When young students graduate high school, they have to face one of the most difficult decisions in their whole life, which is choosing a course of study or a job. Making this decision is a stark contrast to the problems they faced before because now, the consequences are all on them. One of these might be deciding to leave, move on, and go study in another country.
Indeed, living abroad is something that students have to consider carefully because it could either be the best experience ever or the worst and hardest to endure. People must be aware of all the obstacles lying ahead by deciding to leave home, family, and friends for this new challenge. So I decided to talk about my experience of leaving all the life I’d ever known by moving to London to learn the language and continue my undergraduate studies.
So what was my experience?
I finished my last high school year in June 2022 with decent grades though with no idea of what would come next. I was only sure that my next step was university, even if I didn’t know what I wanted to study.
I was really interested in the idea of leaving everything behind and moving somewhere far from my little Italian town in which I lived my whole life. After this, I was really lucky to come across Dreamando which helped me figure out what I really wanted and find the perfect place to go. In the end, I decided, after their advice, to not take a real gap year, but a Foundation year, in which I could have lessons as I was used to in high school, and, at the same time, have enough time to learn the language and how to live abroad by myself. At the end this course, which was at The Birkbeck University of London, was fundamental for me to get an acceptable English language certificate to then start my undergraduate course in the UK.
How did I feel arriving in London?
After I got out of the taxi that took me to my accommodation I realized how big London is; I honestly felt like I was on holiday with my family, when we usually arrive at the hotel all excited to visit the city as tourists. However, this was not the case because I was alone and meant to live there; not just for a week for visiting, but for a whole year. The first two weeks were boring since I had not started the course yet, so I basically spent all the time in my room; I was lost, alone, and worried that I might spend all year long like that. Furthermore, I was also facing those issues that every young student has when, for the first time in their lives, they leave their old school routine that has stuck through half of their lives since elementary school. Because of this, I felt guilty for not doing enough compared to what I used to do in high school.
Indeed, it would be understandable to ask how a nineteen-year-old guy managed to get over all of these issues and settle in the biggest metropolitans in the world. Well, these are some pieces of advice that I found truly useful to get used to this new lifestyle:
People are NOT the same
When I came to London I was shocked by the behavior of everyone I saw. People were different in every kind of way; they were having fun for various reasons and had different habits and hobbies. For instance, I was the only European in my class and all the other students were from completely different countries such as Chinese and Saudi. This made me a bit uncomfortable and I thought I was not the right person to live in that context. Nevertheless, after a while, I got the problem: I expected these people to possess all the Italian habits that I was used to and I just led me to have prejudices towards them. So I started thinking that my Italian attitude was making me blind to all the new things I could learn from different backgrounds. As a result, I realized that I only needed time to get out from my initial view because then I would become more secure and happy with having so many friends from all over the world.
Staying away from compatriots
What I fully understood from living in the UK is that spending time with people who are not from your country is fundamental to settling in. I am not sure if this problem is for every nationality but I can assure you that it is really hard for Italians to stay away from each other. This, even though it is not really helpful if you want to learn the language, makes people isolated as if they were in a big bubble altogether. From my perspective, when people hang out with only their compatriots in a foreign city like London they are not linked with it and find it almost impossible to settle in. This is because this “bubble” can be seen as a little “embassy” where they feel safe and at home. I experienced this particularly this year when I met a group of exchange students from Italy. They had always stayed between each other and, in the end, they never really settled in and used their time to learn the language, which was namely one of the main reasons for them going to the UK, in the first place.
Being patient
People might think that the process of toning down something like national culture can be done in a short time. However, it is important to consider that this means toning down a lifestyle they have always had since they were born, which is not something that can be done that easily. Patience is one of the most important things to reflect on. As I said previously, the worst part of my experience in London was the first months because of my inability to communicate and integrate with other people properly. Nonetheless, after those months, I realized that everything I was trying to reach was getting closer every day.
Look, I am aware all of these advices might be something your parents and friends have already given you multiple times and that you are now probably tired of hearing. Nevertheless, it is fundamental to maintain consistency with them and make sure that they will not be forgotten during–and especially at the beginning of your new experience to make it one of the best decisions of your life.