Thursday, 20 June 2013, 8:35 am

The weather in Malta has finally taken a turn. My shorts have been resigned to the back of the wardrobe and I’m now battling through the rain on my walk to college in jeans and hoodies! I will admit though, that the first time it rained properly here, with the rain bouncing off the ground, it did remind me of home and it was actually kind of fun. Now though, it’s like September in Ireland, and I’m not a huge fan of it anymore! Another thing that I’m not a huge fan of is the lack of a Penneys here in Malta. (It would appear that the Maltese aren’t fans of this either, as every time...

A holiday in a holiday, how is that for inception? Well it is what I have been up to here in Italy in the last couple of weeks. With a few euros saved, a backpack loaded with clothes and some good intentions to catch up on the notes I would miss, I headed south from Venice for Naples and Rome. Exploration of a country gives you more perspective, and I would advise any Erasmus student to try and fit in a small bit of travel in their host country. Naples, I found to be a world away from elegant, cool and chic Venice. Disembarking from the train I stepped into a crazy atmosphere of scooters, h...

Studying in Canada is a really good experience. I can safely say I will never regret making this decision. Like most trips abroad it was filled with highs and lows. But, for anyone still deciding on where to go on Erasmus, Mount Allison and Canada have two thumbs up from me. It’s a stressful period here right now since the semester is almost at a close. Deadlines are coming up and final exams are approaching (eek!). On the plus side, it snowed here last week (yay!). While it didn’t land, it means it is coming! Finally, I get a chance to use my snow boots. I am stupidly excited for the s...

My neck was beginning to ache as I stared up at the 50 or so floors of the BMO building. As the clouds scraped over the top I tore my eyes away to negotiate the bustling pavement and search for the facial expressions of my three companions. They were engrossed in the experience too and as the April winds blew us down Toronto’s King St. en-route to our hostel, I knew we were all feeling the same: tired, but above all excited. They were the only familiar faces in this sea of strangers and this was both chilling and empowering in the same instance. Living out of a suitcase is tough and after...

It is the eve of my departure for Venice, Italy. Such is my procrastinator's nature that I find myself in a whirlwind that is closer to resembling Dante's spiralling of Hell than the adventurer’s optimism. So much is to be done and sorted, so much I probably should have thought about a long time ago. They say that failing to plan is planning to fail but I beg to differ. I find more wisdom in Burns' "the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry". This gives me some consolation when I am without packing lists, missing a course list and still wondering if there will actually be someone...

I decided to choose Canada for my Erasmus destination simply because I thought I would never get the opportunity to come here again. I’m glad I made this choice. All summer before I left I had been hearing about the harsh winters and the very cold autumns. Stepping off the plane in Toronto was probably the biggest surprise. I had braced myself for harsh winds and rain, instead I was welcomed by humid, hot weather. I have been told by Canadians that this has been their warmest summer and fall to date. Coming from Ireland, where our summer lasts a day, this was indeed the biggest shock to ...

From my first day at UL, I’d heard the stories of other people’s Erasmus placements, the good the bad and the funny. And now, as I get ready to embark on my own, I find myself incredibly nervous as I count down the days until I head to Malta. The nerves aren’t for lack of planning, thanks to my boyfriend being possibly the most organised person that I’ve ever met in my life. The flights were booked at the beginning of February; that was the easy part. We spent months looking for an apartment that we liked and that we were actually able to book. Because of the high number of to...

This summer, I packed my bags and headed for the continent with a group of friends, as many of you may have also done. In the year that both Oxegen and the big golden ball of heat in the sky decided to take the summer off, we headed for the Tomorrowland festival in Belgium followed by four days in Amsterdam. This decision seemed obvious. The greatest appeal of going abroad for a festival is the anticipation in the back of your mind that comes with knowing you are about to experience something different and new. No matter where you go, no two festivals will be the same. While I do love t...

The Making of Harry Potter Tour lives up to the hype and is a treat for fans not ready to let go of their favourite wizard. The tour is an opportunity for us ordinary ‘muggles’ to learn more about the world of witchcraft and wizardry at the Warner Brothers Studios where the films were made. So what does the tour actually involve? After two short films commending the people who worked behind the scenes on the Harry Potter series, patrons are taken through the Great Hall of Hogwarts. I felt like a first year walking up to the Sorting Hat. The room is filled with mannequins...

I first went to Ireland five years ago as an Erasmus student. I told anybody who asked me where I was from (Barcelona) that the place is horrible because of two very important reasons; pollution and because I couldn't see the sky. Although I still miss the beautiful Irish sky, its wonderful colours and clean air, living abroad for a year made me realise the enormous privilege that is living in and being from Barcelona. Too many tourists visit this city every year and most of them very much enjoy Les Rambles, La Sagrada Família, the Parc Güell, the Camp Nou, etc. These are the mo...