This week will mark two months since I moved to the UK for my studies, and I can’t believe how quickly time has passed. In many ways it feels as if I’ve only just arrived. On the other hand, during these two months I’ve managed to settle into my little life here and it no longer feels as if I’m actually ‘abroad’. It is safe to say I’m experiencing a lot of mixed feelings knowing I’m already halfway through my exchange, so this is probably a good moment to reflect on the time I’ve spent here so far and look at what the next two months could bring.
First things first: the journey from NL to Bournemouth was (for a lack of better words) a shit show. We decided to fly to London Stansted and take public transport from there, which in retrospect was a huge mistake. Four suitcases on the London Underground(?!), not the smartest idea we have ever had, but somehow we made it work (I might’ve nearly face-planted on the platform if it wasn’t for a friendly fellow passenger catching me. Sending all my love to this man!). Then, due to some inevitable delays along the way we missed our connecting train to Bournemouth and had to take a later one, which got delayed even more due to technical difficulties (the technical difficulties being some idiot who pulled an emergency door handle, meaning everyone in the back half of the train was forced to move to the front, which led to us standing for two hours like sardines squeezed between our suitcases). So, it felt like such a relief to finally step onto Bournemouth Station knowing our destination was within reach. Thankfully, it was only a short walk to our accommodation, and then that was it: our home for the next four months.
My first impression of Bournemouth is that it’s kind of rundown, a city seemingly past its glory in my opinion(or maybe that’s too harsh?). But, the beach is great, lovely to walk around and meet up with friends, plus the town centre has everything you could need. The university truly amazed me. First of all, an actual campus, very different from Groningen with its buildings scattered across the city. Another observation: this university has money! Very modern, with unreal facilities; the media production building blew my mind.
Then, the people. In our first week we met a group of fellow exchange students and have been hanging out with them ever since; going on trips together, as well as meeting up for a drink at the pub or hosting a casual game night. They are such a lovely group of people, and I’m really glad to have met them. The Brits are lovely, but slightly reserved in my opinion (though I think it really depends on the setting you encounter them in). They are unbelievably polite, they apologise for literally everything, and it’s gotten to the point that I’m wondering if I should also be saying sorry for simply taking up space or merely existing. Also, the amount of shop and café clerks who have called me ‘love’ and ‘darling’ are stacking up, and honestly, I’m not mad about it.
Now, how have I been feeling, really?
I can’t lie, I’m almost halfway through my exchange and I have no desire to go back home. Time has rushed by and I’m starting to get slightly stressed thinking about everything I still wish to do during my time here. In all honesty, I didn’t think that temporarily moving abroad would have such an impact on me, that the mere thought of going back is enough to make me spiral. Although Bournemouth is not my first choice of residence, I believe I began to feel at home here very quickly, I no longer feel like I’m abroad if that makes sense. In a lot of ways life in the UK is not that different from the Netherlands, only I’m spending more time out of the house, I’m partaking in exciting events and projects, and I’m genuinely enjoying university. It’s basically my normal life but better, so I don’t think you can blame me for wanting it to last as long as possible. I suppose that life can be like this back at home as well, and I’m not doubting that it can be, but I think that the time pressure of knowing this is temporary is making me careful to not waste time and enjoy myself as much as I can.
Also, it hit me at some point that I can never run from myself. This might sound like a weird thought, but I think in some ways I was hoping to shake off some of my internal conflicts by moving away. I thought that by physically being in a different place I might be able to get to a different place mentally as well. This plan, although it seemed promising at first, failed massively. I expected to leave behind certain parts of myself and embrace new ones, and while I did manage to do this to a certain extent, I am actually still very much the same person I was before. There’s nothing wrong with this, of course, but still slightly disappointing somehow. Anyway, there’s still plenty of time to continue to challenge myself and discover new facets of my own being. No pressure (she says with clenched teeth).
Now, during the two months (at least!) still ahead of me, I want to do, see, and experience as much as I can of what this country and university still have to offer. In other words, I need to lock in. My wallet might already be screaming, but many trips still need to be planned. The scenery around Bournemouth is actually beautiful and I definitely need to see more of it. Then, there are still many cities across the UK that I wish to visit, like Oxford, Bath, and of course London. All in all, I’m sure that the next couple of months will be at least as exciting and enriching as the previous have been, if not more! And, of course, I’ll make sure to document it one way or another.
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