StuDYING!
6 December 2018Before I start this post I just want to make it clear that my aim is not to put you off doing a year abroad at all, but I feel I need to be brutally honest about my experience here so far. Bear in mind I have been here just over two months which, in the grand scheme of things, is not really very long. Things have already stared to improve from what they were like at the very beginning of my time here in Verona.
The first thing I want to talk about is reason I’m here: uni.
If I’ve learnt one thing being in Italy it’s that I was absolutely spoilt at university in Cardiff. The amount of help and support I received in Cardiff was incredible compared to what I receive now. And don’t get me started on the lack of organisation here…But everything is positive: this is preparing me for life after university when I won’t be spoon fed everything and – heaven forbid – I might actually have to do something for myself.
All my friends and family back home take the mick, having only seen the photos of me having the time of my life on my year abroad. But what they don’t see are the days when I haven’t understood a word of my lecture, I don’t know what my exam is about or when I’m meant to hand in my latest piece of homework, because obviously it would be a bit weird to post a picture of me crying in the library on Instagram, wouldn’t it? It’s actually a bloody big deal to move to a different country and study at a university that uses completely different methods of teaching and grading to what I’m used to in my little Cardiff bubble. Trying to concentrate and make notes as well as listen to a lecturer you’re not familiar with, in a language you’re still trying to grasp, in a dialect and accent that you’ve never heard before is difficult. Full stop.
BUT (I know you’ve been waiting for sad Sally to get lost), after the first few weeks I could feel myself understanding and learning more about the topics I was studying as well as the language.
Perseverance
is
key!
Another thing that people incorrectly think is that you need to be out having fun and meeting people all the time. But that’s not true. No one has that much energy!
As cliché as it is, your year abroad is the perfect time to find yourself (cringe). I personally am very good at being on my own, and I enjoy my own company sometimes (I promise I’m not a saddo). Whether it’s exploring the city, studying or just watching Netflix, learning to be comfortable in your own company is a valuable skill to have. I have watched an impressive (I am a glass-half-full kind of girl) amount of Netflix, though…
- September 2024
- August 2021
- March 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- October 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- May 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- February 2016
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- May 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014