Australia Bound

After a nice meal and a few tears, my family sent me off to the security checkpoint. My heart is pounding out of my chest. The day has finally come; I will soon be boarding my plane to Australia.

Hello everyone, I’m Lydia and I will be studying and interning through CAPA, The Global Education Network, in Sydney. I am filled with excitement and prepared for the unknown. Yes, living in a foreign country for five months may seem daunting. However, in order to grow as an individual, one must be pushed out of their comfort zone. The next post you read will be posted from the “Land Down Under.” See you soon America, you will be missed!

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2017 NYC Career Connections

Hello~ How is your winter break going?

I attended a special event called NYC Career Connections hosted by alumni association on Jan. 12 in NYC. I had a chance to meet alumni and talk about how to get a job in NYC. Any Oswego students who are juniors or seniors can participate in this event.kakaotalk_20170116_134745252

This semester is my junior 2nd semester which is time to think about my future careers. I wanted to meet alumni and get inspiration from them. First, I went Sportsman Channel and met Tom Caraccioli ’89 who is a director of PR in the company. It was a great chance for me to meet him, because I major in PR and I could listen how everything goes in the PR field. I used to experience PR by only textbook, theoretically. At this session, he shared his experiences with us and give us great advice.

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and i got this nice cap!!

After the day session, students gathered in the SUNY welcome center and met about 40 alumni participants from the different fields. It started with speech from keynote speaker and we had time for talking with alumni who work at the company which students are interested in. Students brought their resumes and got advice from them and got connections.
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I checked and I am in the right track for my future! Strongly recommended to students who just start to build your career.

http://alumni.oswego.edu/s/1552/start.aspx ——–> You can find more information in here!!

Australia Here I Come!

I’m 12 days out and it hasn’t hit me yet. 12 days from now I’ll be boarding a plane going to a place that I’ve never been, with nothing except two suitcases and my passport. I know nobody, know nothing, don’t know what to expect but I’m beyond excited.

A few months ago decided that I wanted to travel across the country by myself. I have never been someone to be afraid of new things and I love traveling so why not combine the two things? It didn’t take much for me to realize that Australia was the place for me. First off, I love the warm weather and the Oswego cold was getting to me. I have always had a passion for animals and have wanted to hug a koala for as long as I remember. Australia is somewhere where I know I will feel at home. I will create great friends and even better memories that will last me a lifetime.

To start off, there are so many programs that you can choose from and the application process is really easy. If you are someone who is looking into studying abroad, I would highly suggest looking at the International Opportunities page on the Oswego website. There are list of the programs available and you can contact people easily to get more information. If money is an issue for you, don’t worry!! There are many different scholarships that you can apply for and there is even a full ride scholarship. Studying abroad is a great opportunity to expand horizons and learn a lot about the world we live in.

During my trip I plan on posting quick little videos showing all of my adventures and explaining how I got to where I am going and I couldn’t be more excited to share my experience with all of you! If anyone has any questions don’t hesitate to ask, I’ve been through the whole process so I could help a lot!

Go to the writing center!

 

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Hello~ An Nyeong!! Today all classes canceled because of the snow!

BUT i know, you know, we know that we have lots of assignments to do.

Because my major is public relations, usually my assignments are writing papers such as case analysis, persuasion essay and so on.  Even though I studied in English which is my second language, the reason why I could survive in American university is the writing center. Today, I want to talk about how much benefits you can get by going to the writing center before submitting your assignments.

In my case, I’ve always been to writing center, since I was a freshman. In my first semester, I had never wrote an essay in English before, but I had to write an essay in English class. Fortunately, my English professor was a director of the writing center in the time, I got information about writing center and started to visit. I was so shy to show my work to tutors at the first time, but I did to get good grades. Once you showed, it was not hard at all from the second times. Since they know I am an international student and English is not my first language, they explain and help give me more detail so that I can understand. Here are more benefits!

  1. Save your time! (You can organize your thoughts before you actually write down in your paper.)
  2. Be more logical! (The most important factor of your essay is the logic.)
  3. Get rid of typos! (Letting other people read your papers always leads to a better job.)

I believe that your classes are coming down to finals. Please do your best until this semester is done and get good grades for every class you are taking.

Korean say “Fighting!!” when we want to cheer friends up!

FIGHTING!!!! 파이팅!!!

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Hangul(Korean) day

Hello! An nyeong(Hi in Korean)!

How is your semester going? How was your midterm? I will have three more tests after this week! So excited!

Today, Oct 9th! is special day in Korea which is my country and i want to share with you. It will be a informative blog today but i am sure you will have fun.

Hangul is the language that has an inventor named King Sejong and even comes with a user manual guide. Before Hangul have been invented, Korean used Chinese characters which only high-class people can learn. However, King Sejong wanted to make a language which every Korean can read and write easily. Hangul consonants are direct representations of the shape of the mouth when they are articulated. The vowels of hangul have a philosophical meaning to them. The circle represents the heavens, the horizontal line represents the Earth, and the vertical line represents humans.

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King Se jong

 

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Korean consonants

 

 

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Korean vowels

 

Hangul is considered the easiest writing system. It has only 28 letters, but you can make 11,172 syllables. Nowadays, many foreigners are learning Hangul because of K-pop and K-drama. Lakers also can learn Korean in campus! There is a club called KOSA and we have meetings every Mondays at 8pm in hart hall. If you want to learn a second language i highly recommend you to learn Korean!

I brought some quotations about Hangul.

“Hangul is the best alphabet that all the languages have dreamed of.” -Jogn man (historican)

“Hangul is perhaps the most scientific system of writing in general use in any country.” -Edwin O. Reischauer(Professor, USA Harvard)

“King Sejong ststematized the phonological theory five centuries earlier than the West which completed its phonological theory in the twentieth century” -Werner Sasse(Professor, University of Hamburg)

Rice Creek!

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Hi!!! I am Ye Jin Lee from Cheong ju, Korea. I am majoring in Public Relations.

I am a new transfer student in Oswego also i am a new student blogger!!! When i first came in Oswego, i fell in love with the lake and also Lakers. Oswego is a place which i really want to recommend not only American but also Korean. I realized there are many Korean students and also there are many American students who are interested in Korea.  If you have any questions about my country or my posts, you are more than welcome to email me:)

Sep,25th!

Ikakaotalk_20160926_143322862 went to the Rice Creek with Taegundo club members. I didn’t know there is a hill near campus but thanks to my friends i got a chance to walk the hill.

 

 

 

 

 

It waskakaotalk_20160926_143340861 a nice weather(it was not cold at all ) to walk under the sun. i follow the Orange line first and then continued with the Green line. I want to explain how to go there in detail. But unfortunately, I am a person who is bad at remembering the way to go somewhere. I just followed my friends and came back. I saw the sign which says Rice creek at the main entrance of campus.(hopefully, i can be a hint)

 

 

 

Can you see the sky in my pictures? It was a perfect blue sky. That is why we jumped on the grass like we are flying.

 

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I took 3 hours total by walk. It is a nice way to work out and get some fresh air. Come out from your dorm and be healthy!! It is secret but i folded up for 1 hour after i arrived my dorm.  I highly recommend to everyone to go there and enjoy the sun before winter come!!

Final Thoughts on SUNY Oswego

Final Thoughts

As I near the end of my college career and graduation, I have a lot of things on my mind, and advice to share. Here are some of the things and lessons I’ve learned my last three and a half years at Oswego.

On Freshman Year

Fresh out of high school, college seems like the coolest thing ever. And it is. But with all of the freedom, comes immense responsibility. In high school, my mom would often ask me if I finished my homework, and my house was usually a quiet environment where I was able to study. There is nobody in college to encourage you or remind you to do your work and study.  There’s always something to do in college; whether it be a program in your dorm, a party, or hanging with your friends down the hall. While this is a great thing, it also means that there is always something distracting you from your studies. There were many nights during my freshman year where I stayed up until three a.m. hanging out with friends, and avoiding homework.

Setting up a study schedule and sticking to it is crucial. Want to go out on Friday night? Force yourself to spend a few hours in the library getting your work done for the week. Take advantage of the study carrel rentals in the library; they provide a secluded and quiet area to study. Also, GO TO CLASS. I repeat, go to class. Again, there is nobody to tell you to go, it’s up to you to do it. When you think about it, you are paying to go to colleges to go to classes, not to sit in your room. Sure, it can be tempting to skip class when it’s snowing so hard you can’t see out your window, but missing class causes a snowball effect (no pun intended). You’ll be missing notes, assignment information, and more. Falling behind, especially early on, will continue to haunt you as deadlines approach and quickly pass you by. You must be extremely self-motivated and responsible in your freshman year, because mathematically, these grades are the most important to your GPA.

On Textbooks

Don’t avoid buying your textbooks. I’ve rented most of my textbooks online through Skyo.com and Chegg.com, and it saves a ton of money, especially on books for my non-major classes that I know I won’t need in my professional career. If possible, make sure you have your books by the second of third class meeting day, because teachers usually assign reading at the very beginning of the semester, and you’ll end up far behind.

On Clubs

Get involved in clubs early on, so that you can continue to expand on your involvement throughout your time at Oswego, and run for executive board positions. These positions will not only look great on a resume, but allow you to advance your leadership and team work skills. I’ve been in PRSSA for a few years now, and have made a lot of amazing friends who I know will be great contacts in the PR world in the years to come.

On Internships

Passionate about a certain field? Not sure what you want to major in, but you’re interested in something and want to give it a try? Then an internship is right for you.  As a Public Relations major, I’ve had many internships working with social media, non-profits, agencies  and media firms, and I have been able to really hone in on what I’m not only good at, but am passionate about. Internships allow you to try on your field of choice, and see if you will enjoy doing it as a career. They give you the opportunity to figure out what you don’t like, which is also very important. You may think that you want to, for example, be an accountant, but after crunching numbers all day, you learn that it’s not right for you. This is completely fine, and as they say, college is the time to figure out who you are, and what you’re passionate about.

Internships are resume builders, and allow you to expand your network while gaining real life experience. SUNY Oswego allows students to get academic credit for internships too, which you should definitely take advantage of.

On Relationships with Professors

One of the great things about SUNY Oswego is the class sizes. Most of my classes averaged around 30 students or less, which really allows for the ability for the professors to get to know you by your name and face. Raise your hand in classes and establish a relationship with your professors. Attend their office hours if you need help or have questions, or if you want to talk about professional topics. I’ve become very close with a lot of my PR professors and have benefited from their mentorship over the years. Especially during my senior year, my professors have been a huge source of advice and someone to vent to. By cultivating relationships with your professors, you will have people to ask for references when it comes to job hunting and grad school applications.

On Finding a Job

After my internship this past summer, I set out to expand my network on LinkedIn and meet people at different types and sizes of Public Relations agenices in New York City. Starting in September, I began researching different agencies, and finding employees who work there on LinkedIn. For those who don’t know, this is really simple (even though it might seem like stalking…) to do on LinkedIn. Simply type in the name of a company in the search bar, and it will say “people who work at X company” – click this, and begin searching through the results. After this process, I began sending short messages (make sure they’re professional!) to employees at the companies asking for a few minutes of their time to do an informational interview, as I was very interested in their work at X company. You’d be surprised how many people responded. People love talking about what they do, and were happy to speak with m. Take your time to research the companies, and be well prepared with questions on the company, and the person’s work. Try to figure out what they specifically work on. After hearing about what they do, many people asked me what I am interested in and my experiences. When it got to be closer to graduation, I sent my resume to my connections asking if their company had any openings. All of the job interviews I did were a direct result of my informational interviews. Responding to job postings on Indeed or Monster is often unsuccessful, due to the sheer amount of applications companies receive. I’ve personally had more success trying to establish direct contacts within companies and their HR departments.

On Graduating Early

Due to taking Spanish courses in high school and receiving internship credits, I have enough credits to graduate a semester early. While at times it seems that my college career is being cut short, it’s an accomplishment that I am very proud of. To me, it seems that the job market is better for December graduates, as there is a much smaller amount of recent grads job seeking. Graduating early is something you must be committed to, and is not for everyone. It’s a choice that you must be sure of, or you will end up with regrets.

On Studying Abroad

I had always wanted to be able to experience a different country, but didn’t want to be away from my friends and boyfriend at Oswego for an entire semester. Up until my end of junior year, I had no idea that Oswego offers quarter classes that provide an opportunity to study abroad for a week during either Spring Break, or during Winter Break. I participated in the GLS 100 course Spring 2015, and learned about London for the first eight weeks or so of the semester, and travelled there during Spring Break. The trip was very inexpensive; thanks to grants the school had received. Getting to travel abroad and experience an entirely new way of life for a week was an absolutely incredible experience. After learning about the history of London and the famous landmarks, it was awesome to be able to see these places firsthand. I really believe that studying abroad, even for just a week, gives one an entirely new perspective on life. I have never experienced being a “foreigner” before, and it was really interesting to get stared at when I spoke, because I was clearly not from there. Exploring a foreign city and experiencing all it has to offer is amazing, and really gives you a new frame of mind. Sometimes I feel that we get too consumed in our everyday lives in our school, town or city and don’t actually realize how large the world really is. I would definitely recommend the GLS quarter classes to anyone with the desire to travel.

 

Random Thoughts

  • Have an open mind about anything and everything.
  • Take new experiences as they come and don’t be afraid to try new things.
  • Appreciate your friends and family, and remember to stay connected to those back home.
  • Don’t think that college will last forever. It doesn’t, and you’ll always miss it.
  • Be yourself, and stand up for your beliefs. Don’t worry about other’s opinions of you. Be yourself.
  • Don’t try to do laundry on Sunday nights.
  • Don’t be passive aggressive with your roommate(s). Open communication is key and crucial.
  • Invest in a large winter coat, and snow boots with intense treads.
  • Don’t ever try to use an umbrella. Think Mary Poppins.
  • Go to hockey games, even if you aren’t into sports. They’re a great way to get some school spirit.
  • Go to Mackin and have the mac and cheese and chicken tenders.
  • Watch every sunset you can, and take lots of photos. You’ll miss the sunsets come November when you hardly see the sun anymore.
  • Take advantage of the resources Oswego has, whether it is the Center for Experiential Learning, tutors on campus, or Disability Services.
  • Go to the library to study. You’ll get a lot more done, I promise.
  • Enjoy every last minute of it, because it truly does fly by.

Alternative Spring Break Iowa 2015

One of the perks of selecting the spring semester as my exchange semester was that I would be able to experience the famous, Spring Break. Growing up in Australia, I would frequently watch American teen TV shows and films which would depicted college students during Spring Break. Thus it was a concept I was familiar with and excited about. Back in Australia we have a “mid-semester break” but this is generally a week where students catch up on their studies, study for exams and rest. Prior to researching my options for Spring Break I assumed that most students went to Florida and partied similar to the film Spring Breakers. This option didn’t really appeal to me because of financial reasons, so I went on the search for alternatives which would still allow me to have fun whilst seeing more of the United States. One of my friends was taking a communications class and her teacher informed her about the alternative spring break trips. She then discussed it with me, we looked at all the different locations which were offered, and we signed up. Prior to arriving in the United States I had no intention of travelling to the MidWest as I did not think the opportunity would arise and in addition to this, it is not exactly the typical tourist destination. We were both excited about the idea of the trip but did not know what to expect.

Our home for the week

Our home for the week

SUNY Oswego’s alternative spring break’s are organised through Habitat for Humanity, which is a non-profit organisation. I had heard of this organisation and the worthwhile work they do, so I felt comfortable and safe embarking on this trip. Our group was going to Iowa so we were volunteering with the Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity. This specific location builds between 10-12 homes a year which is an incredible movement to be part of.

Day 1

We travelled through the night in an attempt to preserve whatever sleep patterns we had prior to the trip, and arrived refreshed and ready to explore our new home for the week. We were staying in Cedar Falls, Iowa, in a United Methodist Church, this church was more like a community centre rather than a church. It had modern facilities that we were able to utilise including a basketball court, cinema, games room, three kitchens and general common areas. We spent the day unpacking, becoming familiar with our new setting, preparing for the week ahead and getting to know each other.

Community service project

Community service project

Day 2

Day 2 marked the beginning of our work week and thus our routines were established. We woke at around 7:30am, ate breakfast as a team, travelled to the site and commenced work at 8:30am. This first day we completed a project in the community. We pulled down a fence which surrounded the oldest property in the area. This was a sensational effort on our part, as initially we were predicted to complete the job in three days, we did it in one. We left the site at 3:30pm and spent the remainder of the afternoon exploring the main street in Cedar Falls and visited the University of Northern Iowa. Our evening traditions emerged which consisted of watching a crazy number of The Cleveland Show episodes, whilst playing trivia board games, before bed at 11pm.

Day 3

Once we arrived on site, we were advised that we would be working in the warehouse and creating the exterior frames of a house. I was clueless about framing but fortunately we had an excellent instructor. Framing is reading a wall plan, following the measurements, doing

St Paddy's Day!

St Paddy’s Day!

some basic calculations, cutting the wood to size, fitting the wood together, and nailing the wood together. It’s quite a process. The first day it took each team all day just to complete one wall each as we were all still learning. It was actually St. Patrick’s Day, so after we had finished work for the day, we decided as a team to celebrate by getting a McDonald’s Shamrock Shake – we do not have these in Australia so I was very excited. In the early evening we attended a dinner which the church was hosting, this was great as we were able to interact with and meet some community members. Several of us decided to go for a jog in the later afternoon – it was beautiful. I really enjoyed being in the fresh air and seeing more of the town.

Day 4

Once agin we were framing, we became slightly better and each team

Framing

Framing

managed to complete either two or three frames, we saw this as a significant improvement. I discovered that I am allergic to saw dust as even with a ventilator my throat was still irritated. This was annoying but didn’t put a damper on my day as I knew I just had to endure several more days. After we had finished work for the day we went to the local sports complex which was fantastic. We worked-out individually for around half the time, before coming together and having an epic volleyball game.

Day 5

Day 5 was the last day of framing and by this point we were serious pros. At the end of the day, we had actually completed the entirety of the exterior walls of a home. We were really proud of this effort as not only had all of our construction skills improved, we were the ones responsible for these frames being completed which a family in need would eventually live in. Once we left the site we returned to the church where we had Brinner (breakfast for dinner – duh); it was incredible. We then went downtown to explore the main street more, purchased specialty popcorn and checked out the local ice-cream parlour where we devoured some tasty treats.

Photoshoot!

Photoshoot!

Day 6

Day 6 marked our last day working for Habitat and it was bittersweet. We spent the morning doing another community service project which consisted of pulling down a handicap ramp, and then spent the rest of the day assisting with cleaning up the warehouse and yard before finally doing a photoshoot as a team and saying our goodbyes to the Habitat team. We spent the afternoon packing our bags and napping before heading out for a Mexican dinner and attending a semi-professional Ice hockey game. The Ice hockey game was like nothing I had ever witnessed before. The fans were all shaking their cow bells when their team had possession, and the hosts were engaging with the audience through shouting and dancing competitions. My seat was apparently lucky as I won a coupon for a local ribs outlet.

Day 7

Chicago!

Chicago!

We hit the road at 7am, Chicago bound. We arrived in Chicago around noon and driving into the city was sensational as we were able to see the skyline and the Willis (Sears) tower very clearly. My first impression of Chicago was that the city is a smaller version of New York City. We explored Millennium Park and I was in awe the entire time. I was so excited to see the Big Bean and couldn’t wait to see what else the city offered. We passed the Chicago river which was still a hint of green from St. Patrick’s Day, and also walked down the Navy Pier. I was amazed by the pier, and Lake Michigan’s beauty. It was one of the most beautiful shades of blue I had ever seen. We had intentions of walking down the magnificent mile and shopping, however our stomach’s interfered with this plan and instead we went to Pizzeria Uno to eat the original Chicago-style deep-dish. We waited around an hour and a half for this pizza, but in my opinion, it was worth it. The pizza had a fruit pie-like base with fresh toppings. After two slices I was uncomfortably full. By this point it was around 5pm and it was time to go. We once again drove through the night and arrived back at campus at approximately 5:20am. Although it was a long day, this day was one of the best days of my life.

The group

The group

Final thoughts

We all agreed that the trip was a very worthwhile experience and I would certainly recommend it to students looking to do something different during their break. Working for Habitat put life into perspective for me, and allowed me to see how fortunate, blessed and lucky I am. I want to give back where I can, and prior to this trip I found it difficult to discover these kinds of organisations which were inline with my visions and values. Habitat provides this opportunity in a safe environment with the chance to learn useful, valuable skills. The kinds of people that you meet on these alternative trips are a special kind, I feel it takes a certain type of person to be willing to sacrifice their break in order to go and do community service. I am sure that the friendships which were formed during this trip will last in years to come.

Thankyou SUNY Oswego for providing me with this opportunity, thankyou to the incredible group I was able to experience this with, and a massive thank-you to Scott Ball for being an incredible leader and role model.

Peace Out

K

Ozzie scored a job at Cooper!

Working in Cooper

Working in Cooper

SUNY Oswego has 13 residency halls as around half of the enrolled students live on campus. To accommodate this large volume of students, Oswego has 5 dining halls. As an international student living in Hart Hall, I eat approximately 80% of my meals in Cooper Dining Hall. Because I was spending a large proportion of my time in this dining hall, I was able to witness the culture and attitude of Cooper and its employees – I wanted in. Whenever I was being served a meal the staff were always smiley, friendly and wanting to strike up a conversation; I loved it. I was also motivated to earn some pocket money due to the AUD being weak.

So I did the next logical thing, I applied for a position. Initially I didn’t hear back as there were no openings, however several weeks later I received a call asking if I was still looking for a position. I started two days later. So far I have only worked as a server (dishing out and serving students food) and in the deli section (making wraps and sandwiches) but I am enjoying the work and grateful for all the new friends I have made so far.

I have a positive attitude towards this job as that’s exactly what it is, a job, it’s not a career, and it’s a way for me to make friends whilst earning some cash. Being employed has forced me to setup a US bank account and obtain a Social Security number, both which put me in good stead if I decide to return to the states in the future for work purposes.

Hard work is good for the soul,

Peace out

K xx

Snowshoeing in the Adirondacks – an Aussies POV

Early start

Early start

Since I began my semester abroad, my new friends would always speak of travelling to the Adirondacks on weekends and hiking, fishing and camping. The word Adirondacks itself sounded like some foreign language and I could barely even pronounce it initially. I had heard of snowshoeing but only on TV and in movies and I was under the impression snowshoeing was when someone straps a tennis racquet-like head to their shoe and walks through snow. Technically I was correct, but those were the “old school” style of snowshoes – they are more sophisticated these days.

I joined the SUNY Oswego Outdoor club with some friends and signed up for this snowshoeing adventure to Lake Placid, Adirondacks. I honestly had no idea what to expect or what it would entail but I was very eager to see part of the Adirondacks.

Beautiful snow capped trees

Beautiful snow capped trees

Lake Placid is located roughly 5 hours from SUNY Oswego so we left at 3am on Saturday to begin our journey. We stopped at Dunkin’ Donuts and various convenience stores on the way to use the bathrooms and stock-up on snacks. I found it remarkable that convenience stores in the U.S are reasonably priced and items are priced almost identical to their prices in Walmart. In Australia the prices are approximately 2-3 times higher in convenience stores.

Fortunately enough I was able to get several hours of sleep through the night during our travels so by the time we arrived I was refreshed, excited and ready to snowshoe. Once we arrived at the Adirondacks we layered up, fastened out snowshoes and set out on the trail. We were chasing Tabletop Mountain which is one of the 46 high peaks in the Adirondacks. It was approximately a 7 mile hike with snow literally everywhere.

Incredible

Incredible

The hike up was difficult to say the least. It started off okay as it was mostly flat with small inclines but as we progressed the trees became thicker, the trailer thinned out and the inclines were steeper. About a mile before the peak was when the real inclines began and it was a struggle. In several places we resorted to getting down on all fours and climbing (scrambling) up the mountain as it was too steep to walk. The whole climb we were regularly stopping to take off layers as we were sweating, however once we reached the peak the wind had a strong chill and all these layers needed to be put back on to essentially prevent hyperthermia.

The view from the peak was breathtaking in my opinion. It was grey, cloudy and snowing heavily so it was hard to capture the outlook on camera, however I thought the view suited the atmosphere of the day and exceeded my expectations.

Peak

Peak

Once we had admired the scene for long enough we proceeded to slide down the mountain and go back to base. We had begun the hike at around 9:30am and were all back at the lodge by 5pm; it was a long day. Because it had snowed so much during the day it was a longer trip home, but I mostly slept so was not phased. When we arrived back to campus, myself and two friends went to late-night and ate our hearts out – it was fantastic.

I feel so lucky, blessed and privileged that I was able to go on this trip as it is so different to anything I had ever experienced or imagined I would do in my life.

Peace Out

K xx