studentsineurope

Interview with a Student Blogger Abroad

Nathan Nault in Scotland.

Nathan Nault is an American student doing a year-long study abroad program in Scotland.  He maintains a blog chronicling his experiences there.

David Ferris: So to start, just say a little about yourself: where you’re from, age, where you go to school back in the US, what you’re studying, etc

Nathan Nault: I was born in Manchester, NH and I’ve lived there ever since.  I’m a 20-year-old college junior.  Back in the U.S. I attend the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, but this year, I’m doing a year abroad at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.  I’m currently studying anthropology and Asian studies, and there hasn’t been much difficulty in continuing with both here at St. Andrews

David Ferris: And what motivated you to go abroad?  And why Scotland of all places?

Nathan Nault: First and foremost, as cliché as it sounds I really wanted to see the world.  I’ve spent most of my twenty years on earth in some part of New England and I figured it was time to get out and travel.  Not to mention Holy Cross is a pretty small school with only about 2800 students, so having a year to just break up the monotony of college life has been great.  I chose St. Andrews because of its reputation both in the UK and the US as a well respected school, and it had everything I wanted academically.  One of the top reasons was also the fact that it is located right next to the St. Andrews Golf Links, and students get a membership for all 7 courses that are part of the links, including the Old Course, for about 300 American dollars. As a golf fan, that was extremely attractive.  Luckily I’ve already been able to play the Old Course twice.  I wanted to go somewhere in Europe as opposed to say Australia because after doing research, I’ve found with its much easier to travel around Europe due to airlines like Ryanair, and not too mention, you can get from country to country in about an hour.  And finally, I wanted to go to a school that had history and character, and not some university that was just put up 20 years ago and only consists of new age glass buildings.

David Ferris: So this is your first time in Europe, right?

Nathan Nault: Yeah, other than a cruise I went on when I was 17, and a few trips I’ve made to Canada, this was my first time out of the country.

David Ferris: And has the experience been more or less what you expected?

Nathan Nault: I wasn’t really sure what to expect, especially because I had never been to Europe before. But so far, it has been easily the best experience of my life. My goals were to go to school, meet new people, play the Old Course, and travel.  I can already say I’ve accomplished pretty much all of that and I’m still here for another five months.

David Ferris: And as for your blog: what inspired you to create it?

Nathan Nault: At first, it was a project for Holy Cross. Every year, they look for students who want to blog about their experiences abroad for the Holy Cross website. It’s both for students who are thinking of coming to Holy Cross and those who are thinking of studying abroad in the future.  I thought it would be a good way to keep involved with the school, and a good way to keep my memories from over here.  So I write one blog that’s posted to the Holy Cross website.  I found though, that I wanted to do more with the blog which wasn’t possible with the Holy Cross blog, i.e. change the format, add different features, really just add my own uniqueness. So I created The Study Abroad Blog right before I left. It gives me full control to do whatever I want with it, and not to mention, I’m reaching a much greater audience.  I can use my own template and format, and instead of just going on about my daily routine on the home page, I was able to add things like a contact page, a photo albums page and – in the works – a page of tips for kids who will be traveling abroad in the future.  While the Holy Cross blog is more about me, I wanted the Study Abroad Blog to be a resource for everyone else.

David Ferris: And has maintaining the blog had any influence or effect on your experience there?

Nathan Nault: It’s always nice to reflect on what I’ve done over the past week when I sit down and write the blog. Just to sit, relax, and take everything in – it’s important to take a breather every once in a while and appreciate the experience. Having the blog allows me to do that, and it gives me something to look forward to on those Sunday nights when I don’t want to do work.

David Ferris: A lot of people back home and in Scotland probably read it.  Are there things you don’t publish?  Stuff you don’t want certain people to see?

Nathan Nault: Not really, I’m usually pretty upfront and honest, which was the benefit of having The Study Abroad Blog as opposed to the Holy Cross blog which I had to filter.  I try not to talk about too much of one thing, i.e. class, drinking, etc.  I don’t want people to think that all I do over here is go to class, or all I do is drink.  I think sometimes when you talk about those things too much, people get a bad impression.  My goal is for people to get the biggest picture they can of my experience in 450 words or less (that’s the length I try to keep my posts).  Like my blog says, I talk about the good, the bad and the ugly, luckily there just hasn’t been too much bad or ugly.

David Ferris: So, have you had any really crazy experiences so far?  Funny stories?  Ridiculous moments of culture clash?

Nathan Nault: We have something called reading week in the middle of November which is basically just a week off.  Me and four friends did a trip to Barcelona and Rome and that whole week was an experience in itself. My friend got hustled 75 bucks by a group of Russians in Barcelona, we walked in on a classy wedding and followed a riot of hundreds of soccer fans as they paraded around the Coliseum in Rome.  And then there is the whole hostel experience. Since there were five of us in a six person room in Barcelona, they gave they extra bed to a poor Scandinavian girl, who had to deal with us five loud, smelly, drunk college kids for four days – but she was a good sport. I mean there is always the good and the bad, and it’s good to experience both because it reminds you that the world is real, and that life doesn’t just exist in the bubble of the U.S.

David Ferris: What happened with the Russians?  Sounds crazy.

Nathan Nault: This one guy on the street was doing the gambling game where there’s three cups and a ball. He puts the ball under one of the cups, shuffles them all around, and you have to guess which one it’s under – pretty standard.  The guy doing it kept knocking the cup with the ball under it, so it looked really easy – too easy in fact, although no one playing was winning.  But my friend, who lost his sense for a minute, decided to play the game, and put down 50 euro, or about 75-80 dollars, and he actually won. So the guy told him double or nothing, and my friend said no, he just wanted his money for winning. It turned into a giant screaming match, and the next thing you know, there’s six to eight Russian guys crowding around my friend making a huge commotion saying he doesn’t know how to play the game, and he needs to leave because they aren’t giving his money back.  There wasn’t much we could do – they outnumbered us and we couldn’t call the cops because we would have to tell them we lost our money gambling illegally on the street.  Pretty much everyone who had been around us was in on it, including the two people who were playing the game originally but were losing – on purpose as we figured out to draw people in.  I have to admit, my friend is pretty smart, so if they can hustle him, they must do good business.

David Ferris: And how has your experience been adjusting to the cultural differences in Scotland?

Nathan Nault: Yeah, I mean, overall it was an easy adjustment, especially because everyone speaks English.  It can be hard though because some people have extremely thick accents. I know in class sometimes, I get lost in the lecture because the professor says something and uses a Scottish or English phrase that I don’t know so I have to go back and think about what they meant.  And of course, they drive on the other side of the road.  I’m just now getting used to the fact that I only get in on the right side if I’m driving.  There is still some American culture here as well, i.e. a Starbucks and a Subway.  I think whenever you go to a new school, whether it be as a freshman at college, or as a study abroad student, there is always going to be an adjustment period which can be hard.  It’s weird being able to drink legally as since I’m not 21 i still can’t drink in the states.  I always tell people who ask about St. Andrews to picture a college town in the US, stick it in the middle of Scotland next to a cold beach, and then put a really nice golf course next to it.

David Ferris: So, in short, what is the best and worst thing about it all?

Nathan Nault: The best part is just the overall experience. Everyday I get to wake up and have the opportunity to do something I’ve never done before and I’ll probably never do again.  I mean, the other morning, I woke up and decided I wanted to play golf on the Old Course.  I just walked right on and played 18 holes.  This is the same course that the best golfers in the world have been playing at for hundreds of years.  And for a normal person who isn’t a student, it costs 200 dollars! How many people can say they have had the opportunity to do that?  The worst part is missing everyone back home. I miss my friends from Holy Cross, and most of all I miss my family.  But it has all been worth it.