madrid. I will start by saying I 100% recommend living downtown. Chamberi, Sol, and Malasana are three areas I recommend. It will be better for social life and things to do if you live downtown. From Sol, it will be a 25-minute renfe train ride to the cantblanco campus. I lived in Chamberi, so I took the metro to Sol, and then Renfe to cantoblanco which I budgeted 1hr 10min for this trip. Madrid has three main forms of public transportation you can use with the purchase of the transport card: the metro, the city bus, and cercanias renfe (short-line trains). If you are on the ball with your planning, you can visit this site https://tarjetatransportepublico.crtm.es/CRTM-ABONOS/home.aspx and order your transport card so it is there when you arrive. You can have it mailed to city life and then pick it up from them. If you are like me and didn’t even bother to look into public transport until you arrive, you can buy a ten-ride pass for the bus/metro at any metro stop, and a separate ten-ride pass for renfe at any of the renfe stops. If you visit the city life office, they can help you schedule an appointment to get your official transport card at any time, or you can make an appointment at the same site linked above. I recommend getting your personal official card as soon as possible. For youth 18-26 it is $20 a month for unlimited use of the bus, metro, and renfe. 

Now that I have gone over the technical parts of what studying abroad in Madrid looks like, I want to finish off with some of my personal favorite moments. 

The first event I went to, and where I ended up meeting some of my closest friends, was the welcome picnic at Templo De Debod hosted by the international student organization Unity from Comillas. That park is probably the best sunset spot around. It overlooks the city and the royal palace. There are tons of street vendors and musicians, and it is the only public park where you can drink (responsibly of course). I spent the night sharing sangria and dancing with strangers and friends from all over the world. 

Over Halloween my roommates and I visited Lisbon and Sintra, Portugal. I have wanted to see the Palacio Nacional de Pena for years now and it did not disappoint. I adored Portugal
and highly recommend visiting!

 My flatmates and I had many good dinners at Himalaya Pakistan-Indian fusion restaurant. The staff is incredible and the place does not get very busy so we felt like it became "our spot". If you like Indian food, or even if you've never tried Indian food, you have to check it out. 

How to Travel Across Europe Like a Pro

One of the perks of choosing Europe as your destination to study abroad is the accessibility to travel to other European countries and cities. During my 2022 semester abroad in Barcelona, I  was able to visit 9 countries and 14 cities in a matter of three months. I’m going to be sharing with you some travel must-knows and secrets into traveling like a Pro.  

1. When booking for flights and places to stay, make sure to set your browser to private so the prices are reflected accurately. 

2. Be sure to check out the cost of both flights and trains. Most times, flights are actually cheaper than trains are and take less time. Be sure to take a train somewhere in Europe at least once for the experience. 

3. Some expensive locations to be aware of to book early are Amsterdam, Scotland, London, and Switzerland. The airfare and cost of finding a place to stay rise quickly and drastically, so plan ahead to find cheaper dates to travel here. 

4. When you arrive at your program abroad, everyone is going to be frantically inviting you on trips and booking them day after day. It is going to feel overwhelming and hectic, so make sure to relax and take a step back. Think about where you want to go, with the people you want to travel with and book on your own terms. Don’t feel pressure to follow the crowd. 

5. When I was studying abroad, hostels cost the same price as a hotel or an airbnb. I only ended up staying in a hostel once. Make sure to check out your options to see your best deal. 

My Top 3 Recommendations for Weekend Trips: 

 Soller, Mallorca

Modes of transportation: Boat or flight. 

Flight cost (on average): 70-100 Euros Roundtrip

Cost of traveling here is always decently low-priced. Check out the prices to find the cheapest date that works for you.

Must-Do’s: Most people visit Palma when they travel to Mallorca but I’ve found the hidden gem of the island to be Soller. Fly into Palma and take a historic train ride to the town of Soller. Once there you can take the Soller train to Port de Soller. Here you can go on a boat ride, see the orange trees, lounge by the beach and take in the views. I recommend staying in the town of Soller to experience the cobblestone streets, local bands, the Parroquia de Sant Bartomeu de Soller, and delicious restaurants.   

Interlaken, Switzerland

Modes of transportation: Flight 

Flight Cost (on average): 125-175 Euros Roundtrip

Book at least three weeks to one month in advance, as prices can rise.

Must-Do’s: 

1. Go on some sort of adventure while you’re here: Skydiving, skiing, paragliding, kayaking, etc. I took a boat on Lake Brienz that took us to Giessbach where we visited a fairytale looking castle- hotel and a waterfall. It is reasonably priced, makes multiple stops along the way, and is absolutely breathtaking. 

2. Take a funicular up to Harder Klum and enjoy fondue on the highest point in Interlaken. 

3. Eat Swiss chocolate! Check out ‘Funky Chocolate’ and order the strawberries covered in chocolate, it will change your life I swear.    

Seville, Spain  

Modes of transportation: Flight or Train (Both are similar in price)  

Flight cost (on average): 80-125 Euros Roundtrip

Depends on where you are in Europe. Cost is low if you are already based in Spain but because it’s in the South of Spain, prices can go up. 

Must-Do’s: 

1. Visit the Royal Alcazar of Seville to see gorgeous gardens and filming spots from Game of Thrones. While there, find the Baths of Dona Maria de Padilla for a breathtaking experience like no other. 

2. Pay a small admission fee to visit the Cathedral de Seville and climb stairs to the top for a 360-view of the entire city. 

3. Watch local Flamenco dancers perform at La Plaza de Espana and grab lunch in a nearby neighborhood.  

Besides the obvious must-see cities, like Paris, London and Rome, other special European gems high on my list are Amsterdam, Porto Portugal, Dublin and Galway Ireland, Brussels, Belgium, Venice, Italy, and The Scottish Highlands in Scotland. 

Written By: Emma Williams, Barcelona Spain, AIFS Abroad