How to pack for exchange

6 months! A variation of climates! Adventures you haven’t yet planned! One bag?

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Written by Elyse Popplewell.

6 months! A variation of climates! Adventures you haven’t yet planned! One bag?

One bag or two?

  • I took one checked luggage bag abroad and it’s suited me quite fine. To give you context, I’m in Italy, where it was really cold upon arrival but has given me some hot days lately, so I’ve experienced both ends of the climate. I still managed to fit everything I wanted in one bag. For 6 months, one bag is definitely enough if you pack with consideration!
  • The benefits of one bag:
    -Easier to transport to and from the airport when you’re family aren’t there to help you.
    -Cheaper than two checked bags.
    -Forced to think carefully about what you actually need.
  • The benefits of two bags:
    -You’ll have enough room to bring back all the things you accumulate on the way.

Continue reading “How to pack for exchange” →

What I’ve learnt from being in Munich for 2 days

Munich is a beautiful city surrounded by mountains, lakes and fields, full of history with old and interesting buildings, mouth-watering beer and food and I’m sitting here thinking about community.

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I just moved into my new student accommodation 2 days ago after spending 7 weeks travelling around Germany visiting friends and family. I’ve visited castles, lakes, mountains, ski slopes and the zoo and have been part of the Carnival. I’ve travelled about 40 hours on trains and 15 on busses, and saw some people I hadn’t seen in 5 years. And now I’m at my destination, Munich. Continue reading “What I’ve learnt from being in Munich for 2 days” →

Salut, Bonjour et bonne journée!

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You might remember being in high school, doing your HSC exams and the small eternities that stretch between the teacher calling “one minute left!” and the timer going off. That’s what exchange feels like; a weird mix of stress and excitement, and having no time and too much time all at once. Or maybe that’s just me, and I ascribe too much sentimentalism to the HSC exams that led me here to Nantes, France. Continue reading “Salut, Bonjour et bonne journée!” →

København: Having a hygge of a time!

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When I spontaneously added University of Copenhagen as my main preference of exchange destinations, I had no idea that this would end up being one of the best decisions of my life. On this day it has been exactly 3 months since I came here, and it has been such a wonderful blur of new friends and experiences. I live in Nørrebro, in Bispebjerg Kollegiet. Nørrebro is such a wonderfully diverse place, but I hold a grudge as the amount of kebabs I have consumed has literally made me become one. They are just so damn delicious. Continue reading “København: Having a hygge of a time!” →