I am back! This is going to be my second and unfortunately also my last blog post concerning my stay in England. It would be fair to say that my endeavour to keep this blog updated has been an unmitigated failure. But do you know what else has been unmitigated? The spread of Covid-19! So my failure frankly seems paltry in comparison (sorry for the black humour).
Well, having gotten the mandatory reference to the pandemic currently holding the world in its terrifying grip out of the way, let me take you back to a time, where the biggest problem facing the EU was something called Brexit. This was a time in which people could venture outside freely, gather in groups of more than 3 people(!), jokes about toilet paper had, if any, only a very niche audience, and the term “flattening the curve” might have been misunderstood for a weight-loss regimen. It was also a time in which travelling freely within Europe was still a possibility. The free mobility among other rights that we enjoyed (and hopefully will enjoy again) as citizens of the EU, was never a naturally given right, and the current crisis makes this painfully evident. This should have been obvious even before the outbreak of the pandemic within Europe, seeing as European rights and values always seemed to end right at Europe’s outskirts, often where misery was at its most serious. Maybe the shellshock of the current situation will lead to a deeper appreciation of what we had and perhaps we’ll rediscover our humanity for those that need it the most. I’m not an optimist, but I do have hope. However, let us not kid ourselves: Any enduring positive change coming from this crisis will be a hard-earned victory and I personally do not know where or even how to start the battle. Now, fortunately I was still able to make use of the freedom of mobility for my brief Erasmus stay in Bath.
It has now been approximately one month since I have returned from my exchange. I did so with a heavy heart, but also knowing that there was nothing really keeping me there. By the time I left, most of the people I had the privilege of meeting during my stay, had either already left or were in the process of doing so. It wouldn’t have been the same without them and it was really this time that I spend with some of the nicest people from all over the world that made the whole experience an intense, albeit short, one. It was a privilege and a thrilling experience, something that I can experience in the future again hopefully. Let me take you to some of the places that left their mark during my stay in England! I will let the pictures speak for themselves and add only some outlining remarks.
The Uni Campus
Most of my time in Bath naturally took place on campus of the University of Bath. The university is located in Claverton Down, which is situated on a hill in Bath. It takes about 30 minutes from Bath central to get to the university on foot. It is surrounded by lush green nature, which is not least due to the almost daily rainshowers. The campus is very dense and getting from A to B is quite easy, since most buildings are located along the main thoroughfare, the Parade.
There were certain things I had to get used to when I first started studying at the University of Bath. First of all, the lectures were almost all held using powerpoint presentations and a traditional blackboard was a rare occurrence. This made taking notes during class a bit more difficult, however I got used to this after a couple of weeks. What was great, is that all lectures were recorded and uploaded later. So even if you missed out on a lecture or wanted to revise the content of a previous one, you could simply review the lecture.
What I missed most though (never thought I would say that), was the FU canteen, especially its prices. Compared to Berlin, everything in the UK is really expensive, including the food in restaurants and canteens, which also applies to those on campus. Unfortunately, the price was often not reflected in the quality of the food and I can safely say that the British “cuisine” is in dire lack of proper seasoning. The food on campus wasn’t too bad, but most of it qualifies as fast food. So, in order to prevent your wallet from being gutted and to eat something fresh from time to time, most exchange students unavoidably resorted to bringing their own food, me included.
What the university lacked in healthy and cheap food, it more than made up in student services and sport facilities. There are daily drop-in sessions offered for financial, social, psychological, or general studying support. Generally, the university really managed to emphasise the importance of student wellbeing and actually receiving support was rarely hindered by red tape, as it often is in Germany. It was nice to see that the horrendous fees that students in the UK have to pay actually result in some benefits for them. There were also a lot of interesting societies on offer, from theatre to debating societies. During my stay, I joined the environmental society, People and Planet, which focused on making campus and university life more environmentally friendly. I also joined in a peer-assisted-learning programme, where me and others would offer weekly drop-in sessions for students who were learning German and wanted to practice their language skills. For my own benefit, I visited courses on mindfulness and self-care, which I found very useful. I hope this gives some idea of the rich offer of extracurricular activities available at the University of Bath!
The crown jewel of the university is the STV, short for Sports Training Village. Not only does the campus feature numerous sport grounds, it also has multiple indoor tennis courts, a fully stocked gym, an Olympic swimming pool, a Dojo for martial arts and numerous sport halls for general use. Because it was free and I am a cheapskate, I usually just went swimming a couple of times a week and the only sport club I joined was the Taekwondo club. However, just walking through the STV gave me an appreciation of the multitude of sports on offer there.
The University accommodation
After university, if I didn’t first grab a beer with friends, I would usually head straight home, which was a room in a university accommodation for the duration of my stay. I lived in a university accommodation close to the city centre, called Thornbank Gardens. It was one of two possible accommodation options for exchange students, and the only one with a personal bathroom. Life there wasn’t one of luxury, but that’s also not what I expected from my exchange experience.
I was initially quite shocked to find out that the university only provided for the most basic furnishings and I had to spend the first night without linens. In hindsight I should have informed myself better and prepared accordingly. Another bad surprise to me was the total lack of any kitchen utensils inside the kitchen. Again, it was a bit naive of me to expect any different. A pleasant surprise for a change were the people I shared my hall with. They were from Spain, Singapore, Bulgaria, and South Africa. Together we were quite a mixed bunch and we all had very different personalities, but we got along very well! I developed an especially tight bond to two of my Spanish hallmates and it always brightened my day to meet either of them in the kitchen for a chat.
My accommodation also often sheltered me from the capriciousness of British weather, which can be seen in full force in the following clip:
Little Solsbury Hill
Inspiration to Peter Gabriel’s song “Solsbury Hill”, Little Solsbury Hill was the destination of my first day trip. I went there with two fellow students, who eventually would become two of my closest friends during my stay in Bath. Located just outside the city, Little Solsbury Hill was the location of an Iron Age hill fort. It was also the site of a environmental protest against the widening of the A46, a major road in England. The view one has from the top of the hill is amazing and I would have loved to stay there a bit longer and enjoyed the view, if it hadn’t been for the constant wind quickly draining me of any heat produced by climbing up the hill. Afterwards, Lina, Clara and I treated ourselves to a staple of British tea time: cream tea, which consists of a strong black tea and scones with clotted cream and jam. Let me just say that my love for scones started on that day.
Cardiff – Venturing into Wales
The only time that I actually left England, I went to Cardiff, the capital of Wales, as part of a day trip organised by the SU (the University of Bath’s version of the Studierendenvertretung). First stop of the trip was a guided tour through Cardiff Castle. Being one of the city’s symbols, Cardiff Castle was probably founded by William the Conqueror in the late 11th century. Today, Cardiff Castle consists of a Norman keep and a Georgian main range.
Cardiff Castle changed owners many times throughout the centuries and its last proprietors, the Marquess of Bute, definitely left their stylistic fingerprint on the place. To say that the interior of the Georgian main range is a bit kitschy would be an understatement. However, it also features a room called the “Arab hall”, which blew me away with its truly breath-taking ceiling.
After ticking Cardiff Castle off from our list, some of us decided to go explore the city, which eventually led us to Cardiff Bay. There we visited the Wales Millennium Building, Cardiff’s arts centre and opera. Right next door stands the Pierhead Building, which is a beautiful building featuring red glazed terracotta blocks on its facade. The building is part of the National Assembly of Wales, the Welsh devolved parliament. The Senedd, which is the building hosting the parliament itself is just right next to it.
The Roman Baths and Alexandra Park
One of Bath’s most well-known tourist sites are the well-preserved thermae, the Roman Baths. The Baths were constructed around a naturally occurring hot spring in Bath during the first few decades of Roman Britain and served as a place for public bathing. Nowadays, the Baths stand as a testament to Britain’s Roman history and are not used for bathing anymore. Considering the fact that the water was teeming with mosquito larvae when I was there, I would have been surprised if anybody would have gotten willingly in there (could be connected to the original roof now missing). One did have the chance, however, to try the spring water at the exit of the Roman Baths. Even though the facial expressions of those that went before me told me more or less of what awaited me, my curiosity got the better of me. The water was warm, and it tasted of sulphur, iron and other dissolved minerals. So, it was somewhat like drinking an old egg diluted in warm tap water, while at the same time having a cut in your mouth! The taste kind of grew on me, funnily enough.
A favourite place of mine in Bath, one that I unfortunately was able to visit only once, was Alexandra Park. A secret tip given to me by a friend of mine, Alexandra Park is located on top of a hill close to my accommodation. It is supposedly a preferred spot for young couples to meet, and the view one has from the benches there truly is romantic.
Instead of having a romantic moment though, the first time I went there almost ended up in me falling flat on my face in the mud. On that day it had rained quite a bit (no surprise there) and instead of walking on the park’s official path, I decided it would be a good idea to walk on the wet grass. All was well until I started sliding down a muddy slope, barely able to keep myself balanced, while steadily accelerating towards a barrier that consisted of a horizontal metal pole, which was at about the height of my shins. I already saw myself hitting the pole, flipping over the barrier, and landing face first in the mud – a perfect entry to any epic fail video. I did hit the pole and, fortunately for my ego and unfortunately for my shins, they absorbed most of the impact. Internally screaming from the pang, I tried to play it cool and looked around me, realising with some relief that nobody seemed to have noticed what just happened. Having processed the pain, I was able to appreciate the beautiful view of the city and its surroundings from Alexandra Park.
A weekend trip to London
The longest trip I made was a weekend trip to London, where I met my sister Jasmin, her boyfriend Yongmin, Yongmin’s brother Yongbok and his wife Ania. The first day we spent mostly figuring out where we would sleep, seeing as the Airbnb that we booked turned out to be completely run down and rank. Fortunately a friend of ours, Philipp, who lives in London, graciously offered to accommodate us and after a stressful day, during which we only managed to visit the London gallery of Sprüth Magers, Jasmin’s employer, we were happy to call it a day when we got to Philipp’s place.
The second day was way more productive. We spent the entire day travelling through London, visiting the Borough Market, London’s cooler Markthalle Neun, the Bard’s very own Globe Theatre, the Millennium Bridge, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tate Modern and finally ending in London’s Asia Town, where we got steaming hot Baozi for dinner. Happy about the day’s activities and with our bellies filled, we went home to rest.
On my final day, my sister and her companions left London for Oxford. I stayed and used my final hours before my own departure to walk around the city and visit more of London’s historic sites, such as the infamous Tower of London, London Bridge, the Tower Bridge, and the Shard.
Bristol – A final daytrip
Although being only 12 minutes away from Bath by train, I only managed to visit Bristol at the end of my short stay in England. I went there with three of my favourite people, which made the day a lot of fun. Although not seeing much of the city, the places that we did see made the visit definitely worth it! During our day in Bristol we came across Bristol’s science and arts centre “We the Curious”, visited the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery, saw some of Banksy’s famous murals and got lost unsuccessfully looking for some coffee and cake. Finally we settled for a burger and left the city one experience richer.
A last walk through Bath
On my final day before my departure, I decided to drop off some of my unspoiled food at the chaplaincy on campus as a donation. I used the time afterwards to walk around campus one last time and say goodbye to the University, knowing that I would not return. It was funny, the atmosphere on campus that day was almost exactly the same as the one during my first visit. When I first went there, the semester had not started yet, so there was very little going on and it was very quiet. It was the same now, only this time it was because many people had left due to the Corona crisis and those who had stayed, wisely avoided going to university. Realising this, I became quite sad and I wondered what was still awaiting us. In order to redirect my thoughts, I decided to go on one last walk from the university back to my accommodation, capturing every small moment of beauty along the way wih my camera.
Thank you for taking your time and reading this postmortem of my Erasmus stay. I hope you got some enjoyment from it and perhaps it made you curious to visit England, once the current crisis has ended.
I might be late to the game (so late, that it already ended), but your two entries were fantastic reads. Thank you for sharing them.