NEW SERIES

I’ve gotten several messages asking about studying in Aberdeen and in the UK in general (which are always very welcome!), so I thought I would start a new series in which I chat a bit about my experience and answer some questions.

I’ll start off with one of the most common question I get:

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO GO TO THE UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN?

To give a bit of background, I am from the United States and have no family in or any personal connection with the UK. So choosing to study abroad may seem like an odd choice. To be quite honest, I never had a strong desire to study in Scotland; the opportunity arose and I thought: why not? Looking back on my decision, I probably should have thought more about it, though I don’t regret it for a second. Moving to a foreign country is difficult (cultural differences, currency change, distance from loved ones, etc.) but it is so worth it.

One thing that drew me to Aberdeen Uni was the linguistics department. I was lucky enough to meet one of the lecturers on a tour of the campus, Dr Robert Millar, and from there on I was sold. I have honestly loved every single one of my lecturers. And it doesn’t hurt that it is one of the best linguistics departments in the UK after Oxbridge.

Aberdeen Uni also has a beautiful campus. There are, like most unis, plenty of ugly, brutalist buildings but they’re made up for by King’s College and Sir Duncan Rice Library, amongst several others. Its nearby to the beach and Seaton Park, so you’re not entirely surrounded by ‘city.’ At the heart of Old Aberdeen, Aberdeen Uni is away from the bustling madness of the city centre, but not so far that you can’t enjoy the museums, shops, and restaurants that line Union Street. Is Aberdeen the prettiest city in Scotland? Probably not. It has a great deal of gray buildings and is primarily an industrial city. But there is also a great deal of beauty in it as well (as I hope my blog attests to!).

In short, would I recommend Aberdeen Uni? Absolutely!

6 April 2022 // less than three weeks till my dissertation is due

Living alone in London (when you have anxiety)

I’ve been struggling with anxiety for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, my anxiety was labelled as shyness, and I was constantly told that I would ‘grow out of it one day’. Now at 24, I can confirm that I never did. I just learned to accept and live with it.

One thing I’ve discovered is that I get less anxious when I’m doing things by myself because chances are nobody is paying…

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First day of online classes:

I already miss the people.

I’m interested in knowing what you guys are up to!!

As I enter the final term of my masters degree and begin writing my dissertation, I’m also starting to think about what my life will look like in the next couple years after graduation, and what/where I want to start planning and applying to for future experiences. Would love to hear about what you guys are up to, whether that’s in the realm of anthro/archaeology or something completely different!

Share with me your stress, accomplishments, uncertainties, and plans! Take this time to brag about what you’ve been doing, because we all deserve to feel good about our accomplishments!

Feel free to share, comment, or dm!

<3

What I’ve been up to lately:

I’m in the last term of classes for my MSc in Archaeological Information Systems, will start writing my dissertation very soon/have done a bit of research for it. Currently waiting on news from Fulbright about doing research in Cambodia for the 2019-2020 year on the site that I’m currently researching. Will be co-directing a project in Cambodia this Spring. Planning on doing a Phd, will depend on how the Fulbright turns out/ where that leads. Currently learning Japanese in hopes of living in Japan for a couple years in the future. Would love to make this relevant to what I’m doing in Digital Archaeology if I can.

Big plans & exciting things coming up!

Has anyone from the UK paid tuition fees to a university in Korea? I’m having BIG problems with payment internationally and if I don’t fix it asap then my admission is cancelled and I’m lowkey freaking out HELP

I know I haven’t written here since June yadda yadda yadda. I know its been a while and I have been MIA. Check out my other blog here in the meantime. Get up to speed.

So I am still writing on this blog, but more of my personal stuff will go here.

Anyway

It’s been an absolute STRUGGLE since I got to Taiwan. Everything I’ve been doing has been a waiting process. From traveling to Taiwan and obtaining my visa in Hong Kong: but realizing that I had the wrong one and holding off my travel plans till now, it’s been rough.

My last trip was back in August when I went to Hong Kong then to Hualian and those trips were so much fun! And that is that fun ended (well not really).

I’ve been wanting to go somewhere out of the country since then, but with troubles with my visa and learning to be a responsible adult prevented me from doing anything else if otherwise. But if you think about it, I don’t necessarily have to have this particular visa to not travel anywhere, but just in case if l don’t leave the country as often as I should, I could get in much messier situations in the long run. (Read more of info about why under My Story)

So when I got back in August, I didn’t find out till September that I had to change my visa. So I waited till October and that’s when I visited the hospital for my health check. Waited one and a half week later and received my documents. During this time, I also took new passport photos. The same day I picked up my health check, visited Counselor Affairs and applied for the Resident Visa. Waited another week and a half and picked up my passport. The same day, I went to the Immigration office and applied for the Alien Resident Card. From there, I have to wait 2 long weeks. After I receive this card, I can travel in/out of the country as I please.

So now you think is a good time to travel? Hah, think again. This time is around the same time the tuition payment is due. Can’t afford them all. Super bummed.

I hope by December I will have it all together to go somewhere. Even if it’s for a weekend, I don’t care. I just wanna get out of Taiwan for a bit.