Manchester! Home to some of the UK’s most famous bands and football teams, the industrial revolution and funnily enough, is a city that’s had the worker bee as its symbol for 150 years (according to the council website, it “denotes Mancunians’ hard work ethic and the city being a hive of activity”). After 3 flights, a week’s worth of sightseeing in London and a 2-hour train journey up north, I finally made it to my home for these first 6 months of the year! It’s now been a month since I arrived here in Manchester, and I feel as though I’ve gotten fairly used to this buzzing city and all the wonderful things it holds.
In some ways, it feels like Manchester and Auckland are pretty similar. They’re both fairly big for the northern parts of the country, you can take the 18 into the city centre (and beyond, in the case of Manchester), and of course, the rain seems to adore them both (which did make it a little easier to adjust to going from the warm summer back home to the cold winter – that’s one thing I’ve definitely missed).
However, Manchester is far more walkable than Auckland, there’s no volcanic activity so the city is practically flat, and with public transport being a bit more expensive (it costs 2 pounds per bus ride, but when you take into account you need to double it to get the right amount in NZD, it can add up pretty quick 🙁 ), walking sometimes seems like a more attractive option (and if you like a good walk, there are plenty of lovely spots for one in the surrounding towns)!
A lovely (albeit muddy) walk in New Mills (half an hour by train from Manchester)
Settling into uni has been wonderful, in the first week of semester the Student Union hosted a Refreshers Fair, which was an awesome opportunity to check out all the societies the university hosts (I thought the Escape Room Society was definitely a highlight, and a society fair is also a great place to walk away with lots of free merch)! The following week, a get together was hosted by the uni for all the exchange students and it was a fantastic chance to meet so many people from all over and connect with them!
The University of Manchester at sunset!
In terms of uni classes, I feel as though the learning environments are mostly familiar in terms of size and setup, but there are some significant differences. Most of my lectures are recorded, which is quite handy, as it feels the UK tends to focus more on independent study. Over these past few weeks I’ve encountered plenty of readings and have also found that I’m spending about half the time in classes compared to my previous semester in Auckland.
A view of the Engineering building, I have one class here weekly.
I can’t wait to see what these next few months bring! I look forward to spending more time exploring everything Manchester and its surrounding areas have to show, and I’m excited to share it all with you!