Bayes Abroad

A blog by Exchange Students

How to really experience the experience

G’day!

I have recently returned to Cass after studying abroad in Melbourne, Australia for a term. Coming home really hits you hard and it’s quite surreal how much things have changed and also stayed the same… weird sentence I know.

Rewind to my first month in Aus and what I have taken away from it:

  • Expect the unexpected. YES everyone says it, but it is honestly so so true. I thought I had done all my research and prep… rookie error, NO amounts of prep will help you to determine the things that will go wrong. That being said please do some prep before you go so you are at least slightly familiar with your environments.
  • You won’t get along with everyone. Again, everyone says it but when you find yourself alone it can be difficult to 1) make friends and 2) make the right friends. I tended to do this through staying in a mixed gender hostel for my first few weeks and doing los of exchange activities and meeting groups after classes for drinks/meals.
  • Uni will be weird, at first. Remember first starting school? or College? or Cass? The feeling of the new academic environment is exactly the same. It’s normal to feel odd and not know what is going on for your first week or so. Just take it at your own pace to get your bearings and familiarise yourself with your courses.

Fast forward a month or two in to the experience and I had huge experiences, learned so much about Aussie culture and history I otherwise wouldn’t have learnt, brought me closer to wildlife and the environment and made friends for life and fallen in love with one of the places furthest from home. I also took the opportunity to travel the East Coast of Australia and also took a trip to the Fiji Islands in my semester break. If you can budget well and have the funds, that is also something I would highly recommend to do whilst your are there because 1 – any flight is easy once you have travelled 24 hours and 2 – Australian domestic flights are super cheap!

In real time, I have found that my experience in Australia has enlightened me on so many things and offered me huge opportunities, specially regarding placement year applications. Another plus is my Christmas was so stress free and I had a lovely break before coming back to uni this week.

I could not recommend study abroad enough and a huge thanks to the team at Cass for making it possible, keeping in touch and even visiting me whilst I was there! Studying abroad has encouraged me to do more things like this in the future and even opened my eyes to international job prospects!

Here are some of my favourite pictures from the experience:

Until next time!

DO hard things!

Hi All,

I thought I’d begin my year abroad blog with a brief overview of me. I am a third year student in BSc Business Studies and decided to take a Sandwich year, doing my first semester at University of Hong Kong (HKU) and my second semester at Ross Business School (Michigan).

Did you guys notice my pun in the title (because my surname is Do)? Anyways, before I embarked on my year abroad, I had such a strong, glossy perception of who I wanted to be. I wanted to be surrounded by a large group of friends, do things I did not have the opportunity to do before and to have a permanent smile on me 24/7 because of how great everything was! This was an utterly unrealistic expectation, but I found that my actual first semester abroad was even better than I could hope for!

When I first arrived in Hong Kong, I realised every goal I had despite them being leisure/social goals STILL MEANT that I had to do the difficult job of putting myself out there, being the first to say “Hi” and break the ice. It also meant being vulnerable, putting your pride aside and a hell of a lot of awkward moments. I guess it never occurred to me that everything requires hard work, even making friends.

Nonetheless, I think this skill developed and the rewards reaped was worth any small ounce of hard work required.

Going to conclude this blog by wishing that you all (whether you are abroad or not) have your hard work reaped! 

Until next time,

Karyee

Making the most of your exchange!

Semester One at NUS has come to a close and even though I’m here for one more semester, I’ve learnt an incredible amount – about myself and South-East Asian culture. Its been an eye opening experience where I’ve embraced the changes from my daily routine in the UK and have grown as a person. The most important lesson I’ve learnt so far is to keep an open mind and not to panic.

It can be quite a daunting process for anyone that hasn’t experienced living independently; let alone in another country. I took a few steps that helped to smoothen the transition and could be of some use to anyone going on exchange next semester or year.

1. Join the University’s social media groups/pages
I found this was the best way to engage with other Exchangers and helped to settle any queries I had because most of the time we had similar questions. It was a great way to organise meet ups and plan our travels.

2. Pursue any interests you have
University can be stressful with the attached workload thats for sure, but studying abroad provides you the chance to take up any interests – which could be absolutely anything ranging from an activity to learning another language. With this in mind I decided to give dragon boat racing a go and it was the most fun!I’ve also chosen to learn Mandarin next semester as one of my modules.

3. Budget
I know this can be painstakingly dull but budgeting is extremely helpful when you want to travel during the semester. Its also good to have a track of all the transactions made.

On a side note travelling this semester has been amazing! In my first semester I travelled to:

Vietnam

 

 

 

 

 

 

Malaysia

 

 

 

 

 

Australia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Byron Bae

During our mid-semester break in September, some of my friends (baes, hence the title) and I went on a road trip to Byron Bay. It was a 3-hour drive, but we stopped halfway to visit The Farm.

Byron Bay is a coastal town in the southeastern Australian state of New South Wales. It’s a popular holiday destination, known for its beaches, surfing and scuba diving sites. It’s also where Chris Hemsworth’s $9 million mega-mansion is. We walked around the artistic small town and ordered lots of seafood to share by the beach. The beach was pretty crowded considering that fact that we went on a Thursday but nonetheless we found a spot by the park which was just right beside the beach to enjoy the sights and the food.

 

After our lunch, we drove to the famous Cape Byron, which is the easternmost point of the mainland of Australia. It is about 3 km east of the town of Byron Bay and projects into the Pacific Ocean.

This is the Cape Byron Light, Cape Byron’s active lighthouse and also the most powerful lighthouse in Australia.

We hiked down to the beach from the lookout point for some photos and on the way, we managed to spot some whales since it was the migrating season for the whales.

We then waited for the sunset before starting our 3-hour long journey back to Brisbane. Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed the photos of Byron Bay, as you can tell from my previous blog post (Straddie), I’m really taking advantage of the beautiful weather and beaches that Australia has to offer while I’m here on exchange! I’m planning to do a 6-month recap on my exchange experience so far so I’ll see you guys then!

Love,

Joyce

 

Fiji Time – ‘No Hurry No Worry’

Melbourne was quite dark and gloomy during my first two months here, and after getting on top of all assignments, I had decided to treat myself to a small, backpacking trip to Fiji, to get myself some sun and improve my morale, as well as having a small academic break within the mid semester break… and this is what I found:

My first day was just arriving and it was hot and sunny!!! The first summers day I’ve had for a whole year!! I took myself to the shops to get some Fiji water which is only about £1.50 for 2 litres here (UK Import taxes for you) and to the local chicken shop to have some fried chicken – they don’t have a lot of this in Melbourne!! Only Schnitz which is like a bartered chicken breast!! And it was delicious!! Proper fries!! Not the dry ones they tend to

serve in Melbourne!

The next day I had to get up early and wait at a stranded bus stop for my private coach, I thought I had missed it even though I was there 15minutes early but it soon arrived to take me to the port for a 4 hour journey on a huge vessel to get to long beach. When I arrived everyone was really nice and welcoming with all the kids screaming “bula” on my arrival. Which means hello and good life in Fiji. They also put me into my own king size room because I WAS THE ONLY ONE THERE, the three people I met when I arrived there were moving to the next island as I arrived, which I did two days after. So I can literally say I was stranded on an island for a small amount of time! Even though I didn’t get a lot of internet it’s ok because I visited the village where everyone offers you tea and the food here is actually ok. Again, it lacks flavour and a lot of it is based off coconuts, and I wasn’t the biggest fan of coconut I must say. However, drinking coconut water and making coconut milk straight from the coconut was insane. Even in the evening as I’m drifting off to sleep I could hear someone calling “sam” and thought I was hearing things and it’s actually one of the staff asking if I want tea with them. I had to politely decline at 8:30pm because I was just so tired (and sunburnt) from the first day!! Could really have done with an extra hand for someone to apply sun cream to my back as I don’t seem to be doing a great job so far so a t-shirt covering my shoulders was a must for the next activity!

The next day was amazing! I went to visit the caves in the morning and even had to go down a short under water tunnel to the next chamber, holding my breath to get there! People were diving from the caves and into the water and everyone was just very adventurous there. Stopping back at my hotel for lunch and then actually meeting some new people – I wasn’t on my own for much longer! I didn’t catch the sun a lot compared to the previous day, but was still extremely burnt so a t-shirt to cover up was still needed all day! I then went snorkelling in the afternoon and saw a rainbow coloured fish which they call a “parrot fish” here (and to my surprise I later ended up eating a few of them from the BBQ!). They also eat any kinds of fish including turtles on the islands!

The next day was supposed to be a day to chill with my book on a hammock, before I headed off to my next island, as it was Sunday which is a church day for the Fijians, meaning they can’t do a lot. We found that before Christianity, Fijians were cannibals and the last human they ate 100 years ago was an English man, so they all joke about this and tell you to watch out. However I ended up doing a hike in flip flops (bad idea) on my “rest day” and the leader of the hike did it bare foot!! Fijian style. The views were amazing and it only had 2 inhabitants on this tiny island opposite the larger island.

On the Monday the new resort had swimming with the manta rays! So I made sure everything was fully charged (within the power hours) before I headed off at lunch time. It was insane to see the manta rays, doing their somersaults under the water, even though i am not a great diver so I couldn’t get up close, I managed to snorkel and get some great footage of them on my underwater camera. The guides said we were very lucky to see a couple of manta rays as the season for them is ending and so they hadn’t spotted any in two weeks! So I’m really glad I got to experience that. After this, they guys taught us some basic Fijian words in their language, languages are never great at sticking in my head and I really have to work hard at it but I managed to learn the basics hello, goodbye, thank you, mum, dad, husband and 1, 2, 3 – they only have 23 letters in their alphabet as they exclude h x and z, which I think is to do with the phonics and they way they pronounce their words.

The next island, white sandy, was a much bigger resort and everyone again was really friendly. However I did prefer the first one as the staff made me feel the most welcome into Fiji and I think you get the first impressions from your first island and because they were so welcoming, it seemed the best. Everyone’s opinions differ from island to island as everyone has different interpretations of what they like and don’t like, but everyone has their own stories to tell – one German couple in their 60’s traveled 75 countries and have been together since they were 15, another guy who lives just down the road from me in Melbourne and a few boys from England at White Sandy who joked they were father and son but only ended up on the same travel plan my accident, one travelling the world and the other just on holiday before starting a job as a solicitor. That island had great laughs, songs, games and of course the bula dance! As well as learning about the Fiji culture and being integrated with them for a week, hearing everyone’s stories and why they’re here is amazing, and surprising to see most people come on their own. The second island was full of song and fire shows as well as lots of cake (even for breakfast!) because it was one of the boys birthdays.

The last day on the second island we had a BBQ (sorry parrot fish!!) and hacked our last coconuts to drink. It was a nice send off, despite coming across a snake in the bushes!! Everyone was quite scared but the guide managed to get it into a bottle without anyone getting hurt. The same guy also dislocated his shoulder trying to spear fish the fishes for us to eat, but he got it popped back in and carried on as if nothing had happened.

My last island was a bit of a downer on the trip as you could tell it was run by the backpacker cruise company and not from the villages and families that inhabit the island. I found the further north you go, the more traditional it is with people not wearing any shoes and catching their own food to eat as well as sharing it with you and also demonstrating and sharing the knowledge of how to do it with you. On my last day I got off the island and did an adventure tour, it stopped off at the Castaway island where Castaway was filmed, with such beautiful scenery, we also visited to village where we had a traditional Cava ceremony and could buy souvenirs by the women who just rely on tourists to come and buy small things for $5 and as it was my last day I paid more for things I should have as they didn’t have change, and I didn’t need the dollars anyway as I wouldn’t get much back for them in Australia. They were shocked and taken aback by this and seemed extremely grateful, it’s nice to know that something so small for you can help them for the next couple of weeks to buy what they need for their families.

My final day before my flight was in mainland, I had a couple of hours to burn before my transfer to the airport. So I went to a local coffee and cake shop and had a massive slice of cake. Which actually came unexpectedly as I ordered chicken pasta for lunch and when I finished they bought me a massive slice of cake over, plus I had a coffee so I was absolutely stuffed!

Fiji has shown me that the people here are so kind and generous, even when they have so so little to give, and that Westerners need to take note on this sort of culture and be more generous to those around them. The people are always smiling and happy despite not having a lot, and they really do show their appreciation for any effort given in helping them. They live a simple and effective life and experiencing the real Fiji, not just something made up by holiday reps (like my last island resort), has shown me how to appreciate what’s around me and maybe even how to survive with fish and coconuts if I ever get stuck on an island!

The memories made, experiences had, things seen, people met, and stories told will stay with me forever and that is invaluable. I would absolutely love to go to Fiji again, as nothing comes close in the Western world to the warmth those people were able to offer. Although it seems to us they have a hard life by having to fend for themselves, really they seem to enjoy it and actually see it as normality and what they have to do in day to day life. It simply makes you realise that as a developing country, they have not been overexposed to things such as technology and media, and it makes them really sociable, welcoming people, who are happy to have you around and want to know everything about you and do everything to accommodate you well, even if you only stay with them for one night, they treat you like family – everything about them is just so inclusive it is unimaginable, you really have to go there and experience it to imagine the different feelings you exhibit.

Overall, I think the Fijian experience was way more up close and real than I had expected, but i’m glad I got to learn all about their culture on this extremely educational trip and I think we definitely have a lot to learn from them, I will definitely return to Fiji one day to relive the smiles ad the memories made here! VINAKA FIJI!

“Kiasu” / Fear of missing out

As cliche as it may sound; I have truly fallen in love with Singapore! I arrived just over a week ago and I’ve just been mesmerised by the hospitality of the Singaporeans, lush greenery hidden in every corner and the pretty efficient systems they have in place here.

I made it my mission to explore as much of Singapore as I could before I properly started at NUS. A bunch of us exchange students get together every day/night to see what Singapore has to offer. Lets just say I haven’t been disappointed yet! Here are some of the places I’ve visited so far and would totally recommend:

1. Gardens By the Bay:
A nature park surrounded by the Marina Reserve that features an amazing assortment of flowers and Supertrees (these trees honestly blew my mind away!). The Supertrees came alive in the evening and were orchestrated to perform one of the most amazing light shows I have ever seen! There were also incredible views of the Singapore skyline including the Marina Bay Sands Hotel.


2. Arts & Science Museum
Some may not know that the lotus shaped sculpture in front of Marina Bay Sands Hotel is in fact an Arts & Science Museum! It has been meticulously crafted to capture sunlight and collect rainwater. Within the museum, there were 3 exhibitions that I visited: Future World, Marvel & Wind Rush.

3. Haji Lane/Arab Street

These two streets are hidden gems in downtown Singapore and capture the essence of Singapore so well.
They’re filled with art and cafes that exude a chic and hipster vibe (Instagram worthy haha). Its layout did in fact bring back Camden Town memories.

Since coming to Singapore I have certainly adopted the “Kiasu” attitude and have developed a fear of missing out on any chance to explore this wonderful country!

Straddie

This post is actually not about Brisbane City (as the header suggests) but about my trip to North Stradbroke Island (Straddie) last week! Straddie is the second largest sand island in the world. We took the train to Cleveland, followed by a 25 minute ferry ride which brought us to the island. The island is really big and since we were there for only a day trip, we decided to visit Amity Point and Point Lookout. Getting around the island was pretty easy as there are buses that bring you to both Amity Point and Point Lookout.

We then had brunch at a cute outdoor café, Seashells at Amity. The food was really yummy and the portions were pretty big so the three of us shared two dishes. The bus driver recommended us to go to the beach which was just down the road from the café so that was where we headed after brunch. On our way to the beach we saw a koala sleeping soundly on a tree (very exciting!). The beach wasn’t very big but it was really quiet since there weren’t many people around. We were also fortunate enough to see a dolphin that was swimming pretty close.

We then booked a sand boarding session as there are sand dunes at Straddie which made that possible. I was really reluctant to go at first as I’m not really sporty and could imagine myself falling over and over. But my friends convinced me and I’m honestly so glad that they did. I guess the whole point of studying abroad is to push myself out of my comfort zone and to explore more and sand boarding did exactly that as I had SO MUCH fun! I did fall a couple of times (as expected) but the sand was really soft and cooling so it was like falling onto a cushion. The view was great and we even managed to spot some whales!

Our sand boarding instructor and the friends that I went to Straddie with! 

After two hours of sand boarding, we were pretty much out of energy. I think we did one month’s worth of cardio 😛 We then headed to Point Lookout which has fantastic views and watched the sunset before heading home.

Hope you enjoyed the photos!

Love,

Joyce

Week 1-6: Settling down

Flying out to Australia wasn’t too bad, apart from I was unable to sleep for 24 hours on the flight. The panic started as soon as I landed, I had no Wi-Fi connection and couldn’t find my arranged taxi driver. Turns out he was just a little late and in a few minutes I was in the back of a Mercedes with Voss water and Mentos mints, feeling very out of place – and stinky!

Once I got to the hostel that I had booked from home, I went straight to my room and had no idea. I was connected to the most rubbish Wi-Fi, had no idea how to get around and had no one to talk to due to the time difference. I was so alone and lost, and slightly emotional. I slept a little until I woke up at 5am, still hadn’t eaten since I left the aircraft.

It’s all such a blur writing it now but I stayed in my room the whole day, drifting in and out of sleep, due to the insane jet lag and not wanting to leave in case I got lost. Eventually on the second day I think I got up and had to go to uni to sort out a student ID card and get some food to eat and water to drink. It took me ages and I got really lost but I made the way in the end. That night I was up until 5am messaging family and friends and just had a complete breakdown…. what am I doing here? Why didn’t I just stay at home? I feel so alone and had no purpose. It’s difficult to put into words but I missed home and just felt so unfamiliar. No matter how much people said it would be fine, I didn’t feel fine but just had to reassure them it was ok as well as trying to hide emotions in a shared room – which is very difficult.

I think the shock of emotions came as this is my first time away from home and outside of Europe alone. Also I was expecting this to feel like more of a holiday and getting that holiday feeling when I got into bed at night, instead I was just full of worry and upset, that was so immense it’s indescribable. But I’m starting to worry less as I become more familiar with the area, which sounds obvious but you don’t really know that until you’re in the situation so far away from home that you feel so lost.

Fast forward 6 weeks and I feel the complete opposite! University has started here in Australia and I am already in my fourth week! The mid-semester break is in two weeks and I have managed to bag myself a small break to Fiji – It’s only 5 hours away and I turn 20 during that break so why not!

University is similar and different to Cass here. Similar in the way the buildings are laid out around the city, but different in the way lecturers just talk at you in the traditional way, not how they interact with you like they do at Cass, they leave that for the tutorial classes here, where you are encouraged to expand and apply theories. However, most of the subjects are based on theory and do not prompt your own thinking like Cass does.

It took a while to settle down but now I have moved into a flat-share and away from the hostel, time is flying and it’s now a rush to make the most of it. The journey has been emotional and interesting (Yes, I have seen kangaroos, possums and done the Yarra Valley wine and chocolate tour – who wouldn’t?) so far to say the least, but it is quite easy to find the balance between university work and enjoying the city and surrounding suburbs – not to mention once I finish exams I should be here for another month or so before my flight back and it will be a great opportunity to travel the East Coast of Australia to see what it has to offer!

THE BLACK PANTHER MOVIE (no spoilers)

 

I went to watch the Black Panther movie TWICE  in 3D after having quickly gotten a ticket during the pre-order sale period in January. I’ve been waiting patiently for this movie for the LONGEST!!!! As an African I wanted to see the influences of the thousands of beautiful cultures we have in my continent and I was not disappointed. I thought that Wakanda was amazing and so afrofuturistic in the movie trailers but after watching the movie it surpassed my expectations. I was probably most excited to see the #BLACKGIRLMAGIC being that this is the first marvel movie with the plot being just about a Black superhero and with the supporting cast being mainly Black women and men.

Representation, more so undiluted representation is imperative. It is vital for young black girls and boys to see themselves depicted as kings, queens, innovators, warriors and so forth because often times, society puts us in a box with a predetermined label and its not fair. You honestly never realize how important it is to see a visual representation of yourself until you see it.  I am overjoyed to see such beautiful representation of my continent and its people. We are more than what the media makes us seem.

Getting the tickets was pretty simple, I ordered them online. The only downside was the fact that unlike in the UK where you select your seats, here in the US in some cinemas, you have to be a member of the premium account in order to choose your seats. Also, the tickets are more expensive in general but its worth it for the kind of quality service the cinemas here have. For one, with the exclusive seating privilege, the seats are better, can recline and have like a touchscreen on the side where you can even order food and have it delivered to your seat ( the convenience  😩)

I was dressed pretty simple, mostly black, hair was in an afro puff tied with my traditional cloth from back home (Botswana) . I was ready to be served by Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong’o, Michael B. Jordan and co.  Overall, I give this movie a 15 out of 10 (maybe I’m biased 😬😜) and highly recommend everyone to watch this movie. I also look forward to more movies like this in the future.

 

#wakandaforever

G

Start Your Life in Rotterdam

Exchanges are all about making new friends, learning a new language and setting in a new culture. They are a fantastic opportunity that you get to experience once in your life. But how do you start well on your exchange? How do you get to meet people when you don’t know anyone? The answer is: go to freshers week! Freshers week are an easy way to get acquainted with the city, your fellow students (and potential future friends) and student life. So what are the options in Rotterdam? Which one should you choose?

N.B: If you are coming to Rotterdam on the second half of the year, don’t be afraid: ESN hosts two fresher’s week, one in Summer one in Winter!

 

Eureka Week

Participation is not mandatory, but it is highly recommended.

Eurekaweek is the official introduction week of the Erasmus University Rotterdam. It lasts a grand total of 4 days with diverse activities such as a touring the city, parties and getting acquainted with all the student associations. As a participant, you will be placed in a group with about 12-15 other students from the same study. Two guides, senior students from your study program, will guide you during this week and show you Rotterdam. The Eurekaweek is meant for everyone who is going to study at the Erasmus University. The participants can be prospective Bachelor, Pre-Master or Master students.

Watch the Eureka week 2017 Aftermovie : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD2MROx0SZM

More than 3.200 new students will take part in the Eurekaweek, it is an unforgettable experience, but what are the actual insights?

 

 

Fee: 

The fee includes access to the entire programme, breakfast, lunch and dinner on each day. The costs for the Eurekaweek 2017 were:

€ 65.00-   (excluding an overnight accommodation on the campus)

€ 85.00-   (including an overnight accommodation on the campus)

 

pros:

  • Motivation: Everyone is highly motivated, Eureka Week is the first event of the university year, everyone is new and excited to meet people.
  • Tailored groups: When you sign up you choose which bachelor/masters program you are from, this will result in groups tailored to your own program, ensuring you are not completely alone when going to class for the first time and will see them more often.
  • Stay overnight: If you haven’t got an accommodation, you can stay overnight on campus. It is not ultimate comfort but it is an easy solution.
  • One stop shop: Every year, the International Office EUR organises a One Stop Shop during Eurekaweek, where you will be able to take care of practical matters such as registering to the City Hall, setting up a bank account or an insurance. It is also possible to do the one stop-shop later.
  • Student Associations: You will get to meet all the student associations, including the study association, sports, student fraternities, international organisations and more

 

cons: 

  • The Food: The included breakfasts and lunches consist of pieces of bread on which you can put cheese, marmalade or chocolate with occasional fruits to accompany it all.
  • Average Age: If you are on a bachelor exchange, you will most definitely be with first years who will mostly be 18. It can be an issue for some to be with people from a different age.
  • Drinks aren’t included: During the beer cantus or other parties you will have to purchase your own drinks.
  • Pay with your wristband: You will have to put money on your wristband and then pay with them which can be very impractical and lead you to loose money.

 

ESN days

Participation is not mandatory, but it is highly recommended.

Every semester, ESN Rotterdam organises greatly appreciated introduction days for international students. This event will be THREE days filled with great activities to make you familiar with Rotterdam and its amazing student life. Once again, you will be placed in groups of 12-15 with international students and one guide. They will ensure you get to know the best places in the city, and you will have the opportunity to meet a lot of the other international students in Rotterdam. This event is meant for everyone who is going to study at the Erasmus University. The participants can be prospective Bachelor, Pre-Master or Master students.

Watch the ESN Intro Days 2017 Aftermovie : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4x7MMTBKBU&feature=youtu.be

 

 

 

Fee:

The fee includes access to the entire programme, lunch and diner on each day. The costs for the ESN intro-days 2017 were:

€ 65.00.-   Summer Edition

€ 69.00.-   Winter Edition

 

pros

  • Food: The food will be of higher quality than Eurekaweek, even including all you can eat pancakes on a boat tour.
  • Activities: Even if the activities are slightly the same, some are definitely better at ESN days such as the pancake boat, Beer tasting and the City Tour.
  • Drinks are included: During the Beer Cantus and the Beer tasting you will not have to pay anything for your drinks. You will also get tokens to get free drinks at every party.
  • Free ESN card: You get an ESN card for free once you finished your intro-days which can be practical for multiple types of discounts which can be found on ‘’ https://esncard.org’’.
  • Meeting Internationals: the participants of ESN days are mostly all internationals and exchange students which can help meet people who would like to travel with you.
  • Average Age: The participants are mostly all doing an exchange or Master which leads to a significantly older crowd.

 

cons

  • Demotivation: As ESN days come after Eurekaweek some participants will participate to both and will find themselves exhausted and having done similar activities. Thus skipping some of them.
  • Non Tailored Groups: The groups which you’ll get during ESN will not be tailored to your course, this means it will be significantly harder to run into them at university at first.

 

In the end, whichever event you choose doesn’t matter, the most important is the people you’ll meet there and to enjoy your time.

 

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