Moving to England
In September I moved from my comfortable and familiar life at the University of Maryland to the University of Bristol in the West of England about 2 hours west of London. I went with no expectations and expected it to be fairly similar to the U.S. because we both speak English, right? Wrong. I was completely blown away by the cultural differences and it took me months to start feeling comfortable in my temporary home here.
I think one of the hardest things about studying abroad is that people expect you to have the time of your life because you’re traveling so how could you not? But what I didn’t anticipate and what I think a lot of people are thrown off by are how lonely you get and how much growing up you have to do in such a short period of time.
I struggled a lot my first semester abroad. While the traveling was good fun and I met great people I still felt incredibly lonely and isolated from all of my friends and family back home. I often considered not doing a whole year abroad and just dropping down to one semester, but ultimately I stuck to doing the year. I was fortunate enough to be able to go back home for Christmas and had some much needed catching up and relaxation with friends and family.
I’m really glad I decided to stay on for the whole year. I realized that no matter how hard it was I was doing it for the same reasons: wanting to grow up and learn how to live completely on my own, I wanted to experience other cultures, and I wanted to experience different perspectives. I’ve ended up loving my second semester here because I knew what to expect and came back with a positive attitude.
More on the crazy differences I’ve found between America and England to come! Let me know if there are any specific questions you have about differences I encountered or struggling to move away for a year.
I think one of the hardest things about studying abroad is that people expect you to have the time of your life because you’re traveling so how could you not? But what I didn’t anticipate and what I think a lot of people are thrown off by are how lonely you get and how much growing up you have to do in such a short period of time.
I struggled a lot my first semester abroad. While the traveling was good fun and I met great people I still felt incredibly lonely and isolated from all of my friends and family back home. I often considered not doing a whole year abroad and just dropping down to one semester, but ultimately I stuck to doing the year. I was fortunate enough to be able to go back home for Christmas and had some much needed catching up and relaxation with friends and family.
I’m really glad I decided to stay on for the whole year. I realized that no matter how hard it was I was doing it for the same reasons: wanting to grow up and learn how to live completely on my own, I wanted to experience other cultures, and I wanted to experience different perspectives. I’ve ended up loving my second semester here because I knew what to expect and came back with a positive attitude.
More on the crazy differences I’ve found between America and England to come! Let me know if there are any specific questions you have about differences I encountered or struggling to move away for a year.
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| Clifton Village, Bristol |
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| Wills Memorial Building, University of Bristol Campus |
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| Bristol Harbor |
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| Bristol from the top of Cabot Tower |
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| Cabot Tower, Bristol |
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| Clifton Suspension Bridge |
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| Clifton Suspension Bridge at night |
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| Bristol Harbor |
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| Victoria Rooms, University of Bristol Campus |
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| Bristol Cathedral |
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| Wills Memorial Library, Bristol |
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| Bristol Planetarium |
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| Tea at Browns |
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