Exchange Report- Melissa Wood
I’ve just experienced six months I will never forget. During my exchange at Lancaster University in
England I have made some amazing friends and had some awesome opportunities.
I’ve learnt a lot about other countries and cultures and, maybe a bit surprisingly, a lot about New
Zealand and how unique it is. Spending time with people from all around the world teaches you
more about yourself and culture and what makes New Zealand different. I loved learning more
about other countries. There were a lot of other American exchange students in England also so I
even improved my American geography, as well as my UK and European geography too.
The New Zealand accent was definitely something I got mocked for more than a few times by my
exchange friends and had a little difficulty with when speaking to English people. They all claim we
swap our e’s and i’s around which was the biggest difference. One time I experienced this and had a
bit of a funny moment was when I was talking to a travel agent about doing a Top Deck tour, well
let’s just say deck isn’t what she thought I said..
Doing an exchange in another country you will definitely come across things that are different or
things which are done in a different way, even things you don’t expect. For example the UK uses
miles for driving and distances but also uses the metric system. The UK wasn’t a huge culture shock
but it takes time to adjust, and depending on where you are in the UK, English can evenbe a little
difficult to understand at times!
I used my weekends to travel around the United Kingdom as much as I could and my bigger breaks
to travel around Europe. I highly recommend travelling as much as you can while on exchange. The
great thing about an exchange is you meet a lot of other people who are keen to travel as well, so
you pretty much always have a travel buddy. Travel is also so easy and accessible here, and you will
never get the opportunity to travel this cheaply or see the same sorts of things. For example there is
so much beautiful English countryside and old castles and ruins but if you were coming to the UK for
a short Holiday you often wouldn’t see those types of things, more the tourist areas. I always knew
New Zealand was far away from other places but being in England and talking to other exchange
students really makes you realise how far away it is. For example what a New Zealander considers a
short flight can often be a long flight for British/Americans/Europeans. I had one flight when I was
travelling around Europe that was only 45minutes long.
I recommend making a bucket list of things you want to do and places you want to go before you
come. This will help you make the most of your time and ensure you get to see everything. This also
helps when making travel plans with students you meet. They can also be small things like get a
photo with a red telephone box.
If you plan to do a decent amount of travel around the UK I highly recommend buying a railcard. You
get a third off ticket prices for all trains and mine definitely saved me a lot of money. Trains are great
for getting around England fast. Another travel option for getting around England cheaply is to take
the Megabus. It can often take a lot longer than trains but is usually quite a lot cheaper.
For flying Ryan Air and Jet2 are cheap airlines which are also great for travelling to paces in Europe.
Skyscanner is the best place to find the cheapest flights wherever you want to go and shows you
almost every airline.
University wise things were a little different such as the structure of their year and their
internal/external ratio as well as the number of assignments, but overall I would say Lancaster
University is similar to Waikato University. I loved all the different examples I learnt about and it was
interesting hearing about the subjects I study from a different angle.
Lancaster University isn’t based it town and is a reasonably small place, but it was a nice place to
study. The campus is set in the country and you have great access to a lot of places in the UK.
At Lancaster University I would recommend joining the Study Abroad Society. They arrange a lot of
trips (often to places not as easily accessible by trains etc) and social gatherings and I enjoyed every
one I went on. It’s also a great way to meet fellow exchange students, either incoming or outgoing.
The cash passport credit card was a fantastic option for money. It has relatively no fees and you can
load more than one currency, (which is particularly great for European travel).
Things are more expensive in the UK in general in my opinion, and you always spend more than you
think you will so definitely go on exchange with as much money as you can.
I was a little worried about being home sick while on exchange but I never really experienced it. I
was so busy and having a lot of fun that I never really thought about it too much. Technology these
days makes contacting friends and family back home really easy. Apps like Viber are great. I know a
lot of my friends and family enjoyed getting snap chats of all the places I travelled also. At the same
time I think a 6 month long exchange was the perfect amount of time for me.
One of the greatest things about exchange for me was the huge amount of travel did, it’s something
you can’t really do without living in a different country, it’s definitely not the same. The other thing
is that now I have friends all over the world, how awesome is that?!
Exchange is something I would recommend everyone to do given the chance. I’ve travelled half way
across the world by myself and lived in a different country for 6 months, a pretty great achievement,
but you still have a bit of security with the exchange programme. You also develop some handy life
skills. I’ve become a lot more independent and surprised myself with what I’ve become more
confident doing. You learn to be very responsible for yourself and aware of your surroundings. Your
exchange can be whatever you want it to be, and it’s all about making the most of opportunities and
getting out of your comfort zone. I am definitely going to miss all the friends I have made and the
huge amount of travelling I did, as well as the cute English train stations and of course the accent!
I’ve definitely got the travel bug now and I’m a lot more prepared for travel situations. I can’t wait
for the next adventure!
My top things to do in Lancaster:
Lancaster Castle
Go to a few of the cute cafes such as the
music room and novel café
Ashton memorial and surrounding park
Go to a football game in Manchester, it’s a
great atmosphere and so close.
Go to traditional English pubs- the Friary bar stands out as it’s an old church that’s now a pub, and
you’ve gotta get fish and chips and mushy peas too!