Alright there, for as far as I know, this will be the final post on my Erasmus blog. 😦 All is said and done you could say, and while I’m still waiting for module results (and the final Erasmus payment), I thought about how to finish this — and over my last days I collected lots of things that I wanted to mention, or that I thought might be nice to know for prospective Erasmus students at Warwick, especially if you come from the LMU like me.
So, here it goes: two lists — things I am not going to miss, and things I am going to miss. Btw, the lists are not in any way ordered, it was just the way that things came to my mind (or were in my notes 😉 ) Also, this might end up being a rather long post, but why not 😀 a grand finale it is!
Things I am Not going to Miss
- the high humidity. Biscuits don’t stay crispy once they’re opened, the laundry never gets properly dry, and it feels much colder and also much warmer than the actual temperature. Still, if you have curly hair like me, it looks amazing with no effort at all!
- the sudden weather changes — even more so when you leave your laundry outside to dry…
- people knocking on your door either trying to sell stuff or otherwise get money of you. I guess I experienced this because for the first time we had a house of our own, not a hall, and seemingly I was the only one who ever answered those calls 😀
- the gas oven — I can’t really decide about that one. I like the hob, but I just don’t trust the oven. Mixed feelings…
- the obvious stuff, such as carpets everywhere, and two taps instead of one. I’m not even going to talk about this.
- the lack of proper bread — this is definitely a German problem, but hey, I like to eat nice bread once in a while 😉
- the air vent. No comment.
- the buses where you always have to have the right change, which means that I, unable to organise myself, always run around with a purse packed with change and waaaaay too heavy
- having to drain the washing machine. Well, ours broke during my very last wash. And I had to drain it. Manually. Twice. I kinda feel more experienced now.
- the inescapable presence of snapchat. I just don’t like it. Let’s hope it doesn’t catch on as badly back home…
- all that talk, and often negative talk, about immigrants. Yes, it was because of the referendum, but it does make you feel rather weird at some points. I mean, I could only be in England because of the EU!
- Coventry not being very tourist friendly — it took me until the end of term 3 to feel fairly confident to find my way around and catch the right bus and bus stop. But then again, that might also be me. But Stratford and Cardiff were much better in that regard.
- all that fuss and confusion about learning agreements and grant agreements and other internal agreements — even though in the end, it was fine and by far not as bad as I had feared, it was still kinda annoying
- that exaggerated stress about exams that people spread. It was just really weird in comparison to Munich — maybe it is, because we don’t have a campus at Munich, so you don’t get the concentrated dose, but come on — dogs on campus so that stressed out students can pet them? You can overdo it 😀
- the non-existent recycling. At least for my standards — I just felt bad every time for stuffing everything together in one bin.
Things I Am going to Miss (let’s end on a more positive note 🙂 )
- easy access to scones, decent tea and cookies
- when ever you buy a cuppa tea, you automatically get it with milk. Back home, you have to ask for it most of the time, and they often want to give you lemon 😀
- people speaking English all around you, in all kinds of manners and accents. I just really really love that language!
- the societies. I really wish we had something similar back home. It just makes it so easy for you to find new friends, and even for the weirdest interests you will find somebody who shares them ❤ also, love to all the amazing Tango people!
- the campus feeling. Yes, some call it a “bubble” and probably they’re right, but that’s just what makes it so fantastic for me. I had never experienced the bubble before. Life is much more careless within the bubble. I love the bubble!
- random people calling you darling and sweetheart — at the shops, at cafés and just anywhere else. It just makes you feel good!
- English TV and cinema. I mean, being able to watch any film in OV (i.e. in English), you have no idea how much effort that can be back home…
- how when the weather is nice and sunny, literally everybody is in a good mood and smiling 🙂
- small children in school uniforms — just so cute! 🙂
- the puns. When you watch a film in English (such as the Lion King), all those moments that always seemed slightly weird in German suddenly make sense 😀
- being able to get cider anywhere. That can be really difficult at Munich, difficult or expensive…
- the perfect alarm clock in my room — the sun shining right on my face every morning. Well, every morning that was sunny, which were surprisingly many 😉
- those sockets that you can just switch off. Can we please have that as a standard feature here, too?
- buying pyjamas at Primark. Because Primark simply has the best pjs!
- buying books. Lots of books.
- those cheap painkillers you can buy at any supermarket, from those ridiculously cheap supermarket brands. I’m not sure if the overall system is good, but the cheap drugs are really convenient if you need them.
- Tango. And all the lovely tango people that come with it ❤
And finally, and most importantly of all, I am going to miss people. All those lovely people that made my year abroad the amazing experience it was, with all its highs and lows. I had people show me their cultures, people who showed me what fascinates them, people to have fun with and to share those important moments and experiences with. And therefore it is just right to finish off this blog with a massive THANK YOU to all you guys that I’ve met during all that time! It wouldn’t have been the same without you! ❤
adventurerasmus 