Between the highs of chasing northern lights and lows of overnight campings in cold-no-sofa-no-food airports (yes Stansted I’m talking about you), it was the small things that left me the deepest memories I have of exchange – spontaneous weekend hikes, celebrating whenever there was sun, eating straight out of the pot with inappropriate cutlery too many times.

I was also blessed with an incredible community by my side, who pranced with me around Oktoberfest, suffered with me through a miserable thunderstorm in the middle of a Croatian national park, or allowed me to crash their tiny Parisian apartment with 10 other Singaporeans over CNY so we can "lo hei" together. 

I don’t think exchange changes you overnight, but it certainly puts you out there to be vulnerable to change.

For me, it has taught me to be brave in trying new things and through that learning more about the world and myself. For example, throwing myself into Masters Political Science classes and realizing I have an appreciation for quantitative research. Couchsurfing and turning hosts into dear friends.

A spontaneous solo trip through Bosnia and learning that I have zero skills of navigation outside Google Maps…

My exchange is a whirlwind of adventures that is hard to sum up, but definitely is something I do encourage everybody to experience too.

Cheryl, from National University Singapore,
previously on exchange at Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich (Germany)

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