Author Archives: Stephanie Trottier

Hygge

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Hygge

Written by Sophie Torgerson

One of the coolest words that I learned while studying abroad in Denmark, is the word “hygge”.  “Hygge” (pronounced: hyoo·guh) is a Danish word that has no direct translation in English.  It’s a word that can be used as an adjective or noun, and can be described as a type of lifestyle or feeling that one experiences when they are happy or content.  It may be experienced while alone or while surrounded by others.  Many describe “hygge” as a feeling of coziness.  To them, “hygge” may be curling up by the fireplace while reading their favorite book, or baking some holiday treats with loved ones.  It may also be going to picnics with close friends, or having a nice, warm day at the beach.  “Hygge” can really be anything that brings you peace and happiness.  What it cannot be is spending the entire day staring at your phone, or not allowing yourself to take a break and relax doing something you love once in a while.  

Although most people in the United States don’t know or have never even heard the word “hygge”, I think it’s a fun and unique word to learn and start practicing.  In Denmark, many Danes would bring up “hygge” in conversation.  The word was also seen on many souvenirs, from t-shirts, to mugs, to keychains- you name it!  “Hygge” allows you to enjoy simple pleasures and get away from the busy and hectic world we live in sometimes, so it’s definitely something everyone should incorporate into their lives.  It doesn’t have to be anything expensive, only doing something you love, whatever that may be.  My trip to Denmark definitely allowed me to experience “hygge”.

The Things I Miss from Being Abroad

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The Things I Miss from Being Abroad

By: Jacob Hurajt

Studying abroad is an amazing opportunity that college students have. Having that sort of experience while still a young adult can teach so many things about culture, independence, national identity, and so much more. Its hard though, because sometimes you get accustomed to people, places, or options that are simply not available back home. I went to England for a few months and had a ton of amazing adventures throughout the country and beyond. I’ve walked on Hadrian’s Wall, the largest structure the Roman Empire ever built, my group and I got into a snowball fight with locals in Amsterdam, none of us speaking each other’s language, and I’ve been kicked out of the tallest building in London because I wasn’t dressed well enough.  These were amazing experiences and great stories to tell, but they aren’t what I miss about being abroad.

I miss waking up on a Sunday morning and walking downtown with friends to our favorite restaurant. It was a small hole in the wall tea shop called Grannies that mainly sold candy, tea, and cakes, but happened to sell freshly made paninis as well. I swear they were the best sandwiches I’ve ever had, cheap and fast too. I loved the atmosphere, happy and calm, with my friends around me.

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The Best Experience Ever!

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The Best Experience Ever!

By: Belinda Lee

Most people you meet in college will tell you to study abroad. They tell you that it’ll be the best time of your life and that there won’t be another opportunity like this after college. They will also tell you that studying abroad will look great to employers and on resumes. And what can I say? They’re right.

No matter the length of the study abroad program, I’ll always roll into the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport with an over-packed luggage (which I repacked about 4 times already that day and pray that it’s at most 50 lbs!), my backpack of miscellaneous electronics and snacks, and my dark blue U.S. passport in my hand. Like always, I start off my journey on this high of excitement- greeting my fellow study abroad peers, getting through security, going to my gate, finding my seat on the plane, and finally taking off to another country! I have to admit, I have a love-hate relationship with travel days. You literally travel all day; airplanes, buses, trams, trains, transfers, in, out, walk, run, sit and wait, and wait, and wait. It’s all worth it once we landed in the United Kingdom. As the coach bus drives around the bend of the hilly Northumberland road, we catch the afternoon sun gleaming onto Alnwick Castle. This is our home.

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Explore and Live Life

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Explore and Live Life

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By: Christina Eng

I attended the Laos Thailand and Malaysia study abroad program during the winter break of 2019. After hearing so many amazing stories from close friends at SCSU, I knew that I had to go. I was in my senior year. “Better late than never,” as quoted by Geoffrey Chaucer. We were there for almost three weeks, visiting all three countries from the busy Thailand city of Bangkok to the nice, relaxing streets of Vientiane, Laos.

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Getting around in South Korea

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Lucas Clasen

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All photos courtesy of Lucas Clasen

When I was in Korea and Japan, figuring out how to use public transport was a real challenge. Seoul, Korea had a pretty straight forward system, with the ticket machine and the location names being in English. In Wonju, where the university is located, the transit system is very different, and was very confusing to me. Nothing was in English, and there were no maps or guides to traversing the trains or buses around the city. Osaka and Kyoto were similar stories to Wonju, with hardly anything in English, especially with the ticket machines or transit maps, which very rarely used any English at all. As such, they needed to be translated.

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Engineering Internship in China

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Engineering Internship in China

By: Casey Sanders

My name is Casey Sanders and I spent this summer in Shanghai, China as an application engineer intern at Emerson (Branson Ultrasonics) as a part of the COSE Internship SCSU offers. This experience was life changing for me, both personally and professionally. I am writing this blog post to share how I prepared beforehand and how I was able to make the most of my experience!

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1 – Shanghai Tower, Shanghai, China
中国，上海，上海中心大厦

Professional Experience

We live in an international economy, there is no escaping this fact! If you know how to effectively collaborate across time zones you are a greater asset anywhere you go.

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Presence

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Presence
Tessa Takash

On my fourth day abroad in Southeast Asia I left my phone on the beach while swimming and, surprise, it was stolen. After my initial mourning I adjusted to my technology-less life and found a silver lining: I learned how to be present.

Without my phone I:

  • Was able to make profound connections with my peers by tagging along on all of their adventures and asking them questions about their culture
  • Enjoyed sunsets on the Mekong River without feeling like I needed to capture the perfect picture (none could do it justice)
  • Took in my new surroundings – the vast arrays of fresh tropical fruits, the colorful knickknacks on every street corner, and tuk tuks blazing by
  • Put my control freak tendencies in check by letting go of planning every detail of my day
  • Got lost in the pure chaos of New Year’s Eve in Bangkok

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To New Friends in Old Places

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Jacob Hurajt

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Photos are courtesy of Jacob Hurajt

I started my education abroad journey almost three years ago. I was a first year student, studying abroad in my second semester. The few months I spent in Alnwick, England were some of the best of my life. There were so many things that made the time special, from living in a castle, to exploring amazing historical sites, to just getting to know the locals and their culture.

The most impactful part about studying abroad, however, was none of those things. For me, it was the relationships I developed with the people I traveled with.  I currently live with two of the people I studied abroad with, and count them among my best friends. I still have a group chat with many of the people I traveled with, and we keep in touch with each other. In the three months I spent abroad, I considered many of them to be some of the best friends I have ever had.

 

It’s not all that surprising when you think about it, I guess. Think about if you joined a group of people who don’t know each other, lived with them for a few months, and took all the same classes that they did. Then, go and see the world with them. Get into a snowball fight with a random group of locals in Amsterdam with them. Get lost in Newcastle with them. Walk along Hadrian’s Wall with them.  Go on trips and adventures almost every week, from London to the North Sea, visiting castles, monasteries and ancient churches with them. Of course we became close, how could we not?

I have so many memories of England and other places I have traveled to, but the best ones are not about the places I went, or the things I saw, but the people I saw them with.

             

How to See a City in a Day (and on a Budget)

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Sophie Torgerson

One of the things that has always been on my bucket list has been to travel to Europe.  I was ecstatic when I made the decision to study abroad in Denmark in June of 2019.  The majority of the trip would be spent in Aalborg, which is a smaller-sized city in the northern region of Denmark.  The last couple days would be spent in Copenhagen, the capital and largest city of Denmark.  The program was only three weeks, and although I was told we would have free time most evenings and weekends, I wasn’t expecting to have enough time to travel outside the country, although that was something I was interested in.  However, in our second week abroad, a few of my classmates were researching things to do for the weekend and came across a $39 round-trip ticket to London for the following Saturday.  I decided that I couldn’t let this incredible opportunity pass, as I wasn’t sure when the next time I would be in Europe would be, so a couple hours later, four of my classmates and I booked our flight.

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All photos courtesy of Sophie Torgerson

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The World is Your Oyster

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Ashlee Gibson

If I am being honest, I never thought that a person like me would end up having this incredible opportunity. Not only have I been able to travel to a whole new part of the world I have been fortunate enough to live for 3 months in a castle! I grew up in a single parent household living below the poverty line, yet here I am. I don’t want to take a single day in Europe for granted because this is an opportunity of a lifetime and I want to make the best of it. The world is your oyster after all.

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Images in this post are courtesy of Ashlee Gibson

The few days of packing before leaving for Alnwick were exciting yet difficult if I am being honest. I remember stressing over what to bring because I wanted to bring everything yet nothing at the same time. I was excited but it just didn’t feel real to me yet. I was excited to start my semester abroad knowing I will be with other students who are in the same boat as me and that I will have professors and faculty from Minnesota going on this journey with me, but also to help me along the way. I am going for elementary education and I have completed my generals and so none of the classes that were offered at Alnwick were required or could apply to my major. I am however learning a lot from my British professors and Saint Cloud State professor about the UK and its history but also its current events such as BREXIT, the shutdown of the Thomas Cook Firm, the plans of renewable energy at Alnwick, and the future plans of Newcastle. I came to Alnwick for the experience and to develop more of a global perspective and the experience has been phenomenal so far!

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