Life as a Gator

Hello!

My name is Hania Piotrowska and I am currently studying at the University of Florida. I have been here 9 weeks which is crazy when you think about it as it doesn't feel that long. Campus is a lot larger than Nottingham, we have a football stadium which seats over 90,000 people, a basketball/volleyball court, numerous pools and gyms, a golf course and actual alligators! I thought this was just a myth that alligators would be on campus but you can easily stand about 10 metres away from a gator in a pond on campus - surreal moment!

International students have the option to stay in an international hall (Weaver Hall) where you usually share a room with an American (or if you are lucky, a single room). This is a great way to immerse yourself with other international students ranging from Vietnamese to Polish to Brazilian. Also another advantage is that Weaver is on campus so you are in walking distance of most things.

UF also has a group called Navigators. This is a group designed for international students where you get paired up with an American in a buddy system. They put on trips and so far I have been to Universal Studios with them, tubing at Ginnie Springs, Lake Wauburg and I will be going paintballing with them this Sunday. This is another fantastic way to meet more people.

Apart from all this fun I seem to be having, I have also had to knuckle down and study. The system is very different from Nottingham. Here you have monthly assessments/exams unlike Nottingham where you have all the work at the end of the term. Depending on what modules you pick it can be a lot of work and at first it seemed very overwhelming but as long as I stay on top of it all then it is fine. Plus, I have still found time to enjoy Gainesville's nightlife and travel at weekends which has already provided lots of fun moments and I am sure will provide many more!

Go Gators!