I went on Erasmus and now can’t stop banging on about how awful it is to be home

Belfast is depressing, admit it

belfast Erasmus qub

I’m fresh off the plane from Vienna and back for a final semester at QUB with less a bang and more of cry of despair.

Excuse the giant cliché but it really was a brilliant experience and coming back to cold, wet Belfast has been horrific.

Once you see all the friends and family you missed the fun part of being home disappears and reality bites and you realise you’re back to classes in the PFC followed by sessions in the McClay.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I disagree.

My main bone to pick with Belfast is it’s public transport. There may be approx. 23455 buses a day going from the hellhole that is the Europa bus station but you’re lucky if they’re ever on time.

In Austria it was a 6 hour train journey from Budapest, Prague, Munich and other huge cities. Buses ran through the night too which cut out having to pay for taxis.

A student could pay €150 for 6 months limitless train and bus journeys, and who doesn’t love being drunk on public transport? Not me.

Things are more fun on the underground

Fashion wise Belfast has yet to strike a happy medium between the day time homeless beggar look and super models on a night out styles.

A Portuguese pal admired my “casual” (Canterbury’s and a hoody) style because he was tired of seeing girls with “perfect hair and clothing” like the ones at his home university. He meant it as a compliment but from then on it was jeans in class.

On a night out girls wouldn’t dream of wearing eye shadow or heels,a dream because apparently nights out don’t have to end in crippling pain and the next morning doesn’t have to start with scrubbing eyeliner off before your 10am class.

What’s the best part of fashion on the continent? Not a pair of skinny tracksuit bottoms in sight.

Hat with a feather is optional with your drindl or lederhosen

After spending a significant time away from places like El Divino,Limelight  and Box it became clear how awkward dancers, fire breathers and queue skips isn’t necessary in the slightest.

A big bar, a bigger dance floor and a  decent DJ and you’re good to go, give the PR ladies a night off for the love of God.

Foreigners love raves in caves

Yeah, Belfast has gotten a hell of a lot better, and it’s hard not to love our little slice of soil- our high levels of international students and the fact we’re the happiest place in the UK proves this.

But remember kids, there’s a whole big wide world out there.

And let’s be honest, coming back to QUB after seeing some more of it is just a bit of a let down.

No fleg protests going on around Budapests Houses of Parliament