My top five 'struggles' of being an international student in England

I have never regretted studying abroad at the University of Southampton - quite the opposite. I think it is one of the best decisions I have ever made (so far) in my life. However, moving to a new country is not just challenging on an emotional/personal level – it also means becoming accustomed to a new country.

It’s not as ‘extreme’ as it might sounds; for many people it’s just learning to drive on the opposite of the road or learning to use the self-checkout at Asda. But there’s definitely some small ‘struggles’ I bet every international student goes through.

This is a list of my ‘Top Five Struggles’ as an international student in England. Take this with a pinch of salt though - calling these issues a ‘struggle’ is exaggerated!

Cars driving on the left side

The annoying thing about cars driving on the opposite side of the road to what I’m used to is that, as soon as I get used to it, it’s time to go home! Then, when I come home to Oslo, I have to get used to the right-side driving again. Suddenly it doesn’t matter if I’m in England or Norway, because the struggle to not get run over is haunting me regardless of what country I’m in! With that being said, my impression is that British people have a more aggressive way of driving. Also, where are all the pedestrian crossings in this country? I’m talking about those proper zebra crossings with a proper green light in front of you, so you never find yourself in doubt on whether you can cross the road or not.

You don’t take card? Card-charge? What? 

If I remember correctly, only 4% of purchases in Norway are made with cash and Norwegians use bank cards absolutely everywhere. I have experienced on trips abroad that you have to buy something for a certain amount before you can pay by card, but I have never been charged everything from 5p to 50p to use my card.

This is probably why I found it very funny listening to people complaining about the 5p charge of plastic bags, but never one word about the charges for using your card. The plastic bag charge is something we have had in Norway for a good 10 years, so at least that’s a charge I’m used to. You can imagine I was thrilled to see that some taxi companies are finally starting to have card machines with them, because driving around looking for a cashpoint after a night out is not cool.

Queueing everywhere

This is absolutely not a negative thing, but definitely a thing I have had to get used to! In Norway you get on and off the bus / tram at whatever door you like, but here in England it is a different story. To be honest, I actually like this, so when I’m home and people don’t wait until I have been able to get off the tram I get extra aggressive and mumble something about how much I miss England! People actually follow the 'stand to the right, walk to the left' policy on escalators here and I love that too.

British politeness

This is not to say that Norwegians are impolite, but it’s hard to compete with British people when it comes to politeness, hence why I constantly focus on not forgetting to say please, thank you and remember to use the right title when writing emails or talking to my tutors. Titles, for example, are extremely new to me; my old teacher just went under the name; John-Arve or J-A and my old headmaster was often referred to as; Tjossi-B. Going from that to writing ‘Dear Dr….’ when writing emails was quite daunting in the beginning.

Furthermore, in Norway if you accidently bump into someone in the grocery store, it doesn’t happen too often that people bother to turn around and say ‘sorry’. It’s something I didn’t use to think about before, but if I’m home and bump into someone and say sorry while they just walk off, I again mumble something about how much I miss England…

Tap water and gas stoves

Regardless of where in Norway you are, you can always drink water from the tap and it tastes better than Evian. Have you for example ever heard about Voss water? That is literally tap water in Norway and I never had any trouble drinking my recommended two litres of water a day before I moved. I love England, but this is one thing I hate. The tap water (in most places) tastes like a swimming pool compared to Norwegian water.

Then there are the gas stoves. I’m sure I just need some more practice on how to use them, but I always have to try at least two or three times to get the flame on everytime I want to use the stove. I’m always slightly scared the kitchen is going to blow up because I’ve heard so many scary stories about this! Luckily, I have a flatmate who is very proficient at using the stove in our kitchen and she’s always close by if I need help.

With this being said, it’s not all that bad. For example, as an international student here I have had the privilege of experiencing some proper British culture. Like last Sunday, Remembrance Sunday, one of my favourite days over here.

Not to mention the fact that I can be a tourist here forever and discover new places around the city of Southampton!

This is the Holyrood Church by High Street, I’ve probably taken walked past it 20 times, but never taken the time to go inside.

Are you an international student too? Feel free to share your own ‘struggles’ of living in Britain!

Alexandra

What to do after the exams have finished

The wait is finally over and my exams are now a thing of distant memory. This momentous occasion coincides rather nicely with this, my 50th Life at Southampton blog post, which makes this week a very special one indeed!

Unlike previous end-of-exam celebrations (of which I’ve had eight!), this one also marks the end of my degree and my time here at Southampton - all I need to do now is wait for my results and then graduate in mid-July before I will officially become a member of the University’s Alumni community! However, I’m not really thinking too much about that now, because I’m still enjoying the joy that comes from sealing your examination script and then leaving the exam hall for the final time.

Overall I was happy with my examinations and regardless of how I do, I know that I have given my all. This means that I can now relax without any worries or regrets, letting myself enjoy my well-deserved break (even if I say so myself!).

In the immediate days after sealing your last exam you feel an urge to go on a socialising binge, cramming in everything that you couldn’t quite fit in over the exam period. Since I finished mine last week, I’ve tried to do as many things as possible, not only to celebrate the lack of a workload, but also to make the most of my final week here in Southampton!

Straight after my final paper, I made the most of the summer sunshine by playing Frisbee for a couple of hours in the local park with my housemates. It was fantastic to have the chance to enjoy the lovely weather and one of the many green spaces in Southampton, instead of being stuck inside revising! Although when it came to having a barbecue later in the week, the weather, in typical British fashion, didn’t behave itself!

As a house we were trying to decide what to do in our final week together to celebrate four wonderful years at Southampton. We initially decided to do another Come Dine With Me competition, but instead we settled on going out to a few restaurants across Southampton as a sort of farewell food tour, with the intention of ticking off a few places that we were yet to visit, such as the newly refurbished American-style 'Bar Three Diner' in the Students' Union building.

The rollercoasters were no less scary in the lovely weather.

However, our main event of post-exam freedom was a road trip to Thorpe Park, which is only just over an hour away from Southampton by car. We had been talking about such a journey for a few years now and finally the end of fourth year brought about a perfect opportunity to do it. Luckily the weather prevailed (I even ended up with a slight lobster look from the hotter-than-expected sunshine!) and we chose a day where there were minimal crowds, which meant we lost count of how many rides we managed to get on! It was certainly a great way to end our time at University together, especially whilst laughing at our dodgy rollercoaster faces!

My girlfriend and I drying off after a thorough soaking on a water ride. 

I think the answer to the question, “what do you do after the exams have finished?” is a simple one. I would say to reward yourself for all the hard work you have put in over the year and to make sure you make the most of Southampton in the sunshine and all the city has to offer!

Whether it’s a small barbecue gathering, a society trip somewhere or spending quality times with friends, make sure you unwind before starting up again, either for another year at University or out in the world of work.

Happy post-exam celebrations!

James

Beach breaks and exploring the south coast

For the past week we’ve been very lucky with the weather, with several long, sunny and warm days. Nice weather has the power to put you in a good mood and give you lots of energy! I’m always more motivated during the warmer months compared to during winter. It’s easier to concentrate for longer and breaks are more fun, especially if you can do something outside. The power of the sun…It’s not just energy for plants, we need it too!

Anyway, in light of this gorgeous whether one of my housemates and I decided to take a spontaneous break from our work and go on a trip to the beach! As I’ve mentioned before it’s really easy to go places by train (or coach) to and from Southampton, so we found ourselves in Portsmouth by the waterfront in no time! For those who don’t know, Portsmouth is another city located on the South Coast of England. I’ve heard many friends talk about their visits there and now I finally had a chance to go and explore for myself.

We arrived in the afternoon seeing as it was a rather spontaneous decision (if we had planned ahead of time we probably would have tried to arrive earlier so we could have spent the whole day there). Since it was around lunchtime when we arrived, we first spent some time in Gunwharf Quays checking out some of the many shops and grabbing lunch while enjoying a view of the harbour. We didn’t spend too long inside since we didn’t want to waste the daylight and lovely weather.

After eating we headed to Southsea Beach. I haven’t been to many pebble beaches before so I was really excited and probably a little overly impressed though I still think it was really cool! (Perhaps not quite as comfortable… lying down on the pebbles isn’t as enjoyable as lying on sand but it’s still very beautiful!). We stayed at the beach for a bit and walked around near the water just enjoying some fresh air and sun before we took a walk around Southsea Castle which you can look around for free. Lastly we walked to Clarence Pier which is an area with lots of rides and games.

 It was fun to be spontaneous and to go explore somewhere new. If we had planned ahead we might have had more time there, but we didn’t want to get back to Southampton too late as both of us still had work left on our dissertations. The day passed really quickly but we got to do and see a lot, including a lot of walking! It was nice to stretch my legs a little after being glued to the chair in front of my desk for so long.

Exploring Portsmouth. 

As James mentioned in his last blog post there’s only about six weeks left at the University of Southampton until summer break begins! However I’m not sure if summer break will be the right phrase any more seeing as I will become a graduate this year. Anyway, yesterday was the last day of my Easter break and now it’s back to lectures, deadlines, Green Action and all the other events going on around campus that make University life so busy but eventful!

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter!

Kristin

Making plans for the summer

While the University’s library was closed over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend I used this as an excuse to take a break from my dissertation and jump on a train to the countryside to visit my Auntie and cousin. It was nice to have a change of scenery for a few days and to catch up with relatives. We also took a relaxing drive to visit the small country villages nearby.

However, before I left to see them I started sorting through the things I have in Southampton and packed two large bags full of stuff I plan to give away or leave behind after I graduate. It’s somewhat scary but incredibly exciting to think about what I want to do after I hand in my dissertation and complete my final exams, when my time at the University of Southampton ends. This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot recently, particularly in the last few weeks.

On the train to the countryside. I find travelling on the train alone can be very therapeutic, and a great opportunity to sort through tangled thoughts and clear your head

With my family all in Australia I think it would be nice to reunite in the same country again, as it’s been almost two years since I last saw my dad. Moreover, I haven’t actually been back to Australia in eight years and I can imagine that a lot has changed so it would be like a new adventure to move back, even if just for a few years to study for a Masters or possibly a PhD. Due to the differing term dates in the UK and Australia I will have a few months once I arrive to decide which route I’d like to chose and start making applications. I do know that either way I’d like to go on to further study.

I am preparing for a big move back to the other side of the world and, similar to when I moved to Europe ten years ago, I’ll only be taking a suitcase of clothes and some photos - so I have to start thinking about what I’ll be doing with the rest of my things!

I have really loved living in the UK for the past three years and studying at Southampton has been a major reason for that. There’s still a lot of things in the UK and in Europe that I hope to see someday so it’s very likely that I’ll be back again in the future. While I won’t be able to see everything on my ‘bucket list’ before I leave for the land down under there are a number of countries in Europe that I still want to visit. So, in order to leave without regrets, I’ve also been planning a trip around Europe with one of my housemates after our final exams.

Travelling around Europe can be very easy and cheap especially when you’re living here, so I really don’t want to waste the opportunity. Places we plan to visit include Belgium, Luxembourg, Geneva, Milan, Venice, Prague, Berlin and Amsterdam, all by train which is the cheapest way we’ve found to travel to so many places. It’ll be an exciting backpacking experience and a great way to celebrate finishing university.

Until then I really need to focus on finishing my dissertation which is due in about three weeks and then it will be time to focus on revising for my final exams!

Spring flowers on campus

The weather is getting warmer and the spring season has brought with it lots of gorgeous flowers and longer daylight hours. Summer will soon follow and with summer comes the end of university. So I’d better work hard in this last stretch!

Kristin

Easter in the Peak District

As a family we don’t normally do much to celebrate Easter, apart from the giving of chocolate eggs and perhaps the seeing of grandparents. However, this year I was invited on holiday with my girlfriend’s family, who were going to stay in a cottage in the Peak District over the weekend. Naturally I said yes and on Friday morning we crammed all our suitcases into the boot of the car, like a real-life version of Tetris, and headed north.

We stayed in a small village called Ashford in the Water, which neighbours the famous town of Bakewell. It was quite a long drive from Surrey, but the beautiful buildings and scenic landscape on offer was well worth the wait. Before we arrived there, we made a stop in Sudbury to visit the country mansion owned by the National Trust. The drizzle meant we didn’t walk around its gardens, but we did wander around the impressive Hall and take a peak in the Museum of Childhood which is housed in the Servant’s wing. The museum was very well designed and the toys room took me on a nostalgia trip, especially when I saw the Tracy Island set from Thunderbirds which got hours of use from me as a child!

The beautiful exterior of Sudbury Hall

Over the weekend we visited another three stately homes, the most impressive of which was Chatsworth House and its never-ending gardens. Inside, every room had been meticulously restored and decorated, containing some fantastic paintings and artefacts, including an imposing collection of neo-classical sculptures. There was also an intriguing exhibition of modern chairs throughout the house, including ones shaped like spinning tops, seats disguised as paintings and cocoon-like sofas. The grounds were equally as stunning and I spent a good twenty minutes getting lost in a very confusing maze, but I beat my girlfriend to the middle, so that’s all that counts!

The picturesque grounds of Chatsworth House

On the Saturday morning we drove into Bakewell to do a bit of shopping. Apart from the two famous Bakewell Pudding shops, which both claim to be the inventor of the dessert, there were plenty of gift shops to look round and many teddy bears to be hugged!

There was also a craft fayre taking place in the town centre and a troop of brightly-dressed Morris Dancers, making the town feel alive with activity. After shopping around, we walked up the steep hill to have a look around their museum, which detailed the history of the small town inside a very well-preserved old house. One of its best features was a very friendly cat who made itself right at home on my lap!

Morris Dancers complete with dancing unicorn!

Naturally a holiday in the Peak District isn’t complete without taking a hike through the undulating countryside. On Saturday evening we walked along the top of a valley, which had some wonderful views as dusk approached, before descending via a very steep and scary stone staircase to its muddy and rocky bottom. Clambering over some very slippy rocks, we made our way back to where we came from, very exhausted and in need of a hearty dinner. A lot of walking was done on this holiday, so it was good to put our feet up in the evenings and just relax in front of the wood-burning fire!

A sunny afternoon view of the landscape

It was lovely to take a small break away from the world of University work, where I could de-stress and forget about the deadlines that are on the horizon. Now that I am back I feel motivated and ready to make the final push to finish off my Masters project and begin revision for my last ever set of University exams!

I hope you had a great Easter too.

James