I've only been at Queen's University Belfast for over a month, but I am enjoying my time here. It was easy to make friends with those on my floor as we have a communal kitchen to talk and hang out in. Everyone on my floor are international students that are also only staying in Belfast for a semester. I've also made friends with local students in my classes and they're all very nice. Sometimes I get confused with certain words or slang they use, but after a while I catch on or they explain it to me.
In terms of restaurants there's lots of places to eat around the university. They have the classic fish and chips, but I've become a big fan of potato bread and their breakfast bap (sandwich with bacon, egg, cheese, sausage). There's one street ten minutes walking from the school that has Chinese restaurants and small Asian grocery stores. I go there whenever I'm craving food from home like dumplings, rice, and red bean buns. The Student Union also has a pantry where you can get free products like rice, cereals, grains and even toilet paper and tampons.
It's a 15-20 minute walk from the student village to the school, but 40 minutes if you want to walk to the city center. Many students take trips to nearby cities like Edinburgh (which is lovely although very touristy) and Dublin (which I have yet to visit). I recently visited Derry/Londonderry and it was great because I got to see the Derry Girls mural. Derry is really big on Halloween and they have a festival that lasts for three or four days. If you plan on traveling to other countries from Belfast, it will be more expensive than if you studied abroad in London, because there's not as many direct flights.
Katie Huang
Fall 2023
GW Exchange - Queen University Belfast
Elliott School of International Affairs
International Affairs Major