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Student Stories

Student Stories

Blogs and vlogs from students of the University of Edinburgh

Meeting the World…

Reading Time: 2 minutes

…by Jana / from Germany / studied at The University of Edinburgh on exchange as part of ERASMUS+

Internationality and the University of Edinburgh – these two go hand in hand. An idea that caught me right when I typed Edinburgh University into my web search for the first time that has now turned into reality. Life and uni in Edinburgh truly are multicultural. And that’s a big part of the fun! There is many different ways to explore this international vibe and get in touch with people from everywhere. So many that sometimes it might seem like the Scottish people have all moved to Glasgow. Let me give you my three favourites that make my Edinburgh life international.

Global Buddies

This is a programme that brings full time and exchange students together. You might have heard of this from other universities, but the special thing in Edinburgh is that you get teamed up with two fulltime Buddy Group Leaders and five other visiting students. This way you get to know even more people and it’s a great way of sharing and supporting your time in Edinburgh. I enjoyed this so much in my first semester that I returned as a Buddy Group Leader in semester two. If you have a full year in Edinburgh, this is an awesome opportunity to change the perspective and keep meeting new people even after you’ve settled in. Global Buddies is a wonderful community that I’ve very easily felt connected with.

Student Accommodations

I live in university accommodation in a 12 person flat. No, this is not a typo! If that generally was a great idea or not is another story. But one thing sure is true: It’s the most diverse bunch of people. We come from eleven countries and can teach each other languages. Learning the Cyrillic alphabet and listening to very unfamiliar music with unknown words is one of the perks of sleeping wall to wall with my new found friend from Bulgaria. The Pilgrims paid us a visit in November and gave some lessons on how to stuff a turkey – if a chicken holds as practice – and we now know why not to eat hummus with anything other than bread. The kitchen is probably the most amusing way to be confronted with different cultures and habits. Living here has introduced me to some cultures that I hadn’t even thought about much before and this is something that I wouldn’t want to miss.

Ceilidh

Back to the place that connects us all: back to Scotland. I am just as excited to experience all the Scottishness I possibly can. That brings me to something that with no doubt is one of the most fun things in the entire world: Ceilidh dancing! Don’t you dare miss out on that! This fun Scottish dancing tradition even gets better with every time and you might get to a point where it doesn’t feel like you’re uncontrollably jumping on everyone’s feet. There are multiple ceilidhs happening throughout the year, so there is definitely no excuses.

I’ve made a lot of this diverse community on campus and I enjoy every little conversation that uncovers unknown things about other countries and people. Now it’s your turn: If you’re looking for a place to talk to the world and share your own stories and cultures, Edinburgh is the place for you!

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