In this podcast, we’ll learn some differences in UK vs US English and British Slangs with our guest from the UK 🇬🇧 – Sam Stevens! Sam is an exchange student from Northumbria University, England!
In honor of National Yorkshire Pudding Day, we are excited to have Sam Stevens, an exchange student from Northumbria University, England 🏴 🇬🇧 to show us how to make Yorkshire Pudding!
While I was studying abroad in Alnwick I found myself with some free time to travel around. Not being able to afford a rental car while I was abroad I had to come up with ways to get around that I was not familiar with. Being from smaller cites I had never really needed to bus, train, or fly anywhere so it was going to be a good learning experience.
In the United Kingdom I would say there are three to four main forms of travel depending on where you are located. Most places will have access to, at a bare minimum, a bus. Busing is a great and affordable way to travel. Since Great Britain is really only a bit bigger than the state of Minnesota you can often reach where you want to go via bus in day or less. For smaller distances buses make a great form of transportation. It is also surprisingly easy to understand the routes for a first time user. Locations are posted at the bus stops and they typically all run close to on time. One thing I would note is not all stops are stopped at on a line. If no one is at the stop they will typically pass it unless it is a bus hub. If you are planning on getting off it is good practice to hit a big red button which is situated somewhere close throughout the bus. This button lets the driver know that you are planning on getting off at the next stop. A few last tips I have for busing is double check the routes and times before the bus gets there, and lastly, be ready to pay as soon as you board the bus. Let the driver know your destination and whether it is a single (one way) or a return (round trip) if you do get a return hold on to your receipt you will need it to get back on!
Ashlee had the experience of a lifetime while in Alnwick, England. In the Fall semester of 2019, she had the opportunity to stay in the Alnwick Castle, which also happens to be a St. Cloud State University campus. This unique program is a great introduction to traveling. As a group, SCSU students, faculty, and staff work together from beginning to end. They fly over, live, take classes, and sometimes travel together. Fortunately, Ashlee connected well with her classmates and still tries to get in touch once a month, to relive their cherished memories.
Some of her favorite memories are from her group and individual excursions around Europe:
Hadrian’s Wall: This long stretch of wall was visited by her class and professors. She said, “I was just trying to embrace everything that was coming at me. We had no idea where we were going, but our professors did. I felt alive. It was such a powerful moment.”
We are excited to have Gerard – swimmer in our SCSU Men’s Swim & Dive team from the Netherlands 🇳🇱 to talk about Culture Shock in the US and the cultural differences in the Netherlands!
Come listen to our podcast about Culture Shock – USA 🇺🇸 vs The Netherlands 🇳🇱 featuring special guest – Gerard from the SCSU Men’s Swim & Dive team from Netherlands! 🎧 The Global Hub Podcast Podbean: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-2fmru-12c67b3 #SCSU#EducationAbroad#internationalstudent
I studied abroad on the Croatia Biology program in Rijeka, Croatia during the summer of 2017. While overseas, I primarily studied immunology with my classmates and graduate students from SCSU at the University of Rijeka. The primary reason I was able to study abroad, was because the opportunity allowed me to graduate a semester early. As someone who relied heavily on scholarships and financial aid, this was an important detail in my decision to study abroad.
Photo taken at Plitvice National Park. Photo shows (from L to R) Logan Kludt Lawrence, SCSU 17′ Alumna; Ana Mihatovic, University of Rijeka Alumna; Andrea Majstorovic, University of Rijeka Alumna.
While it’s been a handful of years since this endeavor, I reflect fondly over the experience. One of the most valuable experiences I had was being able to complete group work with a mixture of American and Croatian students, where everyone was motivated to do efficient and quality work, with the primary purpose to learn. I still stay in contact with the individuals I closely worked with, and it was a fantastic way to build friendships.
Photo taken in Smiljan, Croatia at Nikoli Tesla’s birthplace. Photo shows (L to R) Logan Kludt Lawrence (SCSU ’17), Erica Rehnblom (SCSU ’18), Dee Yang (SCSU ’17), and Katherine Schimnich (SCUS ’18).
In addition, Croatia is an absolutely beautiful and remarkable country. The SCSU faculty leader that led this program, Dr. Marina Cetkovic-Cvrlje, grew up in Croatia; she was an outstanding host and teacher while visiting. My favorite non-academic excursions were visiting Nikoli Tesla’s birthplace and exploring Plitvice National Park.
Whether you plan to travel on foot or by car, using landmarks is a great way to not get lost. When I traveled around England and Scotland I mostly walked to my destinations. I did not have an international plan on my phone so I tried to use my data wisely as it was quite expensive to turn on. I was able to make my way around by using landmarks around the city. These can be both large and small structures – the key is to find something that helps you remember your path. I use large structures to get a sense of where I am in the city or town.
For example: Edinburgh Castle. In Edinburgh, it is very easy to see Edinburgh Castle from wherever you are. Just look up! You should see the castle in the city center. From there, I could roughly see where I was in the city. In the case of Edinburgh, the train station is very close to the castle so following it will lead you to transportation.
By: Kameiko Vue (Class of 2020) and Tonny Yang (Class of 2017 & 2019)
Kameiko Vue in Vientiane, Laos (left) & Tonny Yang in Penang, Malaysia (right)
Kameiko’s Story
I took part in the South East Asia (SEA) study abroad program in the winter of 2017-2018. This study abroad trip included going to Laos, Thailand and Malaysia. I wanted to be a part of this trip because I wanted to explore the world and enrich myself in the culture, people and food. Because of this trip, I experienced riding on an airplane and traveling out of the country for the first time ever. Not to mention, I built ever lasting friendships with individuals that I will cherish forever.
Pictures are worth a 1000 words – but I think they are worth even more when you are studying abroad. My biggest issue was finding a fun way to capture these memories and live in the moment. I was able to make these moments even more memorable by using a cool app that is a little retro. Disposable is a free app that allows you to take pictures but does not let you see them until 9:00 am the next day. The photos have that disposable camera look and just give off a cool vibe. I used this app a lot because it was fun to take pictures without having to worry about how the pictures would turn out. It allowed me to live more in the moment. It was fun to relive the moments when the photos would show up at 9:00 am the next day. Now that I am back in the US, it is fun to remember all the good times I had in The Netherlands.
Check out some of my favorite photos taken using the Disposable app:
I know a lot of people are super into coffee. Coffee smells great, don’t get me wrong, but the taste and caffeine levels have never jived with me. My hot beverage consumption was pretty much limited to hot chocolate and apple cider until the fall of 2012. This thankfully changed through travel and exploration. As a part of my study abroad experience in Denmark, I traveled to the UK with two of my friends. It was on this trip that my love of tea was born. Not just the beverage itself, but the different cultural norms and values that come with tea.
A photo of me at my happiest – with a big cup of tea.
