On the day of my journey to Norwich, England, I arrived to the airport about three hours before my flight’s anticipated departure time. As my parents were getting ready to take me to the airport though, I felt a sense of shock and excitement: shocked that this was actually happening, that I’d actually be embarking on my dream journey to study abroad in England and that the moment had arrived so soon–and excited because I was eager to begin the journey and, particularly, to have the air travel over with. I take a couple medications daily that are crucial to my wellbeing, and so my worst nightmare was my medication being denied entry into the country or onto the plane because of insufficient evidence for the necessity of it. I never was questioned about my medications though, not even upon arrival to the UK, so for this I’m grateful. Others may not be so lucky, however, so it really does pay to be over-prepared in the event that you are stopped. If you are someone who takes medications, get in contact with both your doctor and your insurance company as soon as you know you’ll be embarking on a trip. Once you’ve arrived at your destination, have your doctor’s number and your home insurance company’s number on you at all times.
Organization and preparation skills are essential in general when preparing for long travels; things will go extremely well for you if you stay organized. Because of my focus on preparation and organization before departure, the security process at TSA was very quick and easy (besides the fact that I forgot to take my laptop out of my carry-on suitcase). Have your electronics ready to be placed in separate bins from your clothes, shoes, and suitcases. Wear the simplest, most comfortable clothes you have for the journey as it will reduce the likelihood of setting off any detectors. Perhaps my most important piece of advice to any future travelers would be to keep all of your personal and sensitive belongings close to you and secure. Coats and jackets with zippered pockets are the perfect option for traveling in heavy crowds where you will constantly be on the move.
A plane ride and two buses later, I am finally in Norwich and on UEA’s campus! Some very kind students from the Study Abroad office welcomed me and helped me to my rooms after registration. This is my first time living on a college campus, and my first time living with roommates in general, so there were certainly a few things I set out to understand. The first of them was roommate/flatmate etiquette (a “flatmate” is a fellow student you share the floor with, but not necessarily your room!). I’m happy to say that I have lovely flatmates and a lovely roommate, all of whom have been very patient with me in my adjustment period. A large portion of us are international students and away at “uni” for the first time ever, so we are all in the process of learning and acclimating to our new setup. Already, we are all comfortable sharing the same living space. The fact remains, though, that I am notoriously messy in any space I occupy for more than an hour, so these next six months will be the perfect opportunity for me to exercise some organization skills, as I want to make things easier for my fellow flatmates and especially my roommate.
The past few days since arriving have been all about taking in the beauty of the campus and the city of Norwich. UEA is both architecturally and naturally a beautiful campus to be on, and the duality of the two is stunning when you take it all in. On the one hand, you have the brutalist, modern designs of the campus buildings. By contrast, when looking out from the walkways of these impressive man made structures, you can enjoy the largely untamed beauty of the land that surrounds the lakes on campus.
It’s true indeed that you don’t see the sun as much here, but as I write this post I’m experiencing only the first rainy day since I’ve my arrival here, and it’s much unlike the rainy days I’m accustomed to in Philly. If it rains in Philly, it usually pours–and for most of the day. Here in Norwich, so far the rain has been a very gentle drizzle–almost a mist. It’s great to see the sun, but I have to say that I don’t mind the gloomy days at all. There is an eerie beauty to the cold and grey. And, besides, it’s quintessentially British.
Do I miss my family and friends back at home? Absolutely. Am I terribly homesick though? Not quite. Not at the moment, at least. I miss my family in the sense that I wish I could bring them all over here to enjoy this beautiful country with me, but I have no desire to go back to Philly ASAP. So far England has shown me all the beauty I’ve dreamed it would have of and more. I look forward to getting to know the rest of the university, as well as exploring more of this beautiful and quaint little town I get to call home for the next several months.