Things they don’t tell you…enough times

In this blog post, I shall be touching on a few challenges that I faced as an international student in London. You may not necessarily face these same challenges, however this was my own personal experience of adjusting to life in the UK.

1. The winter weather is harsh: coming from a country that lies on the equator, I am not used to experiencing any sort of extreme temperatures. It is therefore no surprise that my first winter in London was pretty much unbearable. I had never taken the weather discussion that seriously until I came here and realised just how much the weather can impact your mood.
2. Culture shock: I feel like this is something one can only truly understand after experiencing it. African culture tends to be more collectivist; there is generally more unity and the sense of community is ever present, whereas in the UK it can tend to be quite individualistic. You may notice differences a lot when you first arrive, but before long this feeling will settle.
3. The rush: I remember I had lived in my student accommodation for just one week when I received numerous flyers and emails containing information and reminders regarding the need to find a new place to move into the next year. I soon came to learn the importance of planning everything well in advance, because many things work like this here.
4. Self-reliance: Living away at university and in the UK, you are basically responsible for doing everything for yourself. This may be different to what you were used to living in your home country. A year into my life in the UK and there are still some small things I seem to never get used to, like packing my own groceries after checking out at the supermarket.
5. Living abroad can be lonely: not many people will mention that in the diaspora, sometimes when you’re surrounded by a group of people is when you’ll feel most alone. At the end of the day you’re in a foreign country and if it it’s not similar to what you’ve always known, then it might take a longer time wrapping your head around it.

and last but not least…

6. Avocados are small and expensive!

I hope mentioning my own challenges doesn’t discourage you from studying abroad in the UK, but instead allows you to better prepare for your life-changing move.