I thought I was well-prepared, but no amount of pre-departure meetings and countless e-mails to my ever so tolerant adviser could have prepared me for the realities of studying abroad.

You don’t get as much attention for being a foreigner as much you think. When I first came abroad, every time I checked out at the grocery store, asked a classmate a question or spoke for any other reason, I was holding my breath for someone to make a comment about my accent. I was told that would be a good way to interest people and make friends. My accent was commented on exactly once in my first term abroad, and I’m pretty sure the commentator was drunk.

You quickly realize your host country is over romanticized. When I tell people I’m studying in England, they probably think of the hustle and bustle of London, handsome British people with accents to die for and drinking tea. Okay, the tea part is totally true, but England isn’t just London, in fact, London is crowded, overwhelming and expensive and I try to avoid it at all costs. While a lot of British people are easy on the eyes, the novelty of the accents wears off and it becomes what you’re used to. It goes unsaid that I still love England, not only because of the good things, but also despite the bad.

Continue reading →

Being abroad, I obviously got to see if stereotypes about British people are true. I also got to hear stereotypes British people had about Americans and since I was gone so long, coming back to the United States was like being in a new place all over again and I got to experience those stereotypes for myself.

Here’s what I found:

British stereotypes (taken from a variety of sources):

• British people also drink more than a lot of Americans thanks to pub culture. However, drinking is more of a casual occasion rather than a wild night out.
• It’s been said that British people especially love apologizing, however, I find that Americans also apologize a lot. For example, if I brush someone’s arms on the train or a question in class is almost always preceded by, “I’m sorry, but…”
• I find the stereotypes that the stereotypes of terrible teeth and terrible food are grossly outdated. Braces are quite common and with such a wide range of cuisine, there’s food for all tastes in the United Kingdom.
• A big stereotype is that British people love to talk about the weather, and this is totally true, but I find, not exclusive to Brits. On that note, it’s also thought that it rains a lot in Britain, which is also true, but not as often as you’d think. Most days are cloudy, but rain only rains once a week or so and when it rains, it’s a light sprinkle.
• Oddly enough, most British people don’t care for the royal family as much as, say, Americans. In fact, a lot of people I know despise the idea of a queen.
• Yes, people in the United Kingdom have accents, but there is no such thing as a universal “British” accent. Great Britain is composed of Scotland, Wales and England with dozens of varying different accents. What most people consider a traditional “British” accent is very posh and typically found in the south of England.

Continue reading →

With the arrival of international students at Arizona State University this past weekend, I wanted to share what I feel I did right and things I wish I did differently during my time abroad.

What worked:

I made an effort to explore my host country and feel I got to see a large part of the United Kingdom! I got to see a lot of my home county of East Sussex, plenty of London, Southampton, Bristol, Bath, Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, Newquay and other smaller towns.

I feel I did a good job of budgeting my travels, but still making them enjoyable. With budget airlines, hostels, cheap meals and minimal drinking, I made sure I had enough money for the real adventures like excursions and museums!

To my surprise, I also did well at making new friends. I hit things off with my roommate almost immediately and my friendship circle grew from there thanks to him and all the societies he joined.

Not so much:

On the other hand, there are a few things I could have done differently or better. I wish I took more care packing. You can read my tips on packing in my Study Abroad Tips and Packing Tips posts. Similarly, with more research, I could have found budget sheets, dishes and more at charity shops or secondhand stores so I wouldn’t have to worry about having them already at my halls.

Although I saw them several times a week, I didn’t do well at making friends in my major. I could have used one when I had questions about the academic system or material.

I regret not joining clubs, both earlier at Arizona State and abroad. A lot are recreational and low commitment, but a great way to take a break from academics and meet new people.

I did fairly well, but I could have done better in my academics (can’t we always?). I could have planned more rather than saving my large assignments two days before they were do and saved myself a lot of stress.

Before I left, I had a foolproof budgeting plan. I recorded all my expenses for several months, until I realized it didn’t change my habits. I don’t have any regrets on my spending habits (besides travel, my biggest budget eaters were transport, concert and event admission, food and drink) per se, but I could have gone without dining and drinking out so often.

When I first started planning my travels, I planned everything to the day well in advance. I quickly realize things change on travel and your plans that were so set in stone might fall through. After a while, I only booked my flight, accommodation and other transport tickets (such as train tickets between cities) in advance to give me a rough itinerary. Then, I’ll plan day trips and museum tickets (usually not for a specific day) in advance online after careful consideration. It’s all about balance: trying to save money by booking in advance, but also leaving room for spontaneity.

New study abroad students, learn from my mistakes and successes and have a wonderful time on what will most certainly be one of the most memorable years of your lives.