The hardest part to assimilate with is the culture of the locals here. I feel like because I am on an American program, taking classes at a study abroad building instead of a local university and only have classes with American students, there has not been many opportunities for me to meet people from London, the UK, or for that matter anywhere else in Europe besides America. Because of this, I have not been able to experience or learn about the real “British Culture” or “European culture”. I am specifically interested in how growing up here would have been different, and what their social lives look like currently. But again, there have not been many opportunities to learn about any of that, and therefore it has been difficult trying to immerse myself completely in being here.
Something that has been difficult for me to adapt to has been being away from home, especially given the different time-zones. When I was home over winter break, I felt very comfortable and happy. When it was time to fly to London, it felt abrupt and I wasn’t completely ready for it. Something that has helped me is leaning on my roommates when I start feeling homesick, or calling my family back home. I’m lucky because I had family come to visit me already, and also lucky (and surprised) that I have such a great support system here even though I basically just met everyone. Openly communicating with friends and family whenever we can has made this transition so much easier.
While I do not have an internship, I have been facing some uncertainty in my classes. It is hard to tell how my professors grade assignments, which makes it more difficult for me while doing these assignments because I don’t necessarily know what they are looking for or what would be considered a good grade for them. This uncertainty and unclear directions has, however, made me work harder in my assignments, which so far has been a good thing.
Overall, my experience navigating this new city has been amazing. I feel so fortunate for the opportunity to study abroad for an entire semester, because I know that it would be extremely difficult for me to spend this much time in another country as easily otherwise. Navigating this new city through public transportation has been fairly easy; the tube system makes sense, and I am used to trains since I am from New York. It has been cool to explore different parts of the city, though. Knowing the vibes of different neighborhoods has been more difficult to get a gage on, but I am learning more and more every day about them.