Edinburgh alum and former linguistics student, Catriona MacArthur, had her first taste of living and studying abroad in Utrecht. Going on to live in Japan, Belgium, London then back to Edinburgh. Image Study abroad experience Destination: Utrecht Year: 2007-08 Why did you choose your destination? I knew I wanted to study abroad but I couldn't afford to go outside of Europe and I wasn't able to speak another language. For my course - linguistics - that left me with one option: Utrecht. I remember thinking I'd never heard of Utrecht so how good could it be. I LOVED it! Alles Is Liefde While I was living in Utrecht, a film called 'Alles Is Liefde' (translated as 'Love Is Everywhere') came out in the Netherlands. No jokes, this is like the Dutch equivalent of Love Actually. Based around Sinterklaas, a Christmas-like celebration on 5 December, intertwining stories culminate in heartwarming Christmas feel-good gooeyness. I don't remember where or what led me to see the film but I was a huge fan, particularly of the headline song in the film: Alles Is Liefde, by Dutch rock band BLØF. It's so catchy! I was such a big fan of this one song that I ended up going to a BLØF gig at the end of the year with my Dutch classmate. I remember standing at the front, knowing the words to none of their other songs, and then finally getting the chance to blast out my favourite chorus at the end of the gig: Alles Is Liefde! (Seriously, I recommend listening to this song!). For many years that followed, I'd have my own Sinterklaas celebration on 5 December, gathering my friends together to eat orange food and watch Alles Is Liefde. The song has gained many more fans as a result! Catriona MacArthurUniversity of Edinburgh Alumnus The people who made Utrecht so special I had two flatmates during my time in Utrecht: Ailidh from London and Amaia from the Basque Country. We lived at 135 Baden Powellweg, an IKEA cube apartment which has unsurprisingly since been knocked down. I'd never heard of the Basque Country before meeting Amaia. I didn't know the language was so different from Spanish or, like Scotland, there was a campaign for independence. Amaia taught us how to sing Happy Birthday in Basque. 15 years on since that year abroad, the three of us still leave each other birthday voice notes where we sing happy birthday in Basque. Ailidh and I went to Amaia's Basque wedding in 2012, and Amaia and I will go to Ailidh's wedding in Ireland later this year. These two girls were like my family for one year and the whole experience of getting to know people from different places gave me the taste for living abroad. I went on to live in Japan and Belgium, before moving to London and then back to Edinburgh. Catriona MacArthurUniversity of Edinburgh Alumnus What would you say to a student considering work or study abroad? Do it! The very fact that you're considering it means you've got an inkling that this might be an amazing experience - and you are right! This is an opportunity that won't necessarily come so readily and easily once you're in the working world; make sure you have no regrets. Current opportunities Read about all our current and future opportunities available: Student opportunities Find out more about our summer school opportunities: INCiTE Summer School A 2-week, in-person, part-funded summer course in Southeast Asia learning about intercultural competence, design thinking, social innovation, and entrepreneurship. INCiTE Summer School NICE Programme NICE offers students the opportunity to learn about entrepreneurship and intercultural competence in virtual teams across Europe, followed by a one-week in-person summer school. NICE Programme LERU Doctoral Summer School The League of European Research Universities (LERU) is a consortium of research-led European Universities that has had a significant impact on research policy in Europe. LERU Read other students' study and work abroad stories Student stories This article was published on 2024-06-24
