Hi. I’m Matthew
Pusic, a junior majoring in media studies with a minor in radio. I’m studying
at the University of Hull in Hull, United Kingdom. I live in university housing in the
neighboring village of Cottingham, a short bus ride away from the university. I
share my block with other exchange students from all over the world. Many of us
became friends and that helped make those first few transitional weeks a bit
easier as we all had to get acclimated and had to go through orientation
together. Since getting off the plane, the semester has been full of new
people, places and experiences that have pushed me out of my comfort zone as I
began to adjust and explore.
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| My fellow exchange students and I at Urquhart Castle, Loch Ness. |
Classes were
exhausting at first due to the much longer class periods. Despite that, they
have been fascinating. Part of the reason I chose Hull was because many of the
classes were studies of Hollywood from an international perspective and that
intrigued me. The majority of my classes are studies of Disney and American
animation from Betty Boop and Mickey Mouse to South Park and The Simpsons. I
never thought I’d be watching cartoons for class!
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| My dragon and I in the Vatican of Easter Sunday. |
Over
my first couple of months I mainly explored my host country. Whether it was in
the city center of Hull or a train ride away in Edinburgh, York, or Loch Ness,
the UK has such a vibrant history. Whether it was just the old buildings as I
walked down the old streets or the museums and castles, I tried to take in as
much as I could- and take many pictures too! Recently I have made it to the
continent. I’m currently on spring break and just returned from a week in
Venice and Rome.
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| The canals of Venice. |
As my semester is beginning to wind down, I look forward to doing some more traveling before my return trip home. It has been a challenging yet incredible adventure. I cannot believe that almost four years ago I was writing my application to the honors college to be here. From then to now all I can say is that it was well worth it!
