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Natacha Cullinan
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Cuvée Spéciale: The vintage year abroad
Tuesday, 12 October 2010An old saying claims that cheese is the only thing to improve with age. Though it’s true to say that an Epoisse brings out its flavours as the years go by, discussing dairy products isn’t what we do on this website, so we’ll have to hold out on the chutney. What we do ask, for parents and curious students alike, is how did the year abroad work, before the dotcom bubble and the numerous guidebooks available. Who decided to go, when and how? What was the experience like back in the 80s and 90s, and more importantly, would students of those decades do it all again, now? Here are a few accounts of professionals who went out and did just that:Published in Parent SectionTagged under -
Culture Shock: Mexico
Friday, 01 October 20101. The notion of ahorita
Ask a Mexican to do something and he’ll reply ‘ahorita te lo hago’, which, to the untrained linguist, may sound like he will do it shortly. ‘Ahora’ meaning now, ‘-ita’ being the diminutive, it literally means ‘a little later’, but then again, these people are not literal. In the slightest. ‘Ahorita’ will mean anything from now, in two hours, maybe next week, maybe next Winter or maybe never. It’s something I found quite difficult to get my head round at first, as the meaning doesn’t change with tone or exclamation, it just kind of depends on the person you’re speaking to and the task at hand. Take my many coffee sessions with my great friend Chava, or Salvador (translation: the Saviour. No joke). He would say to me ‘ahorita voy por allá’, which meant ‘I haven’t left my house yet and I don’t intend to do so for the next half hour, if you’re lucky’.Published in Latin AmericaTagged under -
The Mid-Atlantic
Thursday, 23 September 2010The Mid-Atlantic encompasses 5 states and two of the country’s most popular cities - New York City and Washington DC. Though very urbanised across the Eastern coast, you can still make the most of the great outdoors around the region; Chesapeake Bay, in Maryland, is startlingly beautiful, the Finger Lakes are very much on par with Napa Valley, in California, and Assateague Island boasts wild ponies, sandy beaches and some of the best outdoor camping in the country. Good food, real character, city life and amazing treks make this part of America an ever more popular destination for the year abroad. -
Brash Beijing
Friday, 10 September 2010Beijing, China – lively, historical, urban, Far Eastern
Regrettably the second part of my year abroad – in Beijing, was a short one – I was limited to a month in the city due to health problems. However, a month was certainly enough to get more than just a feel for one of the world’s biggest and most mysterious cities.Published in Chinese-Speaking -
There's no place like home...
Friday, 10 September 2010Maybe there’s a bit of truth in what Dot said, before her technicolour dream. What if there was no place like home? What if your year abroad fills you with dread, it’s not going to plan, or you just quite simply don’t want to have it on your degree menu as the main course?
Most students studying languages have to have a year abroad - it comes with the whole language learning shabang. And that’s fine, for most. But some don’t really like the idea of upping sticks and moving abroad, to work or study. The likelihood is, if you are studying Modern Languages, you’ll have to bite the bullet and go with it. A year abroad can be a real eye-opener, ask anyone who’s been on one - but it can also be incredibly hard at first.Published in Year Abroad BluesTagged under
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Culture Shock
Wednesday, 06 October 2010If you're going abroad, chances are you might get a bite of the old culture shock... Ranging from the lack of fresh milk, people not saying sorry when bumping into you, strange New Year traditions, taking ages to open up a bank account... The list is endless!Published in When You ArriveTagged under -
New York
Monday, 27 September 2010City of Cosmopolitan(ism)
By far and away, the Mother of all world cities, the Big Apple is at the top of tree for many reasons. Theatre, art, culture, food, history, greenery, contradictions, work vs play, this city is merciless in its quest to trump any other on the planet. Each borough has its own neighbourhoods, with their own quirks and charms, and even accents, making the whole shabang a real melting-pot of everything but the kitchen sink. Whether you’re here for a brief visit, or end up spending a whole academic year here, you will still be left wanting more, and more, and more... -
Kick start your career with languages in style
Tuesday, 21 September 2010Recent statistics have shown that languages have proven to be less popular in schools, with French taking a real knock at GCSE level. This in turn means that less sixth-formers will study languages at A-Level, which could have - and already has had, in some circles - some disastrous consequences for language departments at university level.Published in CareersTagged under -
Delightful Dijon
Friday, 10 September 2010Dijon, France – smart, posh, cultural, mustard!
For the first part of my year abroad I spent six months working as an English Language Assistant in a lycée near Dijon as part of Comenius (a branch of the British Council). Dijon is ideally located in the heart of Burgundy in the east of France, a mere hour and a half from both Paris and Lyon by TGV. I was paid a grant for my assistantship by Comenius and this allowed me to travel around the region at weekends, to the wine producing towns in the area such as Beaune and Nuits St Georges and nearby Besançon, as well as further afield, to Geneva and Strasbourg as well.Published in French-speaking -
Welcome to your year abroad, first stop: panic!
Tuesday, 07 September 2010With September creeping up on us, many of you guys are going to be on the brink of setting off for their year abroad! How exciting! Though slightly scary, let’s be honest - new place, new friends, new(ish) language - summer seems like it’s just flown by. But whatever you do, don’t worry - worrying never really helped anybody, plus there’s loads of information out there...Published in When You Arrive
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