Liyanga's Exchange to Lancaster University | England
Going on student exchange had
been a dream of mine for a very long time. Ever since year 10 when we were
given the opportunity to go to on a language exchange to live with a host
family for two months, I have wanted to travel to a far away country on my own
and experience what life was like in a completely different culture. And
finally, 4 years later, here I am! I hopped on a plane to England and landed 25
hours later! But it was totally worth it to have the journey of a lifetime that
shaped me into the person I am today. I was so incredibly excited to be able to
go on exchange and it was one of the best decisions of my life, and I’m glad that
the experience lived up to my expectations.
Lancaster
University offered a shuttle service from Manchester airport straight to campus
which was amazing as it meant that all us international students didn’t have to
fluster about for a taxi or pay the extortionate price to make the journey to
campus. And waiting for this shuttle in the few hours I had been in the
country, was where I met my first friend of the trip! As it turns out, we had
both actually been on the same flight into Manchester too! She was an exchange
student from Canada and from that moment on we were inseparable. Even crazier,
we were both in the same college on campus and lived two floors away from each
other all semester.
It
all began by exploring the city we were in, Lancaster! It was such a quaint
little town, mainly a student-based town, which meant tons of student discounts
and a great night life. Public transport is really good between campus and
town, which is about 15 mins away, and the taxi fares within town are good when
you can split it between about 5 people! Visiting Lancaster Castle, Williamson
Park, the river and just walking around town, really made me appreciate the
differences between Perth and Lancaster and realise how lucky I was to be able
to travel across the world and study and experience a different culture. Plus,
I was able to enjoy my first snow on campus!
One
of the best things I did while abroad, was join the Lancaster University Study
Abroad Society, formed for Lancaster students wanting to study abroad as well
as welcoming incoming exchange students. The committee was super helpful and
gave all of us a welcoming talk during orientation week to help us acclimatise
to the atmosphere and give us so handy tips on travelling in Europe and student
hacks around campus. It was really reassuring knowing that there were people
there that were willing to help and knew what we were going through as they had
been on exchange at some point as well. It was a great way to meet fellow
exchange students as well, and I met a lot of people from around the world,
including some great Aussies too! Although, I had the most incredibly diverse
flat which was amazing. There were 5 boys, a Danish, an Argentinian, two
Chinese and a Greek and 2 girls, a Chinese and a Mancunian! With some of these
incredible people, I was able to travel around the UK and visit some amazing
places. The Lake District, Manchester, York and Glasgow were a few of the
places I was able to visit during semester. After semester ended, I spent
longer exploring Edinburgh, London and Paris which was incredible.
Along with all the amazing
travel, I had the opportunity to study at the number one ranked university in
the UK in 2016 and 2017 and study units related to my degree that were not
offered at Murdoch. This provided me with a great opportunity to broaden my
view academically and experience a different teaching system that pushed me to
work outside of my comfort zone and adapt to new situations. The soft skills I
gained on exchange were invaluable too, during group projects, talking to staff
and organising travel. All in all, it was the experience of a lifetime that
developed me academically, emotionally and mentally. I would do it all again if
I could, in a heartbeat! If you are planning on going on exchange, trust me,
it’s the best decision you will ever make.
- Liyanga studied abroad at the University of Lancaster in the UK
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