Introduction Week with Ups and Downs
Yay! I've made it through my first week in England on exchange. So far, I've managed to stay alive and figure everything out on my own. I'm proud of myself although it hasn't been all sunshine (both literally as it has rained a bit and figuratively because some days just weren't the best).
Tuesday I never went to take a stroll around the city centre even though it was beautiful weather. I had one of my down days, which is when I just don't want to interact with anyone. It usually happens if I've been running low on my "me time" and I'll lock myself in my room with YouTube and Netflix. That happened and I embraced it. I'll classify it as a mental health day because I know if I push through days like that when I'm not feeling up for it, I'll have a down period for even longer. I even cowardly peaked out into the hallway to see if the kitchen was busy and if it was, I would wait. All of the people I've bumped into from my hall were really nice but I just didn't have the mental energy. I got some writing done for my Wattpad story and I was very happy about that.
Wednesday went better although the weather was a lot gloomier. I didn't have an appointment at the university until the late afternoon, so I had a quiet morning in. However, I was excited to have something on my schedule again. Something to go to where I would be guaranteed to meet people who'd most likely want to meet me too. Right away I sat down with a table of lovely girls all on exchange too. We chatted away and the informal welcome event went smoothly with tea and miniature scones. It was really miniature scones and the department apologised for the tiny size when we met them the following day.
After the tea and scones, we got the bus back to the city centre to hop on the sightseeing bus. The university had made an agreement with the company and we got to travel for free. I chose to sit in the small area of the open-top bus that was actually covered because I worried it might rain. I sat next to a nice Dutch girl and we were both pleased with our choice of seating. I even more so when I realised I would be sitting very near the guide so I'd be able to hear him without the cheap headphones they gave us.
I loved getting to know funny little stories about the city and the famous people who've lived there. I still think the part that fascinated me the most was the realisation that almost every building is made with the same local stone and that specific stone colour is now named after the city. I later learned a lot of people in the back hadn't been able to hear him and I thought that was a shame but they socialised which was good but they didn't get more familiar with their new city.
In the end, it didn't rain and the volunteers that had offered to take us around went to a local Caribbean bar slash food place where there was still half an hour left of happy hour. If you bought two drinks together it was cheaper so I teamed up with an Australian girl whom I had sat at the same table with earlier. We only had the one drink before heading off, but because we both needed to do some shopping, we headed to Waitrose just around the corner from the bar.
I only bought two pre-made lasagnas because I just wanted something easy and afterwards, we walked home from the city centre together because we live in the same accommodation building. I was very thankful that I could just follow her lead because this was the first time I was properly in the centre and I bet I would have gotten lost without her. When I got home I quickly reheated one of the lasagnas and snuck off to my room before anyone else would come to use the kitchen. Unfortunately the unsettlement and the awkwardness still sat in my system from the day before.
Thursday I had to get up fairly early and surprisingly I woke before my alarm went off. I did go back to sleep though. I managed to get to the meeting on time, actually I was a little early. I showed up at the room and it was dark and no one around at all. Awkwardly, I walked around for a bit and went to the toilet to kill time. When I returned at the exact time it was supposed to start, it still hadn't started but now a handful of other exchange students were waiting outside which put my mind at ease. Apparently it wasn't starting quite yet although it was the time noted on our timetables. I also got to catch up with the French girl I met on my very first evening here.
This was another welcome event but this was the formal one where we would get our welcome packs and list of units. I was happy to see I had gotten accepted into all of the management units I had applied for, although that would mean I'd have to "drop out" of some of them to make room for the history and literature courses I was going to take from another department. We also got assigned personal tutors who we had met briefly the day before. Annoyingly, I got to talking with one of them about my degree and that I was set to do my big bachelor project by June 2016 and he was extremely nice but he isn't the one I'm assigned to. Luckily, my tutor seems very professional, so I guess I'll be alright.
Following the meeting and presentations the department took us for lunch. For some reason, a small group of people decided to follow me but I, of course, ended up bringing them to the wrong place. I mean I got the building right, just not the room. It's an improvement though and I was still puzzled as to why I was pulling a tail of people but I guess I must have walked with some confidence. They were serving fish and chips, which I got way to excited about. It tasted amazing and I almost wanted to go up and ask for another fish.
Afterwards, I headed to a presentation about study success. It wasn't an exchange event and turned out that it was actually an event for the freshers, who were just starting at the university. Still, I stayed and listened (I saw a few of my fellow exchange students sneak off) and I actually learned a lot. One thing that stuck with me probably because I've become so aware of it online, was the mention of reporting assault and also the acknowledgement of mental health issues. I'm so happy topics like that was actually discussed openly and hopefully, it'll slowly remove the stigmas around them.
After the the meeting, the lunch and the presentation in a room with hundreds of people, I felt worn out but I still had another mission in mind; I wanted to ask if I had been signed up to my history and literature courses because now the management units were in place. I ran into my French hall mate again and as she also wanted to ask about a specific language test, we walked together. Unfortunately the office wouldn't be open for another fifteen minutes, so I got the brilliant idea to walk across campus to activate our sports passes (which allows us free use of courts and swimming pool) instead of waiting outside an office. I still think it was the best thing to get it done but I felt a bit ridiculous walking across campus and back and I felt a bit bad for dragging my friend with me but I hate waiting in front of closed offices.
When we got back, the office had just opened so that was perfect but unfortunately the man couldn't help either of us and only sort off direct us to the right place. It was on level seven and because the lift didn't seem to work, we mustered up the stairs. I walk on stairs every time I go to work but that's only four stories, not six and I could feel the difference. And again, I felt a bit bad dragging my friend along but she had questions of her own, so I didn't feel that guilty. After much walking around on the floor we finally found part of the right department but of course, we found the wrong part. The lady we spoke to was very kind and tired her best to answer our questions and I felt better after having spoken to her. Handing in a hand-written application should be enough to ensure me in the courses.
Back we went on the bus and we got dropped right by the Abbey. We both had to do some shopping, she in Waitrose and I wanted to go to M&S. I had a feeling I could buy a nice pot for not that much money. After finding the home section I quickly picked a few things; a decent-sized pot, an oven tray, a kitchen knife and a plate. Unfortunately, no one seemed to man the tills in the home section so I wandered around, slightly worried that someone would come after me for taking things out of their section without paying. I asked the woman at refund counter and she told me to try the tills at the men's section and adding that I acted cute. I must probably have looked totally bewildered. The tills in the men's section were manned and the man who wrote me up was nice and chatty and complimented my English, which instantly put me in a great mood.
I went back downstairs and did some food shopping; three packets of seasoned chicken, round potato things, a buckwheat mix, tender stemmed broccoli and a mix of carrots, cauliflower and broccoli. I headed back out on the street and onwards back to my place but I had a quick look around in the Superdrug I passed. The moment I walked out the door I heard someone call my name and turned around not sure what to expect. It was my French friend done with her shopping too, so we walked back home together and she even showed me a very convenient short-cut. It was password protected but she had the code and now, I know it too. We agreed to have dinner together but when to our separate rooms to have some down time.
When I got back into the kitchen, it was with a renewed confidence. I felt like I belonged and I cooked alongside the French girl as well as a guy from China and a Chinese girl. They both seemed extremely nice and we all sat down and had dinner together. I finished quickly but stayed around and kept chatting and I finally felt like I had broken the bad/uncomfortable feeling I had about going into the kitchen. A Spanish girl, who's actually my next door neighbour, joined us too although she was just having a snack as she usually eats even later. It felt good but tiring too. I was happy to finally properly speak with people in my hall, after all I have to live with these people for a long time.
Friday was another fairly early morning for me and again I woke slightly before my alarm went off. I'm not sure what's going on with that. It's very unlike me. I thought I was going to my first tutor meeting but it turned out to be a welcome event for fresher's and exchange students. We got assigned colours and the tables was decorated with ballons of different colours. At my first table, I was the only exchange student but a few people were international students. We did different things to get to know each other, like having to ask specific questions and dot down our name and home country on a map. After a while we moved to a different table matching the colour of the name label we had been told to wear upon arrival. We did the map thing again and learned how to count squares and what cashew nuts look like raw.
It was a good experience and while we were leaving I got to chat to an Indian fresher who was a bit lost. Not that I could help her with that but I could at least direct her in the direction of the information point. Both native and international freshers seemed very friendly, although a few of them was hung-over.
I headed back to the city and I swung by Superdrug to pick up a fizzbar for my bath! Because for once I actually have a bath and I thought I better use it. Back home I sat down at my desk and worked on a story for a writing competition. I got so tied up in it that I actually got out of the door almost too late but I got it up and was pleased with my work.
I had signed up for a free tour of the Roman Baths with the university and I was looking forward to it. I arrived at the main entrance about ten minutes before the appointed time and I couldn't find a single face I recognised. Showing up early and not finding anyone I knew seemed to be a reoccurring theme in this week. Eventually people showed up and I killed the time by walking around the entire building, twice.
We got handed tickets and ushered inside and after a quick reminder not to touch the actual bath water, we got handed an audio guide. I walked in my own little world with my guide and looked around in awe. I hadn't properly talked to any of the people around me, but I actually didn't mind. I got enveloped in the history and just walking around in such a beautiful ancient place took all of my attention.
However when I finished, I felt a bit on my own. I walked up to the Spanish girl from my hall and her friend and they kindly took me along. We all needed to head back to university for an accommodation induction that was mandatory. Apparently, there had been meetings earlier in the week and we all got an e-mail saying that we had missed two meetings but no one had gotten any information about it. It must have been a crash in the system because no one had gotten the e-mail. Somehow, I ended up in a group with fourteen other people, mostly people from Spain and Chile. I tagged along with them and they were friendly but they tended to speak Spanish amongst themselves, which made it extremely hard to keep up with what was happening.
The induction presentation was boring and we weren't told anything that hadn't been painfully obvious. However, I understand why they felt the need to inform us for health and safety reasons. After the presentation, I felt uneasy and on my own despite the fact that I was sitting in a huge group of exchange students. I had still just met them a few hours earlier and they tended to speak Spanish for the majority of the time but a few of the girls ushered me along, trying to make me feel included. We had ticket for the two different bus companies but met up at the station back in the city centre where we proceeded to walk to Subway for dinner.
By this point I was absolutely starving but because our bus had arrived a bit later, I was last in line. The others had gotten pamphlets with deals on meals and one Chilean girl offered one of the slips to me and the Spanish girl who was last in line, which was very kind of her. We got the two meal deal and it looked so good, maybe just because I was hungry. By this time they had moved all the tables around and I was prepared to sit at the only unattached table with the Spanish girl but just when I sat the food down on the table someone called my name. It was one of the guys telling us to just take the chairs and put them at the end of the table. I don't know why I always flinch when someone says my name, I knew I had told people it but the fact that they remember it still catches me off guard. We managed to cram together fifteen people around the large table.
It felt nice to be part of a group but also very odd because I had literally just met every one of them, except the Swede from my home university and one Spanish girl who lived in my hall. I followed the group to drinks and chill in the closest accommodation's common room. A small group of people was there already but they received us with smiles and one Polish guy even offered to make us vodka and cola drinks complete with a lemon slice and everything.
I felt drained and the language seemed to be Spanish more so than English and although the girl, whom I had gotten the meal deal with, kept trying to cue me in and translate for me, I just felt sort of in the way. I stayed for a while, longer than I really wanted to, before I said that I would head home. Three of the girls actually protested and tried to convince me to stay but I had already made my decision. It was still lovely of them and I added them on Facebook and promised to keep in touch and maybe meet up with the Spanish group at a later time.
As I walked home I felt content with my decision, it had been fun and I was so thankful for being included but I had reached my limit. They were all so nice people and I wouldn't mind hanging out with them again. Another thing the dawned on me as I walked home in the dark was how safe I felt here. At every event wether I was next to people or on my own, I felt safe. I could go out with a huge group of people I just met and be excited, although slightly worried that they thought I was in the way.
I like the atmosphere of this city. For every time I walk around on its streets, I feel like I get to know it more. For every moment I spend on campus, it feels like my university and not just a place I'm visiting. I really like it here even though not properly knowing anyone is scary as fuck.
Tuesday I never went to take a stroll around the city centre even though it was beautiful weather. I had one of my down days, which is when I just don't want to interact with anyone. It usually happens if I've been running low on my "me time" and I'll lock myself in my room with YouTube and Netflix. That happened and I embraced it. I'll classify it as a mental health day because I know if I push through days like that when I'm not feeling up for it, I'll have a down period for even longer. I even cowardly peaked out into the hallway to see if the kitchen was busy and if it was, I would wait. All of the people I've bumped into from my hall were really nice but I just didn't have the mental energy. I got some writing done for my Wattpad story and I was very happy about that.
Wednesday went better although the weather was a lot gloomier. I didn't have an appointment at the university until the late afternoon, so I had a quiet morning in. However, I was excited to have something on my schedule again. Something to go to where I would be guaranteed to meet people who'd most likely want to meet me too. Right away I sat down with a table of lovely girls all on exchange too. We chatted away and the informal welcome event went smoothly with tea and miniature scones. It was really miniature scones and the department apologised for the tiny size when we met them the following day.
After the tea and scones, we got the bus back to the city centre to hop on the sightseeing bus. The university had made an agreement with the company and we got to travel for free. I chose to sit in the small area of the open-top bus that was actually covered because I worried it might rain. I sat next to a nice Dutch girl and we were both pleased with our choice of seating. I even more so when I realised I would be sitting very near the guide so I'd be able to hear him without the cheap headphones they gave us.
I loved getting to know funny little stories about the city and the famous people who've lived there. I still think the part that fascinated me the most was the realisation that almost every building is made with the same local stone and that specific stone colour is now named after the city. I later learned a lot of people in the back hadn't been able to hear him and I thought that was a shame but they socialised which was good but they didn't get more familiar with their new city.
In the end, it didn't rain and the volunteers that had offered to take us around went to a local Caribbean bar slash food place where there was still half an hour left of happy hour. If you bought two drinks together it was cheaper so I teamed up with an Australian girl whom I had sat at the same table with earlier. We only had the one drink before heading off, but because we both needed to do some shopping, we headed to Waitrose just around the corner from the bar.
I only bought two pre-made lasagnas because I just wanted something easy and afterwards, we walked home from the city centre together because we live in the same accommodation building. I was very thankful that I could just follow her lead because this was the first time I was properly in the centre and I bet I would have gotten lost without her. When I got home I quickly reheated one of the lasagnas and snuck off to my room before anyone else would come to use the kitchen. Unfortunately the unsettlement and the awkwardness still sat in my system from the day before.
Thursday I had to get up fairly early and surprisingly I woke before my alarm went off. I did go back to sleep though. I managed to get to the meeting on time, actually I was a little early. I showed up at the room and it was dark and no one around at all. Awkwardly, I walked around for a bit and went to the toilet to kill time. When I returned at the exact time it was supposed to start, it still hadn't started but now a handful of other exchange students were waiting outside which put my mind at ease. Apparently it wasn't starting quite yet although it was the time noted on our timetables. I also got to catch up with the French girl I met on my very first evening here.
This was another welcome event but this was the formal one where we would get our welcome packs and list of units. I was happy to see I had gotten accepted into all of the management units I had applied for, although that would mean I'd have to "drop out" of some of them to make room for the history and literature courses I was going to take from another department. We also got assigned personal tutors who we had met briefly the day before. Annoyingly, I got to talking with one of them about my degree and that I was set to do my big bachelor project by June 2016 and he was extremely nice but he isn't the one I'm assigned to. Luckily, my tutor seems very professional, so I guess I'll be alright.
Following the meeting and presentations the department took us for lunch. For some reason, a small group of people decided to follow me but I, of course, ended up bringing them to the wrong place. I mean I got the building right, just not the room. It's an improvement though and I was still puzzled as to why I was pulling a tail of people but I guess I must have walked with some confidence. They were serving fish and chips, which I got way to excited about. It tasted amazing and I almost wanted to go up and ask for another fish.
Afterwards, I headed to a presentation about study success. It wasn't an exchange event and turned out that it was actually an event for the freshers, who were just starting at the university. Still, I stayed and listened (I saw a few of my fellow exchange students sneak off) and I actually learned a lot. One thing that stuck with me probably because I've become so aware of it online, was the mention of reporting assault and also the acknowledgement of mental health issues. I'm so happy topics like that was actually discussed openly and hopefully, it'll slowly remove the stigmas around them.
After the the meeting, the lunch and the presentation in a room with hundreds of people, I felt worn out but I still had another mission in mind; I wanted to ask if I had been signed up to my history and literature courses because now the management units were in place. I ran into my French hall mate again and as she also wanted to ask about a specific language test, we walked together. Unfortunately the office wouldn't be open for another fifteen minutes, so I got the brilliant idea to walk across campus to activate our sports passes (which allows us free use of courts and swimming pool) instead of waiting outside an office. I still think it was the best thing to get it done but I felt a bit ridiculous walking across campus and back and I felt a bit bad for dragging my friend with me but I hate waiting in front of closed offices.
When we got back, the office had just opened so that was perfect but unfortunately the man couldn't help either of us and only sort off direct us to the right place. It was on level seven and because the lift didn't seem to work, we mustered up the stairs. I walk on stairs every time I go to work but that's only four stories, not six and I could feel the difference. And again, I felt a bit bad dragging my friend along but she had questions of her own, so I didn't feel that guilty. After much walking around on the floor we finally found part of the right department but of course, we found the wrong part. The lady we spoke to was very kind and tired her best to answer our questions and I felt better after having spoken to her. Handing in a hand-written application should be enough to ensure me in the courses.
Back we went on the bus and we got dropped right by the Abbey. We both had to do some shopping, she in Waitrose and I wanted to go to M&S. I had a feeling I could buy a nice pot for not that much money. After finding the home section I quickly picked a few things; a decent-sized pot, an oven tray, a kitchen knife and a plate. Unfortunately, no one seemed to man the tills in the home section so I wandered around, slightly worried that someone would come after me for taking things out of their section without paying. I asked the woman at refund counter and she told me to try the tills at the men's section and adding that I acted cute. I must probably have looked totally bewildered. The tills in the men's section were manned and the man who wrote me up was nice and chatty and complimented my English, which instantly put me in a great mood.
I went back downstairs and did some food shopping; three packets of seasoned chicken, round potato things, a buckwheat mix, tender stemmed broccoli and a mix of carrots, cauliflower and broccoli. I headed back out on the street and onwards back to my place but I had a quick look around in the Superdrug I passed. The moment I walked out the door I heard someone call my name and turned around not sure what to expect. It was my French friend done with her shopping too, so we walked back home together and she even showed me a very convenient short-cut. It was password protected but she had the code and now, I know it too. We agreed to have dinner together but when to our separate rooms to have some down time.
When I got back into the kitchen, it was with a renewed confidence. I felt like I belonged and I cooked alongside the French girl as well as a guy from China and a Chinese girl. They both seemed extremely nice and we all sat down and had dinner together. I finished quickly but stayed around and kept chatting and I finally felt like I had broken the bad/uncomfortable feeling I had about going into the kitchen. A Spanish girl, who's actually my next door neighbour, joined us too although she was just having a snack as she usually eats even later. It felt good but tiring too. I was happy to finally properly speak with people in my hall, after all I have to live with these people for a long time.
Friday was another fairly early morning for me and again I woke slightly before my alarm went off. I'm not sure what's going on with that. It's very unlike me. I thought I was going to my first tutor meeting but it turned out to be a welcome event for fresher's and exchange students. We got assigned colours and the tables was decorated with ballons of different colours. At my first table, I was the only exchange student but a few people were international students. We did different things to get to know each other, like having to ask specific questions and dot down our name and home country on a map. After a while we moved to a different table matching the colour of the name label we had been told to wear upon arrival. We did the map thing again and learned how to count squares and what cashew nuts look like raw.
It was a good experience and while we were leaving I got to chat to an Indian fresher who was a bit lost. Not that I could help her with that but I could at least direct her in the direction of the information point. Both native and international freshers seemed very friendly, although a few of them was hung-over.
I headed back to the city and I swung by Superdrug to pick up a fizzbar for my bath! Because for once I actually have a bath and I thought I better use it. Back home I sat down at my desk and worked on a story for a writing competition. I got so tied up in it that I actually got out of the door almost too late but I got it up and was pleased with my work.
I had signed up for a free tour of the Roman Baths with the university and I was looking forward to it. I arrived at the main entrance about ten minutes before the appointed time and I couldn't find a single face I recognised. Showing up early and not finding anyone I knew seemed to be a reoccurring theme in this week. Eventually people showed up and I killed the time by walking around the entire building, twice.
We got handed tickets and ushered inside and after a quick reminder not to touch the actual bath water, we got handed an audio guide. I walked in my own little world with my guide and looked around in awe. I hadn't properly talked to any of the people around me, but I actually didn't mind. I got enveloped in the history and just walking around in such a beautiful ancient place took all of my attention.
However when I finished, I felt a bit on my own. I walked up to the Spanish girl from my hall and her friend and they kindly took me along. We all needed to head back to university for an accommodation induction that was mandatory. Apparently, there had been meetings earlier in the week and we all got an e-mail saying that we had missed two meetings but no one had gotten any information about it. It must have been a crash in the system because no one had gotten the e-mail. Somehow, I ended up in a group with fourteen other people, mostly people from Spain and Chile. I tagged along with them and they were friendly but they tended to speak Spanish amongst themselves, which made it extremely hard to keep up with what was happening.
The induction presentation was boring and we weren't told anything that hadn't been painfully obvious. However, I understand why they felt the need to inform us for health and safety reasons. After the presentation, I felt uneasy and on my own despite the fact that I was sitting in a huge group of exchange students. I had still just met them a few hours earlier and they tended to speak Spanish for the majority of the time but a few of the girls ushered me along, trying to make me feel included. We had ticket for the two different bus companies but met up at the station back in the city centre where we proceeded to walk to Subway for dinner.
By this point I was absolutely starving but because our bus had arrived a bit later, I was last in line. The others had gotten pamphlets with deals on meals and one Chilean girl offered one of the slips to me and the Spanish girl who was last in line, which was very kind of her. We got the two meal deal and it looked so good, maybe just because I was hungry. By this time they had moved all the tables around and I was prepared to sit at the only unattached table with the Spanish girl but just when I sat the food down on the table someone called my name. It was one of the guys telling us to just take the chairs and put them at the end of the table. I don't know why I always flinch when someone says my name, I knew I had told people it but the fact that they remember it still catches me off guard. We managed to cram together fifteen people around the large table.
It felt nice to be part of a group but also very odd because I had literally just met every one of them, except the Swede from my home university and one Spanish girl who lived in my hall. I followed the group to drinks and chill in the closest accommodation's common room. A small group of people was there already but they received us with smiles and one Polish guy even offered to make us vodka and cola drinks complete with a lemon slice and everything.
I felt drained and the language seemed to be Spanish more so than English and although the girl, whom I had gotten the meal deal with, kept trying to cue me in and translate for me, I just felt sort of in the way. I stayed for a while, longer than I really wanted to, before I said that I would head home. Three of the girls actually protested and tried to convince me to stay but I had already made my decision. It was still lovely of them and I added them on Facebook and promised to keep in touch and maybe meet up with the Spanish group at a later time.
As I walked home I felt content with my decision, it had been fun and I was so thankful for being included but I had reached my limit. They were all so nice people and I wouldn't mind hanging out with them again. Another thing the dawned on me as I walked home in the dark was how safe I felt here. At every event wether I was next to people or on my own, I felt safe. I could go out with a huge group of people I just met and be excited, although slightly worried that they thought I was in the way.
I like the atmosphere of this city. For every time I walk around on its streets, I feel like I get to know it more. For every moment I spend on campus, it feels like my university and not just a place I'm visiting. I really like it here even though not properly knowing anyone is scary as fuck.
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