When one relocates because of education or a job – whatever the reason may be, one needs to accept the changes so that he/she can get the most of the new experience. It really means to embrace everything and to learn from a new country, in another culture. When a person does not do that, it really is a pity after spending so much money, time and effort to move and settle in a new place.
When I first came to the UK for my undergraduate studies, I was excited about everything. As time went by, I learnt more about the culture and made more effort to travel around. It took time to adapt to a new place and culture. I had really wanted to come to the UK for a long time and that helped me to accept new things and learned to like British food, cope with the weather etc.
I was fortunate to return to the UK again for my postgraduate studies when I embarked on my PhD research at the University of Warwick in September 2013. It has been a wonderful experience to be back in the UK and learning from all the academics and students I meet on campus and at conferences and other events.
Below are some of my tips for any student moving to another country for your studies/ research.
Tips
1. Embrace the Change – accept it that you are in a new country, new place and need to learn about customs and culture.
2. Expose yourself to the local culture – food, celebrations, customs, people etc.
3. Learn about the British Culture
4. Speak English and improve your communication skills
5. Try to challenge yourself, put yourself out there and mix around by joining local activities
6. Join classes to learn a new language / skills – meet locals and learn more about the country/place
7. Bring your own culture to the table and share it with others
8. Give yourself the opportunity to think more globally in an international context
9. Do not restrict yourself to your own community
10. Remember your roots, where you come from and you can show that to others.
Some students prefer to stick to their home country group because they feel safe. Doing so is easy as they do not want to expose themselves to people from other countries. It is truly one's personal choice but this post is about how one can get the most out of your experience of studying in another country.
Things you learn from another place or country can be positive or negative. When it’s positive, embrace it and learn as much as you can, adapt it or change it to suit you because you would not loose anything by gaining new knowledge and awareness. And if it’s something negative, it is up to you to tell yourself, I am not going to do that and this is how you can improve yourself.
If you try to step out sometimes, move out of your comfort zone and from your group of friends from your home country and say to yourself, ‘I’m here to explore’; you will explore more than you could imagine and have an enriching experience with memories which would last a lifetime.
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