
Italian Nostalgia: Adventureland
Last week I said what was good about returning to the UK after an extensive Erasmus year in Italy. That’s the good news. Whilst I’ve been preparing for the International Summer School I haven’t had time to catch Post-Erasmus Syndrome yet, but it’s certainly been difficult not to notice the things which are most obviously […]
Wrapping Up Erasmus: Total Recall
Good things come to those who wait. But good things never last, and all good things come to an end. Good things probably do other stuff too. Point is that this is the time of year when Erasmus is starting to end. Some people leave a bit earlier, some people leave a bit later, but […]

European Summer: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
We pray for heat and when it comes it’s just too hot. That’s what I’ve learned here in Italy. It’s the moral of this story. I do recall some hot days in the David Wilson library in Leicester, but nothing quite like this. Where the air turns to carbonara sauce and you have to punch […]
Advice for Next Time: Groundhog Day
People who are doing an Erasmus year abroad come September are actually getting rather close, so it makes sense to write a list of some things I’ve learnt during my own one. They’re in no particular order — or are they? 1) Ask the International Office for the details of the past Erasmus students in […]

Erasmus in Denmark: Cool Runnings
Finally I’m able to talk with experience about Erasmus in a country that isn’t Italy. It only shares a single letter, in fact. That country is Denmark and the city is Copenhagen. Although the School of English doesn’t have links with Københavns Universitet, our School of Law does, and I think that in general the […]
European Weather: Waterworld
This is simply a postcard to say that, yes, the weather is being weird everywhere. We’re not even safe in Italy. Overly warm winter — although it didn’t feel like it — and then overly cold March. Followed by overly rainy April (don’t give me that April Showers baloney). The spring has had several false […]

Incroci di Civiltà: Around the World in Eighty Days
I have a real nice subject to talk about this week, because it draws together English literature and Italian culture. The subject is Incroci di Civiltà, a literature festival held every year in Venice with authors coming from all across the world to be interviewed. Entry requires reservation, but reservation is free. Which is only […]
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