Up until early-March 2020, Luxembourg had remained pretty much unaffected by this new virus that people in China and Italy were talking about. But, like elsewhere in Europe and beyond, the disease quickly spread, taking countless lives and fundamentally changing life as we knew it. Schools switched to distance learning, “non-essential” shops, restaurants, cinemas and gyms were forced to close their doors, teleworking became the new norm… Life suddenly came to a standstill.

One year on, the situation varies from country-to-country (even from region-to-region). Restrictions have eased in some countries like Luxembourg, whilst other nations find themselves still / again under strict lockdown. Like many other sectors, the travel and tourism industry has been seriously disrupted, potentially changed forever – my own plans to visit my best friend in Australia last May fell victim to the pandemic and, apart from passing through Germany to pick up Nala and Elfi when restrictions had eased slightly, I haven’t been anywhere outside Luxembourg in over a year. Those of you who know anything about me will know just how uncharacteristic of me this is!

Of course, like many things in life, the health crisis has hit some harder than others. I am particularly sympathetic to young people in school or at university, people who live alone, and those who feel they need to make the unfair choice between their health and their economic survival. As someone who has openly struggled with depression, I also fear the long-term impact of the pandemic on mental health, which experts have termed the “second pandemic”. I recognise that women have also been more affected (in general) than their male counterparts, what with more women on the COVID-19 frontline and working in sectors facing the most job losses. There is the added challenge for mothers who are now working from home but are also doing the lion’s share of housework and childcare. And don’t even get me started on the unequal impact of the pandemic on racial and ethnic minority groups…

Anyway, despite a painfully slow vaccine rollout (in the EU, at least), the development and deployment of COVID-19 vaccines have offered a much-needed glimpse of hope. I am especially grateful that older, more vulnerable members of my family (sorry for calling you old, dad) back in Northern Ireland have already received their first vaccine dose. And for the record, I will happily take any approved vaccine as soon as it is my turn.

Coming back to what is clearly the most important aspect of this blog post: my birthday…. Being 26 hasn’t been all bad. Sure, my X-Men’s Rogue-style white patch of hair became more visable (proof that I am both wiser AND a superhero now?) and I haven’t seen my family in over a year, BUT I also have many things for which to be thankful: I celebrated four years of being with a caring boyfriend who also makes a pretty great teleworking buddy; our furbabies, Nala and Elfi, joined our family between lockdowns last year and, despite countless, expensive vet bills and a few claw / bite wounds, continue to light up our lives with their presence; I have a fulfilling job which already offered a lot of flexibility pre-COVID-19; I am fortunate enough to have a roof over my head; and I am able to talk with friends and family any time I want thanks to technology. And above all, my loved ones and I are healthy – hopefully things stay that way.

Like many people, I have also developed new hobbies or revived old ones over the past 12 months. I slowly got back into reading and dabbled in yoga (healthy mind, healthy body), forced myself to go on more walks with Mich and the dog, and I turned a life-long interest in genealogy into a pretty serious hobby (i.e. obsession), reaching out to “long-lost” family members and discovering “new” relatives. We (mainly Mich) also got a lot of renovation work and decorating done in the house.

As for being another year older, another year wiser (in a couple of days), I suppose time will tell… In the meantime, stay safe everyone and cherish your loved ones. If there is one thing this pandemic has taught us, it’s that health and family / friends are everything.

2020 has been a strange year, to say the least. It has been a dark and confusing time where yesterday it was March and today it’s December?! Many families have lost loved ones too soon to an illness that has turned all our lives upside down in a short period of time. Teenagers and young adults have missed out on some of the most formative moments of student life: formals (proms) cancelled, exchanges abroad cut short and students left unable to properly say goodbye to friends as they leave school for good. Yes, 2020 has been pretty gloomy. But it has also been a special year for me personally, not least because September marked four years since I moved to Luxembourg. 

What makes this tiny country particularly unique is its incomparable international character – I’ve travelled quite a bit (pre-COVID-19, of course) but I have never seen anywhere that could compete with the multicultural melting pot that is Lëtzebuerg. With almost 50% of the country’s 600,000+ inhabitants being foreigners, hearing (and communicating in) several languages in a day is a common occurrence.  In the space of 20 minutes walking down a street you can hear French, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Italian, English, Arabic, Dutch and, if you’re lucky, Luxembourgish, the gem that is mostly hidden from the world beyond Luxembourg’s borders but which locals use with pride everyday – in addition to all the other languages they learned in school or at home!

Considering the country’s multicultural and multilingual nature, it is certainly possible to get by or even spend your whole life living and / or working in Luxembourg without speaking Luxembourgish, especially if you can communicate in one of the country’s two other official languages (French and German) and / or in English. Nevertheless, I am a firm believer that to fully get to the heart of a people, you need to speak their language. I would argue that this is especially true in Luxembourg, where the development of the Luxembourgish language has been crucial in moulding a national identity since the Second World War. Up until then, Luxembourgish was considered to be no more than a German dialect, rather than a language in its own right. In fact, it wasn’t until 1984 that Luxembourgish became the national language of Luxembourg.

Even today, this fascinating language remains fluid in terms of orthography – perhaps unsurprisingly considering it was mainly a spoken language up to the 19th century. Since 2008, interest in learning the language has grown among foreign residents (like yours truly) wishing to obtain the Luxembourgish nationality. This brings me to another important personal achievement in 2020: in March, just ahead of Luxembourg’s first lockdown, I passed the Sproochentest, the Luxembourgish language test required to become a Luxembourger. Now I just need to pass a cultural knowledge test and next year, after 5 years of residence, I can apply for my Luxembourgish passport!

That being said, my Luxembourgish language learning journey began even before I considered applying for the nationality (I am already an EU citizen after all – one of the perks of being born in Northern Ireland and not mainland Britain!). As mentioned earlier, being able to communicate in the language of a country’s people is key to integration. And, me being a Grade A language nerd, I simply couldn’t resist the challenge of learning a new language! Especially one as intriguing and exclusive as Luxembourgish – imagine going abroad (i.e. pretty much anywhere outside Luxembourg) and being able to speak a secret language hardly anyone else understands!

The fact that Luxembourgish is not widely spoken outside of the Grand Duchy, however, does not necessarily mean it is a difficult language to learn. There are a lot of similar words in Luxembourgish and English and if you already understand French and / or German, Luxembourgish is not so different (especially from German in terms of grammar). My only complaint is that it is so similar to German that I mix the two languages up!

On the one hand, it’s not like in bigger countries like France or Spain where locals generally expect foreigners to speak or at least make an effort to learn the language (which isn’t actually that much to ask). In Luxembourg, the locals are impressed even by a simple “Moien!” (hello) or “merci!” (thank you) from their foreign co-inhabitants. On the other hand, the fact that it is so easy to survive in Luxembourg without knowing the national language can be detrimental to the learning process: in France and Spain, I could (or was forced to) practise those languages daily; in Luxembourg, I’ve found it can be difficult to keep a conversation going in Luxembourgish when the native speaker in front of you speaks perfect English… or worse, when you unwittingly try to speak Luxembourgish with another foreigner!

But alas, it’s all part of the experience of living in this multicultural little gem nestled in the heart of Europe.

As most of you know, I’m an avid traveller. Any chance I get, I’m off somewhere new or visiting old friends across the globe. And this year was to be no different: I’d saved up for flights to Melbourne, Australia, in May to visit my life-long bestie who had moved there one year earlier. We’d even booked flights within Oz for a girls’ trip to Sydney. I’d bought a guide book, we’d booked accommodation and my friend had put together a packed itinerary for what would’ve been an almost two-week trip. But alas, COVID-19 threw a spanner in the works and I, like many others, was left disappointed, with cancelled flights, broken dreams and no sign of a refund from a not-to-be-named French-Dutch airline with incomparable customer service…

Whilst most of Europe’s borders reopened ahead of summer, I made no further plans to go abroad. I mean, we’re in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic, so I figured travel could wait. In any case, I had hoped to maybe visit friends and family in Northern Ireland during my holidays in August, having not seen them since Christmas, but then the whole continent seemed to turn on Luxembourg. The Grand Duchy was deemed a “high-risk” zone, despite the fact that the country was testing significantly more than others – I personally have been tested four times now, free of charge.

Pets in Lockdown

Since travel was off the table, I turned my attention to another passion of mine: animals. My boyfriend and I had considered getting a dog for a while (I also wanted a cat but we weren’t sure if BF was still allergic or if we wanted an indoor or outdoor cat, etc.) before Luxembourg entered lockdown in mid-March. Since I mostly work from home anyway and he was now working remotely indefinitely due to the pandemic, it seemed like the perfect time to get a pet. This post is the first in my “Pet Diaries” series.

Despite always advocating (I still do) the “adopt don’t shop” message, we checked out various local animal shelters as well as a German website with a list of breeders. In the end, we decided to get a puppy and a kitten, in the hope that they would get on better if they grew up together than an adult dog and cat might.

We quickly decided on either a Labrador or a Golden Retriever pup, since we had some previous experience with these breeds and they are traditionally very family- (and pet-) friendly. Things were slightly more complicated with the cat, since BF was unsure if he still had an allergy; I didn’t care much about the breed since I love pretty much all cats, but we searched for “hypoallergenic” cat breeds to play it safe. We found a suitable (and adorable) female Golden Retriever puppy and male Siberian kitten, but our search ended in disappointment when the cat breeder made a last-minute demand that we adopt at least two of her kittens – a time and money investment we just could not make at this time. In the end, we found a perfect Maine Coon kitten: a woman in Germany was giving away (for a small fee considering this was a pedigree Maine Coon) a few kittens from her pet Maine Coon’s recent litter. With this not being a “hypoallergenic” breed, we decided to visit first to confirm the remaining female kitten was the right fit. And so, as soon as Germany’s borders with Luxembourg reopened in May, we went to visit both the kitten and the puppy. On the same day of our Maine Coon visit, we brought our new kitten home! BF appeared to no longer be allergic to cats and the kitten was already toilet-trained and weaned, aged 11 weeks.

Fighting like Cat & Dog…

Nala was an absolute angel in the 2.5-hour car ride back to Luxembourg and we introduced her to her grandmother (BF’s mum) and canine aunts (her Labrador and Golden Retriever) that same day. We did make the mistake of keeping her crated when meeting the two older dogs though, which resulting in her hissing and swiping at them from her cage – the seven-year-old Labrador is still a bit scared of her… On the kitten’s part, curiosity gradually overcame caution and she became more and more comfortable around them (and even more so later with her younger puppy sibling – more on that to come!).

Nala was quick to settle in her new home and the next day, BF’s mum catsat whilst we visited our Goldie puppy, Elfi. We also got to meet her very sweet, white-coated Golden Retriever mother and her siblings. She was so small and was asleep for most of our short visit. A few weeks later, aged 8 weeks, Elfi was welcomed home by her new family – including her initially suspicious feline sister! After a few days of playing dead and letting Nala come to her, Elfi’s confidence grew and after a few weeks of being swiped / hissed at by Nala, they slowly developed a relationship not dissimilar to that of human siblings: some days they would play or sleep next to one another, other days Nala would grow tired of her energetic younger sister – who was rapidly outgrowing her in size (and appetite)!

While I have long considered travel to be a form of therapy for me, I believe it’s about time I returned to what was my first form of therapy, my first love: writing. That’s not to say I’m going to stop travelling for good, but since I can’t travel all the time (unfortunately), I can at least take comfort from another hobby, one that I can enjoy anytime, anywhere.

I miss the freedom that comes with creative writing, with just letting your imagination go wild. Indeed, I began writing stories almost as early as I could hold a pencil. I started off by journalling as a child, and then building on the characters of my primary school friends and our “adventures” together. I wrote when I was happy. I wrote when I was sad (which thankfully wasn’t very often during childhood). I enjoyed both documenting and building on my own changing emotions. I went from writing with pencils to typing on my stylish pink Barbie typewriter to typing on computers (those big 90s-style beauties) and back to writing in notebooks (with pens this time) – I’ll admit that it is easier to type (for corrections, etc) but nothing can compare to scribbling your thoughts down in your best handwriting on a crisp, clean sheet of paper!

Anyway, I remember finding out my mum was pregnant with my younger sister when I was 7 or 8 and as part of my mission to convince my parents to name her Jade, I began writing a series of short stories about a mischievous baby girl called, you guessed it, Jade. When she was born and I knew what she looked like, I illustrated these stories with drawings, as well. When my youngest sister Claudia was born, I similarly began writing and illustrating my own amateur comic strips about a superhero/spy/royal (you-name-it) family based on my now complete family (excluding future pets, of course). I had been a bit too young to write a story about my brother Matthew’s birth, but I have fond memories of us designing our own magazines and composing song lyrics for our own family band (something I’m sure most people with siblings have done). At one point, we even began designing our own rather ambitious gaming world with character descriptions based on our favourite video games (think Dead or Alive, Mortal Kombat, etc). Writing thus shaped a significant part of my early years, and I’m not just talking about textbook exercises in school – although being the nerd that I am, I can’t say I minded doing those much either.

Then came the dreaded teen years. As I slipped into depression, severe school stress and eventually developed an eating disorder, all of which I later realised were linked to my (unachievable) desire to be perfect and in control, writing and sketching (paired with long walks and a regular dosage of anti-depressants) greatly facilitated my recovery. I distracted myself by writing about strong young women, many of whom had been wronged or were trapped in some way. I’ll admit there was often a handsome man by their side too, although these served more as eye candy than the hero; every story had a female protagonist. Other stories centred around a strong group of female friends, some of whom would have magic powers while others were just trying to survive secondary school (much like myself). The irony here is that I traditionally had more male friends (bar my long-term, long-distance bestie Danielle) up until recently; I am grateful to now have my very own strong female support network.

Another way of expressing my emotions during my teen years (besides crying and excessively exercising everyday) was sketching. During what could be described as my “Emo” or “Goth” phase, I found solace in reading and writing gothic literature (“Dracula” was my favourite) and viewing and creating gothic art. I often depicted myself in the form of beautiful but sad fantastical women, longing for their escape, and using imagery related to mythology, the moon, witches, vampires, and so on.

Indeed, for many, a love of writing naturally comes hand-in-hand with a love of reading. English Literature had always been one of my favourite school subjects and it was in creative writing and literary analyses that I most thrived. I even wanted to pursue my studies of this subject (alongside History) at university, before ultimately opting to pursue another of my life-long passions: languages. In the end, I had no regrets because I knew that I would continue to read and write in my spare time and, as for history, well, I ended up doing a master’s in it anyway!

Unfortunately, whilst I could finish reading a book in the space of a few days, I never managed to finish any of my stories or would-be novels, cursed by my over-active imagination to forever start and re-start stories in the middle of another. This challenge followed me to other contexts, too: at university, I was one of those few people who could never stay under the word limit during essay writing. Even now, as a journalist reporting the facts, I often struggle to keep my articles concise. But I’ve come to accept this as part of who I am and I don’t believe this attention-to-detail has been detrimental to the quality of my writing. And hey, who knows? Maybe one of these days I’ll finally fill up one of my hundreds of pretty notebooks with the next bestseller – or at the very least just finish a story for once! In the meantime, I’m committed to keeping up my writing skills through my blog and my career as a journalist, writing articles and the odd opinion piece (see Chronicle.lu for some of my latest pieces). I’m also setting myself the challenge of regularly reading (and indeed sketching) again in the hopes of getting those dormant creative juices flowing once more. In fact, my boyfriend and I will be driving back to Ireland in the near future on a mission to recover my dusty old book collection…

Personally, I feel that as we get older and take on new responsibilities (studies, working, family commitments, etc), it can seem like we have less time for our hobbies and passions. But where’s the joy in living if we can’t do the things we love? So, if there’s an old hobby you’ve hidden away in recent years, even if it now seems childish or pointless to others, why not make an effort to slowly get back into it? Dig out those old Lego bricks or colouring pencils and get lost in old passions!

Now, you may be thinking that’s not something to complain about and I assure you me, myself and my itchy feet are very excited about these trips. But travel ain’t free. Sure, I’ve always been an advocate of and even lived by the quote in the title of this post and I’ve always managed to travel on a budget, but for years now, and especially during my bachelor when I travelled a looot more often, people have been asking me how I could afford to travel so much. The truth is I actually can’t, not really. I’m a student from a low-income family living in one of the most expensive countries in the world receiving zero financial assistance (no more student loans like the good old Bachelor days) and working as much as I can to earn enough to survive in Luxembourg. I’m not looking for sympathy here and I’m well aware that it was my own decision to move to Luxembourg (a decision I do not for one second regret) and my own choice to travel, but there’s a reason I haven’t been booking those Ryanair flights as much as I used to and probably still shouldn’t be: I need a dollar, a dollar is what I need.

And yet, I am constantly faced with a paradox: travel and worry over a lack of money or sacrifice those trips and be able to at least survive each month until pay day. But surviving is not living and the truth is, whether I travel or not, I don’t seem to get any richer. So whilst the saying “Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer” may not tell the whole truth, I guess I’d rather be broke in Copenhagen for a weekend than broke sitting at home all day! PS I’m aware of the metaphorical meaning behind the expression but it’s worth recognising the sacrifices that sometimes need to be made in order to live by those words.

Sure, travel has become much more accessible than in previous years, but even budget travel is still a luxury that not everyone is so lucky to enjoy. I, for one, am perfectly aware of my privileged position as someone who has been able to explore beyond my birth country and I think it’s important for those of us who have had this privelege to remember just how lucky we are. In this regard, one need only look at some (of course not all) of those people who voted for Brexit two summers ago. Whilst I wholeheartedly disagree with their decision, a part of me can’t help but wonder that if some of those voters who had never travelled outside of Britain and thus failed to experience one of the greatest benefits of EU membership had seen more of Europe or even the world, then the outcome may have been different.

Anyway, moving away from politics, I’m off next weekend for the most budget-friendly Copenhagen experience possible (hopefully it is possible)… So, wish me luck and I’ll be sure to offer some tips when I return!

*I’m also working on a blog post on my US adventure so watch this space.

On a sidenote, it seems both apt and ironic that I’m posting this on 4th of July, the US’s Independence Day, when America doesn’t feature on this list. However, this August I will be making my frst trip to the US of A and will have more material then! In the meantime, happy 4th of July US friends and if you’re ever in Europe, maybe you’ll get the chance to see some of the firework mastery the Old Continent has to offer…

5. La Mercè (Barcelona)

Anyone who’s read my previous post “Fiesta, siesta, cerveza: Spanish Festivals”
will know that Spain has a myriad of festivals throughout the year and everywhere from its biggest cities to smallest villages. One of the most impressive for me – and indeed my first Spanish festival – was the La Mercè celebrations in Barcelona. It was the beginning of my Erasmus in Spain and my friend and I hadn’t even realised there was a festival happening (rookie mistake) when we chose to take a BlahBlah car from hell – looong story – to the Catalan capital in September 2014. This somehow made it even more exciting as we stepped straight into Barcelona’s largest, craziest street party! The annual festival, which marks the end of Summer, pays tribute to the city’s patron saint Mercè. As well as a beautiful firework display on the beach, festivities include a parade of giant wooden figures, traditional dances, human pyramids and beach concerts.

4. Disney Dreams (Disneyland Paris), Bastille Day (Paris) & Musical Fountains Show (Versailles)

Having spent a Summer (2014) working in Disneyland Paris, it would be rude not to emphasise the splendor of Disney Dreams, the amusement park’s firework show taking place each evening before closing. As an employee, I must have seen the display dozens of times and yet each time, I was left with goosebumps. But Disney Dreams isn’t even just fireworks, it’s an illumination show with lights and projections of our favourite Disney characters talking and singing with one another against the backdrop of the magnificent Sleeping Beauty castle. Magical. There’s no other word that sums the experience up better! And for anyone who still believes Disneyland is only for kids, my parents, friends and I can argue otherwise – although we may just be big kids at heart. The only downside is that there are a lot of children on shoulders blocking the view at times and, worst of all, way too many phones in the air – I love making memories, but when all I can see of the show is on the phone screens of adults who should know better, it gets a bit frustrating. Tip: get there early to find a good spot at the front. PS depending on the season, Disney Dreams is called differently and the content changes slightly, for example, with a Christmas or Halloween theme, but each time is amazing.

Of course, no Summer in Paris would be complete without experiencing France’s National Day, Bastille Day. Every 14th of July, the Parisian sky comes ablaze with a glittering array of fireworks, allowing the French capital to truly live up to its name as City of Lights. Unsurprisingly, one of the best spots to see the fireworks is against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower, although they’re beautiful wherever you are in the centre of Paris.

Another show to consider seeing this (or any) is the Musical Fountains show in the nearby city of Versailles. The show sees the gardens of the charming Château de Versailles come alive with music during summertime, while its fountains are illuminated in different colours. In addition, every Summer Saturday evening, the show ends with a beautiful firework display against the fairytale backdrop of this lovely old castle.

3. Kölner Lichter (Cologne) 

Every year in mid-July, Germany’s 4th largest city hosts one of the country’s biggest and most impressive music and fireworks show, the Kölner Lichter, or Cologne Lights. The theme changes each year, from that of ‘love’ in 2015 – the one I got to experience – to this Summer’s ‘Paintings’ (21st July 2018) but each time, the show drenches the city in magical colours and light. During the day, food and drinks are served and the many, many spectators can enjoy live performances by the lovely river Rhine. At night, watching the fireworks over the river against the backdrop of the Cologne Cathedral is breathtaking. And yet, surprisingly, the event is still relatively unknown outside of Germany… for now.

2. Las Fallas (Valencia)

Another Spanish city on the list should come as no surprise since I already mentioned how many festivals the country has. Arguably the best festival Spain has to offers, Las Fallas takes place every year between 15th-19th March, which just happens to coincide with my birthday/birthweek – needless to say I may be biased since celebrating my 21st birthday in Valencia during one of Spain’s biggest parties was simply incredible! Anyway, Las Fallas features four days of non-stop festivities, in honour of Saint Joseph – the amount of Spanish festivals is indeed due to just how many saints they celebrate and luckily for us there’s more than enough of them! The main highlight of the event is the contest between huge paper-machier floats (falles) which residents spend months making. The many floats, spread all over the city, are later set on fire before that year’s chosen winner is burnt down on the final night of celebrations. Regarding fireworks, Las Fallas took things to a whole other level. I was literally dumbstruck at how colourful, dynamic and diverse the display was as the entire city sparkled against the night sky. Be warned though, there is a loooot of smoke and more noise than I’ve ever heard – even for Spain (*stereotypical joke*) and you’ll be surprised at the number of young kids are just casually running around with fireworks of their own. All in all an unforgettable and unmissable experience for anyone looking for good fireworks or just an incredible party in Europe.

1. Luxembourg National Holiday (Luxembourg City)

Again, I may be slightly biased because Luxembourg has been my home for the past two years, but the Luxembourg National Day fireworks display tops this list without a doubt. Luxembourg certainly takes its Grand Duke’s birthday (23rd June) seriously, spending a whopping  €5 mill. or so on fireworks on the eve of the event. It may only last some 20 minutes, but the stunning colours and shapes exploding in the sky from an astonishing 26,000+ rockets against the backdrop of the Adolphe Bridge, the Golden Lady or any part of the the fairytale-esque Luxembourgish capital, paired with synchronised music, is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. It’s also the one day of the year when pretty much the whole of this small, generally quite empty country come together to fill the streets of Luxembourg City. An amazing atmosphere found in this charming little country at the heart of Europe, which may not be the first place to come to mind for huge celebrations and firework shows.

Of course, there are many other places in Europe with amazing firework displays, the obvious ones being Edinburgh and London on New Year’s Eve, but these are my own personal favourites. Hopefully some day you’ll all get the chance to experience at least one or two of them, if you haven’t already. In any case, let me know where your favourite spot is for watching fireworks, in Europe or anywhere else, and I’ll be sure to add them to my “firework bucket list”!

Coming from the Emerald Isle myself (admittedly from the northern part or the “wrong” Ireland as people often joke), one thing I’ve noticed during my travels is that we are everywhere. And I’m not just talking about Irish pubs which dot pretty much every corner of the earth. No, I mean you can find Irish people, from all parts, in the most random places, and you’ll nearly always have at least one friend or acquaintance in common. Luxembourg is certainly no exception: I’ve met Irish expats who moved away from their small country to this even tinier place 20+ years ago with the intention of working one or two years and who ended up never leaving, young Irish migrants pursuing their dreams in one of Luxembourg’s many banks and EU institutions, and even a fellow Northern Irish girl studying her Master at the University of Luxembourg, just like me.

I will admit that I never actively sought out the Irish expat community in Luxembourg, nor did I do so when I lived in Madrid, since I prefer, at least when first arriving in a new country, to get to know the locals as well as other international people not from my country. I also didn’t even know just how many Irish people were living in Luxembourg. And yet, the Irish have a way of always finding each other – maybe its our good ol’ luck of the Irish, our evident lack of Vitamin D or an aura of loving the craic (good fun, nothing to do with drugs).

Whether you’re Irish or not, whether you love or hate meeting your compatriots, here are some of the many Irish-inspired events Luxembourg has to offer:

St Patrick’s Day 

The obvious one. Sure, it’s not as good as the celebrations back home or, presumably, in certain parts of the US, but St Patrick’s Day

in Luxembourg is still great craic with people from all walks of Luxembourgish life, locals and expats, dressing up in green and drinking a pint (normally several) of the Black Stuff in one of the many Irish pubs or other clubs in Clausen in the capital. Awkwardly enough, this year I spent the evening drinking gin and shots rather than Guinness or green beer (see photographic evidence below). In any case, isn’t it just incredible that one of our national traditions is celebrated in so many parts of Europe and the world? Plus, I love this holiday even more because it’s just two days after my birthday, so it forms part of my annual birthday week celebrations! Sláinte!

Rose of Tralee

For those of you who don’t know, the Rose of Tralee is an international festival in which young women with Irish roots but from across the globe showcase their talents to be crowned the Rose. Coming from the island of Ireland, I of course knew what this competition was about, but it was not until recently when I attended and reported on this year’s Luxembourg Roses Ball that I realised “across the globe” included Luxembourg. In any case, it was a worthwhile and exciting evening with four Ireland-native ladies demonstrating the best qualities of what it is to be a modern Irish lass abroad and what they loved about their new home as well as missed about their homeland. The most relatable part was probably when one of the contestants claimed that the weather in Luxembourg was one of its strongpoints- seriously though, this country is practically Spain compared to Ireland.

British & Irish Film Festival

Taking place each September, the British and Irish Film Season offers screenings of various films from the British Isles, mainly from indepent film-making companies. The festival director (my boss from Dublin- told you we’re everywhere) also organises film screenings during the week of St Patrick’s, such as the most recent one I watched Maze, an interesting take – in Northern Ireland – on the IRA Maze Prison escape of September 1983.

Zeltik Festival

Last year I had the chance of attending Luxembourg’s annual Zeltik festival, a celebration of Celtic music. As well as Irish-sounding tunes, bands played music inspired by the sounds of Scotland, Brittany and Wales, often mixed with influences from as far away as Mexico. Taking part that year were seven bands including the awe-inspiring Red Hot Chilli Pipers, a Scottish rock bagpipe band – and yes, that is as cool as it sounds. Whilst not strictly Irish, the festival offers a pretty cool, modern take on Celtic tradition and even those who aren’t necessarily fans of Celtic music – myself included – can enjoy the atmosphere and beats that won’t fail to get you moving.

Other Irish-Luxembourg Charms

Luxembourg is also home to several Irish sports and language associations such as the Luxembourg GAA Club, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Luxembourg, which promotes the Gaelic language through various musical and cultural events and  Cumann Gaelach Lucsamburg, which organises regular Irish language tandems. There are also Irish dance classes and performances and a wide range of events organised throughout the year by the Irish Club of Luxembourg. And, for your over-priced but sometimes necessary fix of Irish foodstuffs, the Eirelux grocery shop is only a bus ride away. Oh, and don’t forget the Irish pubs! Some of the best are The Pyg – the first pub I found beyond Ireland where the Guinness actually tastes like it does back home – and the aptly named The Black Stuff.

So there we have it. Who knew Luxembourg would not only be my second home, but that it would also have a little bit (actually a lot) of my homeland in it?

~ Speaking of Ireland and getting all political, I’m hoping my countrymen will be voting to #RepealThe8th on 25th May 2018! ~

What do you usually picture when someone says they’re going on holiday? Maybe sunny Spain or the south of France, skiing in the alps, or maybe even Miami or Thailand… Personally, I normally don’t associate “going on holiday” with staying in my own country, especially when that country has as bad weather as Northern Ireland does pretty much all year round. Indeed, every chance I got back home, I would book flights somewhere, anywhere else and it never really crossed my mind to explore the UK or Ireland until I realised that my Luxembourgish boyfriend Mich and several non-British/non-Irish friends had seen more of my homeland than I ever had!

So this summer, ashamed of considering myself a travel fanatic without having seen much of my own country, Mich and I did a one-month road trip around the UK and Ireland, stopping off along the way to see my family in Northern Ireland. Whilst we didn’t see everywhere in the British Isles, we did manage to explore a fair bit of both Britain, NI and Ireland, with Mich driving a total of over 8,000km- and all the while having to adjust to the opposite side of the road, some signs exclusively in Gaelic, some very, very heavy rain and a burnt fuse…

Also, despite the title poking humour at the current Brexit situation and me bringing a Luxembourger back home with me, you’ve probably realised by now that this post is more about the beauty of the UK and, of course, Ireland, rather than about bashing Britain- sorry to disappoint.

Anyway, below I’ve listed some of the top places we visited along our UK-Ireland summer 2017 roadtrip, mostly focusing on the lesser known spots and hidden gems for anyone considering either visiting the historically and culturally rich countries of Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.

Highlights

Imperial War Museum (IMW, London)- for two history students with a passion for military history, the IMW was heaven. Each floor had a different theme and the area on the First World War was genuinely the most impressive either of us had seen in any museum- and that’s speaking not only as history nerds but as museum tour guides! As well as other sections on WWII, espionnage and the current conflicts in which the UK is engaged, there was a section dedicated to the Trouble in Northern Ireland, which particulary interested me and was surprisingly neutral.

London’s Museums in general- IMW, British Museum, Science Museum, Museum of Natural History… There’s something for everyone.

Nottingham- As well as its links with the famous thief-hero Robin Hood, Nottingham is a beautiful, fun and perhaps underrated British city. From cat cafés and a city of caves to Robin Hood-themed trails, exhibitions and an annual family-friendly festival in Sherwood Forest- which was nice even if we were the only couple without kids there- the small but charming Nottingham should be on any UK trip itinerary, even for just one day.

Peak District- In an unplanned stop on the way from Nottingham to Liverpool, we decided to explore the “Heights of Abraham”, nestled away in England’s lovely Peak District. The detour did not disappoint. After taking in the scenery in a cute cable car up through the hills, we were greeted with even more breathtaking views in a country park reminiscent of Hobbit Land. Walking a little further, we climbed the top of Prospect Tower to take in the views of the district before exploring the caverns with a guided tour.

Beatles Museum- I’m not going to lie, I’m not even a big Beatles fan (cue shock horror), but any trip to the superstar band’s hometown would not be complete without visiting the Beatles Museum. The museum chronicles the Beatles’ iconic careers from start to finish through a series of interactive rooms, ending with an area dedicated to John Lennon. It’s well worth seeing for fans and non-fans alike.

Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge- Originally we wanted to stop in the Isle of Mann on the way from England to NI, but these plans were thwarted by a super expensive ferry ride with the car. Instead, after taking a different ferry for 8 hours, we arrived in my homeland from Liverpool. Now, as someone from NI, I could go on and on about all the cute albeit sometimes controversial little country has to offer, but I’ll stick to just a couple unmissables here. Number one on my list is the Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge. Of course, you have to check out the impressive Giant’s Causeway when driving along the famous touristic Causeway Coastal Route, but after that, I would definitely recommend not missing out on crossing the rope bridge or, for those scared of heights, just taking in the views the breathtaking area of blue waters and green hills has to offer. One tip is to go very early, as the bridge’s growing popularity with tourists means it can actually sell out pretty quickly!

Dark Hedges- Game of Thrones fans will recognise NI for its film locations used in the HBO series, particularly for the Winterfell settings. Perhaps the most impressive of them all are the Dark Hedges located not too far from Carrick-a-rede and the Giants Causeway although a little tricky to find at times. It’s best to go here by car but there are also numerous tour buses going here regularly, so there’s no excuse to miss it!

Slieve League- Moving along to the Republic of Ireland, or as we sometimes call it in NI the “south” of Ireland- despite the most northern part of the island belonging to the “south”!- one of the first stops, in Donegal, was arguably the highlight of the trip. Exploring the Slieve League cliffs, we were treated with genuinely breathtaking beauty, surrounded by the deep sapphire blue waters and sheep grazing the emerald green grassy hills. And all this for free! Personally, I would say a visit to Slieve League is more worthwhile than the impressive but more touristic Cliffs of Moher.

Oban- Whilst I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to visit the small seaside town of Oban in Western Scotland, it is certainly worth stopping if nearby. Friendly people, a lovely seaside harbour lined with boats, and super yummy seafood meant the lesser known Scottish village made this list of highlights! I would recommend stopping for a bite to eat at the Cuan Mor restaurant- great local cider, seafood and veggie burgers, plus nice staff.

Devil’s Pulpit (Finnich Glen)- Up there with Slieve League as one of the best parts of the trip was the visit to the magical jungle-like Devil’s Pulpit. Just a 30-minute drive from Glasgow makes it sound easy to get to this gem, however it is pretty hidden and requires a lot of dirt trekking when you do find the way, so bring good strong walking shoes and clothes you won’t mind getting muddy- I had to wash my trainers in a creek after stepping in a huge mud puddle and they still smell after another wash in the washing machine! The scenery was well worth it though, as well as the steep climb down the hill into the 100ft deep gorge- once you finally make it, it’s like something straight out of Tarzan or The Jungle Book! It can be quite dangerous in some parts though, so it’s worth treading carefully.

Highlands- Similarly stunning scenery to Ireland’s west coast, especially the Ring of Kerry, can be found in the impressive famous Scottish Highlands. If travelling to the UK or Scotland by car, it is a must to drive through the hilly roads which are mostly empty but for a few sheep. There’s plenty of castles along the way, although we only had time to visit the ruins of the medieval Eilean Donan and Urquhart Castles, the second of which is lovely but full of tourists. We also took the chance to go right up to the most northern point of Scotland/mainland Britain, Dunnet Head, and drove through a town called Tongue, which is part of “MacKay Country” from where my dad’s clan must have originated!

Edinburgh- Even after three trips to the Scottish capital, I would not turn down another opportunity to visit Edinburgh’s beautiful old city and castle. This time, we went during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which is the biggest arts festival in the world, when the city really came to life like I’d never seen it before.

Snowdonia National Park- With not much time left but not wanting to completely miss Wales, we spent a full day in Snowdonia National Park. I would recommend taking the cute little Ffestiniog steam trains through the park’s beautiful and dramatic scenery. There’s also the Welsh Highland railway that goes through Snowdon mountain.

Bath- Having heard of the beauty of Bath, we weren’t leaving the UK without making room for a day trip to this historic English city. Whilst one day is not quite enough to see all of the architectural beauty of Bath, it was enough to visit the Roman Baths and other Roman ruins around the city before eating an ice cream outside the cathedral, going to the cinema and having our first cheeky Nandos date- Mich’s first ever Nando’s!

Full itinerary:

Luxembourg – Calais – Dover – London – Coventry Cathedral -Nottingham – Sherwood Forest – Peak District – Liverpool – Belfast – Newcastle – Causeway Coastal Route – Giant’s Causeway – Ballycastle – Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge – Dark Hedges – Malin Head (the most northern part of Ireland- funny because it’s not even part of Northern Ireland!) and Slieve League – West Coast – Glencar Waterfall – Sligo – Connemara National Park – Galway – Cliffs of Moher – Portroe Quarry (the Facebook famous one which despite how it looks in pictures, is not abandoned; it’s an actual quarry for divers, but for a small fee you can convince them to let you visit! Oh, and there’s a friendly cat on site) – Tipperary – Rock of Cashel – Dingle – Ring of Kerry – Mizen Head (the most southern point of Ireland, although there was so much fog we could see absolutely nothing) – Youghal – Clonmacnoise – Slieve Gullion Forest Park – Larne – Cairnryan – Troon (cute seaside town from where my Scottish roots stem) – Glasgow – the Devil’s Pulpit – Falkirk Wheel – Stirling Castle – Loch Lomand – Oban – Glencoe – Fortwilliam – Glenfinnan Viaduct (Harry Potter) – Eilean Donan Castle – Urquhart Castle – Loch Ness (no monster sightings unfortunately) – John O’Groats – Dunnet Head – Tongue – Edinburgh – Bastle house (Black Middens; where the Scottish and English raiders attacked border areas) – Temple of Mithras – Corbridge Roman Town – Hadrian’s Wall – Snowdonia National Park – Bath – Dover – Calais – Luxembourg

We skipped Dublin since both of us had been there before and we preferred to take the more scenic routes.

Places we didn’t go but I’d been to previously and would recommend:

Crawfordsburn Country Park, Cave Hill, Marble Arch Caves Fermanagh

Places we didn’t have time for, this time:

Manchester, Isle of Mann, Rathlin Island, Wicklow Mountains, Isle of Staffa, Isle of Skye, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Stonehenge, Cornwall

Places we need to see again, with better weather:

Slieve Gullion Forest Park and Mizen Head

Useful sites and apps:

• Uber for transport
• Airbnb for accommodation. Normally I use hostels or couchsurfing, but for couples Airbnb is a nice, cheaper alternative to hotels. Ireland wins Airbnb due to its villas with huge breakfasts! However, the Republic loses points due to wifi and difficult-to-find addresses in the more rural areas.
• Groupon for super deals on food, drinks, service, etc.

Pros of a British-Irish Trip

-Beautiful nature landscapes: on a rare sunny day, you will be amazed by the glossy green grass and mountains and bright blue sky and sea, on a more common rainy day you will be intrigued by the ominous, immense grey cliffs, skies and seas. On a foggy day, you’ll probably see nothing.

-Lots of sheep, as well as cows, horses, a few donkeys…

-Diverse food- okay, so British/Irish food doesn’t always get the best rep, BUT we have some pretty damn good traditional dishes such as Irish stew, steak and kidney/guinness pies, and the hearty English/Irish Breakfast or Ulster Fry. We also have a huge range of foods from different countries; I would especially recommend England (Birmingham and Nottingham, in particular) for Indian food lovers!

-Generally friendly and helpful people, even in London… mostly!

-We have Nandos. Enough said.

-Oh, and Scotland’s incredible castles make it the King of Castles in the British Isles.

Cons

-Unpredictable weather all-year-round: always prepare for rain no matter the season, because you never know when it will hit, even if there’s a cloudless blue sky.

-GBP can be quite expensive but now with the drop in value following Brexit (*cries*) Europeans and other non-Brits will find better value for their money than before.

-Strong, diverse accents. Don’t expect everyone to speak like the Queen, because you’ll get quite a shock!

-Narrow country roads and cows and sheep getting in the way…

So if you’re up for braving the bad weather, diverse but sometimes difficult accents and a few delays caused by animals taking over the roads, you’ll be rewarded with stunning landscapes, friendly and welcoming people (mostly) and centuries of history and culture on any trip to the United Kingdom and Ireland. What are you waiting for?

In light of some significant events, namely the UK’s triggering of Article 50, the 30th anniversary of the Erasmus programme and the 60th anniversary of the Rome Treaties, I could not resist writing an entire post dedicated to the EU and all that it has offered and, thanks to an Irish passport, continues to offer me.

Those of you who know me even slightly should be well aware that I am a huge Europhile. I love the European Union and I love Europe, in general. I love our shared history and also our differences, the huge array of languages spread over one of the smallest continents in the world, the stereotypes we have of each other and which we work to overcome by learning more about one another. Therefore, it goes without saying that Brexit continues to devastate me, although on a somewhat positive note, this is a truly interesting time to study European History, especially at the heart of the EU, in a country that seems so far removed from the Euroskeptism which has been prominent in the UK these past months.

Erasmus+ and the EU: 30 Years of Student Mobility and 60+ Years of Peace 

One of the experiences which has perhaps most shaped who I am today is my participation in the Erasmus+ programme. I truly hope that an agreement can be made between the EU and the UK so that future generations, such as my brother and sisters, can get the same opportunity to live in another country, meet people from all over Europe and beyond, and experience a culture which is at once familiar but foreign to our own.

To briefly explain what Erasmus+ is about, the programme was set up in 1987 as a platform for student mobility between the EU member states. It has since grown to encompass several other countries across Europe and the world. Students and professionals have the opportunity to live and work/study in another country for a period of time, and get paid by the EU to do so! As part of my undergraduate Modern Languages studies, it was compulsory to spend at least 9 months in a French- or Spanish-speaking country. I was extremely lucky in this respect, as other programmes only offered it as an option and places are, understandably, highly competitive.

Luxembourg, on the other hand, has made it obligatory for all of its bachelor students to spend at least one semester abroad, thus enabling all of its students a truly international experience. In terms of my international Luxembourg experience, I’m currently helping out with the ESN Luxembourg organisation in an attempt to both relive my own Erasmus in Madrid and help build up the relatively new branch to offer students the full international experience in the Grand Duchy. For those of you who have not yet heard of ESN (Erasmus Student Network), it is a non-profit international student organisation which organises events for Erasmus and other international as well as local students. If you are still in uni, I fully recommend getting involved or looking into setting up your own branch if your uni doesn’t yet have one.

I should add that whilst there are other exchange programmes for non-EU students and professionals, such as the US Fullbright Programme or Brazil’s Science without Borders programme, and I’ve made friends through both, as well. However, Erasmus is closest to my heart because I lived it and I witnessed firsthand what an amazing opportunity it is. My parents and grandparents could never have dreamed of such a thing- to be paid to live in another European country for a period of time.

Luxembourg and my Future IN the EU

Indeed I’m not sure if I would be in Luxembourg today if it weren’t for my Erasmus in Spain, nor is it so likely that I would have dated and become close friends with non-Irish/Northern Irish people if it weren’t for my time abroad. Erasmus trained me for life and allowed me to see that I can survive, and even thrive, on my own outside of my home country! 

Now, especially in light of Brexit, as both an Irish and British migrant living in Luxembourg, I plan to stay and one day make my life, hopefully working for the European institutions, in my new country, and I’m so thankful for my EU citizenship which has made this so much easier to do. I’ve had the chance to work in France and study in Spain and I now look forward to completing my studies in European History, which seems more important and interesting than ever before, and I’m even participating in the University of Florence’s “28 Ideas from the Erasmus Generation” conference as part of the 30th anniversary of Erasmus+ with a fellow student from the University of Luxembourg. My boyfriend is Luxembourgish and some of my closest friends are French, Spanish, Polish, German, Romanian… These are all things which have been made possible, or at least more achievable, by my being a part of the larger European integration project, and are things I will never take for granted, especially now that Article 50 threatens to tear such luxuries away from the British people.

Finally, to appease the critics who claim that the EU is far from perfect. I do not disagree with you, it does have its flaws. But there aren’t many international projects which have achieved six decades of peace across an entire continent- and which has immensely helped speed up the NI peace process- or offered as much to its citizens as the EU has. Similarly, going on Erasmus isn’t perfect. You will most likely have trouble with admin, get homesick at some point, start complaining about how different your new temporary home is, and you will sometimes fail miserably communicating in your new language, but it’s worth it. Just look at the experiences and friends and, dare I say it, life skills, you take away from living in another country, an unfamiliar world which seems so close but also so different to your home country- Europe is, after all, “United in diversity”.

And to all my fellow Brits out there and my friends back home in NI who voted ‘remain’ last summer, WE are European, and no piece of paper can take our identity away from us.

It may sound cheesy but ever since I was little and my parents drove me past Queen’s University Belfast in the car one day, I knew I wanted to go to university. Then, around the age of 15 when doing my GCSEs this ambition was seriously challenged when I became ill with anxiety, depression and anorexia. I had always been smart, but then again I’d always been a perfectionist and the pressure I was putting myself under got so much that I had to leave school for a few months right before sitting what was considered the most important exams of my life. All hopes of me going to uni seemed to vanish. However, with the support of my family, especially my mum, as well as my doctor and some teachers, but- and this may sound arrogant but I don’t care- mainly due to my determination, I overcame these issues to not only sit my GCSEs, but to achieve top grades in them. I moved schools after that for a new start and to sit my A-levels before finally making it to the university which first made me consider further education, Queen’s.

As someone who was only ever academically engaged in school, that is I was never really interested in extracurricular activities, university was where I really found myself and got involved with as many new things as possible. Now looking back on the 4 years of my bachelor, I can say I tried everything I wanted to and regret nothing, so here are my tips for living student life to the full:

Freshers’ Fair (for anyone unfamiliar with the term “Fresher”, it’s what we, at least in the UK, call first year students at uni)

Oh the infamous Freshers’ Week. Party, party, party, right? Right, but there’s another important event that happens during Freshers’ Week at the beginning of the semester: the Freshers’ Fair. This typically involves different stands for various clubs and societies at the university as well as lots of freebies from pizza and sweets to keyrings and pens- don’t bother stocking up on pens before you arrive, you can get everything you need here! The clubs on offer at the fair vary from uni to uni and sometimes from year to year but there’s normally something for everyone- and if there’s not, you can set your own up! Personally, I went a bit crazy every year and signed up to just about everything from cheerleading, fencing and ultimate frisbee to the History and Afr0-Carribean societies and Sexpression (for sexual health awareness on campus). I tried all the clubs that I joined at least once- and not just because most charge a small joining fee- to see which suited me best. Whilst I don’t recommend following my example of throwing your student loan money at every stand you see, Freshers’ Fair is a great way to get to know what’s on offer at uni and to try something new that you might end up loving! In the end, I only stuck with the societies related to my course but ended up being Vice- and Co-President of the French and Spanish societies respectively which was a lot of fun. Now as a Masters student in Luxembourg, I’m involved in debating and the history society. Remember: extracurricular activities are fun and look great on your CV so it’s a win-win.

Extra tip: I recommend joining your uni’s medical or law associations because they tend to have, in my experience at least, some of the best events sponsored by big companies and, perhaps surprisingly considering the amount of work their degrees entail, tend to be the craziest people you’ll meet at uni, which isn’t a bad thing.

School/Course Rep./Ambassador/Student Council

Call me the big nerd that I am, but I was constantly putting myself forward to be a course representative and to help out promoting the university and my course at Open Days. I ended up not only representing my classmates at meetings- which were more interesting than it sounds- but also by becoming the School Rep. in my final year, I had the chance to represent the department of Modern Languages at Student Council which gave me insight into a whole other side to university and allowed me to contribute to decisions taken by the university affecting students and staff alike. Finally, by helping out on promotional activities, I got to take part in my very own video talking about my experience at Queen’s. Maybe you don’t want to get as involved as I did, because it really does take up time, but I’d still recommend getting involved in your own student experience. If anything, you get to know your professors better and, again, it looks great on your CV.

Link to video: goo.gl/WA6XIQ

Study Tours

Many universities offer a series of study tours and classes. Personally, I took advantage from extra language classes for German and Arabic (with extremely affordable rates for students) and the Brussels Study Tour which took me to the EU institutions in the Belgian capital and was the deciding factor in me wanting to work in the European Commission one day. Other activities on offer were the IntoManagement and coding for girls programme, which just shows that there’s something for everyone!

Erasmus/Exchange

Going abroad is, without a doubt, the one thing I would recommend anyone to do, student or not. Pretty much every university offers the possibility to study or do a work placement abroad. For my course, it was obligatory to spend an academic year in a French- or Spanish-speaking country, and I’m glad it was! Sure, it can seem scary at first to completely leave your comfort zone, but for most people I know, the time they spent living and studying/working abroad was the best of their lives so far. Here are just some of the reasons why: learn/improve a language, meet people from across the world, experience a new culture, gain independence and confidence, see new places, the list goes on… (And of course, AGAIN, it looks amazing on your CV…and on your blog ;))

Extra tip: Even at your home university, I’d recommend joining Erasmus groups on Facebook and go to Erasmus or international events- you’ll get to meet new people, maybe even practise a language, and make friends from all over the world!

Student Job

Whilst having fun is an important part of being a student at university, sometimes Student Finance just isn’t enough to fund all that extra fun and travel in your new life. I recommend having a student job during term time which lets you earn extra cash whilst still having time for studies and a social life. Check out your university job site if it has one. Make sure to make the most of the holidays too with a Christmas or Summer job. In my case, as well as working in a bookstore at Christmas, I spent almost every Summer working abroad so I could both earn enough money to live and improve my French and Spanish. For more information, see my posts on Au Pairing in Madrid and working in Disneyland Paris.

STA Travel Ambassador

Possibly one of my favourite jobs, which I found advertised on the uni job site, was being a student ambassador for the travel agency STA Travel as part of Campus Group jobs in final year. Not only did I get paid to blog about and promote something which I love, travel, but the company also offered amazing incentives and competitions for its workers. In fact, I recently won £250 worth of travel vouchers for having the best social media posts when I  had the job! There’s plenty of other student ambassador jobs on offer, as well, and with great pay and flexible working hours, I’d recommend them to any student.

Degree Plus

Not all universities offer extra accreditation for extracurricular activities, but I was lucky enough to get a load of certificates in addition to my degree on graduation day- bonus points!

Having said all that, try not to take on too many commitments, especially during your final year or exam periods- I learnt that the hard way. (And yet, several mental breakdowns later, I have no regrets and continue to multitask to the max.!)

Finally, whilst I have no regrets about going to university, for some people it’s just not for them, and that’s completely fine! Going to university and getting a degree is not a prerequisite for success. In fact, some of the happiest and most successful people I know left school at 16 or 18 and got a job or travelled the world or had families. So, if you’re only considering going to uni because “everyone else is”, please reconsider, because whilst my student days have been the best of my life to date, I am in some serious debt that just wouldn’t be worth it if it hadn’t been something I was 100% sure I wanted to do or was capable of doing.