By Witty San

January marks my last month in Europe, wrapping up an absolutely unreal semester abroad. I don’t even know how to put into words how amazing and transformative this exchange has been. Europe was amazing, Jönköping was amazing, and I feel like the luckiest person to have had the opportunity to go, met the people I met, travel to the places I traveled to, and made the memories I made. 

The Highlights

People
Without a doubt, the best part of this entire experience has been meeting all the amazing people. It is so crazy how close you can become to people in such a short amount of time, and how much impact these once-strangers who live on the other sides of the world can have on you. I now have friends residing in Belgium, Mexico, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, and Canada! 

Travel
One of my main reasons for going on exchange (and let’s be real, for picking Europe) was to travel. My goal was to hit 10 countries, but I ended up doing 17 during my time abroad!

Here are my top 5 places:

1. Copenhagen, Denmark
2. Dénia, Spain
3. Paris, France
4. Stockholm, Sweden
5. Berlin, Germany or Budapest, Hungary – I can’t decide!

The close proximity of all the different countries in Europe, combined with cheap flights and easy bus connections, made traveling so accessible. It was so simple to just book something last minute and hop on a bus or train to the next city. The university also organises many trips around Europe that are definitely worth taking part in too. I did a school trip to Norway (visited Oslo, Bergen, and Luster) and an epic Lapland trip where we jumped into the Arctic (yes, at -15°C!), fed reindeer, saw the Northern Lights, and visited Santa Claus Village! Absolutely magical.

The Challenges

Languages
The biggest challenge for me was how hard I found it not knowing any European languages. Not because I found it hard to communicate, but because there were a lot of times where people would automatically switch back to their mother language when being around others who spoke the same (not their fault at all, very understandable), and it was difficult being in an environment where you didn’t understand what the majority did. Of course, this is different for everybody, though. I know a lot of my European friends grew up around listening to different languages so this was not new to them, but I also had some friends who came from English speaking countries and did not find this a challenge at all either!

Leaving
This might not be a “challenge” in the usual sense, but one of the hardest parts of my exchange was leaving. I can’t even count how many times I cried during my last few weeks – over dinner, while out with friends, pretty much everywhere (embarrassing, sorry to everybody who had to witness that). It’s such a bittersweet feeling coming home to your family and friends, but leaving behind the family you built abroad is one of the saddest moments for sure.

What I learned

Exchange has taught me so much. I’ve reached a new level of independence and gratitude, and now appreciate the little things even more. I feel like I’m coming back with a fresh perspective – I make the most out of everyday, I put myself out there more, and above all I am more appreciative of home.

Europe is so incredibly different from New Zealand, and growing up in little ole NZ, I think there’s a lot we take for granted and don’t realise how lucky we are to have. I didn’t think I’d be so happy to see so many cows and sheep on my drive home from Auckland, but here we are.

If you’re contemplating going on exchange – do it. Seriously, you won’t regret it. The people you meet, the places you go, and the experiences you have are truly once-in-a-lifetime!