One of the most daunting parts of moving abroad is finding a place to live before you get there. As a planner, I couldn’t handle the anxiety of arriving in a new country and spending a few weeks in hostel or hotel accommodations, frantically searching for a suitable flat. So, I signed myself up for a place within postgraduate student halls. The most enticing part was the fact that I’d get to live alone for one whole year, a rare treat for a millennial like myself!

I chose a hall very close to City, as I figured if I’m going to shell out the extra money for student accommodation I ought to make it worth my while – a.k.a no extra transport costs! I walk ten minutes to class, or the library, or to my on-campus job, and never think twice about being late because of a missed/delayed bus or train.

As City is located in east London, I was also keen to learn about this part of the city – the opposite end of the city from where I’d studied abroad before. Without a doubt I can say I made a great decision. I love the area I live in and the ease with which I can walk almost anywhere – 10 minutes to Angel, 5 minutes to Shoreditch, 20 minutes to the City (the proper City, and my frequent haunt the Museum of London), 20 minutes to Spitalfields Market, etc. The neighborhood around me is young professional by day and young partiers by night. The classic London stereotype about a pub on every corner is no myth – there’s 7 pubs within a 5 minute walk of my flat.  But it’s not all party and pints – there’s a school next door and families intermingle with the young people in a way that you would only see in London.

I see or learn something new every day in my own neighbourhood, and I choose one new place to go out and explore each week. Whether that means a museum, Kew Botanical Gardens, Hampstead Heath, Borough or Camden Market, or Chinatown. Getting places is easy on the bus or tube, or my own two feet, and there’s plenty of free things to do. A few hours spent each week taking in the many faces of London has helped me appreciate and develop my own sense of belonging within this massive city.

But, as my choice of programme would clue you in, my favorite thing about this neighbourhood is the food! Two markets surround City –  Whitecross and Exmouth Market – that set up every day for lunch, an array of local vendors looking to feed the masses with their international flavors. There’s restaurants all around, classic pub food often for cheap, Kennedy’s fish and chip shop on Goswell Road  and F. Cooke’s pie and mash are favorites of mine, and don’t even get me started on the endless turnover of inventive pop-ups in Shoreditch.

London has something to offer for all interests, often within the same neighborhood. There is no one place for food, or clubs, or bookstores, museums, cafés, the theatre, etc. The city has an endless supply of entertainment in every borough, and plenty of Londoners are eager to showcase their home. All you have to do is get out and explore.

Northampton Square

My infatuation with food started at a young age. I was blessed with a mother who doubled as an excellent cook and my first jobs involved serving ice cream and hosting at restaurants. So, when did I decide to turn this personal interest into a career? About a year ago when I stumbled on the Centre for Food Policy at City, University of London.

I hail from the frozen tundra of Minnesota, and after my undergraduate studies I lived in the city of Minneapolis. I went through all the standard steps to adulthood. I got my undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota’s School of Journalism, where I studied public relations, as I had a knack for writing, strategy and building relationships.

During undergrad, I packed my CV with communications and events internships for a few charities and continued my restaurant jobs. After graduating, I found a position working with a strategic marketing company and got experience working on campaigns for brands like Mr. Bubble, Champs and Coca Cola. As fun as the work was, I felt like a distant link in the chain between companies and consumers. So, I went back with my gut, food.

Two years later and I had become a guru in planning events and catering management. The catering company had strong values and produced events that were organic, waste-free and showcased delicious local food made from scratch. I was able to immerse myself in the local food community, from farmers to distributors and other restaurant owners.

My interest in the food system and sustainable change was piqued, and I uttered the words my mother had been patiently waiting on for four years, “I think I want to get my master’s degree”.

Research into schools started in January, and all I knew was I wanted to study in London. I had previously studied abroad in London during my undergraduate degree and I had decided then that it was my favourite city on earth.

Google + food + sustainability + postgraduate degree + universities in London led me to some nutrition programs, sustainable systems engineering and finally the MSc Food Policy at City, University of London. I’d found a way to combine my skills of strategic thinking and my inability to stop talking about food.

The course seemed well thought out and addressed all my areas of interest, from culture to sustainability and economics. A top university ranking, one teaching year and a price tag significantly lower than I would find in the United States also caught my eye. Later that week I was reading The Guardian and noticed a name that looked familiar: Professor Tim Lang, the founder of the Centre for Food Policy at City and a member of the London Food Board, was being consulted about the impact of Brexit on the future of food in the UK. I saw this Centre was well integrated in the policy sphere and would be invaluable for its knowledge, experience, and networks. I started visualising a real career. The fact that 95%  of graduates are in employment or further study six months after completing the course also helped.

Next up was visa research. The visa application process can seem daunting to say the least. However, City had clear instructions on its website and look to provide support for students throughout the application process. After confirming in the finance section that they’d accept my U.S. federal student loans, it was settled.

On to the application – transcripts, boring personal details and a personal statement. I spent most of my time writing and revising my statement and having a mild meltdown on the phone with my former university, who nearly sent my transcript to the wrong international address.

At the end of February, I hit submit and held my breath for a month.

On St. Patrick’s Day 2017, I found out I’d been accepted and celebrated accordingly. After four years of slowly discovering my passions, I now had a path to learn and expand upon them.

The rest of the following spring and summer were spent applying for housing, gathering visa materials, fattening up my savings account, applying for my visa and preparing to move my entire life to a new country. It was simultaneously scary, difficult and exhilarating.

I chose to live in the postgraduate halls of residence in order to be close to campus and also to have a guaranteed route to new friends. I also loved the sound of having a studio flat all to myself. The visa process had a few hiccups but Polly Penter, International Student Advice Manager at City, was my knight in shining armour. She kept in constant communication, solved problems here in the UK I never could have begun to address from Minnesota, and was calm and friendly through it all.

Late August, after a whirlwind of stress and bureaucracy, I had received my visa! I bought a ticket to London the very same day. As my parents were planning a big move a few months later, I quite literally packed up my entire life into three suitcases and hopped on a plane with my best friend.

Five months later and I have no regrets – but more on that to come.