By Where are you from?
Bakersfield, California.
Year & major?
A senior biology major, and chemistry minor.
Where are you studying & with which university?
I am studying in Exeter, England at the University of Exeter.
What classes are you taking?
I am taking food chemistry, biochemistry, animals, and introduction to innovation and entrepreneurship.
Which class is your favorite and why?
I would say that my top two classes are biochemistry and food chemistry, but my favorite is food chemistry. I was most excited to take this class when I applied because we get to learn about all the science behind the food we eat.
I enjoy learning about the biological and chemical processes that occur during food spoilage and preservation, and we even got the chance to make our own kombucha when we learned about fermentation, and mozzarella cheese when we learned about dairy precipitation. Currently, we are learning about food labeling and regulations, and it is so interesting to see the differences in food laws between the United Kingdom and the United States!
Overall, I have a lot of fun learning in this class since I know I can apply everything I learn to my daily life, and it helps me understand what to look for and eat in a healthy diet.
What are some of your favorite things to do outside of class?
When I’m not in class (and it’s not raining because it rains a lot here), I enjoy going to the Exeter City Centre (which is about a 15-20 minute walk from my accommodation) because they have a lot of shops and it is really lively.
I also enjoy going on runs when the weather is nice because it is a nice way to explore the city and go to parts that I wouldn’t usually go to otherwise. I am also close with my flatmates and we have all formed a good friendship with each other since we are all on exchange for this term only, so I enjoy their company and we go out quite often with each other when we don’t have class. Kylie and I are the only Americans, but we live with three other girls and four boys. Two boys are from Adelaide in Australia, one is from London, and the last one is from Amsterdam in the Netherlands. One girl is also from Amsterdam (they knew each other before coming to Exeter), another is from Rome in Italy and the last one is from Christchurch in New Zealand.
We have a good mix from all over the world, so I’ve been able to learn a lot about their different cultures
Describe a favorite memory you’ve made:
My favorite memory made during my time abroad so far is definitely when I got the opportunity to travel to Italy and Spain with Kylie Munsinger, a sophomore health science major from Kalispell, Montana, who is also abroad with me from Carroll. We had a week of classes so we took the opportunity to travel to places we had never been before.
We went to Rome, Venice, and Naples in Italy and Barcelona in Spain. I absolutely loved Venice because it was incredibly beautiful, but Barcelona was my favorite because it has been on my bucket list for years. In Barcelona, we saw a lot of Antoni Gaudi’s architecture like Casa Mila, Casa Batllo, Casa Vicens, and Sagrada Familia, and also walked around to explore.
We had traditional tapas in Spain and ate lots of other good food in both countries (pizza and pasta in Italy). It was an amazing experience and I am so glad we took advantage of the time.
Describe what London is like & how its culture differs from ours:
I am not directly in London, but Exeter is about a two-hour train ride from London, so I have gotten the chance to travel there a few times already. London is a beautiful city and there is so much to do there. I have noticed that the culture changes slightly in different regions in England, but for the most part, it is all similar to each other.
Some of the main differences I see in England versus the United States include driving on the left instead of the right, a lot of differences in vocabulary (they don’t say bathroom they say toilet, cheers instead of you’re welcome, I reckon instead of I believe/think which is one of my favorites, and so many more), most of them are really friendly everywhere you go, the food has no preservatives/bad chemicals so it spoils quicker but it is much healthy and fresh, and all the buildings are very historic-looking (because they are very old/historic lol) which is different because we see mostly modern buildings in the US.
One of the main differences is the learning style though because their semesters are 12 weeks, 60-80% of the overall grade is based on one exam with hardly any homework, and they expect more independent learning and fewer in-person sessions.
Although there are a lot of differences, there are also some similarities such as differences in accents between each region (Manchester vs Birmingham vs Devon) like we see differences in eastern and southern accents for example. I also see a lot of the same clothing brands/stores and fashion trends here, but all other stores, like the grocery stores, are different.
Overall, it is pretty different but I can see similarities that we have adopted from each other.
Would you recommend studying abroad and why?
I 100% would recommend studying abroad if you have the opportunity to. Coming into college, I was told that since I am a biology major, I would not get to study abroad.
I knew it was a goal of mine, so I made it happen by staying on top of my credits and taking all my required classes.
It is such an amazing experience and I am learning so much by being here, from the English culture to cultures from all over the world. I have made so many memories that will last a lifetime and made new friendships with other international students that I never knew I needed.
At first, it was difficult adjusting to the new environment and being so far from everyone I love back home in the US, but I would not let that discourage anyone.
After I adjusted, I began having the best time of my life and I would not change anything about my decision to come or any of my experiences. Anyone can go anywhere abroad, so find a place you like best and do it.
