My final day in London started with yet another Full English. This time, I was joined by Richard, and we managed to actually find the greasy spoon I had been recommended. Today's breakfast turned out to be better than the one the day before, although one thing I appreciated both times was that the meal essentially took care of the need to eat until about 6 PM (perfect for a day of sightseeing).
The big attraction of the day was to see the British Library's exhibition celebrating the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta. While the exhibit promised to really be quite something, I assumed that there wouldn't be that many people there-and boy, was I wrong. Reading the panels morphed seamlessly with a queue, slowing one's progress through the exhibit (though perhaps also forcing one to really consider the artefacts, and allowing the time to read everything). The whole exhibit took a lot longer than I expected-2:30 hours; nearly every minute, however, was riveting. The Magna Carta has a fascinating history, not just for what it is, but for what the very idea of it (and often a misconception at that) has inspired in others. The exhibit was also impressive in its thoroughness- in addition to two of the four known original copies being on display, we were treated to numerous accounts of the different personalities involved, reactions, and how it was used over the years. Original copies of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, as well as displays covering human rights history post-Magna Carta really rounded out the exhibition.
After the Library, Richard had to head on his way, and I was on my own until dinner. I had a hard time deciding what to do, and nearly went to the Greenwich observatory before deciding that I didn't want to have to come back from there during rush hour. Instead, I went to take a look at the Tower of London (actually a castle), and sat outside in the torrential downpour, eating fish and chips.
I then headed back to Harrods. On the outside, Harrods resembles a giant version of the Bay store on Ste Catherine Street in Montreal. On the inside, it consists of several floors containing a variety of departments selling some of the most expensive and luxurious items you care to see. I saw everything from Audrey Hepburn's signature (for sale) to £29 000 watches.
My last tourist attraction was Hyde Park, a giant green park, which contains both the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, and Speaker's Corner, amongst other thing. The park actually turned out to be quite a bit larger than I expected, and provides for a lovely green space in the city (though it doesn't have quite that abrupt feeling created by Central Park, since London is nowhere near as high rise as Manhattan).
My final night in London ended by meeting Andrew at Piccadilly Circus for dinner in nearby Chinatown, a nod to the fact that we met in Hong Kong. After dinner, it was back to the hostel to pack and sleep before heading out in the morning.
Overall, my impression of London was very positive. The City is extremely walkable, with attractions nearby to one another. There's a lot of greenery for such a large city, not just the impressive parks but also trees along many of the streets. People were quite friendly, and the city has a multicultural vibe, including a large number of tourists. When I first arrived, Max said he thought he could see me living there, and I certainly could as well. I was a little taken aback at how busy I found the city-it could be the effect of arriving directly from Fredericton, but it even seemed more packed than Hong Kong, particularly at any and all tourist attractions. Prices are also, of course, sky high for a North American (as a Canadian, we double the prices to get our dollar), but these things do little to detract from a great city, at least in my opinion.
Wednesday, 26 August 2015
London: Part II
My busy first day in London ended with me falling asleep at 9:30. Upon waking, I noticed two things
1) It was 4:30 AM, but, having slept 7 hours, I just was not getting back to sleep
2)My legs were in some pretty major pain
Now, number 2 is actually surprising. I walk everywhere, always, and a lot. I can't recall ever having walked enough to put me in the kind of pain I was in in London (eventually I was limping), so I think that's a testament not only to how much I did, but how many things there are to see in London.
Seeing as I wouldn't be getting back to sleep, I decided to head down to watch the sunrise over parliament. The Tube was closed, so I had to take a bus which, to my delight as a law student, turned out to be the Clapham Omnibus! (For those who aren't familiar, the "Man on the Clapham Omnibus"is used often as an example of the "reasonable man" in the law. It's kind of one of those things you have to understand to laugh at). I got off the bus at Westminister Abbey and discovered something pretty amazing-contrary to the massive crowds I had seen a little more than twelve hours prior, there was essentially nobody at the Abbey, Parliament, Big Ben, or on the bridges. I took full advantage, snapping selfies, before walking back up to Trafalgar Square. Given that I was out just when the Saturday night revellers were calling it a day, the streets around Trafalgar Square were a bit of a mess with bottles and trash strewn about-it was quite disappointing, really, to see that some people felt Nelson's Monument an appropriate place to leave their empties. The leg pain kicking back in, I took the bus back to my hostel and rested a few hours.
I stayed back in my room until the time of day when places would start opening, and headed back out to look for a classic "full English breakfast". Although Max had recommended a place the day before, I had some trouble finding it. I eventually opted for a place that, while not the one recommended, looked ok. The Full English, for those who don't know, is a sort of classic breakfast, consisting, depending on where, of ham, beans, mushrooms, tomato, eggs, toast, sausage, and sometimes blood pudding. After leaving breakfast, I of course promptly walked past the place I had been searching for for an hour....
Next on my agenda was to meet Richard at the British Museum. After some confusion as to what "meet out front" means at a place with two entrances, I met up with my Canadian compatriot, and we tackled the massive museum. The British Museum has amazing treasures from all over the world. Unfortunately, to some extent, it becomes almost mundane in its vastness- while trying to find your way around, you're invariably passing hundreds of years worth of invaluable artifacts and fascinating history, without even realizing it. The nice thing about this was that exhibits also featured items and cultures we hear about less. The history of clocks was covered, for example, and I learned a lot about Ancient Cyprus. To me, as someone fascinated by language, the biggest draw in the Museum was the Rosetta Stone-no, not the computer program! The Rosetta Stone was a (large) trilingual carving whose discovery made it possible to begin cracking the code on translating hieroglyphics.
The Museum was, of course, packed, and the Rosetta Stone thronged with people essentially at all times (though it was still awe inspiring). After checking out some of the beautiful large-scale artifacts (all of which satisfied both of my criteria for picture taking-big and old), and ducking into the gift shop (which, amongst other things, sold a variety of rubber duckies dressed in different period gear), we headed out. Originally, we were in search of fish and chips for lunch, but we eventually abandoned that search in favour of chowing down on the goodies I had bought at the supermarket. We then headed to Harrod's, one of the world's most prestigious, and pricey, shops (more on Harrods in London Part III).
At 6:30, we had tickets to see Richard II performed at Shakespeare's Globe, a recreation (as faithfully as possible) of the original theatre in which Shakespeare's plays were performed, near to the original site. We got a little lost on the way, but made it just after the opening. Now, I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting to like this-it seemed like something that would make a good memory, and my friend wanted to go, but I really expected to be miserable. But, aside from standing for 2:40 (since we had standing tickets-sitting ones are sold as well), the play was really quite something (and a lot easier to follow along than expected, something aided quite a bit by a digital display showing the lyrics).
After the play, we had big plans to grab fish and chips, and then go out to a pub. Those plans, however, quickly morphed into getting dinner of the 99P menu at McDonald's and going for a walk through an empty Soho, as we discovered that London is night a late-night-Sunday kind of town.
1) It was 4:30 AM, but, having slept 7 hours, I just was not getting back to sleep
2)My legs were in some pretty major pain
Now, number 2 is actually surprising. I walk everywhere, always, and a lot. I can't recall ever having walked enough to put me in the kind of pain I was in in London (eventually I was limping), so I think that's a testament not only to how much I did, but how many things there are to see in London.
Seeing as I wouldn't be getting back to sleep, I decided to head down to watch the sunrise over parliament. The Tube was closed, so I had to take a bus which, to my delight as a law student, turned out to be the Clapham Omnibus! (For those who aren't familiar, the "Man on the Clapham Omnibus"is used often as an example of the "reasonable man" in the law. It's kind of one of those things you have to understand to laugh at). I got off the bus at Westminister Abbey and discovered something pretty amazing-contrary to the massive crowds I had seen a little more than twelve hours prior, there was essentially nobody at the Abbey, Parliament, Big Ben, or on the bridges. I took full advantage, snapping selfies, before walking back up to Trafalgar Square. Given that I was out just when the Saturday night revellers were calling it a day, the streets around Trafalgar Square were a bit of a mess with bottles and trash strewn about-it was quite disappointing, really, to see that some people felt Nelson's Monument an appropriate place to leave their empties. The leg pain kicking back in, I took the bus back to my hostel and rested a few hours.
I stayed back in my room until the time of day when places would start opening, and headed back out to look for a classic "full English breakfast". Although Max had recommended a place the day before, I had some trouble finding it. I eventually opted for a place that, while not the one recommended, looked ok. The Full English, for those who don't know, is a sort of classic breakfast, consisting, depending on where, of ham, beans, mushrooms, tomato, eggs, toast, sausage, and sometimes blood pudding. After leaving breakfast, I of course promptly walked past the place I had been searching for for an hour....
Next on my agenda was to meet Richard at the British Museum. After some confusion as to what "meet out front" means at a place with two entrances, I met up with my Canadian compatriot, and we tackled the massive museum. The British Museum has amazing treasures from all over the world. Unfortunately, to some extent, it becomes almost mundane in its vastness- while trying to find your way around, you're invariably passing hundreds of years worth of invaluable artifacts and fascinating history, without even realizing it. The nice thing about this was that exhibits also featured items and cultures we hear about less. The history of clocks was covered, for example, and I learned a lot about Ancient Cyprus. To me, as someone fascinated by language, the biggest draw in the Museum was the Rosetta Stone-no, not the computer program! The Rosetta Stone was a (large) trilingual carving whose discovery made it possible to begin cracking the code on translating hieroglyphics.
The Museum was, of course, packed, and the Rosetta Stone thronged with people essentially at all times (though it was still awe inspiring). After checking out some of the beautiful large-scale artifacts (all of which satisfied both of my criteria for picture taking-big and old), and ducking into the gift shop (which, amongst other things, sold a variety of rubber duckies dressed in different period gear), we headed out. Originally, we were in search of fish and chips for lunch, but we eventually abandoned that search in favour of chowing down on the goodies I had bought at the supermarket. We then headed to Harrod's, one of the world's most prestigious, and pricey, shops (more on Harrods in London Part III).
At 6:30, we had tickets to see Richard II performed at Shakespeare's Globe, a recreation (as faithfully as possible) of the original theatre in which Shakespeare's plays were performed, near to the original site. We got a little lost on the way, but made it just after the opening. Now, I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting to like this-it seemed like something that would make a good memory, and my friend wanted to go, but I really expected to be miserable. But, aside from standing for 2:40 (since we had standing tickets-sitting ones are sold as well), the play was really quite something (and a lot easier to follow along than expected, something aided quite a bit by a digital display showing the lyrics).
After the play, we had big plans to grab fish and chips, and then go out to a pub. Those plans, however, quickly morphed into getting dinner of the 99P menu at McDonald's and going for a walk through an empty Soho, as we discovered that London is night a late-night-Sunday kind of town.
Westminster Abbey at sunrise
The sunrise over Big Ben
My first "Full English"
The British Museum
London! Part I
As most people know, exchanges aren't only about seeing the city you will be studying in (although Maastricht is worth the trip on its own), but also about getting the chance to travel. With that in mind, I decided to spend a few days in London prior to heading to Maas-a decision made all the more justifiable by the need to fly to a major international airport and then take the train to Maastricht anyway. After discovering that the only options were red-eye flights, I decided to leave the same day I finished work, so that I wouldn't be wasting any time, since I would only have three days in London anyway.
My flight began on, essentially, an oversized tin can that took me from Fredericton to Halifax. From there, we left at midnight and touched down in London at 9:35-a full 35 minutes early, and this, even after being put in a holding pattern (which offered great views of the city) because we were so early. After making my way through customs, and playing games with some elevators that just did not want to take us to our floor, I took the Tube and headed into the city to meet up with some good friends from my Hong Kong days. Taking the Tube with luggage wasn't fun, but it was no more unpleasant than doing so in Montréal. The journey into the city probably took around 40 minutes, and after arriving at Holborn station, I was met by Max, who graciously let me leave my bags in his car while we headed out.
Whilst waiting for our third friend, Andrew, to join us, Max took me on a quick walking tour of the area. I was really surprised how compact that part of London is, and how concentrated the mains sites are. We had to stop in the middle of many casual conversations so I could take pictures of things like Nelson's Monument, or Big Ben. After walking down to the Thames, we headed back to a pub where we met up with Andrew (and some cold beer). As a Canadian, I was pretty excited to dig into some pub fare for my first lunch in London, and so went right for the pie of the day-turkey and ham-since it was the most stereotypical English pub food I could think of.
Lunch was followed by gelato, and then by checking into my hostel (which was actually a UCL dormitory), after which Max had to part ways with us, leaving me and Andrew to explore the city. And explore we did: the BBC Building, Piccadilly Circus, Westminster Abbey, Downing Street, Parliament and Big Ben, then over the Thames and back again. Once back across the bridge, we realized that we missed Buckingham Palace, and so we headed in that direction, before wandering the neighbourhood in search of a cold drink, and accidentally ending up at London's main Catholic Church, the Westminster Cathedral. Finally, we took our newly found cold drinks over to Green Park, just next to the Palace, and relaxed under the Park's giant trees, catching up on four years since we'd last seen each other (and enjoying a lovely London summer evening).
Once the sun started to set (and once my brain started to realize I had just walked several kilometres in the heat on zero sleep), we decided it was best to head home. As we parted ways in the station, Andrew asked if I was sure I could find my way back to my room, to which I responded "of course". Which, it turns out, was a complete lie. I probably spent around an hour walking in circles (which, the next day, I would realize had taken me very close to the dorm about 5 times) before finding my way back.
Having only had one meal that day, there was one last thing to do: head out to a grocery store. I tracked down a Sainsbury's nearby, and quickly got to playing one of my favourite travel games: buy all the things you don't recognize. Now, it's true that I cheated a little bit, since I had actually seen many of these items (York Chocolate Bars, Whisps, Minstrels, etc.) at import candy stores, or at Pete's Froutique (a store in Halifax and Saint John), but I still wound up with about £9 of mostly candy.
City Tour-Arriving in Maastricht Part 2
After finally finding the pick-up, ISN drove us to the main Guesthouse, where we paid our fees for the month, got our keys, and...waited around a while for the next shuttle. It proved a good opportunity to chat and get to know a few other exchange students. Eventually, of course, we made it to our guesthouses.
My room is a very, very large room with a sink, bed, some shelving, and a beautiful view of the street in front and an old church in the distance. The room is inside of a unit of four rooms with shared kitchen, shower and toilets.
After dropping my stuff off, and meeting a few of my flatmates, I headed out for a quick stop at the supermarket across the street. I'm sure I'll be doing a post about Dutch supermarkets (since going to the store and buying things I don't recognize is a favourite travel experience of mine), but to sum it up quickly, it was very small and basic. There was everything you need, of course, but none of the extra flashiness of a North American grocery store. I also really conspicuously felt my lack of Dutch here-maybe I'm just too Canadian, but I felt rude not knowing how to say please and thank you to the cashier.
I decided that I would join the Maastricht city tour, and so I dropped off my purchases and headed back to the main guesthouse,where I was able to jump on the end of the walking tour just in time. We went through a whole host of interesting sites, including old city walls used to keep people with the plague out, an old fashioned stone mill, and a lovely park. None of which I anticipate being able to find again any time soon. After the tour there was a dinner at a restaurant in town, followed by a party and then after party. I made friends with a few people at my table at dinner, and we went together to the bar-which was quite possibly the most crowded one I've ever seen-so we left and opted for drinks at a quieter place instead, before returning to the party once ISN had opened a second venue. Having travelled across Europe that same day, I decided not to stay too late, and soon went home.
My room is a very, very large room with a sink, bed, some shelving, and a beautiful view of the street in front and an old church in the distance. The room is inside of a unit of four rooms with shared kitchen, shower and toilets.
After dropping my stuff off, and meeting a few of my flatmates, I headed out for a quick stop at the supermarket across the street. I'm sure I'll be doing a post about Dutch supermarkets (since going to the store and buying things I don't recognize is a favourite travel experience of mine), but to sum it up quickly, it was very small and basic. There was everything you need, of course, but none of the extra flashiness of a North American grocery store. I also really conspicuously felt my lack of Dutch here-maybe I'm just too Canadian, but I felt rude not knowing how to say please and thank you to the cashier.
I decided that I would join the Maastricht city tour, and so I dropped off my purchases and headed back to the main guesthouse,where I was able to jump on the end of the walking tour just in time. We went through a whole host of interesting sites, including old city walls used to keep people with the plague out, an old fashioned stone mill, and a lovely park. None of which I anticipate being able to find again any time soon. After the tour there was a dinner at a restaurant in town, followed by a party and then after party. I made friends with a few people at my table at dinner, and we went together to the bar-which was quite possibly the most crowded one I've ever seen-so we left and opted for drinks at a quieter place instead, before returning to the party once ISN had opened a second venue. Having travelled across Europe that same day, I decided not to stay too late, and soon went home.
Four Countries, One Day-Arriving in Maastricht Part I
(Note: I'm going to start with writing about Maastricht, since this is my actual exchange. My travels in London will be in a separate post written after).
I woke up in London around 6:00 to get ready for my train journey to Maastricht. Even though the train didn't leave until 8:04, I received an e-mail the night before stating that French Border Police had increased their inspections and so we needed to arrive 45 minutes early to allow time to customs. So, at around half past six, I set out through the early morning streets of London, two suitcases and a laptop bag in hand. London is lovely in the early morning, so I didn't mind the walk so much. 20 Minutes later I was in St. Pancras Station.
French customs, the whole reason I woke up at 6:00AM, took approximately 30 seconds.
Travelling with Canadian luggage tags during this trip proved interesting. While waiting in line for the washroom at St. Pancras station someone, noticing my luggage tags and East Coast Lifestyle hoody, struck up a conversation along the lines of
"You're Canadian?"
"Yup!"
"East Coast?"
"Yup, Halifax!"
"Me too!"
After a short wait at St. Pancras, we boarded and were soon off for Brussels, via Lille-Europe. The train was quite nice, though a little warm, and the journey quite smooth. Tunnels took us out of London and into the English countryside. It couldn't have been more than 40 minutes later that we, quite unceremoniously, entered the Chunnel, emerging in France around 10 or 20 minutes later. The French countryside was quite different than the English (although not immediately), namely due to the presence of actual forests, rather than just clumps of trees. Cute little French villages stood off in the distance as we made our way to Lille to drop off some passengers. After that, we continued on, with small Belgian villages now dotting the countryside.
One thing I found very notable on the train was that announcements were trilingual: English, French, and Dutch/Flemish, the order of languages rotating depending on what country we were in. The notable part was that none of the three languages was pre-recorded, all were spoken by the same staff member. As a Canadian with an interest in language rights in my own country, I was pretty impressed by this (take note, Air Canada!)
Arriving in Brussels is actually quite anticlimactic- one simply gets off the train, and looks over a long list of timetables to find their destination. I was trying to time my arrival in Maastricht for when I had arranged pick through the International Students' Network (ISN),and so didn't take the first train, but rather went outside to look for food. A few restaurants dotted the outside of the train station, but nothing on the menu boards caught my fancy, and so I found my way back to the platform literally just in time to get on a train.
Getting on the train, I managed to strike up a conversation with the gentleman I sat across from, just by asking if he knew whether this was a second class car (since that's what my ticket was for). Once again, the Canadian luggage tags proved interesting, with him asking about where I was going, and before I knew it we were in a fascinating conversation about languages, culture, and history, in which I learned quite a bit about Belgium (and him Canada).
The friendliness of Belgian people really stood out to me on this hour-and-a-half-or-so train ride. A lady sitting across let me put my suitcase over with her and wished me luck on my journey. On arriving at Liège another lady stopped me to say she had been listening to our conversation, found it interesting, and asked me all about my trip to Maastricht. Perhaps this was just one of those fluke situations where people start chatting on a train, and for all I know I may ride all over Belgium on the train without talking to another soul, but the brief chats I had showed me a really friendly and interesting country that I'm anxious to return to (without having to drag suitcases).
In Liège my wait for the train to Maastricht wasn't too long, and before I knew it the Canadian luggage tags struck again, with the other exchange student from McGill spotting me and joining me on the ride to Maas. One thing I noticed, after entering my fourth country for the day, was how unceremonious crossing from one country to another on the train is: there's not even an announcement, just the fact that at the next station signs were in Dutch rather than French. Crossing between provinces, even sometimes counties, is made a bigger deal of back home.
Arrived in Maastricht, I parted ways with my fellow exchanger, who already had set himself up in the city and had a bike waiting. I wandered through the station looking for the pick-up, and eventually waited outside. There, I spotted another exchange student, and yet another spotted us, and soon we were a group of three totally unable to find out pick-up. Which, after about 20 minutes, we discovered was on the side of the building rather than the front....
I woke up in London around 6:00 to get ready for my train journey to Maastricht. Even though the train didn't leave until 8:04, I received an e-mail the night before stating that French Border Police had increased their inspections and so we needed to arrive 45 minutes early to allow time to customs. So, at around half past six, I set out through the early morning streets of London, two suitcases and a laptop bag in hand. London is lovely in the early morning, so I didn't mind the walk so much. 20 Minutes later I was in St. Pancras Station.
French customs, the whole reason I woke up at 6:00AM, took approximately 30 seconds.
Travelling with Canadian luggage tags during this trip proved interesting. While waiting in line for the washroom at St. Pancras station someone, noticing my luggage tags and East Coast Lifestyle hoody, struck up a conversation along the lines of
"You're Canadian?"
"Yup!"
"East Coast?"
"Yup, Halifax!"
"Me too!"
After a short wait at St. Pancras, we boarded and were soon off for Brussels, via Lille-Europe. The train was quite nice, though a little warm, and the journey quite smooth. Tunnels took us out of London and into the English countryside. It couldn't have been more than 40 minutes later that we, quite unceremoniously, entered the Chunnel, emerging in France around 10 or 20 minutes later. The French countryside was quite different than the English (although not immediately), namely due to the presence of actual forests, rather than just clumps of trees. Cute little French villages stood off in the distance as we made our way to Lille to drop off some passengers. After that, we continued on, with small Belgian villages now dotting the countryside.
One thing I found very notable on the train was that announcements were trilingual: English, French, and Dutch/Flemish, the order of languages rotating depending on what country we were in. The notable part was that none of the three languages was pre-recorded, all were spoken by the same staff member. As a Canadian with an interest in language rights in my own country, I was pretty impressed by this (take note, Air Canada!)
Arriving in Brussels is actually quite anticlimactic- one simply gets off the train, and looks over a long list of timetables to find their destination. I was trying to time my arrival in Maastricht for when I had arranged pick through the International Students' Network (ISN),and so didn't take the first train, but rather went outside to look for food. A few restaurants dotted the outside of the train station, but nothing on the menu boards caught my fancy, and so I found my way back to the platform literally just in time to get on a train.
Getting on the train, I managed to strike up a conversation with the gentleman I sat across from, just by asking if he knew whether this was a second class car (since that's what my ticket was for). Once again, the Canadian luggage tags proved interesting, with him asking about where I was going, and before I knew it we were in a fascinating conversation about languages, culture, and history, in which I learned quite a bit about Belgium (and him Canada).
The friendliness of Belgian people really stood out to me on this hour-and-a-half-or-so train ride. A lady sitting across let me put my suitcase over with her and wished me luck on my journey. On arriving at Liège another lady stopped me to say she had been listening to our conversation, found it interesting, and asked me all about my trip to Maastricht. Perhaps this was just one of those fluke situations where people start chatting on a train, and for all I know I may ride all over Belgium on the train without talking to another soul, but the brief chats I had showed me a really friendly and interesting country that I'm anxious to return to (without having to drag suitcases).
In Liège my wait for the train to Maastricht wasn't too long, and before I knew it the Canadian luggage tags struck again, with the other exchange student from McGill spotting me and joining me on the ride to Maas. One thing I noticed, after entering my fourth country for the day, was how unceremonious crossing from one country to another on the train is: there's not even an announcement, just the fact that at the next station signs were in Dutch rather than French. Crossing between provinces, even sometimes counties, is made a bigger deal of back home.
Arrived in Maastricht, I parted ways with my fellow exchanger, who already had set himself up in the city and had a bike waiting. I wandered through the station looking for the pick-up, and eventually waited outside. There, I spotted another exchange student, and yet another spotted us, and soon we were a group of three totally unable to find out pick-up. Which, after about 20 minutes, we discovered was on the side of the building rather than the front....
Friday, 21 August 2015
Wait for it...wait for it....go!
Hey folks!
I decided that my first blog post should be pre-departure. I decided this for a couple of reasons, but primarily because A) I wanted to give a bit of a set-up for people who don't know me as well, B)because I thought my packing/prep process might be useful for some, especially any first-time exchangers who find this blog in their searching, and C) because I wanted actual content to appear when I start giving out the blog address :P
My about page does a pretty good rundown, but basically, I'm preparing to go on my second exchange, this time to Maastricht, Netherlands. Having previously been an exchange student has changed the experience a lot already. Last time, when I went to Hong Kong, it was my first serious travel experience. True, I had had the opportunity to travel all over North America growing up. But, save for a quick trip to New York with a friend and a day trip to Montréal, that travel had all been with my parents or for school. Heading to the other side of the world on my own, to a country where I couldn't speak (or even read) the main language was quite a leap. The learning curve was steep, though always enjoyable.
Now, it's going to be a different experience. When I was in Hong Kong, I never met a single other student with as little prior travel experience as me: for most, the experience I'm about to have (travelling Europe) had been their travelling training grounds, so to speak. So, to some extent, it almost feels like I'm doing things backwards. At the same time, I also have a very different approach this time. Pre-Hong Kong, I spaced some "travel chores" (vaccines, currency, etc.) out throughout the summer to help deal with my excitement. This time, most of those things occurred as an afterthought-it was only a week or two ago when I thought "oh hey, gonna need a travel adapter". That's not to say I'm less excited this time; it's also not to say I was nervous that time. To some extent, it's the result of having more experience-knowing, for example, that exchanging currency prior to travel is not really that great of a deal cost wise.
And so, packing this time was different. I don't think I took as much (credit for this also goes to having one entire suitcase less in my luggage allowance), but I also knew things I should take. Sleeping mask and ear plugs, Tums and Pepto Bismol, a tiny bottle of mouthwash for when I get off the plane. The things, basically, that I found myself wishing I brought, or happy I brought, to Hong Kong. I also knew to leave room in my suitcase for any treasures I find along the way (having been stuck paying for an extra bag coming back from HK).
So, for those who are going on an exchange (or some sort of comparable travel), here's my list of pre-departure tips:
Currency: Find out about the availability of exchanging currency in your destination country. If you're going somewhere like Hong Kong, a massive number of money changers exist, and their rates very considerably, but you will be able to find rates better than your bank gives. I didn't find the rates at changers in Montréal, however, to be such a good deal. Taking cash out at an ATM is probably your best bet, though be warned that you pay per transaction and have an exchange rate (for me, it's $5 per).
What to bring: I'm going to skip over the obvious here (bring underwear and pants, please!) and get right to the less obvious. Are you a light sleeper? Bring earplugs and a sleeping mask, just in case your accommodations are less than peaceful. Going to have shared showers? For Gods' sakes bring flip flops. Some first-aid style things are necessary: bring something for your stomach, something for sun and flies (trying to find mosquito repellent in rural China without knowing the words for it was quite a challenge for me). Purel and some form of tissue are probably also useful (especially in countries like China where you are expected to carry your own toilet paper). Of course, you also always need to have some small tokens of your home country, both for friends you meet along the way, and for yourself. And, finally, don't forget the electrical adaptors (and remember the difference between an adaptor and a converter: if your device has a built in converter like most major electronics, you only need the adaptor for the plug end in most cases).
Who to notify: I was a little surprised to learn that many people I knew didn't, in fact, realize that there are many businesses and organizations that you will want to notify about your trip. (Note:while I'm trying to make this blog as international as possible, I really only know about Canada for this part). My list included:
-My provincial medicare provider (did you know that if you study out of province you need to let them know each year? And I have heard horror stories of coverage being denied where maybe it wouldn't have had someone simply let them know)
-My credit card AND bank (now that most of us have Visa Debit, it's important to make sure neither debit nor credit card is going to be rejected while you're on the other side of the world. Though, for the record, the visa rep told me that they're going to be changing this system soon).
-My private health insurance (for me, that's student insurance. They needed to know I was leaving and have proof I'm going on an exchange. This is another service you don't want to suddenly not have when you need it, just because you forgot some paperwork).
-Elections Canada (did you know you can vote for up to 5 years after moving out of Canada? And that during an election you can vote at any time once Returning Offices are established in your riding? I actually voted before I left, to avoid any problems with the ballot getting lost in the mail, but you can also go in person to register for your special ballot prior to leaving).
-The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFATD, for Canada, has a service allowing you to register your travel with them. This is how they know where Canadians are in the event of an emergency, and how they plan their strategies for helping Canadian citizens if something goes wrong. Even if you're not Canadian, your home country will have something similar).
I want to make one last plug prior to ending this post on preparation: learn some of the local language. I'm by no means fluent in Dutch, Cantonese, or Mandarin, but I made efforts to learn at least a little of each of these. Simple phrases like "is someone sitting here?" "How much does this cost?" etc. go a long way. This is especially true, I find, in a place where most people speak English anyway-learning at least a few phrases shows that you haven't arrived somewhere expecting to be catered to in your native language. It's fine if you can't communicate your deepest feelings in perfectly accented Dutch or Cantonese or whatever; showing that the local language is important to you goes a long way. To that end, the most useful phrase in any language, in my opinion, is "How do you say ____ in (language?". This question shows that you want to learn and practice the language, and makes you a visitor (or resident) rather than a tourist just passing through to take pictures of sights.
Alright, well, that's all I have for advice. Please feel free to leave any questions in the comments. I'll be leaving tonight and will probably not be able to post for a few days, but when I do, expect actual travel blog posts!
I decided that my first blog post should be pre-departure. I decided this for a couple of reasons, but primarily because A) I wanted to give a bit of a set-up for people who don't know me as well, B)because I thought my packing/prep process might be useful for some, especially any first-time exchangers who find this blog in their searching, and C) because I wanted actual content to appear when I start giving out the blog address :P
My about page does a pretty good rundown, but basically, I'm preparing to go on my second exchange, this time to Maastricht, Netherlands. Having previously been an exchange student has changed the experience a lot already. Last time, when I went to Hong Kong, it was my first serious travel experience. True, I had had the opportunity to travel all over North America growing up. But, save for a quick trip to New York with a friend and a day trip to Montréal, that travel had all been with my parents or for school. Heading to the other side of the world on my own, to a country where I couldn't speak (or even read) the main language was quite a leap. The learning curve was steep, though always enjoyable.
Now, it's going to be a different experience. When I was in Hong Kong, I never met a single other student with as little prior travel experience as me: for most, the experience I'm about to have (travelling Europe) had been their travelling training grounds, so to speak. So, to some extent, it almost feels like I'm doing things backwards. At the same time, I also have a very different approach this time. Pre-Hong Kong, I spaced some "travel chores" (vaccines, currency, etc.) out throughout the summer to help deal with my excitement. This time, most of those things occurred as an afterthought-it was only a week or two ago when I thought "oh hey, gonna need a travel adapter". That's not to say I'm less excited this time; it's also not to say I was nervous that time. To some extent, it's the result of having more experience-knowing, for example, that exchanging currency prior to travel is not really that great of a deal cost wise.
And so, packing this time was different. I don't think I took as much (credit for this also goes to having one entire suitcase less in my luggage allowance), but I also knew things I should take. Sleeping mask and ear plugs, Tums and Pepto Bismol, a tiny bottle of mouthwash for when I get off the plane. The things, basically, that I found myself wishing I brought, or happy I brought, to Hong Kong. I also knew to leave room in my suitcase for any treasures I find along the way (having been stuck paying for an extra bag coming back from HK).
So, for those who are going on an exchange (or some sort of comparable travel), here's my list of pre-departure tips:
Currency: Find out about the availability of exchanging currency in your destination country. If you're going somewhere like Hong Kong, a massive number of money changers exist, and their rates very considerably, but you will be able to find rates better than your bank gives. I didn't find the rates at changers in Montréal, however, to be such a good deal. Taking cash out at an ATM is probably your best bet, though be warned that you pay per transaction and have an exchange rate (for me, it's $5 per).
What to bring: I'm going to skip over the obvious here (bring underwear and pants, please!) and get right to the less obvious. Are you a light sleeper? Bring earplugs and a sleeping mask, just in case your accommodations are less than peaceful. Going to have shared showers? For Gods' sakes bring flip flops. Some first-aid style things are necessary: bring something for your stomach, something for sun and flies (trying to find mosquito repellent in rural China without knowing the words for it was quite a challenge for me). Purel and some form of tissue are probably also useful (especially in countries like China where you are expected to carry your own toilet paper). Of course, you also always need to have some small tokens of your home country, both for friends you meet along the way, and for yourself. And, finally, don't forget the electrical adaptors (and remember the difference between an adaptor and a converter: if your device has a built in converter like most major electronics, you only need the adaptor for the plug end in most cases).
Who to notify: I was a little surprised to learn that many people I knew didn't, in fact, realize that there are many businesses and organizations that you will want to notify about your trip. (Note:while I'm trying to make this blog as international as possible, I really only know about Canada for this part). My list included:
-My provincial medicare provider (did you know that if you study out of province you need to let them know each year? And I have heard horror stories of coverage being denied where maybe it wouldn't have had someone simply let them know)
-My credit card AND bank (now that most of us have Visa Debit, it's important to make sure neither debit nor credit card is going to be rejected while you're on the other side of the world. Though, for the record, the visa rep told me that they're going to be changing this system soon).
-My private health insurance (for me, that's student insurance. They needed to know I was leaving and have proof I'm going on an exchange. This is another service you don't want to suddenly not have when you need it, just because you forgot some paperwork).
-Elections Canada (did you know you can vote for up to 5 years after moving out of Canada? And that during an election you can vote at any time once Returning Offices are established in your riding? I actually voted before I left, to avoid any problems with the ballot getting lost in the mail, but you can also go in person to register for your special ballot prior to leaving).
-The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFATD, for Canada, has a service allowing you to register your travel with them. This is how they know where Canadians are in the event of an emergency, and how they plan their strategies for helping Canadian citizens if something goes wrong. Even if you're not Canadian, your home country will have something similar).
I want to make one last plug prior to ending this post on preparation: learn some of the local language. I'm by no means fluent in Dutch, Cantonese, or Mandarin, but I made efforts to learn at least a little of each of these. Simple phrases like "is someone sitting here?" "How much does this cost?" etc. go a long way. This is especially true, I find, in a place where most people speak English anyway-learning at least a few phrases shows that you haven't arrived somewhere expecting to be catered to in your native language. It's fine if you can't communicate your deepest feelings in perfectly accented Dutch or Cantonese or whatever; showing that the local language is important to you goes a long way. To that end, the most useful phrase in any language, in my opinion, is "How do you say ____ in (language?". This question shows that you want to learn and practice the language, and makes you a visitor (or resident) rather than a tourist just passing through to take pictures of sights.
Alright, well, that's all I have for advice. Please feel free to leave any questions in the comments. I'll be leaving tonight and will probably not be able to post for a few days, but when I do, expect actual travel blog posts!