Hello from Bucharest!

With this being my first blog post it is only appropriate that I introduce myself!

My name is Alexandra, and I am 19 years old from beautiful Oslo, Norway. I am a good mix of Norwegian, Romanian and Danish, but this year I have been referred to mostly as the ‘Norwegian Girl’ so many times that we’ll just stick to being Norwegian to keep it simple.

I’m currently studying Politics and International Relations here at Southampton. My first year as an international student has been such an incredible experience and I am, to say at least, very excited for my next two years here!
 
I’m also very excited and humble to be a part of the blogging team this year. With last year’s bloggers in mind, I know I have some big shoes to fill, but I’m confident it will be just as good as last year.

Here's a picture of my best friend, Aurora (to the left) and me. 

Some people might wonder why I chose to study at the University of Southampton. In all honesty it was a bit of a random choice at first, but after some research I decided to give it a go. I knew I wanted to study in the UK, but I can’t say I had a particular university or city that I was drawn towards in the beginning.

As exciting as London is, I came to the conclusion that it would be too stressful to live there while studying. Southampton did in that way give me what I was looking for; a prestigious university in a city that is neither too big nor too small.

Located by the sea and not too far from London, it gives me a bit of everything and hence reminds me of Oslo (Oslo being a “big” city and seaport as well). Its international community meant I wouldn’t feel like a Martian among all the Britons and, most importantly, the University gave me a “safe” feeling that none of the other universities I applied to gave me. Already, before coming to Southampton, I felt welcomed and wanted, which obviously made moving away from home a lot easier.

As I now venture on to my second year I would sum up my first year as exciting, different, scary, challenging, wonderful and enlightening. It has been in so many ways different from what I am used to in Oslo, but also very similar.

Hopefully I will be able to answer whatever questions any future students may want to ask through this blog. However, if you are a current student, alumnus or local resident do not worry - I promise to do my uttermost to make this a blog for everyone and I dare say that I have some cool ideas for my future blog posts!

Alexandra