By Gurjot Kang
Reporter
Over the past three months, the city of London was my school and the little West London district of Eastcote was my home.
I remember the first day I arrived in London after a nine-hour flight, back on Sept. 1st. I was jet-lagged and nervous to meet my British Indian homestay family, the Patels, who I’d be spending the next 15 weeks with. When they mentioned later that evening that I should get a few warm jumpers for the upcoming fall season, I humorously thought they were referring to overalls, not sweaters.
“Jumper” was just one of many British terms I picked up during my first week in the city. Some other notable lingo included: chips as in fries, crisps as in chips, rubbish as in trash, and my personal favorite, bloody hell as in…well, that one requires no explanation.
Despite all the new vocab tucked under my belt, I still don’t know how to speak with a proper English accent, nor have I mastered the art of British dry humor. While I haven’t had as much luck in these particular departments of British culture, there are still many other valuable lessons I wish to share from my fall semester in London that helped positively shape my experience abroad.
With that in mind, here are my six most important take-aways for future study away students:
1. Embrace the culture shock: You’re in an unfamiliar environment in a different country and thousands of miles away from family; it’s a lot of change to take in all at once. A great way to mediate culture shock is by researching details about your host country’s culture before getting on your flight abroad. Try to approach unfamiliarity with an open-mind and willingness to adapt and learn outside of your current stretch of knowledge—test your preconceived notions. Part of the brilliance of traveling and experiencing new cultures is the way it introduces the mind to a larger world outside of oneself.
2. Make friends outside of your program: Some of the best interactions I had while abroad were with my British co-workers at my internship for a media insights company in London. For instance, when my co-workers invited me to a Halloween Pub Quiz, I happily accepted the opportunity to dress up as a lobster and competitively answer pop culture trivia questions. Part of the study abroad experience involves stepping out of your comfort zone and not being afraid to try new things.
3. Create a study-away bucket list: I can’t stress this enough: if there’s something you want to do, or a place you wish to visit, don’t wait around for anyone, seek out the adventure yourself. Some of my best memories in London were the weekends I spent venturing into the city alone to see the Christmas lights at Carnaby Street, visiting the shops at Camden Market, trekking across Tower Bridge, or finding the best food stalls at Borough Market. I recommend creating a study away bucket list of all the places you want to go, along with a college-friendly budgeting plan, before embarking on your journey.
4. Know the history of the places you travel to: As American students, we aren’t taught enough about the privileges we hold, or the histories of different nations and cultures around the world. Keeping this in mind, I strongly suggest you learn the history and significance of famous cultural sites and monuments before visiting them. Please be cautious of the right time to take photos and what you choose to post on social media.
5. Homesickness is normal: After being away from my close family and friends for so long, I started wishing some of them were alongside me during my favorite adventures. The best way to tackle homesickness is to continue communicating with your loved ones while away. It can be difficult to navigate changes in time zone, so plan beforehand and schedule the best time to video call and catch up with those you care about.
6. Reflect along the way: While taking pictures/videos is one way to document your time abroad, I recommend keeping a journal or writing a blog to record some of your favorite memories. Writing about your thoughts and emotions as you visit new places is a great source of self-reflection and can help you process and be grateful for your experiences thus far. Reading a journal entry about the first time you visited Paris can help you travel back to that very moment much more than a selfie in front of the Eiffel Tower.
To all future study abroad students, I hope these lessons will come in handy wherever you find yourself in the coming months. Studying abroad is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so don’t forget to savor every moment, because before you know it, it’ll be over. Good luck and safe travels!
