A Blog about Education Abroad

Author: Sarah

  • Dan in Helsinki

    Pre-departure:

    Once I got the confirmation that I had been selected, all the excitement ended. Why, u might be asking, because visa application processes are always a patience needing experience! So kick starting everything was the news that I couldn’t get my visa here in Cape Town but had to go to Pretoria as the Finnish consulate here in Cape Town had suddenly decided that all who needed the Schengen visa to their country must go there.

    Dan in HelsinkiThanks to the efficiency of the organising office for bailing me and my fellow students out by taking care of our booking to and from Pretoria. The Finnish website talks about 5 working days for South African citizens and since am not one I would urge anyone who isn’t to get prepared for a minimum or 2-3 weeks at the soonest. The plus side about the visa process is that it is free! Yes as long as your papers (ALL DOCUMENTS) are in order. As I learnt at the Embassy do not overlook any document or piece of information they require, as it will most likely delay your visa application process

    The trip to Pretoria was fun, as we spent the day together as a group for the first time, with the exception of Liam and Susan. Our combination of Helen, Kristin, Lefras and me was just awesome. (We enjoyed each other’s company and wished we had done it often in Helsinki but the different schedules made it impossible).

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  • Michail in Germany

    Summer School Experience – Bonn, Germany

    The 5th International Summer School on Radar was organised by Fraunhofer FHR and took place in a small village called Rolandseck just outside of Bonn, Germany. There were just over 40 of us from all around the world staying together in Haus Humboldtstein, a 19th Century Neo-Gothic building overlooking the Rhine.

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    We arrived on a Friday afternoon and the summer school kicked off with a welcoming party on the balcony, setting the tone for the fast-paced week which lay ahead of us. We spent the weekend getting to know each other. After a day of exploring Cologne, we stayed for the magnificent Cologne Lights fireworks festival. It was an unbelievable event with ships racing up and down the river and launching overwhelming fireworks, perfectly synchronized with the music playing all around the city. The next day was spent cycling through Bonn, ferrying across rivers and enjoying German food and beer.

    The academic programme started Monday morning and everything was planned with German efficiency. We each received a folder with a detailed schedule, biographies of each of the lecturers and colour printouts of all the lecture slides. The majority of the summer school participants were PhD students from a wide variety of backgrounds, all within radar-related fields. There were participants researching topics ranging from radar hardware design to SAR image processing. A few weren’t even directly involved in radar design, but rather in research that applied the use of radar to fields such as hydrology or satellite-based mapping. In an attempt to accommodate everybody, each of the lectures therefore started with the basics and accelerated rapidly to a more advanced level.

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  • Aldi in Malta

    Aldi in Malta

    Off the Beaten Track

    It all starts with a dream, and then it changes into a mission and at last a reality. This is to me the very basic elements of my field school in Malta. I always dreamt of taking what I study and applying it to a real life situation. And so it happened!

    It all started with looking for a scholarship online when I came across Off The Beaten Track – Applied Anthropology Field School. I looked into it and it seemed legit, I started the application process and before I knew it I had my final letter of acceptance into the program. But this is just a simplification of it al. Such adventures, including exchange programmes, takes a lot of time and effort. Firstly, you most of the time have a full academic schedule to follow and of course a social life to keep up with and then comes along the admin and preparation for your journey.

    Aldi (Right) and Friends
    Aldi (Right) and Friends

    Firstly, the admin, yes it does take time and sometimes can be frustrating but keep calm and carry on. Make a checklist of what you must do and take it step for step. It will all come together with a bit of perseverance. I also had to learn these lessons with my trip. The next big hurdle in the preparation process is flights and visas. Now here I can and will say get a good travel agent to help you and make sure that you get your dates right. I nearly had my flights booked 2 weeks to late, which would have been a disaster!

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