London Was Always a Dream

Three months from now I will be making a huge change…I will be moving to London! I got accepted to go to Goldsmiths, University of London! I am going for a full academic year (September to June) and I couldn’t be more excited! It is going to be a big change but I am more than ready!

I am excited to spend time in a city that I love! One thing that I can’t wait for is to be challenged. To be challenged in school and in personal life is something that I have been craving for awhile now. Going to London will push me and change me in so many ways.

The Familiarly Unfamiliar

The magnitude of change is quite astonishing. After the emotional adjustment period, I asked myself “how could there be so much change in a familiar setting?” The metropolitan style of London is something that I am quite familiar with. Yet, socially- the city is another world. I could map out all the differences now, but I’ll save the blog some room! I spent a short time nit picking between things and just allowed myself to immerse in the social culture of this city.

Know Before You Go

This is an oldy, but a goody!

For the students who are about to take off soon, here are 5 things to know before you go. For more advice also check out our YouTube page too!

1) Electricity – remember that many countries run on a different voltage than the US. If you’re bringing small appliances like hairdryers, etc, you may need to consider getting a voltage converter so that you don’t short out your appliance, or short-out a fuse in your accommodations. Alternatively, you could invest in a hair dryer once you arrive.

2) Jet lag – there are many theories for getting over the first few days of sluggishness upon arrival. A tried and true method is quite simple – change you watch/cell phone/computer clocks to local time as soon as you arrive so you’re not always thinking about what time you think it should be. During the day, stay awake, and get outside. The sun will actually help you get over jet lag. Drink plenty of water and avoid too much caffeine.

3) Foods – of course there will be new foods that you’ve never had at home, but what about those foods that you may miss? At interstudy, we all agreed that we missed peanut butter while abroad. If you’re an addict (like us!), think about throwing a jar in your suitcase, or adding it too a “care package” list from friends or family.

4) Same things, new names – Looking for a Diet Coke? Try looking for Coca-Cola Light instead. It’s the same thing, just a different name. What other products do you find with different names?

5) School supplies – for the most part, it may be hard to find your typical college-ruled, spiral bound notebook while abroad. Many countries just having notebooks with graphing paper instead.

Past students, what would you add to this list? Reply in the comments!