What Is the Point of A Year Abroad?

There is lots of discussion about years spent abroad during your degree; lots of thought about great work experience, improvement of your foreign language skills and an amazing CV on your return home. All of this is true - although you may not be taking a year out in a country which speaks another language - but I cannot help feeling that these people are missing some other, equally valuable, points which are worth considering in conjunction with your employability.

Looking Back

Many people are prone to doing this. Many others, equally, dismiss it as a waste of time - why would you look back on your past, when there is so much ahead of you with which to occupy your time?

Overcoming Embarrassment

Whilst there are many uber-confident beings in the world of languages, I, like many others I'm sure, have struggled with a deep sense of embarrassment when it comes to actually using my language skills.

From Russia With Love

Unpleasant happenings always seem worse during the festive period.

Having followed other friends' year abroad blogs, I have begun to have some understanding of how the world works in other countries, and one of those is Russia. In Russia, I learnt, they do not celebrate Christmas, and perhaps it is for this reason that their concept of timing seems off to us, but to them would not be a problem.

What on earth am I talking about?

A Happy New Year... for most.

Admittedly, this is not an entirely happy message. Whilst Christmas was great and New Year celebrations promised to be eventful for most, events unwound throughout December in other parts of the world that for many in their daily lives may have gone unnoticed or, at least, was not really thought about.

I refer to the gang rape of a young woman which took place on a bus in New Delhi, in India.