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Working With Youth in Aruba – Pt 2

Liselle sourced a volunteering opportunity with YWAM in Aruba and successfully applied for funding to help towards the costs. Read part two of her experience below.

Reflecting on my time in Aruba, I’m reminded of how crucial YWAM’s long-term presence is in fostering sustainable change. During my second week, we ran the kids’ creative club from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. In the third and fourth weeks, my routine shifted to regularly assisting with the Homeless Project and the Women’s Project, while continuing to see my individual clients.

I encourage students to seriously consider taking the opportunity to go abroad. It’s a chance to gain invaluable experience and grow both personally and professionally. Here are my top tips:

Maintain clear communication with the host organization you’ll work with to ensure a smooth experience.
Bring a first aid kit and antihistamines, especially in a tropical climate.
Research the local culture beforehand to help you better integrate and understand the community you’re working in.
Stay flexible and open-minded- things might not always go as planned, but adaptability will help you make the most of the experience.

Volunteering with YWAM in Aruba was a transformative experience that left a lasting impression on me. It provided invaluable insights into the complexities of community work and the resilience required to address deep-seated social issues. My challenges underscored the importance of perseverance and empathy in making a positive impact. Through my efforts, I contributed to YWAM’s mission of building strong and healthy families while experiencing significant personal and professional growth. This journey reaffirmed my commitment to community service and the belief that even small contributions can make a big difference.

Working with Youth in Aruba

Liselle sourced a volunteering opportunity with YWAM in Aruba and successfully applied for funding to help towards the costs. Read part one of her experience below.

I feel extremely privileged to have had the incredible opportunity to volunteer for four weeks this summer on this small, 20-mile-long Caribbean Island. Unlike much of the Caribbean, which experiences humid tropical climates, Aruba has dry climate with an arid xeric landscape.

I approached the process of securing my placement by first reflecting on my personal interests and identifying organisations that provide therapeutic support to young people. Rather than focusing on a specific country, my primary consideration was the mission and values of the organisations. After conducting research, I reached out to five different branches by sending tailored emails to each one. I had 2 interviews and then submitted a proposal for a therapeutic creative intervention.

Fiji Journal

Zara successfully applied for funding towards the costs of a volunteer placement in Fiji with Think Pacific. Read below about Zara’s month abroad.

I found my placement through Think Pacific’s Instagram page, which led me directly to their website. The application process was straightforward—I applied online and heard back from them within a week.

My experience abroad was incredible, offering insight into Fijian culture and the chance at developing myself. One of the memories I’ll cherish forever is the deep connections formed between the UK volunteers and the Fijian youth. Witnessing strangers becoming friends and bonds growing stronger over time was beautiful. Participating in the mental health workshop and engaging with the Lomai Village was a memorable experience. Among my favourite moments were the times spent connecting with the younger children. Their energy and kindness left a lasting impression on me. We would dance to ‘Follow the leader’ on repeat every day, as the children loved it.

My daily routine in Lomai Village differed greatly to my usual life at home. I’d be woken up by the sound of chickens and start my day around 6:30 or 7:00 a.m., carefully emerging from my mosquito net and heading straight for a bucket shower or a wash in the river. After brushing my teeth outside, I’d get ready for the morning workshops. The daily workshops were different, but the workshops typically wrapped up around noon.

An Autumn in Vienna

Eytan (BA English with Creative Writing) spent the Autumn term at the University of Vienna and writes below about his time abroad.

I’ve just spent the last term studying at the University of Vienna, in Austria. Vienna is a beautiful city; though this may seem a platitude, the intensity of its beauty is remarkable – it’s an extraordinary city simply to walk around and exist in. This applies to the city as a whole, but also in particular to the university; entering the main building for classes, one is surrounded by history – a wrong turn takes you up a staircase with a plaque remembering a philosophy professor who was assassinated there a hundred years ago. I spent a lot of time working in the arcaded courtyard – a sort of Valhalla in the middle of the building, with a huge tree and plenty of deck chairs, ringed by busts of past professors, including some famous names.

What was wonderful about Vienna was the diversity of interests available; even though my mediocre German precluded me from certain spaces, there was still a vibrant intellectual culture available to English speakers. For instance, the Nonstop Kino programme is relatively cheap and offers access to all films at more than a dozen cinemas – I only learned after coming here that Vienna is home to some of the most impressive film archives in the world. In my time here, I’ve been able to see very rare avant-garde films, international and popular films, plenty of classics, all with a single subscription, and in beautiful film halls: the Gartenbaukino here has been described by a famous director as “the most beautiful cinema in the world”, while the Historic Hall in the Metro Kinokulturhaus is beautifully ornate; closer to a theatre hall than a cinema. Vienna’s imperial, opulent past is tangible in the city, especially in the central district, the Innerestadt; even supermarkets sometimes have golden glosses or marble busts. Likewise, as regards diversity of pursuits, the University offers an exceptionally diverse range of modules – I was able to explore topics and possibilities that were entirely novel to me. Read More »

Summer Term in Rotterdam – pt 2

Part two of Lucy’s experience of her term abroad at the Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

I gained more self-confidence in spending time alone; I am leaving my study exchange with a newfound appreciation of my own company. I gained new cultural skills after being immersed in a new country and enrolled in such as diverse international university. Plus, I am super proud of the personal accomplishments I have achieved by living and studying abroad.

Honestly, at first, making friends at uni was hard. I’m a social person but I found that as I started in the last term of uni, everyone had their own friendship groups. Plus, I tended to stick with fellow Goldsmiths friends who were also on their exchange. However, once I was there a couple of weeks I hung out with new people. On my first day at uni, I joined a society’s meeting and hung out with them and once I met them, they invited me to other society events such as exhibitions and gigs. This was a good way to meet new people and I had a lot of fun with them.

My top tips for students:

Get a bike (this is Netherlands specific).
Spend time doing things alone and make opportunities for yourself.
Attempt to learn the language.
Get out your comfort zone.
Remember you are living in a new country and that’s an achievement in itself.
Don’t focus too much on uni, try to prioritise immersing in a new culture and enjoy it too its fullest.

Overall, I can’t write down everything that I did over the last three months, but my leaving message would be: you are so privileged to be able to do this during university so make the absolute most of your time, it’ll go faster than you’d expect so simply have fun!

Summer Term in Rotterdam

Read below Lucy’s experience of her term abroad at the Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Part one of two!

I ventured to the vibrant and modern Dutch city of Rotterdam from April- June. I studied at Erasmus University Rotterdam, where I enrolled on three modules: Intercultural Communications, Digital Marketing and History of Dutch Culture; all three were theory-based subjects which I found fulfilling. At Goldsmiths, I study Journalism which is practice-dominated so, during my time abroad I was able to work on my academic skills from a new international perspective. I recommend looking at how the modules are assessed and make sure you are interested.

Depot building in Rotterdam from Museumpark

I enjoyed the quality of life in Rotterdam, everyone cycled everywhere. I rented a bike for the duration of my trip, which had a multitude of benefits from saving money on public transport to keeping me fit. If you are wondering, Rotterdam is super safe to cycle in. Plus, cycling around made me feel super Dutch as it is a huge part of their culture! I used the app SwapFiets (not sponsored) to rent my bike – they dropped it off at my house, fix any damages that might occur (free of charge), and you pay monthly.

Greece: A Term in Peloponnese

Erin, TaP student, spent the Autumn term in Greece at the University of the Peloponnese. Read below about her experience.

It was definitely enlightening to be part of an education system outside of the UK, where I felt that this particular university had a wide range of courses to choose from in the Theatre department. The breadth and depth of each course was something I greatly appreciated and it delved into topics I did not study in London.

The location itself is great. Very scenic, quiet town, with plenty of good places to eat. The highlight was the friendliness and kind hospitality of the people there, who made the experience that much more enjoyable. The students are motivated, helpful and participative in class. The schedule is busy, but you always feel like you are learning a lot and making good friends along the way.

‘Say yes to everything!’ – A Term in Madrid

Isabella, BA Media and English student, writes about her term abroad studying at CEU San Pablo Madrid.

What were the highlights of your experience abroad?

Getting to live in another country! Madrid is such a beautiful, friendly, fun, interesting city. The number of international students and the design of the city makes it really easy to meet people, and there’s plenty to do. There’s also loads of opportunities for cheap travel around Spain which I ended up taking full advantage of – the train to Valencia to go to the beach in a heatwave, Barcelona for Halloween, Mallorca for my birthday and Sevilla for flamenco!

What was your daily routine and how did it differ from being at home?

I had much more classes there, so I spent every day apart from Thursdays in University, often starting at 8am, and sometimes finishing as late as 7pm. However, it was really rewarding once I settled into the routine. On my days off I would be exploring the city, trying new food and spending time with my friends.

What were your top challenges while abroad?

The style of school is very different. It is far more attendance orientated, and practical and group work focused. There’s a lot of exams as well which I’m not used to! At times the language barrier could be challenging, but more often than not was fine. I was at a private university also, so there were some cultural differences with the local Spanish students.

What did you gain from your experience abroad?

I gained so much from studying abroad. I’ve gained close friends all over Europe, and the world! I’ve explored most of Spain, especially small parts that you wouldn’t really visit otherwise. I had a great political and economic journalism teacher, who worked for the EU and set up meetings and talks with companies, and people actively working in European Parliament which was extremely interesting and beneficial.

Meg in Norway (Part two)

Meg wrote about their term abroad at Kristiania University (Norway) as it was happening – read part two below.

It’s super important to maintain a routine whilst living somewhere that is so unfamiliar. Steps I took to help with this was to find a regular place to visit that isn’t your flat! So, for me it was a coffee shop just down the road from where I lived. Having a base that isn’t where you live is super important as it can make you feel like you know the city more. It’s also super important to not isolate yourself from the locals. I learnt a few phrases in Norwegian like ordering a coffee, how to say hello, bye, and thank you! A lot of times it was a funny conversation starter as they knew I wasn’t Norwegian, and I made quite a few friends that way! I would also say try not to imagine yourself as an exchange student. Yes of course, do all the touristy places, but making friends with people that are native to the city will give you a much richer experience, and make you feel more at home!

Here are some photos of the coffee place I will miss dearly!! If you end up going abroad to Oslo, you’ve got to visit it, it’s called Papegøye in Tøyen! (formally called Neongrut).

Meg in Norway (Part one)

Meg wrote about their term abroad at Kristiania University (Norway) as it was happening – read part one below.

I’m Meg! I’m a popular music student at Goldsmiths doing their undergrad and I have just finished my first semester of my second year, abroad in Norway! If you would’ve asked me when I started at Goldsmiths that soon I would be living in Oslo, I would’ve laughed, as it’s not something I had ever pictured myself doing. Upping, and moving my life across Europe? Sounds hella stressful, and don’t get me wrong, it definitely was when I was preparing, but that’s nothing compared to the six amazing months I spent here. I knew nothing about Norway or Oslo before I went, and now I’m sitting in my favourite coffee shop in the city, drinking the best coffee, and writing about how much I love Oslo and don’t want to leave!