My flight is about seven hours away. I am currently sitting on the floor of my room thinking back to my past experience. Study abroad is not a big deal for me because study in the United States is already abroad to me. I had been to the United States for 6 years, and these years taught me to be a strong, respectful and independent person. Life will be much easier by applying what we had learnt before into new experience. For me, I can employ my packing skills and study habits on my study in the UK. Overall, there is a very important proverb that guide me through unaware situations: when in Rome, do as the Romans do. As people gladly celebrate diversity today, I realized that it is critical to respect other people’s culture, identity as well as religion. Following other people’s traditions save me from many troubles. In the pre-departure orientation, we briefly talked about some traditions in the UK, and these tips are very helpful for my new adventure.
People with different identities will have different experiences of the world. My culture taught me to be a humble student and this characteristic has its own strength and weakness. The positive part is that I am a good listener and work very hard. However, being humble holds me back from talking confidently in the public or start a conversation with strangers. I can imagine that UK is a friendly country with a lot of zealous people. I am eager to make new friends, but scared at the same time. I think it won’t be too much trouble for my American friends to hang out with others in the UK, since a lot of the people I knew in the US are outgoing. From my perspective, people in the UK have beautiful British accent and they talk very fast. The accent issue might bother me in the beginning, but I will be able to conquer it after I get used to it (that’s why I started watching Downton Abbey).
Last but not least, I want to remind any one of you who have not been abroad before don’t forget to check in with your family and friends. I never realized how much my family and friends care about me before I study abroad. They will go nuts if I don’t chat with them constantly. Study abroad is a great opportunity to show love and care. I have never been so thankful for FaceTime and Skype.