“Shanghai is (relatively) one of the safest cities in the world,” this is a quote from one of the wonderful Chinese roommates who volunteered to live with us for the rest of the semester. He gave me this fun little nugget of knowledge on my first full day in China, and admittedly when I heard…
Queen Mary Blog #6 Reading week
Queen Mary University holds a reading week once every semester. During this week, there were no classes which gave me an opportunity to travel. I went to Amsterdam, Netherlands. The first thing I noticed in Amsterdam was the architecture. The main train station in Amsterdam was grandiose like a museum. It seemed as though most…
Hong Kong
This past week we had our first scheduled vacation. We went to Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macau. It was an incredible experience. I absolutely fell in love with Hong Kong. The people may not speak mandarin, however most of the people living in Hong Kong speak English as well as Cantonese. The air quality in…
Sleepless in Seattle, Shivering in Shanghai
“Every week in Shanghai is a fun new challenge,” I say as I smile through gritted teeth. Fun fact: central heating isn’t really a thing in Shanghai, a harsh truth that I was told about earlier in the semester, but hadn’t given much thought to. Especially, since the weather has been pretty hot and humid…
Reading Week
Last week was reading week, and I went to Barcelona and Rome. Some of the places I visited in Barcelona were La Sagrada Famalia, the Cathedral, Park Guell, and Casa Milia. The architecture in Barcelona was amazing to see. It was incredible to see the amount of detail that goes into the buildings. I did…
Netflix not chill
A girl in my class was singing along to Taylor Swifts “22” and when she got to, “I don’t know about you, I’m feeling..” I could not help but think I’m feeling crippling depression and stress. That may be a little dramatic, but I thought it was funny. When they said the 5th semester was…
The Better Side of Nightlife
I hate clubs. I make it a point to avoid them so most nights find me inside, flopped on the couch with my laptop. This week, however, I found myself out at all hours. And actually enjoying myself. Let’s get one thing straight. I came here for the music and this week I was swamped…
My Last Week Here
I cannot believe that I am almost done with my study abroad experience. I am actually in a state of shock by how quickly it has gone by. I have made some amazing friends and have had the most amazing time in Australia. My last week is consisting of balancing studying and enjoying time with…
Experiencing the Unexpected
An international crisis was not something I feared would occur while I was studying abroad. Further, being in the city, while it was happening, was quite frankly something I never would have imagined; yet that is exactly what happened. The attacks, which took place in Paris last week, are the type of tragedy you cannot…