Exchange magazine 2013

Exchange magazine | 1

LIFE AFTER STUDENT EXCHANGE P.08

EU GRANTS BRIGHT FUTURE P.25

EXPERIENCES AROUND THE WORLD P.28

SURVIVING THE WORST P.37

STUDENT MAGAZINE2013

STUDY ABROAD ON A SHOESTRING

P.20

EXCHANGE

2 | Exchange magazine

DID YOU KNOW THAT...THE SIZE OF THE CLASSES AT MID SWEDEN UNIVERSITY

HAS BEEN RANKED AS THE BEST IN THE WORLD?

At Mid Sweden University you’re not just another head in the lecture hall. Our teachers are committed to your individual development and are there to support and coach you. This is your time to shine. Our goal is that your study experience abroad will give you an opportunity to grow, both academi-cally and as an individual.

As an exchange student at Mid Sweden University you can choose to study single courses or part of an interna-tional programme at both Bachelors and Masters level, all taught entirely in English.

DISCOVER YOUR OPPORTUNITIES

Find out more at: miun.se/en | facebook.com/midswedenuni | [email protected]


EDITOREvery year I clean my house and try to gather stuff I don’t use, need or want anymore. I put a stand in my yard, a sign on the street and organise a huge garage sale. This way I get rid of items while making some good money. During my huge garage sale I sell some homemade cookies and lemonade. Thankfully, I gathered a part of the amount I needed to go on my exchange in Sweden.And I am not the only one who made money in a creative way. Sinah and Fiene managed their budget creatively to go abroad. Both girls needed an important amount of money to make their dream come true. They show that you can go on exchange without a scholarship or a grant. However, the watchword of Exchange Magazine 2013 is “Don’t think too much about your bank account because the experience is priceless”!Indeed, more than money, an exchange programme is about ex-perience and sharing. Make a road trip through Argentina, visit the hotspot of Italy or go to one of the best places around the world. In this edition we show you several recommendations and suggestions.Many things can happen when your abroad, you can fall in love or fall down the stairs. Be prepared and get inspired by the personal stories in this magazine. No matter where you are around the world enjoy your reading and make your dreams come true.

Angela van der VeenEditor in Chief

DID YOU KNOW THAT...THE SIZE OF THE CLASSES AT MID SWEDEN UNIVERSITY

HAS BEEN RANKED AS THE BEST IN THE WORLD?

At Mid Sweden University you’re not just another head in the lecture hall. Our teachers are committed to your individual development and are there to support and coach you. This is your time to shine. Our goal is that your study experience abroad will give you an opportunity to grow, both academi-cally and as an individual.




AN EXPERIENCE ABROAD IS PRICELESS


TRAVEL&MORE

Outlook & Recommenda-

tions

“I had to stay in the USA”

Life abroad : Customs & Habits

When Esther met Ross

Which work experience works best

Forever on the road

Funny misunder-standings

Mother and daughter, 40 years appart

Experience Argentina

Where to party

Rescue time

Keep your shape

Souvenirs

HUMAN &INTEREST

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36

37

40

45

LIFE&STYLE

Changed on exchange

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06

07

11

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14

15

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Experience places all

around the world

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Enjoy your international

meal

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EDITOR IN CHIEFAngela van der Veen

COPY EDITORSJolanda BoschmansMarie Richard

PHOTOGRAPHERPetra Koops van’t Jagt GRAPHIC DESIGNER & ILLUSTRATORSarah Vieux

GRAPHIC DESIGNERMarcos Rodríguez Díaz

PUBLIC RELATIONS &ADVERTISINGCéline Mélignon

Exchange MagazineMid Sweden UniversityHolmgatan 10851 70 SUNDSVALL

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We have a bright future Jean-Pierre

Lacroix

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FOCUS ONEXCHANGE

20Manage your money

creatively

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Outlook & RecommEndations

HOTSPOTS RECOMMENDATIONSCHRISTELLE RECOMMENDS THE APPLICA-TION PICTRANSLATORCool and easy: Take a picture of a document in a foreign language and the app PicTransla-tor translates it.PicTranslator is avail-able on iPhone (3.8 euros), Photo Transla-tor is a similar app for Android (3.2 euros).

KARLIJN RECOMMENDS CINQUE TERRE, ITALY The Cinque Terre is a beautiful eighteen kilometres long coastline in northern part of Italy. It is one of Europe’s most famous and easy hiking places. The coastline, the villages, and the surrounding hills, are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

DEWI RECOMMENDS PARA-DISO, THE NETHERLANDS For partying you should go to Noo-dlanding at Paradiso, the most sacred place of music in the Netherlands, where bands like Nirvana have played. The building is also very im-pressive, it’s used to be a church.

“All the luck to you and the crew of the coming Exchange magazine 2013! ENJOY!”Teun van den Neste

Editor in chief Exchange Magazine 2012

“As the famous sentence states: Exchange is not a year in your life; it’s a life in a year” Alice

“My experi-ence: awesome, hi-tech, party, friends, person-ally improving!”

Leo

“Being an ex-change student is the best thing that ever hap-pened to me”

Jan Jacob

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I HAD TO STAY IN

THE USAIn most cases you can’t take a plane without your ID or passport. But what happens if you forget this important document? Malin Mueller (22) experienced it, when she was on her way home from New York: “I found out that my passport was missing at the self check-in of the John F. Ken-nedy airport. The staff told me I had to stay in the USA with-out my passport and I started crying.” Always double-check whether or not you have the following documents on you before you leave.

For some destinations it is sufficient to have your Identity Card with you, but not for all. You may need to show a passport or in some cases you even need a visa. You can ask information at your local government or at your embassy on your destination. They will help you with all the compulsory documents.

Some countries, for example the United States, are strict when it comes to these documents. Malin was in the US when she forgot her passport. “I was visiting a friend in New York. She did her intern-ship there and I stayed two weeks with her. I panicked when I didn’t find my passport. I called my friend to ask her if she could leave her work earlier and look for my passport at her place. She found it and brought it to me but it took a while, almost five hours. Once I had the passport it was easy to rebook the flight. Seven hours later than originally planned I could take a flight to Germany.”

ALLERGIES AND SPECIAL MEDICATIONBesides the legitimation, there are quite a few other important docu-ments you might need. Check the list on the left which sums up the most important documents. If you need any help with your docu-ments it’s always wise to contact the department of foreign affairs in your country. They will provide you with personalized information.No one wants to get sick, especially not when travelling abroad. Therefore it is important to check for your documents but don’t forget your medication and vaccinations. Consider bringing a blood group card and a statement of allergy if necessary. Also don’t forget your medicines or medical prescriptions.

CHECKLIST• ID, passport, Visa• Ticket, voucher, boarding pass• Driver’s License• Credit card• Health Insurance• Vaccination card• Statements of allergy • Relevant medical information• Medication

TIPS• Make copies of all your documents• Take one copy with you in your

luggage, leave one copy with family or friends

• E-mail yourself the documents • Take cash money with you in case

your credit card doesn’t work• Write numbers of the embassy or

consulate down

By Jolanda Boschmans

HUMAN INTEREST

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READY TO GO“I found out that my passport was missing”


Being independent, meeting other people, experiencing another cul-ture, … all these aspects of an exchange programme have an impact on the lives of its participants. The life of Erasmus-student Amir Aran (26) changed after his exchange in Sundsvall, Sweden. “I moved out from my parental house two weeks after I came home.”

CHANGED ON EXCHANGE

“MY ERASMUS MADE ME EVEN MORE INDEPENDENT”

Amir has fun during his Erasmus in Sweden “I enjoy my freedom and privacy.”

By Jolanda Boschmans

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Amir Aran is a twenty-six year old man who lives in Nieuwegein, close to Utre-cht in the Netherlands. He studied cmd, Communication and Multime-dia Design at the Hogeschool of Am-sterdam. He was twenty-five years old before going on exchange. “As a twenty-five year old I was already too old to still live at home, so I did have plans to move out before going to Sweden.”

Although he already made the deci-sion prior to his exchange, Amir’s time in Sundsvall strengthened his decision to move out. “During my long-term stay in Sweden I had to organise and manage a lot more by myself. I was an independ-ent person before and my Erasmus made me even more. It was easy to move out from my parents’ place. I enjoy my free-dom and privacy.”

LIVING ON YOUR OWNAmir decided to live in a house in Nieu-wegein. His decision was based on a mix of reasons; his family lives close and he had a good offer for the house. “I have a small yet very close family so we stay in each other’s neighbourhood. I am not planning to stay here for the rest of my life. I love traveling a lot. Before mov-

ing to the Netherlands, my family and I lived in Canada for two years. Every year I make at least one big trip.”

Before going to Sweden, Amir already went to Turkey. “When I was twelve I lived on my own in Turkey for two months,” said Amir. “I don’t really call it living on my own, because it was just for two months and I stayed in a hotel. It was a strange, scary and wonderful experience at the same time. I lived and studied there with a distant family who lived in Turkey. I could choose to live at my family’s place or to stay in the hotel.”Living on his own in Turkey and Swe-den had an impact on Amir. He is not the only one. During her internship, Gerlinde Jonckheere (21) lived alone for the first time of her life. “During the first weeks I struggled a lot”, says Gerlinde, studying journalism in Mechelen, Bel-gium. She did her internship in Amster-dam, the Netherlands. “In the beginning I had to adapt to my new environment

and my work at ‘Vlaams Cultuurhuis De Brakke Grond’. I am lucky with my roommates. They guided and helped me the first week.” Gerlinde became more open the last years but since the start of her exchange she is even more spontane-ous than before.

“CHANGING LIVES, OPENING MINDS”Not only students go on exchange, also adults or younger children can par-ticipate in an international programme. Like Amir did when he was twelve. Adults can experience an exchange programme as a volunteer or as a host family, for example with the interna-tional exchange organization afs. afs Intercultural Programmes started as American Field Service, founded by American volunteer ambulance drivers during the First World War. Nowadays afs operates in fifty different coun-tries. When afs-participants describe

HUMAN INTERESTAmir with his niece: “I have a very close family.”

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their Exchange-experience “life-changing” is the most used word. Not only the afs programme changes the lives of its participants. For the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Erasmus programme the European Union pub-lished a video with the slogan “changing lives and opening minds for 25 years”.

One of the testimonies in the video is from Tomás Sánchez López. Tomás was born in Spain and went on Erasmus in Finland in 2002. “Finland was definitely the starting point of what my life has become,” he said in the video. Thanks to his Erasmus in Finland, Tomás could doc-torate in Korea and study at the university of Cambridge.

Tomás is happy about his personal and professional life. His exchange programmes were, altogether, life chang-ing.

RESTART MY OLD LIFEFor Tomás and Amir their exchange meant the start of a “new life”. Also Gerlinde thinks about moving out from her parents’ place af-ter she graduates in June. “I hope to find a job and save money. I dream about mov-ing abroad again.”

Not everybody starts a new episode of his life after an exchange experience. Some students just realise how happy they are in there own country. Johanna Thorin was a Swedish student at the Mid

Sweden University in Sunds-vall. She went in 2012 to Vi-chy in France. “I wouldn’t say I changed after my semester abroad. I am totally the same person now as before I left.”

Johanna was glad to be back in Sweden, where things worked properly. “I had a re-ally good time in France but I was happy when I could start my old way of living again. My study abroad made me appreciate Sweden more, ex-cept from the weather.”

Gerlinde (left) and her friend Emilie, having a good time in Amster-

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Life abroad:Customs&Habits

HUMAN INTEREST

In the Turkish culture it is a typical custom to take off your shoes when you get home. In China it is polite to burp after you had diner. In Japan it is common to bend when you meet instead of shaking hands. Every culture has its own typical habits. For an exchange student it can be hard to get adjust to this habits.

When Loulou Herman (20) from Belgium went to the Philippines, she had a hard time getting used to eating rice at least three times a day. Not only the rice was a problem for Loulou, also eating the meat. Sometimes, the meat was a bit fat and in some cases, the skin was left on. “I also had to get used to all the attention I was getting 24/7”. People were constantly compli-menting Loulou on her skin, her small nose and her hair. Even people in the mall would grab her an compliment her. “Everywhere I went people called me ‘miss beautiful’ That was very weird!”

Jan Jacob van der Zee (22) went to Nor-man, Oklahoma, USA for his exchange period. The biggest difference in habit for him, compar-ing to his home country The Netherlands, was the American way of life. “Americans are way more materialistic and individualistic. When they say ‘hi, what’s up’, they don’t want you to have a chat. It is just a greeting.” But that wasn’t the only thing that was remark-able for Jan Jacob. “A big car and house are important to show others that you’re a wealthy man. In The Netherlands you would be consid-ered as a ‘pimp’, in America everyone admires you for the materials you have. The bigger the better.”

Alice de Woot de Trixhe (20) had no problem with the Australian mentality when she went from Belgium to Sydney two years ago. “I was surprised by the fact that you could have tea at any moment of the day, or nearly any time. Driving on the left side of the road was the biggest difference.” Also having diner in multicultural Sydney surprised Alice. “There are so many different types of restaurants and Australians go quite often to restaurants.”

“It is all about new habits”, says Miriam Mar-tín Price (22) from Madrid. At the moment she is studying in Sweden where she has to get used to the very cold weather. “The biggest difference was the fact of living alone for the first time. In Spain it is common to live with your parents until you get married. I think I have grown in personality. I am more sure of who I am and I have learned from everything and everyone.”

By Angela Van Der Veen


Of course you think about it when you go abroad for a long time, but most people assume that it won’t happen to them. At the airport you hear lots of mothers warning their daughters. Esther’s mother was also one of them and said at the airport: “You don’t fall in love, right?” but Esther couldn’t just control it. In September 2012, Es-ther Blaauwwiekel (22) from the Netherlands, found the love of her life in China.

ESTHER ROSS

WHEN

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Esther studies International Business and Languages at the university in Groningen. She already studied abroad before she went to China. She also lived in South Africa and had a great time there. Esther tells that she always has been fascinated by the Chinese language and culture so her choice was easily made: “I decided to study Chinese business, Chinese culture and Mandarin at the Beijing Foreign Studies University.” A huge step? “No not at all, it was just the right step. After my experience in South Af-rica, where I had such a great time, I really wanted to go abroad again.”

FALLING IN LOVETo meet new people it’s easier to do extra activities such as sport or going to events. Esther always played basketball and de-cided to sign up for the university team. In the first week there were several trials and that was the first time she met Ross. “I saw him in his basketball outfit with his mus-cular arms. I assumed he was an American basketball player and I melted right away.” Ross was 21 years old and came from Mad-agascar. He grew up near Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. His father is 100% Malagasy and his mother is half French and half Chinese. With this mix of origins Ross does love to travel, as Esther. Ross studies International Business and Mandarin in Be-ijing. Esther found out that he plays rugby instead of basketball. But that didn’t matter to Esther because he was still that tanned guy with his muscular arms.

Soon they started to see each other more and more. They studied, watched movies or had dinner together, sometimes accompa-nied by classmates. They could easily com-municate with each other because they both speak English fluently. They started lik-

ing each other more and more. “Ross is an incredibly sweet and reliable guy. He wants the best for everyone and is very helpful.” Esther saw him at school and he was al-ways there for other students to help them with their homework. Ross is very sponta-neous and definitely not shy. “He is a tough guy which I think is very important. From the beginning he treated me with respect and he is really honest.” Ross is a serious guy, which is good for Esther. Thanks to him, she is more focused on school.

Despite of the wonderful time they were having together they both knew that Esther had to leave in January. They were both protecting themselves from getting hurt. However after three months they were so in love that they decided to give it try.

HOME VS. LOVE“When I remember the moment I had to leave him, it was so terrible. I saw Ross cry-ing and although I missed my family and friends a lot and I was excited to see them, I couldn’t hold my tears as well.” When Esther was in China she didn’t told her parents that she had met Ross. When she got home she immediately told her mother she felt in love. Her mother is really happy for her but in the same time she is worried about her immigration. Her mother knows the feeling of missing a family member who immigrates to another country. Es-ther’s aunt moved to Austria when she was young.

Esther’s mom already felt that this could happen, Esther and her mother are really close to each other. “I think my mom al-ways knew that there was a big possibility that I find my love in another country. I still want to live abroad and if I had a Dutch boyfriend that wouldn’t be easy either.”

Esther’s friends are really curious about Ross. They want to meet him, as sooner as possible. But of course they are also afraid that Esther will immigrate to China. Esther is not scared to lose her friends: “Where ever I will be, the bond between me and my friends will not dilute.”

FINDING A BALANCEThis summer Ross will come to the Nether-lands so she can introduce him to her family and friends. Esther is really looking forward for that moment. She didn’t see Ross for almost six months. But they communicate a lot with each other, mostly by chatting or video calling. This isn’t always easy be-cause there is a time difference of almost six hours. And in wintertime the time differ-ence is even seven hours. All the time Esther and Ross have to keep track of this when they want to speak to each other. In the fall of 2013 this will all be over. By then Esther will try to get a visa and a job in Beijing so they can live together during Ross’ study. Hopefully Ross will graduate in 2016.

Esther thinks that finding a love abroad is never ideal. Sometimes she cries because she can’t see Ross or she is not able to see her friends or family. “I am sure that if we can both work on finding a balance be-tween these most important factors of our lives we will become more than happy. Me, Ross, my family and my friends.”

By Petra Koops van’t Jagt

“The first time I saw Ross in his basketball outfit with his muscu-

lar arms, I melted right away”

Esther and Ross making video call


WHICH WORKEXPERIENCE WORKS BEST

Students and workers expecting to benefit from an experi-ence abroad may have previously encountered money is-sues. Especially during threatening times, stigmatized by a financial crisis, people may need to make extra money in order to follow their dream. A common solution is getting a part-time job in a local pub, a store or any other kind of busi-nesses. We‘ve collected testimonies from those who found their own way to earn extra money and appreciate their ex-perience abroad.

AS A FREELANCE WORKER

As a student or when you have to fulfil an internship, a solution to make easy extra money can be to set yourself as a freelance worker. Whatever your choose to work in, you have to be able to do it from a far. It could be useful to have a network be-fore leaving home or be able to build one from the country you are leading to.

It can also be the perfect way to maintain your workflow and to keep your network with clients during your exchange. The only thing in this case is to have time for yourself, for stud-ying or realising your place-ment because let’s not forget it, it is the first thing that brought you there!

AS A LOCAL HELPER

You can also choose to of-fer people your services, your knowledge or whatever you have to offer in the neighbour-hood you are moving in. A lot of students propose their neighbours to mow their lanes or to clear the snow from their pavements. Either way you can provide parents an occasional looking on their children or ba-bysit puppies, especially if you are abroad on vacation.

Some people say it would be even more interesting to work as a barmaid or a waitress in a traditional and typical es-tablishment because you meet native people and you get to know local habits. Still, be sure that you will be granted for the service you proposed!

AS AN AU PAIR

This solution, which was mas-sively used and recommended years ago, seems to have lost a little bit of competitiveness. Anyhow, it still remains a really cheap way, as a matter of fact maybe the cheapest one, to re-alise an experience abroad. You get to be housed, fed and pro-vided with any necessity you may need.

Along with this you gener-ally can enjoy some or all the facilities your host family may have: car, travelling, etc. But be careful, you will have a lot of responsibilities and duties. Of course, you will know the customs and habits of native people in the very deep way but you will not have a lot of free time.

AS A LANGUAGE TEACHER

Due to partnerships between schools or universities, some students find a way to be a lan-guage assistant. The only term is to teach your mother tong.

Otherwise, you can give pri-vate education. For that, you might want to have a look for-ward the scholar network that is already set up in your target country or town.

By Sarah Vieux


FOREVER ON THE ROADWe all have our reasons to go on exchange, but one motive in com-mon: travelling. One thing is clear: if your start travelling, you will always be in need of new experiences as Geraldine Linglart (21), San-drine Demolder (30) and Maite Machado (25). For them, travelling is more a lifestyle and a passion than a real goal.

HUMAN INTEREST

THE INCREDIBLY LONG JOURNEY OF THREE STUDENTS By Céline Mélignon


They need to travel in their blood. The three girls feel the spirit of adventure and dream about undiscovered out-look. It is not about leaving their home country, they need to be on the road like others need to breathe. Get inspired by the stories of Geraldine, Sandrine and Maite.

INTERNATIONAL INTERNSHIPWhen Geraldine heard that she had the possibility to make an internship abroad, this French girl didn’t hesitate. After spending her summer in Thai-land, she was already ready to go abroad again. She spent one year to find an ap-propriate internship in Montréal, Can-ada. Now, four months after her return, she is already preparing her trip around the world.

For Geraldine, travelling is the best opportunity to find out how other peo-ple live. To do that, give up the tourist activities and programmes. You have to go through society. And what is better for this experience than an internship abroad?

She knew that she wanted to make her final internship in another coun-try, but she didn’t have any preferences about which one. She chose Canada, and specifically Montréal for conveni-ence. Indeed, making an internship in your mother tongue makes things easier.

She found a Non-Governmental Or-ganization (ngo) in Journalism by herself, did research, sent an applica-tion, looked for immigration informa-tion, …

Indeed to realise an internship in Canada, you need a working license and fulfil a lot of official papers. Whatever, nothing could stop her. “The most im-portant thing is to find the perfect job.” She wanted to have a wonderful profes-sional experience.

Indeed, during an internship, you spend the most of your time at work. Therefore it is important to choose your job well. She was working for “Aven-turiers Voyageurs” (adventurous trav-ellers) an ngo that brings together backpackers and audio-visual media. A Windfall.

“As soon as you taste it, travelling be-comes a passion.” Now she is finishing her last months of studies. At the same time, she is preparing the next adven-ture. With her boyfriend Robin, a pro-fessional cameraman, they are planning a long journey around the world during one year. It is mainly to acquire profes-sional experience.

With her journalism skills and his shooting abilities, they want to realise a long reportage named “musician in the world”. For them, the music is a vehicle for emotion and contacts, and makes the listeners travelling.

Because she realised how little humans are, she is often on the road. “We only know a tiny part of the globe, they are so many things to see.” She wants to see as much as she can.

TRAVELLING IS A VIRUSSandrine is a Belgian woman. When she was eighteen, she already went three months to Malta, one month in Mexico and another in Spain. After her studies, she was one year in Australia with her best friend with only one goal: experiencing a thousand of extraordi-nary adventures.

Sandrine studied hotel management and she already had her first job. Sadly this experience was not what she ex-pected. She realised that it was not the professional life she wanted. Therefore she started travelling but not only for discovering new people, cultures, and landscapes. No, she mainly wanted to discover herself, trying to find out who she really is and who she wanted to be. To reach this goal, she had to find her own limit. She wanted to see how far she could go.

“Travelling is like a virus. You either have it or not, but when you have it, it’s following you for life.” With her pre-vious travel experiences, she knew that experimenting her limit was the only way to build her personality and create her future. That’s why she used every

From left to right: Geraldine thinks of her future trip, Sandrine worked to travel in her van.


opportunity she had, during twelve months, to experience something new.

TURN AROUND AUSTRALIAShe landed in Sydney first, afterwards she travelled to Melbourne and bought a van there which was her home for the next entire year.

When she arrived in Adelaide, she worked in a vineyard for one month to get a little bit more money. Then, without any specific goal, she travelled from one city to another, enjoying the whole journey in the east coast of Aus-tralia, passing by Perth and Darwin un-til Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef. With her friend, they slept in the van and enjoyed a very simple life with a lot of meeting and discovering. Some-times, natives invited them. Aboriginal has even invited them once.

After one year, does she feel like finding her way? Was it useful? Yes, it was, but not in the way she expected it. Even if after her journey, she didn’t re-ally know what to do with her life, she felt more independent and free in her choices. Now, she is finishing a bache-lor in media and communication, which is more fitting for her personality.

Now, she is been accepted for a uni-versity programme in San Diego for studying Graphics. She’s on the road… again. Does this mean she doesn’t feel as if she belongs in Belgium? Yes she does. Belgium will forever be her country, home and family: “When I’m abroad, I’m terribly patriotic and proud of my country.”

MORE EXPERIENCESMaite is a Uruguayan woman. After liv-ing in Switzerland for eight years and going to Poland for Erasmus, she is now living in Bolivia – La Paz, as vol-unteer in a ngo.

She chose to go to Poland because the destination was a kind of “different” compared to the other Erasmus places.

Indeed, countries such as France, Italia or Spain have different cultures but still not as different as the ones she was used to. Maite wanted to explore new places, new mentalities. “Travelling for me is not about holiday, it’s all about discov-ering.”

At the moment she works in Bolivia as a volunteer for techo, a ngo that builds houses for unfortunate people. In this organization, she is in charge of fundraising nearby companies, interna-tional cooperation and civil society. To do that, she is organising events.

Bolivia and Poland were a totally different kind of adventure. Because she is born and lived in Uruguay for a few years, she always wanted to go back there after her studies. She feels like she belongs to South America and has a bond to this country. A few years ago, she was part of a volunteer’s activ-ity for this ngo. It’s only naturally that she decided to apply for a longer period and abroad. She had to choose between five countries in South America. Boliv-ia was easier because she already knew someone there. She didn’t want to go in an unknown territory.

PERMANENT VOLUNTEERMaite is living there for two years now. She wasn’t supposed to stay that long but she decided to stay for a longer period. She really fell in love with the country and the people living there. She met a lot of good friends. She’s truly feeling at home in the institution for which she is working now. She has a lot to contribute for them and adds “The institution give me as much as I give them, probably even more.” In-deed, it’s quite exceptional to have a job we truly love.

When we ask her about going back in Switzerland, she says that yes, of course, she will come back, but not for staying, only for visiting her family. Her plan for the future is to go in another country,

still in South America, and start a new adventure.

Wherever they went, whatever their goals were or will be, these students have taken the opportunity to go abroad in a very specific way. Are they running away from something? Are they trying to find anything different? That’s not sure. They are not giving up on their “normal” life with family and friends. They keep these experiences and mem-ories in mind. And what if “home” was not a house or a country, but simply a part of their heart reserved for the peo-ple they love, wherever they go?

HUMAN INTEREST

Maite went to Bolivia to live a human experience.


FUNNY MISUNDERSTANDINGS

As you know, going abroad is also about learning and adapting to new a lan-guage, culture and habits. Some of those who experienced it have pretty funny stories to share. Especially when it comes to expressions and linguistic misun-derstandings...

JUST A COFFEE« Once in Sweden, I wanted to order a cup of coffee at the university’s caf-eteria, which costs 10 SEK back there. You should know that the Swedish pronunciation of 10 is « tio » and sounds very similar, if not the same, as « te », as tea in Swedish. Indeed, I just corrected the coffee seller at least 3 or 4 times before understanding that she was asking me for money and not what sort of tea. »

Kamil

THE FRENCH CASINO« Back in Bordeaux, France. After two months there, my mom called me completely furious, yelling at me because I was totally irresponsible, spending my money in the most stupidest way ever and that I was definitely really too foolish and too imma-ture for this experience abroad.

After ten minutes trying to know what it was really about, she told me that she was really upset about me going to the casino every week. In France, Casino is a supermarket. »

Kaitleen

CALL ME SALAMI« Three years ago, I went on an exchange in Poland. The Polish language is one of the most funny ones but for me, it kind of sucks for the foreign accents.

My parents unluckily named me Salo-mé, which was turned by all the teachers, friends and other stu-dents into “Salami” during the whole year I spent there. My French mates really enjoyed this and still call me like the famous German sausage, after three years. Lucky me. »

Salomé

TALKING ABOUT BOOBS« Two years ago, I had to fulfil a place-ment in Prague, in Czech Republic. Once, I was out in a club with a friend and we spotted a group of people. We wanted to sympathise, so we went dancing with them. After a while, I got closer to one of them and I asked her: “You are Gigi, aren’t you?” She looked at me in a very incredulous way and told me it was rude. So I asked again if she was the girl named Gigi. She answered me that talking like that was not the best way to introduce you. Finally, I found out that in Iranian, her mother tongue, “jiji” means, “boob”. Even if I was very embarrassed in the first place, we both ended laughing a lot about that and she is still a good friend of mine. »

Andreas

ID OR IDEA...?« Spring had just popped up so I decided to go out for an evening walk around the city. Once in the main street, lying on the ground near the sidewalk is an Iphone.

Not knowing what to do with I tried to call a friend many times, unanswered. I decided to take the bus until the police station... without counting on my miser-able sense of orientation. After 40 minutes wandering around the city, I finally arrived at the police station. I explained to two po-licemen that I found this phone in the street and that I just wanted to return it. After ask-ing me some formal questions, one of them asked me for an idea. I answered him that I haven’t any idea to whom the phone be-longs and that was the reason I was there. He answered me “no sir, I am asking if you have an idea”, “No, if I had an idea I would have already gave it back to the concerned person.” Blank. “Ok, I get it sir but I am ask-ing you if you can give me an idea.” Double blank. “No sir, I just told you twice, I have no idea whose phone is it.” Triple blank.

Finally his colleague simply told me “Sir, if you don’t have an idea, just give us a phone number”. And there I realise. Not “idea” but ID. I apologised and laughed with them for a while. In the end, I actually never knew if the owner of the phone was able to get it back or not. »

Jean-Christophe

Written and illustrations by Sarah Vieux


I am living abroad in Sundsvall, Sweden, which is two thousand kilometers from my home in Brussels, Belgium. But because I’m in the golden age of communication, I can talk to my family and friends face to face via Skype, share my photos by one clic on Facebook, shout my opinion by Twitter and write my adventures on my blog. Easy! Unfortunately, too much is never enough. “What? My boyfriend is not right in time for our Skype meeting? It takes two hours for my best friend to tell me the last gossip? I feel sooooo disconnected”.

Forty years ago, my mother went as an au pair in England for three months. It took her half a year to find a host family (my god, after five mails, I had my apartment and university-acceptance in one week). Two days before her arrival, my mother had to telegram her host family to communicate them her arrival schedule. She never knew what happened to the message, but the family didn’t get it. She was lost in the mid-dle of the night, no mobile phone to call, text or e-mail someone to help her. But she finally found the family and everything ran ok during her stay (hey, you see mommy; technologies are not that bad, ha).

OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND? NOT REALLY.To stay in touch with my grandma and grandpa, she wrote letters in English every two weeks (whaaaaaat? Without Google Translate? Really?) and she had to wait one more week for their answer. At this time, I

feel kind of guilty to have a quick look on Facebook or refresh my mailbox every sin-gle minute, complaining about how slowly people can react. “How could you live like this?” “Well, I lived, simply!” Yes in the real life, when you know that nothing is gonna happen in your mailbox for days, you just think about something else. You focus on your experience: you do as much things as you can to occupy your mind. And time is running so fast! She didn’t forget her fam-ily and friend, of course, she just thought of

them differently. My mother and I contact each other once

or twice a month. Do I miss her more be-cause I don’t see her? No. Do I love her less than people I see often? Neither. Indeed I’m mostly looking forward to see HER again. Suddenly, I realise the paradox. The more I Skype my relatives, the more I feel far from home.

Mother and daughter, 40 years apart

HUMAN INTEREST

The other day, I was Skyping with my mother and complaining about how far I felt from home. My complaint led to THE discussion between us. “You know, in my time, when I went to England…” “Well, sorry mommy dear, but we don’t live in the same world anymore”. My mom and I have the same personality but we are con-stantly disagreeing. So similar and so different at the same time. Strange how two generations can react so differently to the same situation.

By Céline Mélignon

Left: June 1973, my mother during her exchange in England Right: February 2013, during my Erasmus in Sweden.


“ I worked hard to gather the money I needed to

go abroad ”

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FOCUS ON EXCHANGE

MANAGEYOUR MONEY CREATIVELY

Sinah, from Germany want-ed to discover a new country. If you look at her, it’s almost hard to believe that she stud-ies Engineering. This fash-ionable girl is in the second year of her study and always dreamed about living in Swe-den. Unfortunately Sinah didn’t get a scholarship.

Fiene studies Music in

Antwerpen, Belgium and de-cided to interrupt her study with a gap year. Next year in January Fiene will leave for six months to visit and vol-unteer in more than twenty countries through the USA, Mexico and Europe. She needs to gain 13,000 euros for this journey.

Altogether if you want to

go abroad you need money. So both girls had to manage creatively their money to go on this adventure.

MONEY REQUIRED“All my life I want to travel, a feeling that seems unstop-pable.” says Fiene about her motivation to go abroad. Fiene was thinking about

Studying abroad is a dream for many students. But how can you make this dream come true when you have less money. Your budget doesn’t have to be a problem. Sinah and Fiene prove that you actually can go abroad if you don’t have scholarship or grant. Sinah BenAmor (20) dreamed off studying in one of the most expensive countries in Europe and Fiene Lambrigts (20) wants to visit at least twenty countries. Both girls stay there for one semester.

“ I worked hard to gather the money I needed to

go abroad ”

SINAH SOLD HER HAIR, FIENE DOES FUNDRAISINGBy Petra Koops van’t Jagt & Angela van der Veen


taking a gap year after finish-ing high school this summer. She searched for informa-tion about organizations for school programmes, vol-unteer projects and other possibilities for a gap year. “When I met Up With Peo-ple (uwp) this seemed an ideal project for my gap year.” Uwp is a unique combina-tion of volunteer work, get to know new cultures, meet new people and activities.

Money is always an issue but it becomes more impor-tant if you want to travel or study abroad. Most of the stu-dents get a scholarship when they go abroad. But Sinah didn’t get it. She was too late to apply for her scholarship. “I know it sounds stupid but I had to choose other courses and then I was two weeks too late to apply for a scholar-ship.” says Sinah.

When she decided to go abroad she went to the in-ternational desk of her home university. She chose some courses that she wanted to follow in Sweden but unfor-tunately they didn’t match with her study in Germany.

Sinah had to look for other courses and that’s the reason she didn’t manage to be on time to apply for the Eras-mus scholarship. This means missing a total amount of 1,000 euros. Sinah had to find another way to gather this money.

WORK HARDOne of the most common things you can do is get an extra job. Both girls worked really hard to earn the money they need. Fiene had several jobs, she worked for more than one year every Sun-day morning at the bakery

and during the holiday she worked at a logistic provider. Now she is working on Sat-urdays at the supermarket and after she finishes this school year she wants to work fulltime from September till December.

Sinah had already a well-paid job. She worked at an architect office and had the opportunity to make more hours and to gain more mon-ey. More than three weeks she worked fulltime to earn money and even after school, she managed to work at the office.

Sinahs 1,000 euros are a realistic amount of money to earn by working. The re-quired amount for Fiene is thirteen times bigger. “I will never get the amount of money by only working.” says Fiene. Therefore she had to come up with other ideas

IDEAS TO MAKE EASY MONEY

1. ORGANISE A GARAGE SALE

Go to the storage room, search for stuff you don’t use anymore and put it for sale in your garden. Sell lemonade and homemade cookies with it and you will have a nice cleaned house.

2. SPONSORED RUNSign up for a marathon and ask friends, family, neigh-bours, and teachers etc. to sponsor you.

3. CREATE A WEBSITE/ FACEBOOK PAGE FOR SPONSORSHIP

Make a website, a blog or a Facebook account. Ex-plain your goals and make it interesting for people to sponsor you.

4. WRITE A COLUMN FOR A NEWSPAPER

Contact your (local) news-paper and tell them you want to write a weekly col-umn about your adventure abroad. Ask them to com-pensate you financially

5. MAKE STUFF TO SELLBe creative and sell your homemade stuff. T-shirts, jewellery, food, drinks eve-rything you can think of, make it and sell it. You can also ask your friends and family to help you, in this way you spend some time with each other and make money as well. You can sell it at markets or online on Ebay or Etsy.

Fiene and her mother are cutting vegetables for the

spaghetti event.

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to find money. Fortunately Fiene is a smart and creative girl and has plenty of ideas.

Last month, in April, Fiene organised a fundrais-ing event with the theme spaghetti night. People could buy her homemade spaghetti and could listen to musical performances of young and new coming musical tal-ent. The event was a huge success. Fienes mother and grandmother helped with organizing and together they collected almost 1,400 euros. Fiene was really happy with the result: “All the hard work was worth it.”

IMPORTANT EXTRASFiene offers all kinds of chores she can do to get money. “I can wash cars, bake cakes, babysit or organise birthday parties.” Fiene al-ready washed cars and got five euros extra for singing while doing it. When the weather will get better she wants to do make it a fre-quent chore. Besides Fiene

uses her baking skills and sells her homemade ginger-bread cookies with chocolate. They are getting very popular in her neighbourhood and she earns almost 400 euros with selling them.

Sinah also offers some-thing of herself but then in a whole different way. She went to the hairdresser and cut her hair and sold it. “My hair was very long and I thought it was better to cut the ends. I think in total the hairdresser cut more than 15cm.” When Sinah looked in the mirror she felt a bit sad, her beautiful dark and long hair was gone, but when she got the money, the sadness was gone. “Prob-ably I will buy food from the money, I love food. At home I always make dinner, it’s one of most important things in my life.”

Sinah had the luck that her mother wanted to spon-sor her. Every month she got 550 euros from her. Sinah felt a bit guilty of this money so when she got her salary

she paid her mother 1,000 euros to thank her.

Fiene created a special sponsor page on Facebook. Here she informs people about her journey and asks them to sponsor her. “Fortu-nately my parents support me in this adventure and financ-ing a part as well.” She still needs sponsor, so if you want to help her visit her Facebook sponsor page.

GREAT EXPERIENCEIn the end it’s all the money worth it. “Here in Sweden I already forgot that I worked so much hours at the archi-tect office, I’m really enjoying now. I made new friends, saw beautiful things and have a great experience.” says Sinah. Fiene still has to wait for her experience but she hopes that her journey will bring her a lot. She sees it as enrichment for herself and for the people she is going to meet. She is exited to meet new cultures, ideologies and ideas. “This way I can form a considered

CREATIVE WAYS TO SAVE MONEY

1. EXTRA CHANGE IN YOUR POCKET

Keep a jar near your door and every day put all your extra coins in it. Or, put it on your desk and ask other people to contribute as well! If your friends or fami-ly are willing, make change jars for them too.

2. A VARIATION IS THE CURSE JAR

Every time you say a ‘for-bidden’ word put money in the jar. Make it a rule for everybody who is visiting you. Whenever somebody says the word they have to put money in the jar.

3. LIVE WITH RELATIVES OR FRIENDS

To save money on rent you can stay the remain time before you go abroad with friends, families or others who offer you a place to stay.

4. SAVE ON TRANSPORTCarpole, hitchhike, go by bike or just walk. This way you save a lot of money on bus and train tickets or gaz.

How much money do exchange students have

to spend after paying the rent?*

* 113 People respond on the survey. We based this chart on their answers.

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WE HAVE A BRIGHT FUTURE

opinion on the world prob-lematic.” Fiene is also think-ing about the skills she will win that are useful for her ca-reer. But most important af-ter her journey she will have friends all over the world.

MORE CREATIVE GIRLS Not only Sinah and Fiene found creative ways to gain money. Also the 22-year-old Marije, from the Nether-lands had a marvellous idea.

She studied in Sweden and wanted a bike. In her home country she travels always by bike. Because of the snow it wasn’t possible to cycle, but when the weather became better in the end of March she really missed her bike. In the beginning she started looking at the second hands shops but the bikes were too expensive. She used Facebook to get a bike. “I posted a message on the in-ternational Facebook group from my new host univer-sity. I hoped someone would have a bike or know a way to get one very cheap. Some people said I could dig out abandoned bikes out of the snow, but it didn’t feel right.” Then a student from Ger-

many reacts on her message. She gives Marije a free bike and they made the deal that on the moment Marije leaves Sweden she must give this bike to someone else. “I’m re-ally happy with my free bike, I love to feel the wind in my face and feel free to go where I want. A great arrangement for a student with almost no money.”

DINNER TOGETHERAdopting a new family is also a way to save money. Miriam (22) from Spain had the courage to do that. “I had to do a writing as-signment about something in Sweden. I wanted to write about a Swedish family.” Miriam knocked on a door and asked if the family had time to tell her something about Swedish families. They let her in and they told her everything about the family life in Sweden. They invited her to visit them again, to have dinner with each oth-er. And so Miriam created new friends. When her own parents visit her they all eat together; the Swedish and the Spanish families. Adopt-ing a new family has many

benefits “Eating together is more fun than eating alone, I don’t have to cook, try new Swedish food and in the end I need to buy less food from the supermarket.”

So even with less money can you approach a lot. Be open-minded, creative and show guts. Don’t think too much about your bank ac-count because the experience is priceless.

“ I offer all kinds of chores to get money: washing cars, baking cakes, babysitting or organizing parties ”

MOST POPULAR SCHOLARSHIPS

1. THE ERASMUS PRO-GRAMME

The Erasmus Programme is part of the Lifelong Learning Programme in Europe. Erasmus is the most familiar student ex-change program for higher education in Europe. Each year, more than 230,000 students study abroad with the programme. In Eu-rope there are 33 partici-pating countries.*

2. LIVFUND LIVFund is a programme for people who are inter-ested in studying, intern-ing and volunteering in Latin America. They of-fer its scholarships in 21 countries for example Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, Pu-erto Rico and Argentina. LIVFund accept everybody who needs to help cover-ing programme or living abroad expenses. The scholarship will be around 500 usd per month*.

3. ROTARYRotary foundation schol-arships is the largest pri-vately funded international scholarships program. Students can apply for help with their exchange by contacting their local Rotary club. Rotary helps to organise the exchange, a place to stay and the internship. In some cases you receive an amount of money*.

*The exact amount varies according to the length of the exchange programme, the cho-sen host country, your study and your home country.

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WE HAVE A BRIGHT FUTURE

JEAN-PIERRE LACROIX, THE FRENCH AMBASSADOR IN SWEDEN By Marie Richard

FOCUS ON EXCHANGE

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Near 1.90 metre, wearing a suit and tie, Jean Pierre La-croix looks elegant. His pos-ture is quite impressive but after a few seconds, his big smile and his friendly look make me feel really at ease. Sitting in front of him, my first impressions are pleasant. His way of being is comfort-ing, reassuring and protective. Those qualities are required to do his job.

In October 2012, Alain Lamassoure, member of European Parliament’s

Committee on Budgets an-nounced a probable decrease of the Erasmus grant. Cel-ebrating its 26th anniversary, Erasmus is the most com-mon exchange programme in Europe with nearly 190,500 students in 2011 and an av-erage monthly grant of 250 euros according to European Union.

The opportunity of study-ing abroad is certainly a part of the professional project for a student. As a matter of fact, improving language skills

and living abroad are some-times required for a job. But what if the money de-crease or an exchange pro-gramme disappears? With all the rumours, I speak for the student’s community; we need to hear good perspec-tives about our future.

Fortunately, I found my answers with Jean Pierre La-croix. As a professional who built his career abroad, he understood my worries and felt concerned and optimistic about the youth.

Jean Pierre Lacroix explains his concern for the youth at Mid Sweden University Sundsvall, Sweden.

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On the 25th of April, Jean Pierre Lacroix was visiting Mid Sweden Uni-versity. With an international curriculum vitae, the French ambassador in Sweden supports and encourages the education field between France and Sweden. The opportunity to ask him about his feelings and thoughts about the future of our exchange programme.


Marie Richard: Mister Lacroix, how did you become ambassador?JP Lacroix: I work at the French embas-sy in Stockholm since August 2011. Be-fore being a representative of the French authority, I was working as the French representative for the United Nation. Two times in New York, once in Prague and Washington, I have to say that my curriculum vitae is pretty international.

My background in the highest school of Administration in France allows me to have those current activities.

MR: Your venue at Mid Sweden Uni-versity points out that the student public is a real interest for the future of French and Swedish societies. Could you explain how you work on that?JPL: The future of universities is to work on the partnership and the interna-tional programme for mobility. However in my case, mainly it is to support the partnership between both countries. As a surprise, French and Swedish univer-sities deal already together without the embassy.

Encourage the partnership and the exchange is crucial because a student who can experiment an international mobility have an asset for his curriculum and professional skills.

MR: How do you see the Erasmus pro-gramme in the future? What about the future decrease of Erasmus grants?JPL: October 2012 was an awkward mo-ment. The European Union had to vote the multi annual credit. Alain Lamas-soure, member of European Parliament’s Committee on Budgets talked about a

decrease for Erasmus grant. However, it is not going to happen.

The education field is a sensitive part. Without education there is no evolution for a society. We should not be worried of that.

MR: What are the possibilities for a student to carry on his life in Sweden (internship, work, studies, etc.)?JPL: A student can easily stay in Sweden to study, work or for an internship. The only condition is speaking the country language. Rarely Swedish institutions hire people only with English as the main language. My advice is to be coura-geous and persevering, Swedish is not a difficult language to learn.

And for the French people, the Chamber of Commerce is supported by the embassy to help French people to get a job. Moreover, do not forget all the or-ganisations and network, which work to help the new arrivals.

MR: What about the statistics regard-ing the number of French students in Sweden? And the number of French expatriates in Sweden? JPL: In Sweden, there are between 8 000 and 10 000 French people and 6500 French are registered at the Embassy. If you plan to stay longer in the country, then it is important to register in order to vote for example.

There are around 1500 French stu-dents in Sweden. The contingent of French students is important compared to the others nationalities. Sweden is an attractive place. They are particularly keen on the Swedish way of living.

MR: What are the main goals and mo-tivation of French people and mostly foreign people to move in Sweden? JPL: One of the main reasons is love! (laugh). Seriously, 1/3 maybe 2/3 of French expatriates come to Sweden to meet his/her love.

But students and classical expatriates want to discover and live in an organ-ised, sure, open and generous society. The working conditions are well known for its efficient and flexibly, something really appreciated by foreign people.

Half an hour after, finishing the in-terview talking about love, Jean Pierre Lacroix knows perfectly how to do his job: adapt himself and his speech to his target readers! With his path, and his advices for students, Jean Pierre Lacroix has the career that I would love to have and which actually sum up an exchange programme: share and experience.

“ Education is the future of our

societies ”

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EXPERIENCE PLACES ALL

AROUND THE WORLD

Seven young people all around the world ex-press their experience. Internships, students abroad, workers, volunteers, ... all seven of them are enjoying their experience thanks to their exchange programme. Enjoy a view of their feelings and experience through the photos.

By Petra Koops van’t Jagt & Marie Richard


BEIJING, CHINA ‘’After a long day strolling through Guangzhou city, I knew the only thing I had to see was the Canton Tower at night: after a lovely sunset the tallest build-ing in China was beautifully lighted!‘’ – study trip for two weeks

Eline (20)

TRAVEL & MORE


STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN“I do love spending time, sitting on the stairs of the Town hall. Things are happening…” – Erasmus for 6 monthsJulien (31)


LOME, TOGO “Vivacious colours, friendly people, fresh food,… I felt in love with Lome´s market.” – Volunteer at APJ Togo (NGO) for 6 months Lucie (22)


TUNIS, TUNISIA “Five days crossing the world’s hottest desert, the Sahara, at the back of a camel will stay forever in my head.” – Internship at the French embassy for 6 months.Elise (21)


CAMBODIA ‘’On our tour through Asia, Cambodia was the country that made the biggest im-pression on me.’’– Tour through Asia for 5 months Ruth (28)


MINSK, BELARUS “Minsk is a super well organised city offering a wonderful view of the communist heritage. Minsk is for sure the biggest cultural shock of my life.”– Student at the Minsk institute for 7 months

Thibault (27)


EXPERIENCEARGENTINA

TRAVEL & MORE

We suggest you here a tour around the country of Maradona to discover all the cultural and natural wonders it hides. In the land of Tango and football an infinity of marvels is waiting to be discovered. From the north to the south, we will lead you through the country. We hope you are ready!

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1 BUENOS AIRESBuenos Aires is the main educational centre of the country. Its renowned institutions include the University of Buenos Aires, the best and most prestigious university in Latin America.

2 PATAGONIA : VALDÉS PENINSULAThere are several natural reserves with various species of marine fauna along the Patagonian coast, but none of them offers such a spectac-ular concentration of wildlife as the Peninsula Valdés.

3 PATAGONIA : LOS GLACIARES NATIONAL PARKBreath-taking landscape of impressive glaciers descending from the continental ice field. Thir-teen glaciers on the Atlantic side break into huge ice towers which plunge into the waters of lakes Viedma and Argentino.

4 CÓRDOBACórdoba is a city located in the geographical centre of Argentina. It has the oldest Univer-sity of the country and the fourth founded in America. This city is perfect for the ones who like living in the city and close to the nature.

5 IGUAZÚ NATIONAL PARKThe Iguazú National Park is famous for its wa-terfalls. From the view point you can appreciate all the wonder that this place has to offer. The waterfalls produce a sound comparing to an airplane taking off. But it is not the waterfalls the only remarkable thing from this National Park: it protects the subtropical vegetation sur-rounding the falls with over 2,000 plant spe-cies, 400 bird species, jaguars and yacarés. Just take a walk around the area and you will feel like Tarzan looking for Cheeta.

By Marcos RodríguezIllustration by Sarah Vieux


FUJI ROCK 26 TO 28.07.13 //NIIGATA, JAPANIn the middle of the mountains, takes place the biggest festival of Japan. Three amazing days far away from city life and daily grind, you’ll love this festival and it’s unique atmosphere.

LINE UP : Agata Morio - Death grips - DJ Shadow - DohatSuten - Eddie Robert’s West Coast Sounds - Flying Lotus - Fun. - Gary Clark Jr. - The Gaslamp Killer - Gentle-mans Pistols - Kemuri - Local Na-tives - My Bloody Valentine - Of Monsters and Men - Pepper-Tones - Porter Robinson - Quattro - Ron Sexsmith - The Sea and Cake - Soil&”Pimp”Sessions - Sparks - Tame Impala - Tower of Power - Turtle Island.

www.fujirockfestival.com

PRIMAVERA SOUND 22 TO 26 .07.13 //BARCELONA, SPAINPrimavera sound is like the European Coachella. It is well known for its wild ranges lineup ! In the warm of Barce-lona on la plaza, enjoy 4 days of music.

LINE UP: My Bloody Valentine - Blur - Grizzly Bear - The Knife - Animal Collective - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Phoenix - Wu-Tang Clan - Death Grips - Swans - Christopher Owens - Tame Impala - Camera Obscura - The Jesus and Mary Chain - The Postal Service.

www.primaverasound.com

DOUR FESTIVAL 18 TO 21.07.13 //DOUR, BELGIUMDo not miss this edition. For its 25th anniversary, Dour will have a surprising and amazing lineup.

LINE UP : Amon tobin - Brodinsky - Devendrah benhart - Dj shadow - Gramatik - Jate nash - Toots and The Maytals - Wax Taylor - Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

www.dourfestival.be “It is all you can imagine

when someone say “festi-val”. Music you love, friends,

happy people and some-thing in the air that makes

your spirit goes up. Dour is a great cocktail of music and people. It is impossible not

to find something you like. I went to this festival because of a friend. His words were “ You will never regret that

experience, I promise”. It was all true.”

Ivilina Gadjeva, Bulgaria

IGLOOFEST 16 TO 18/23 TO 25.01.14 30 TO 01/06 TO 08.02.14 //MONTRÉAL, QUEBECAn electronic music which fes-tival happens during the winter. The temperature, -35°C, makes the beauty of this festival. Wearing your big winter jacket and gloves, you must have the « tuques », typical hat of Que-bec. Off beat festival, you can play games, have a drink in an igloo while listening to good music.

www.igloofest.ca “Trust it! Because of the negatives temperatures I

met so many friends!!You have to be closed to

people to get warmer, otherwise, you just want to go home! Fun, good music

and unique concept!” Mathilde Villain, France

WHERE TO PARTY

OUR GUIDE TO GLOBE’S FESTIVAL 2013

MUS

IC IS ART

SCIENCEPHILOSOPHICALSOUNDPOLITICPOWERFUL

Indeed if you feel tired or un-socialized and maybe un-happy, we found your therapy! We would highly recom-mended to go to a festival for a few days or weeks!We gathered a list of the major festival all around the world for 2013. In a field, near a beach, downtown... you have many choices but they have one thing in common: good bands and good music!

By Marie Richard


RESCUE TIME

LIFE & STYLE

Whatever your reasons to go abroad are, you should be carefully pre-pared to any health trouble or any accident. The way of providing medi-cal care depends a lot on the country you are planning to go to. Medical treatment costs can be very expensive, especially when you cross the borders of the European Union.

By Sarah Vieux

“I WAS SATISFIED WITH THE HEALTH CARE.“

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EHIC

WHAT IS THE EHIC ?The European Health Insurance Card, known as EHIC is a free card which gives you access to medically necessary, state-pro-vided healthcare during a tem-porary stay in any of the 27 EU countries, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

WHAT DOES IT PROVIDE ?It allows you to receive treatment with the same conditions and at the same cost (free in some countries) as people insured in the host country.Be aware that each country’s healthcare system is different. Services that cost you nothing at home might not be free in an-other country.

IS IT ENOUGH ?Be also aware that the EHIC is not an alternative to travel insur-ance. It does not cover any pri-vate healthcare. To provide these kinds of services you can rely on national and international private insurance contracts such as the IPS (International passport for Student).

Confronted with a hospital emergency in the first days of my exchange pro-gramme, I can tell you for sure that you can feel scared and unsafe when you are far away from home. Even if you thought you were in the safest country in the world, like me in Sweden, you just get into a bad and uncomfortable mood when it comes to health issues. There you start to feel lost and insecure about any-thing that could happen to you. Wheth-er it concerns treatment management, surgery operating or insurance local pol-icies, you have no idea how everything works in your new home country.

In order to give you a global idea of what you can go through, Inge, Léo and Vinilaïe accepted to tell us their story.

PREPARE YOURSELFThe first thing you should do, as they did way before leaving their home town, is to get an European or an international insurance care.

Your own personal insurance company or system should provide it and as Inge assures it, it minimises the costs of health caring and sometimes the health care is even free of charge. Of course the costs will vary based on whether you’re going to an European Economic Area coun-try or elsewhere in the world. European Union members have the possibility to get the European health insurance card for free. However, as Léo will tell us, the non-European citizens may have to pay additional costs for this kind of privilege.

Be prepared, it can sometimes be very expensive. Moreover, pay attention on how the medical and healthcare operat-ing system works in your host country.

Be also careful with which country you are going to, the state system won’t provide everything. Like Vinilaïe expe-rienced it, even if you have access to the main and basic medical healthcare, you would rather know on which institutions or establishments you can rely on (hospi-tal, healthcare centre, private consultants etc) and what procedures you will have to follow to get your money back as more and as soon as possible.

GET USED TO THE LOCAL HABITSHowever, once you are in a new coun-try, everything seems complicated and different from your home practices and habits when it comes to medicine and health care. Even ordering a spe-cial medication in the chemistry can become an adventure, I can assure that. As a foreign student or worker, you will have special treatment by the university, company or organization you belong to. Frequently, they will at least lead you to the right organization.

Inge, a fresh student from the Neth-erlands experienced the hospital in Sweden for a two weeks lasting strong headache. As you can imagine, she first tried to avoid it but after having hit her head on the ground, the headache didn’t go away. She finally decided to take care of it. Fortunately, “I was simply led by


LIFE & STYLE

my host university nurse to a healthcare centre which got me an appointment to the hospital. Doctors checked and gave me the diagnosis and cares I needed.” Thanks to her European health insur-ance card, which matched with an in-ternational guarantee card known as ips card subscribed before her departure, she only had to pay for the consultation. She didn’t had to pay for the mri she had to pass or for being taken in charge at the hospital.

Eventually, she pulled through that incident fully healthy and very satisfied with the healthcare organization. She is now quite comfortable with the system and is sure that she wouldn’t worry to have to deal with it again.

BE PREPARED FOR THE WORSTIn another hand, some people may un-fortunately not encounter this kind of privileges and may have to handle the situation on their own. That is why getting informed before departure is so important. Some countries’ medical systems are quite tough as the United-States.

Léo, a French guy who works there since one year, had recently experienced the tortuous ways of the typical American hospital. His story is not the most reas-suring one but still it is real and teach

us a lot about adapting yourself to a cer-tain situation. With a broken leg, Léo had to meet a large number of doctors and nurses and pass a big bunch of dif-ferent tests before being cured correctly. Way worse than my own experience, it was difficult for him because he didn’t know what was going on. “Overall, I finally ended by a 1,135$ bill and five entire days non worked, which was un-expected and very hard to carry on. The hospital wouldn’t let me go home but I never knew why.” Hopefully, he got out healthy and recovered but in the end, he still had to contract a loan to pay the whole hospital bill and belonging medi-cations.

LEARN TO ADAPT YOURSELFTravelling half of the planet as a volun-teer in Cambodia, Vinilaïe also had to deal with another foreign hospital system.

No wonder why Cambodia is barely known for its healthcare system: once you go far away from the main cities, you won’t be able to find what “occidental people, call an hospital”. In other words, you will simply be received like anyone else for treatments, however you are rich, privileged or famous. “Cambodian nurs-ing people don’t care where you are from. They are simply devoted to treat and cure people.” Indeed, her ankle sprain was only treated with some kind of local medi-cines (herbs) and, as she said, according to Cambodian people “mainly faith”. All she got was a haphazardly wheelchair and

a pair of adhesive tape repaired crutches. In this country, the hardest thing was that nothing was provided for people in her case. “The showers were not equipped, the doors were not even wide enough for wheelchairs and the access to the bus sta-tions or trains stations were found to be obstacle courses.”

ACCEPT LOCAL HABITSHowever, she confirms with a huge smile that even if she had to take care and treat her ankle all over again back in her home town, she realised how lucky she was to have access to high medical care. “And in the end, there is no such thing as a careful and human treatment, whatever the resources. I would really want peo-ple and especially occidental citizens to realise that.”

Finally, the most careful advice we can deliver you can be sum up in three points. First, get informed and trained before de-parture, then, use every tool and every fi-nancial or institutional lever of action you have at disposition to get the best treat-ments and care you need and finally trust and adapt to people and cultures.

Eventually, never forget what exchange is about. Anyhow, I hope sincerely no such thing will happen to you!

Vinilaïe had to deal with health care after three days in Cambodia.

By Sarah Vieux

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“ Camdodian nursing

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Being on exchange does not mean that you should forget to take care of your body. If you don’t have the opportunity to join a gym club, we suggest you some exercises to maintain your shape.

Keep your shape

TONE YOUR ABS

CRUNCHESLying on the floor, cross your legs in the air. With your hands crossed on your chest, try to reach with your head towards your legs. Repeat the exercise 10 times, and then rest for 2 minutes. Do it again. Repeat this process 10 times.

SIDE PLANKLying on your arm and your feet, move your leg up and down maintaining the upper part of your body straight.Repeat this exercise 10 times. Rest for 2 minutes. Do it again. Repeat this process 15 times.

LEG PULL-INLying on the floor put your feet together and cross them in the air. Move your chest up and down.Repeat this exercise 10 times, and then rest for 3 minutes. And do it again. Repeat this process 5 times.


LIFE & STYLE

TIME TO STICK YOUR CHEST OUT

UP AND DOWNWith a full bottle of water and one of your legs on a chair, go up and down holding the bottle. Repeat this exercise 15 times. Then change the arm and do it again. Repeat the whole process 5 times.

Written and photos by Marcos Rodrìguez

BICEP CURL: SQUATSHold a full bottle of water with your two hands. Keep your arms totally stretched. In this position, go up and down creating a 90° angle with your legs. Repeat this exercise 15 times. Rest for 2 minutes. And do it again. Repeat all the process 10 times.

PUSHUPSThis well-know exercise has to be done with the body as straight as possible to not hurt you. Go up and down with your arms. The rest of your body has not to touch the floor.Repeat this exercise 10 times. Rest for 5 minutes. And do it again. Repeat all the process 5 times.


ENJOY YOUR INTERNATIONAL MEAL!For most students, cooking can be a real challenge sometimes. Occasionally, we don’t have time, courage or inspiration. The first few years living alone can mess up our health. Every situation has a challenge so we give you five differ-ent recipes. Do you want to be fast, stay healthy, cook easily, eating something friendly or sweet? Check out our recipes.

BE FAST : GUACAMOLE (MARIE, FRANCE)You don’t have time to cook? Here is a suggestion to cook a de-lightful entrance in ten minutes.Making: 10 minutes. No baking.

INGREDIENTS (4 PERSONS) 4 avocados2 brunches of coriander 2 limes1 big onion

PROCESSPit the avocados and mash them in a big dish. Cut the onions as small as possible. Mix the onions and the avocados together in the dish. Peel the lemon and cut in small pieces. Mince the coriander. Add the lemon and the coriander to the mix. Mix until obtaining a homogeneous paste. Add salt and pepper.

TIPYou can also add 2 mashed tomatoes. Eat it with tortilla crisp.

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BE HEALTHY : EASY GREEN SALAD (PETRA, THE NETHERLANDS)You eat often fast food when you live on your own. As a student you have your life in front of you and you should better manage your body. We offer you to try this soft and delicious spring salad.Preparation: 20 minutes. No Baking.

INGREDIENTS (4 PERSONS)1 lettuce4 avocado12 slices of Prosciutto ham2 green paprika4 spoons of Cottage cheese2 red onion8 cheery tomatoes 4 eggs300 g of semolina

PROCESS After washing the lettuce, cut it in regular slide. Do the same for the pepper. During the time, put the egg on water and boil it 12 minutes until it’s cooked. Then, cut it in two pieces as the avocado. Cut the tomatoes in quarters. Boil 300 ml of water and mix it slowly with the semolina. Dispose everything with the rolled Prosciutto ham and slides of onion in a large plate.

TIPEnjoy with a glass of ice tea, during a summer evening.

BE EASY : SPAGHETTI AGLIO (EDOARDO, ITALY)When you are abroad, your mother is too far away to give you use-ful cooking advice. Don’t worry if you are a beginner, here is a sophisticated pasta that won’t go wrong.

INGREDIENTS (4 PERSONS)2 spicy paprikas 1 garlic1 kg of spaghetti 250 ml of oil 200 g of parmesan Fresh parsley

PROCESSMince the parsley (leaf and stem) and the garlic. Grate the parme-san. Boil 6 litters of water in a big pan. When it’s boiling, put the pasta until it’s “al dente”. Warm the oil in a large pan. When it’s warm, remove from fire and add the garlic and the paprika. The ingredients will cook until the oil cools. Then, place the pan on a low fire and add the pasta to the others ingredients. Add the Parmesan and the parsley too. Mix during two or three minutes.

TIPEnjoy your spaghetti with a glass of red wine from Tuscany.

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BE FRIENDLY : TORTILLA (MARCOS, SPAIN)You want to invite your friends, but you have no money in your wallet anymore. Do not panic. You can impress them with a few potatoes and some eggs. With our advice, you can’t disappoint your guests.Preparation: 15 minutes. Baking: 30 minutes.

INGREDIENTS (4 PERSONS)4 big potatoes1 small onion½L of oil 4 eggs

PROCESSAfter peeling the potatoes, slide them thinly and salt them. Cut the onion in small pieces (not too small). Warm the oil in a large pan. When it’s warm, add the potatoes and the onions. Bake slowly until the potatoes are soft but not grilled. Take everything off the pan and empty the oil in another recipient. Mix the eggs in a big dish and add onions and potatoes. Pour the mixture in the pan. During the baking, detach slowly the border of the tortilla to see if it’s baked. When the border start to be white and make bubbles, put a plate on the pan and revers the content in the pan. The tortilla is now overturned in the plate. Drag the tortilla in the pan to bake the other side during three minutes.

TIPRoast some paprika and make a sandwich with all of it.

BE SWEET : PANCAKE (JOLANDA, BELGIUM)Far away from home, the best consolation can be a good degusta-tion. Why don’t you start the day with a tasty breakfast?Preparation: 10 minutes. Baking: 10 minutes.

INGREDIENTS (4 PERSONS)1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour1 teaspoon of salt1 tablespoon of white sugar1 1/4 cups of milk1 egg3 tablespoons of melted butter

PROCESSIn a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sug-ar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth. Warm butter in the pan and pour ¼ cup of preparation for each pancakes. Brown the both sides.

TIPServe it with fresh fruits and sugar.

By Céline MélignonIllustrations by Sarah Vieux

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LIFE & STYLE

SOUVENIRSIs it time to come back home? Are you packing all your stuff and think how much you will miss your host city? Here are suggestions of souvenirs you should not miss before going back home.

France, a marinière (1)USA, a sheriff badge (2)Peru, a sombrero (3)

Mexico, a cactus (4)Australia, a Kangaroo sign (5)Russia, a Matryoshka doll (6)

Spain, a Flamenco dancer (7)Italy, a Vespa (8)Japan, a Geisha doll (9)

From ...

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By Marcos Rodrìguez

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If the last issues interest you, please contact:Kevin [email protected]

Go GlobalGo Stenden

Do you seek opportunities to immerse yourself in a truly intercultural

study environment? Are you looking for high quality education in English

and new educational insights? Would you prefer to study in a relaxed and

friendly student town? Then one of the Stenden campuses, located in the north

of the Netherlands, is an excellent choice for you!

Find more information on www.stenden.com/exchange

Exchange Programme

Go GlobalGo Stenden

Exchange magazine couldn’t exist without the help and the testimo-nies of the ones who contributed to this 2013 issue.Visit us on our blog:http://exchangemagazine2013.wordpress.com

Scan here to read more about Exchange Magazine 2013

CREATIVE COMMONS SOURCES USED IN EXCHANGE MAGAZINE 2013When Esther met Ross. Couple – Cc by Yinghai, flickr.comWhich work experience works best – Cc by Michelle Collins, commons.wikimedia.orgForever on the road. Montréal. Cc by Taxiachos, Wikipedia.orgExperience Argentina. Buenos Aires – Wikimedia.orgExperience Argentina. Valdès Peninsula – Cc by David Hemmings, Flickr.comExperience Argentina. Los Glaciares National Park – Cc by Luca Galuzzi, Wikipedia.orgExperience Argentina. Córdoba – Cc by Pablo, Wikipedia.orgExperience Argentina. Iguazú National Park – Cc by Popejon, Wikipedia.orgWhere to party. Festival – Cc by Raphael Labbé, Flickr.comSouvenir. Kangaroo – Cc by Yun Huang Yong, Flickr.comSouvenir. Geisha – Cc by Su Bo, Flickr.com Souvenir. Flamenco dolls – Cc by Tomy Knuutila, Flickr.comSouvenir. Sherrif board – Cc by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Wikipedia.comSouvenirs. Marinière – Cc by Inga Munsinger Cotton, Wikipedia.orgSouvenir. Blanquet – Cc by Castaway Vintage, Flickr.comSouvenir. Mexican hat. Cc by Lmbuga, Wikipedia.orgSouvenir. Vespa vintage. Cc by Homini, Flickr.comSouvenirs. Cactus – Cc by Kevin Cole, Flickr.com

THANKS!


Go GlobalGo Stenden

Do you seek opportunities to immerse yourself in a truly intercultural

study environment? Are you looking for high quality education in English

and new educational insights? Would you prefer to study in a relaxed and

friendly student town? Then one of the Stenden campuses, located in the north

of the Netherlands, is an excellent choice for you!

Find more information on www.stenden.com/exchange

Exchange Programme

Go GlobalGo Stenden


DID YOU KNOW THAT...

ALL THREE CAMPUSES OFFER OUTDOOR

ADVENTURES JUST AROUND THE CORNER?

Mid Sweden University has three campuses all located in cities with beautiful scenery. They are small in comparison to European standards, but they offer everything you might need just a convenient bicycle ride away. Close to forests, water and mountains means great opportunities for clearing away the examinations anxiety with

clean and healthy fresh air and outdoor activities.




Documents

Exchange magazine 2013