Category Archives: uk

UK 🇬🇧 vs US 🇺🇸 English – British Slangs

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“You Alright?” 

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!

Listen to our Podcast here: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-u7v4b-12eadff

@scsuinternational Happy National Yorkshire Pudding Day 🇬🇧 What Really is Yorkshire Pudding? Watch the full video out on YouTube right now! https://youtu.be/sVwIJH9Mqnc #EducationAbroad #SCSU #YorkshirePudding ♬ dance(256762) – TimTaj

Check out our Alnwick, England Education Abroad Program: https://www.stcloudstate.edu/alnwick/

Watch our video on how to make Yorkshire Pudding here: https://youtu.be/sVwIJH9Mqnc

Planes, Trains and Boats? How I traveled in Great Britain

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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!

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Top 5 Places to Eat in Alnwick

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Quick Taste of Alnwick

Picking only five places to eat in Alnwick is difficult. Within walking distance of the castle to the far side of Alnwick, you will find a huge range of food. Every student will tell you the best place and will argue with everything I list in this blog. But the list below is correct and I will stand by my choices. *Note: I have no dietary restrictions or aversions, but most places within the UK will have options for vegan and gluten-free individuals. So some of these items may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but these are my favorite places to go to in Alnwick.

  1. Costa Coffee
    I am starting this list out with coffee. But Jake, coffee is not food. I am obsessed with coffee and so number one will always be coffee. Large Latte for take-away please! If you are a Caribou or Starbucks person, this is similar as it is a chain coffee place. They have a great seating area if you need to get out of the castle to do school work or just to relax. Now if you are strictly a tea drinker, they have tea but this is not about tea. If you want to know about tea, you can read our previous post. But coffee is better.

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Abroad Experience in Alnwick, England

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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:

  1. 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.”

         

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Landmarks.

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Landmarks.

By: Jack Newman

Why should you use landmarks?

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.

Jack studied abroad to St. Cloud State at Alnwick during the Spring 2020 semester.

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.

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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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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.

             

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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