Bryggen

Posted on October 9, 2016 by kmoreau

Bryggen is a Bergen district. It’s one of the most popular area in Bergen and in Norway. Bryggen was built after the big fire in 1702 and it is register in the UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

The first building in Bergen took place in Bryggen, it was a very dynamics and important city’s area during many century.

Article 1 _ Bryggen 3

Bryggen is a historical area of the Bergen’s port, which is one of the oldest port city in North Europe. Bergen take place in the Norway West coast. The city was created as the commercial center on the 12e century. In 1390, the German Hanseatic League set up one of its import and export offices at Bryggen, dominating trade for almost 400 years. The German Hanseatic League was the collaboration between North European merchant cities around the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. They got gradually Bryggen’s property and controlled the stockfish’s trade on the North of Norway.

Article 1 _ Bryggen 4

Bryggen was devastated by many fires, particularly by the 1702 big fire. It burnt the entire city to the grown. The area was rebuilt on the foundation which are there since the 12 century, that means that Bryggen is almost unmodified

Bryggen is a living part of the cultural legacy, which is still very active in the city’s historical district. Today, Bryggen is home to a lot of tourist attractions like the fish market, and there are many coffees, restaurants, and shops.

Article 1 _ Bryggen 2

Fun Fact : The german or hanseatic dominance in Bergen lasted for several hundred years, from the black plague until 1754 when the hanseatic station was formally abolished. For this reason the Bryggen (the Dock) was called Tyskebryggen (German Dock) or Hansabryggen. In May 1945 (two weeks after the end of the war) the city council decided that the name should be “Bryggen.” Mariakirken (St Mary’s church) was also called Tyskekirken (German church) or church of the German merchants. Church services were held in German until about 1870.

kmoreau

Floating Sauna

Posted on October 8, 2016 by mtorrelli

The sauna takes an important place in the Finnish life. Finnish people goes in the sauna from their youngest ages, and most of them take a sauna at least once a week. As the old saying goes: “first built your sauna, then your house”.

During the summer time, you can find in Oulu a floating sauna. What is it? The floating sauna is a sauna which is on the water. The concept is simple, you stay a long time in the sauna and when it’s really hot and you sweat a lot, you can jump in the river. After that, you start again!

I wanted so much to try this ritual, so with some friends of mine, we went in the Oulu floating sauna, it was a great experience. After the sauna, I just felt wonderful, relaxed and refreshed.

Inside the sauna, you can find a ladle of water, and if you add some water on the hot stone, the sauna temperature increase. At the beginning, I didn’t know, so I added copious amounts of water. The temperature in the sauna rose by about 10°C… It was a bit frightening.

I think I will remember this experience. Next step: floating sauna in Lapland on the frozen water…

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mtorrelli

Practical guide before your departure

Posted on October 8, 2016 by STEUX Audrey

Before your departure you are going to get so excited about the idea of a new experience, but you have to prepare your departure properly and don’t forget important things. That’s why this article is for you, I am writing some advice to help you to get prepared to leave.

I think you have to begin your organisation 4 months before leaving by booking your flight. There are many companies (Air France-KLM, Easy jet, Ryanair..) but be careful, many flights leave from Paris to Edinburgh, and not from Nantes to Edinburgh. To me, the easier is to choose Air France but it is a little more expensive.

Paris International Airport CDG

Then, you have to choose your accommodation. The university offers many rooms (they are a little expensive)

You can also look for an apartment on Internet but it is more difficult than if you accept the University offer. Moreover, with the university accommodation you share the kitchen. I think it is essential to improve your English, meet people and talk !

Two months before your departure, you have to call your “social security” SMEBA or LMDE to have your European Health Insurance Card. It is very important if you have any problem in Scotland.

You can also take an additional insurance (always with SMEBA and LMDE). The price is 25€ (for SMEBA). This insurance is optional it depends of your health. You have to know the doctor’s appointments are more expensive than in France and you will be reimburse only the French price of the consultation.

One month before you can book your train or bus for the ride from Edinburgh Airport to Dundee.

To me, the better way is the train because you can buy an “Anytime single Day” ticket. You can take any train in the day, you have not to respect timetable. (link : www.trainline.com)

It is possible to go by bus but you have to book online and respect the timetable, so be careful if your flight is delayed. (link : www.citylink.co.uk)

Finally, I advise you to buy duvet, pillow and order the free starter pack (including crockery, pan..) on the Abertay Online Shop before your departure. It is easier than buying them in shops because when you arrive in your room they have already been delivered !

“GOOD ADVICE”

Before your departure you have to :

-check the expiry of you Identity Card and your debit card.

-check the Banking commission because each bank has his exchange rate. Generally, it is cheaper to buy all things by card than by cash.

-buy adaptors (two adaptors is good) for sockets before your departure

-check your mobile phone contract (to know If you can send message in Scotland)

But, don’t worry there is free WiFi almost everywhere ! You can communicate easily with the other foreign students !

I think, now you know the most important. Enjoy your trip, your semester or your year abroad ! 🙂

STEUX Audrey

Welcome in Keele University

Posted on October 7, 2016 by Romain TESSON

Keele in United Kingdom

In order for you know a little more about my new work environment, I will describe my first few weeks here and why I chose Keele University. The main reasons I chose to study in the U.K. was to improve my English, gain some new experiences, broaden my views, and make new connections. I hope that my new journalism job will inspire individuals to have the same experience.

My school, Keele University, is located in the northwest of England. It takes around forty minutes to Manchester by train. Keele is a lot bigger than my home university in Nantes. The campus is really beautiful. It has serene meadows and Woodland areas making it a great destination for nature lovers. As well as, there is beautiful castle where it’s happen the welcome ball, also an awesome Library and a Chapel with a lot of Christian Union events. Keele also has large fields for rugby, football, and lacrosse for sport enthusiasts. At first it was really tough trying to find my way around the campus, but after two weeks here, I can walk around without carrying a map. I will include some pictures in my next article for all of you to see.

Keele hall

When I settled in my accommodation, I met my five new roommates. They come from Sweden, Finland, the United States, and Turkey. They’re very pleasant and it just so happens that they all speak English really well. Lucky for me!

During my second week here at Keele, the freshmen moved in. This week is traditionally called Fresher’s Week. Universities in the U.K. have activities all week in order to make the freshmen feel welcomed. Activities include trying out new sports, going to trivia nights, dancing at the student union, and singing karaoke.

The Library with in front the Keele logo

When picking out my modules, I was really surprised that there was only ten hours spent inside the actual classrooms. The rest of the time is spent studying by yourself. It’s a big difference compared to the French schooling system.

Next time I will speak to you about the sport culture at my university.

See you soon and enjoy your life.

Romain

Romain TESSON

Welcome to Scotland !

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Emilie CAILLETEAU

Scotland is situated in the northern part of the United Kingdom. The total area of the country is 78,772 km² and it is home to almost 800 small islands, the most famous are the northern isles of Shetland and Orkney, the Hebrides, Arran and Skye. It has around 5.3 million of inhabitants who speak three official languages: English, Scots, and Scottish Gaelic.

We can divide the Scotland into 3 regions:

– The Upper Lowlands: It’s the South of Scotland, just over the English/Scotland border. This area is agricultural and has lots of beautiful greenery and hills.

– The Central Lowlands: It’s the area where we can find Edinburgh and Glasgow, it’s the most industrial and populated.

– The Highlands and Islands: This wild area represents about 50% of Scotland. It has the most beautiful scenery with its mountains, lochs and islands. On its 800 islands, only 130 are inhabited.

Highlands/Lowlands

There are only 6 officially recognized cities in Scotland: Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Stirling. The capital of Scotland, Edinburgh, is the second-largest city of the country with 492 680 inhabitants. The city, with its many large finance firms as Lloyds Banking Group and the Royal Bank of Scotland, is the financial services centre of Scotland. Glasgow, with its 599 650 inhabitants, is the Scotland’s largest city and is a big industrial city.

The official national flag of Scotland is the Saltire. The flag is composed of a white cross on a blue background. The cross represent the cross where Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland, was crucified.

The Saltire

Politically, Scotland is a constitutional monarchy, the head of the state is Queen Elizabeth II since 1952, and the First Minister is Nicola Sturgeon the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) since November 2014. The SNP supports Scottish independence, so it legislated for an independence referendum which was held on 18 September 2014. The independence was rejected by a majority of 55%. Then, the UK Conservative Party legislated for a referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union which was held on 23 June 2016. The result is that a majority of 62% in Scotland rejected withdrawal from the EU. After this referendum the Scotland’s First Minister, Nicolas Sturgeon, announced it is likely that it have a new independence referendum.

Economically, Scotland has a GVA (Gross Value Added) of £117 billion and a GVA per head of £21 982, that it’s more than the United Kingdom and the France. The main exports of Scotland are: food and drink (whisky), refined petroleum, electronics and financial services. And Scotland exports mostly in the United States, Netherlands, Germany, France and Norway.

Emilie CAILLETEAU

The sky of Oulu

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Arthur LEBLAIS

We are lucky with the weather of Oulu, Almost sunny every days, although, it’s a little bit cold, for example, yesterday, the 5th of October, the weather was sunny but minus 4° Celsius.

However, there is something magic with the sky of Oulu :

Oulu’s harbor

During different times of the day, the sky changes color from light blue to finish on a rose, passing by a gradient of orange during sunset. This makes it an attraction for residents of Oulu who do not hesitate to go to the beach Contemplating the sunset during a sausage’s barbecue party for warming the body and chilling with their friends !

Nallikari beach: BBQ place!

If we are lucky enough we can see, during the night, Northern lights!

How Northen light are made ?

When charged particles released by the sun and carried by the solar wind reaches the Earth’s atmosphere and collide with gas particles, the “crash” create colors, dominated by green and ethereal roses.
These colors dancing in the sky during 20 minutes, it’s really beautiful ! 😉

Northen lights from Oulu’s lake !

Arthur Leblais

Arthur LEBLAIS

SOU-LANTA / Project presentation

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Guilhem BERTHOU

Follow the adventure of Marguerite and Guilhem from the IEMN-IAE, Nantes, France.

Summary Episode :
In this episode we will introduce you to our project. Continue reading »

Guilhem BERTHOU

Erasmus student life in Madrid

Posted on October 5, 2016 by nmanceau

In this post, I would like to give you an idea of what Erasmus life in Madrid is, concerning housing, lessons and living.

Housing

When I arrived in Madrid, I had only an accommodation for some days in order to find a share flat. I thought it will be easy to find one in the center but I quickly realized that as in all capitals, housing is more than complicated. Vicalvaro campus is far from downtown (about 45 min by subway), but i decided to search in town center. 90% of Erasmus students make that choice because they want to get the best out of the city: visits, shopping, parties… and want to test share flat lifestyle.

So, after a week of hard searchs and disappointment, I moved in a share flat with another Spanish man of 46 years old. Fortunately, I found a better flat with two others Erasmus students two weeks after. Housing prices are higher than in the rest of Spain, they are a bit more expensive than in Nantes for example. It is usual to find small bedrooms without any windows like in Paris. But don’t be afraid, you can also find wonderful apartments!

Courses

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Academic Library of Rey Juan Carlos

Concerning lessons, classes at Vicalvaro start at 8 AM and end at 9 PM. Student have an average of 20 hours per week. In my case, I just have courses in the morning! Campus of Rey Juan Carlos is one of the few universities offering English courses. Many foreign people make the choice of studying in English in Spain because they can easily follow courses and at the same time discover another language and culture.

Courses are done in classrooms of 50 students maximum with fifty-fifty of Erasmus and Spanish people. In Spain, the bachelor degree counts 4 years and the master degree is achieved in 1 year. For Erasmus students it is common to choose subjects of different grades.

Student life

Activities schedule of City Life Madrid for September and October

In Madrid there’s no time to get bored! There are a lot of organizations which help young international people to settle and enjoy their stay in Spain. City Life Madrid, Madlife Madrid, Smart Insiders and so on… they provide advices and help to find flat, Spanish SIM card, public transportation card and much more. They organize many trips in all Spain (Barcelona, Valencia, Ibiza, Sevilla…) but also abroad like in Morocco or in Portugal!

Example of a Pubcrawl on Facebook

During the week many social and cultural activities are proposed: flamenco shows, wine tasting, cooking class, karaoke nights,… and of course numerous parties.

In general, parties and trips are cheap because they want to be affordable for all. For example, in Madrid you can go out with 10 euros and have free entrances and free drinks in several clubs the same night. This is called a “Pubcrawl”.

The most known organization is Erasmus Student Network (ESN). It is used by over 120 000 people per year in 37 countries. It provides thousands of events and discounts (for example, for sport, food, aircraft tickets).

In Spain, everything is done to make your stay the better experience of your life. I’m already in Spain for 1 month and feel like at home.

See you soon!

nmanceau

Studying abroad

Posted on October 4, 2016 by alouedec

When you are studying abroad meeting new people from all over the world is the most important part of your experience, even more important than the studying part.

At Abertay university there is a lot of international students, it is something the university is very proud of. It allows Scottish students to meet foreign people and discover new cultures and it gives to all students the feeling of being part in a very cosmopolitan community.

Since I am here I have met a lot of new friends. I have asked some of them three questions :

Why did you choose to study abroad ?
Why did you choose Abertay university ?
After one month here what are your thought on this experience ?

Here are there answers :

Janna, 20 years old from Germany

” I am Janna and I am studying 3 modules in Computer Arts. That means drawing 2D and also working 3D mainly for video games but also maybe later for movies.

I study abroad because I could choose between either doing a project, an internship or an exchange semester. I chose that because I wanted to experience new stuff.

I chose Abertay because of the offered modules and I wanted to study in Scotland.

I really like my first month and I am glad I did this. I also learned a lot until now.”

Elisa, 25 from Italy :

” Hi, I am Elisa and I am studying international human ressources management.

I decided to study abroad because I wanted to have an international experience and improve my english skills.

To be honest Abertay university was my last choice, however I am still happy to be here and to be able to speak english.

My first month here was ok. I am happy because I found a part-time job here and I am discovering a new country which is great.”

Friedemann, 25, from Germany

” My name is Friedemann, 25, from Germany and studying Forensic Science (Bsc) in my final year.

Actually my mum had to convince me to go abroad. I thought it would only make sense studying abroad if you want to work somewhere else afterwards. But there is so much more to gain than just going to university.

I applied for two universities; Keele University in England and Abertay. The decision was made by our international officer who wanted to enable every student to go abroad.

The scottish way of studying is completely different from what Im used to. Back home we have so much more to do for experiments and lectures. Here it’s so much easier and less effort. On the other hand, they expect from you to do more on your own for university. No wonder I go out almost every day with friends having a beer or just chill somewhere. ”

Nicola, 21 from Switzerland

“Hi, my name is Nicola, I am 21 years old and live in Switzerland.

I chose to study abroad because I wanted to experience something completely different than what I was used to at home.

I chose Abertay because of its degrees, which are unique in Europe and cater the best to what I aim to accomplish once I finished studying. I chose to study Game Design and Production Management.

It has been going pretty smoothly so far. I still feel like I am not at 100% yet, but everything and everyone around me have been very fulfilling and interesting. ”

Thank you to Janna, Elisa, Friedemann and Nicola for answering those questions.

See you next week !

alouedec

Oulun Yliopisto – University of Oulu

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Audrey Brousseau

Monday 25th August, me, Arthur and Mattéo climbed our bike and have to cycling until the university of Oulu (situated at 3,5 kms our accomodation), as most of the finish people do it. We put the feet for the first time at the university « Oulun Yliopisto ». This university is immense and is located in the middle of one thousand fir trees. It’s very easy to be lost, that is why they created an application, where it’s possible to find a way and to be guided towards the classroom.

To be clear, the university of Oulu is one of the biggest and most multidisciplinary universities in Finland with a focus on innovation, internationality and notherness.

University welcome several pole like business school, faculty of science, education, humanities, medecine, technology. To facilitate the service during the lunch, with 16000 students, the university propose ten restaurants (like a Subway for example) for an average price of 2,60 €, which is totally reasonable. There are also a zoological museum within the structure, a stationery store, a post office, a cloakrooms to put his jackets…

And do you know what is else? If I tell you that there a room for seepling, you can’t believe me but it’s true. The « quiete room » is present. And many space are reserved for group work.

After a few hours of lessons, it’s complicated to find his bike in the middle of other hundreds bikes, located on parking for bike everwhere around the university. I let you watch the video to discover more about the building.

Video editing: Audrey Brousseau
Music : Evelina (finnish singer), honey ft. Mikael Gabriel

Audrey Brousseau

Audit & Control Abroad

Monthly Archives: October 2016