Experiencing the UK culture through a semester exchange
During the months of September through December, I was lucky enough to be able to study abroad at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom. While there, I was taking a full course-load of relevant business and science courses while experiencing a completely new part of the world. My entire life I have been fascinated with people and cultures. New experiences, people, and ideas have always attracted me as a way to be better in touch with what it means to be human and what it means to be a global citizen. I travel in order to gain a deeper understanding of this. Going into this experience, I had the intention of better understanding the culture of the United Kingdom and the surrounding European culture through a complete immersion, living life as a typical “Uni” student in the UK and I figured what better way to learn about a culture than by living there.
First, let me say that this was one of the best experiences I have had in my life. I was able to meet some of the most amazing people from all over the world and made really great friends with people from the UK, Germany, and Australia among other countries. I was able to learn about their way of life, how their history has impacted what they believe, and see just how interconnected the world really is. I was able to see so many amazing places all over England and Europe that I would probably never have been able to experience had it not been for my study abroad.
I had started off my time in Europe with one of my buddies from the University of Cincinnati. We backpacked through Spain, France, and Italy experiencing the culture of continental Europe. When September rolled around, we went our separate ways as I went to the UK and he went to Austria. This part was great but I was really excited to be able to settle down and fully experience every part of one place. The first weeks were full of excitement as I explored Birmingham and the surrounding areas. I met lots of new people and was able to get a feel for what it was to live in the UK. These first few weeks were some of the best from my experience studying abroad. However, as I started to sink into a routine, I started to miss home. Ever since coming to the University of Cincinnati, I have been a very involved student. I am in the marching band, I was a Student Orientation Leader, I was in a Fraternity. My life practicly revolves around what is going on at UC. This was the first time in my entire college career where I was disconnected from UC. I felt sad that I was missing all the things going on at UC while I was in England; the reopening of Nippert Stadium, homecoming, my fraternities formal, amongst many others. I missed seeing and talking to my friends. Being somebody who travels a lot but has never experienced culture shock, this was unexpected. It was hard, but luckily I had my friends and my parents who understood and helped me through my time there. Additionally, as time progressed I formed stronger relationships with those who I was studying with, I became busier with my time in classes, and I began fully experience the situation I was put in. I began traveling more outside of England with friends, get more in touch with what went on at the University of Birmingham, and met up with some family. By the time December rolled around, I was not ready to leave.
When reflecting on the question “what did I learn,” I feel like the most obvious and tangible thing is the subject materials of my classes. However, while I took courses that I would have at UC, the way that the subject matter was taught and understood was very different from how I would have learned it in the States. I was given a much different perspective of different world issues from a European rather than an American. Additionally, I would definitely say that I learned a lot about myself. This was not an easy experience for me at all, yet I know that at the end of it all, I am a much stronger and more confident person. I find that I can easily connect with people from all over the globe because I have been so many places and experienced so many things. Additionally, I think that is the biggest thing that I have drawn from my experience is that connecting with others is such an important part of the human experience. I think when you can connect with others from around the world, life is that much sweeter. I am much more globally aware and can confidently say that my life has become sweeter because of the experiences I have had and the people I have met thanks to my study abroad.
First, let me say that this was one of the best experiences I have had in my life. I was able to meet some of the most amazing people from all over the world and made really great friends with people from the UK, Germany, and Australia among other countries. I was able to learn about their way of life, how their history has impacted what they believe, and see just how interconnected the world really is. I was able to see so many amazing places all over England and Europe that I would probably never have been able to experience had it not been for my study abroad.
I had started off my time in Europe with one of my buddies from the University of Cincinnati. We backpacked through Spain, France, and Italy experiencing the culture of continental Europe. When September rolled around, we went our separate ways as I went to the UK and he went to Austria. This part was great but I was really excited to be able to settle down and fully experience every part of one place. The first weeks were full of excitement as I explored Birmingham and the surrounding areas. I met lots of new people and was able to get a feel for what it was to live in the UK. These first few weeks were some of the best from my experience studying abroad. However, as I started to sink into a routine, I started to miss home. Ever since coming to the University of Cincinnati, I have been a very involved student. I am in the marching band, I was a Student Orientation Leader, I was in a Fraternity. My life practicly revolves around what is going on at UC. This was the first time in my entire college career where I was disconnected from UC. I felt sad that I was missing all the things going on at UC while I was in England; the reopening of Nippert Stadium, homecoming, my fraternities formal, amongst many others. I missed seeing and talking to my friends. Being somebody who travels a lot but has never experienced culture shock, this was unexpected. It was hard, but luckily I had my friends and my parents who understood and helped me through my time there. Additionally, as time progressed I formed stronger relationships with those who I was studying with, I became busier with my time in classes, and I began fully experience the situation I was put in. I began traveling more outside of England with friends, get more in touch with what went on at the University of Birmingham, and met up with some family. By the time December rolled around, I was not ready to leave.
When reflecting on the question “what did I learn,” I feel like the most obvious and tangible thing is the subject materials of my classes. However, while I took courses that I would have at UC, the way that the subject matter was taught and understood was very different from how I would have learned it in the States. I was given a much different perspective of different world issues from a European rather than an American. Additionally, I would definitely say that I learned a lot about myself. This was not an easy experience for me at all, yet I know that at the end of it all, I am a much stronger and more confident person. I find that I can easily connect with people from all over the globe because I have been so many places and experienced so many things. Additionally, I think that is the biggest thing that I have drawn from my experience is that connecting with others is such an important part of the human experience. I think when you can connect with others from around the world, life is that much sweeter. I am much more globally aware and can confidently say that my life has become sweeter because of the experiences I have had and the people I have met thanks to my study abroad.