I've been fortunate enough to have been able to travel as part of my
undergraduate course, and so I have lived and visited a nice few places,
considering my tender age (I'm 23 by the way).
Amiens, France
was my first pit stop. I lived and worked in a Novotel hotel just outside
Amiens for 5 months in 1995. It was my first time abroad, and the reason
for going was to improve my level of spoken French. I wouldn't say I was
very successful in that aspect of it, especially as I was homesick from
day 1! I stuck it out though, and actually enjoyed myself in the end.
The hotel swimming pool made things a little easier, until we were told
'staff not allowed'. Of course, it all went to making me a stronger person, yadda,
yadda, yadda...
Brussels, Belgium
was a flying visit for 5 days
with a friend. The place is a must for anyone who likes chocolate,
restaurants and speaking French with friendly people.
Chicago, USA was without doubt the place
I feel in love with. I spent the summer of 1996 working on a ship,
cruising Lake Michigan,
basking in the sun, and loving every minute of it. With man-made beaches,
good friends and an easy-going job, how could I go wrong! it's one place
I'll definitely be revisiting.
Alcala de Henares,
Spain was next in line. It was in 1996, and I studied there for 4
months. This time I was supposed to be improving my level of spoken
Spanish. That didn't really happen, but I made a very good friend from
Dundee, who I've since gone to visit. I liked Alcala, which is basically
a village in the suburbs of Madrid, and I particularly liked the Spaniards
I met. To me, Spaniards are like the Irish in personality, just with a
different language and more liberal drinking hours! (I hope all Spaniards
will take the comparison to the Irish as a compliment!) I got the chance
to see a bit of the rest of the country, especially the Basque country,
and hope to go back soon.
