Vera van der Horst, third-year student to become an English teacher.

Hello everyone!

My name is Vera and I was supposed to study abroad for 1 semester at Newman University in Birmingham. January 20, 2020, was the day. I was excited and nervous to start a new adventure.

Arrival 

I thought I was going to struggle more with public transport. Turns out I struggled with my suitcases, which were ‘quite big’ as the old man on the train pointed out. Tired and out of breath I arrived at Newman University and was shown to my room located in the Cofton Halls. I received a warm welcome from my flatmates after one of them made me a sandwich and some tea, and after the first week, I already concluded that I wouldn’t want to stay on any other floor in any other flat.

“I feel like a mouse in a maze”, was my first reaction after getting a campus tour. Don’t get me wrong, it’s quite a small university, but because it is built on a hill, the floors don’t add up. I met many people from Germany, the Czech Republic, Belgium, and even locals.

On campus I was able to go to the gym and I even joined the Cheer Society to meet people and have something to do in my leisure time. I would definitely recommend getting involved in as many things as you can handle. It’s worth it, trust me.

Modules

I followed 3 modules this semester: Reading Film, Equality and Diversity, and Making Sense of Language. These 3 modules had nothing to do with each other, except the fact that I liked them. My modules focused on essay writing, presenting, and teamwork. Skills that I consider useful.

Equality and Diversity was my favorite module, in which I worked with two other Dutch girls and one German girl to take a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of the Dutch Loan System and how it affects students as well as society. For Reading Film I wrote an essay in which I analyzed a typical Hollywood film and I even wrote my own film script based on a literary text. Making Sense of Language was not nearly as pleasant. Despite being able to share this course with most Erasmus students, the duration of the classes were rather long, which made it hard to concentrate. However, if I’m being completely honest, after struggling writing that essay and handing it in on time, it paid off. Not only did I pass my module, but the knowledge I gained and the writing skills I was able to improve were worth my ‘not perfect eight hours of sleep’.

Plot twist

On Saturday evening, somewhere near the end of March, I received a text from my good friend from Belgium, that I met at Newman. The text stated that she was packing her bags and leaving for home the next morning. Reality kicked in that maybe my time abroad was over as well.

The experience can’t always be a party. Days can include meeting amazing people, seeing spectacular new sights, and generally having the best time of your life. Days will also include classes, cleaning, laundry and for me, feeling isolated from the outside world. I am grateful for the experience and for the things I learned, not only in class but also about myself.