Farewell London! I can’t help but feel nostalgic and wish that I was back in the city. I’ve been social distancing and it’s been an adjustment returning to life at home and can’t help but feel bored under this new norm. I think that the biggest challenge I faced during my semester abroad was time management. It can be very stressful trying to balance school with work, travelling, and having a social life all at the same time and my advice would be to plan ahead and not feel overwhelmed by any set of tasks. For example, my biggest struggle came when my fellow CAPA intern quit three weeks into the internship and the research that was supposed to be a team effort compiled by both of us was now handed over to me. Having started work just a few weeks prior and not connecting with my boss immediately because we were from different cultures, I had a hard time deciding how to proceed with this difficult situation. I wanted to make a good first impression and didn’t want him to question my work ethic or if he could trust me. A couple weeks passed and I was starting to feel overwhelmed. Instead of going out with friends after work, I started working remotely at home and this heavy workload started to get in the way of school and socializing with friends. So, I summoned up the courage to have a discussion with my boss which was very productive. I explained how I was having trouble completing all of the tasks of my co-worker as well as maintaining my own work and that I needed additional support to complete my activities. This conversation was successful and we reconsidered what was considered realistic expectations. My advice to future students who study abroad is to plan how you’re going to manage your time and don’t be afraid to ask for help or change when something becomes too overwhelming.
Transferable skills I acquired from this experience are improving my communication skills in an office setting and working in a team in an intercultural environment. While working in a work setting with offices in different parts of Europe (U.K., Norway, and Romania), I had to interact daily with people from different parts of the world when collaborating on various projects and activities. It was a difficult challenge to try to interact with these individuals and efficiently collaborate with them when at times we had a difficult time understanding each other.
Being sent home by COVID-19 was very disappointing but I hope to return to London soon. It’s one of the most culturally diverse and interesting cities in the world and there’s always something to explore–Until next time London!