Kia ora koutou katoa!
I’m now back in Auckland, and settled back into my everyday routines, but I feel changed and inspired by my experiences studying abroad at St Andrews.
The final few weeks were a whirlwind of studying; squeezing in one last Parisian jaunt; saying goodbye to new friends as they returned to their own home countries; taking part in St Andrews’ hallowed end-of-the-academic-year traditions like Gaudie, a torchlit procession along the pier where students dress in the traditional red St Andrews robes, and the infamous May Dip in the North Sea for good luck in exams; and of course, packing, and repacking, and then packing again. Learn from my mistakes – don’t buy an entirely new wardrobe and several books overseas if you want to have a stress-free packing experience on the way back.
Despite feeling like I was somehow busier after exams than I had been before them, I managed to find time to reflect on my exchange, and if there’s anything I would do differently another time. In a conversation with one of my friends we discovered that we both wished we’d had some of the other’s experiences: her to have done as much travel around Europe as I had, and me to have done as much travel within Scotland as she had. I realized that with so many opportunities in front of us, no matter what we did we would have felt it was at the cost of something else with only so much time and money; but because at each decision we had done exactly what we wanted to do in the moment, none of them were the ‘wrong’ one.
To make the most of my time at St Andrews I had to become more confident, adaptable, and resourceful. The best experiences I had came when I pushed myself and said ‘yes’ as much as possible – from saying ‘yes’ to things as small as going along to grab a coffee after class or to hear traditional Scottish folk music at a local venue, to as big as joining my classmates on trips abroad, such as to Ireland or Italy. On the night the Northern Lights were clearly visible from East Sands beach, I was very nearly about to turn in for a rare (for me) early night until one of my friends called me demanding I come out to see them.
Shortly after arriving back home, I discovered that in between all the travelling I had somehow done well enough during my time at St Andrews to make it onto the Dean’s List! This is an achievement I feel very proud of, which I credit equally to being able to balance travel with study and the incredibly interesting material and engaging, passionate lecturers, and was a great way to cap off my time abroad.
I’d definitely recommend an exchange at St Andrews and I would be more than happy to chat with anyone considering it!
Mā te wā,
Eloïse