As a person who had never visited UK before I was quite scared. If someone had asked me a year ago what I am worried about, I would have said figuring life out, now though, I would say my dissertation. However, fast forward to almost eleven months and I can easily say that finding my way around the city and campus was difficult, but I did it. I know how it feels being away from home. Trying to battle the weather every day and understanding a new education system, while simultaneously balancing life feels like this big cloud of uncertainty. 

It works out. In the first week of September, I got my visa and flight ticket. Having no time to actually understand Manchester and figure out what to do, I just took a flight, trusted myself and there I was. Standing outside my dorm like a headless chicken after 20 hours of travel, the way felt like a maze and then the receptionist placed the keys in my hand to my new room. Immediately, I felt a sense of responsibility I did not feel while boarding the plane. Then it hit me, this is my new home. There will be moments where you will be overwhelmed, but excited, so do not forget to enjoy them and this was one of them. 

The second main mission was understanding my new life here. This was quite hard, and I did question myself multiple times. Was I making the most of the experience? I did feel lost sometimes, but I had friends, lecturers and family to rely on. So, if you feel lost, reach out to someone you trust. They will help put things into perspective. Then came my next trial: homesickness, something unfamiliar, random moments that would make you miss your family. So, I decided to make a good home cooked meal while having my mother on video call. To be fair, I failed horribly, but those 2 hours cooking with my mom are the highlight of my cooking journey. However, I asked a flatmate to help as she is good at cooking biryani, and she ended up making it just like my mom does! So, just know that you can build your own space, this is part of the the fun of living abroad alone. You get to build everything from scratch.  

Now, came the hardest trial, understanding the university courses and Manchester itself. I would say that you should keep making notes in your classes and stay organised. What truly helped me was bringing a diary with me. I sorted out day to day tasks and assignments. Moreover, reach out to your lectures and learn from them. During my first semester, I regret that I only focused on my studies but during my second semester, I met a lecturer who said this phrase, ‘Just say yes’. I followed this and said yes to any opportunity, event and plan within reason. It sounded quite simple, but this advice changed my entire outlook on life. I understood that I was the one limiting myself. This gave me opportunities such as volunteering, meeting the mayor, presenting in front of Manchester Institute of Education at an away day, being part of a research project, and most importantly, it helped change my mindset and gave me a sense of purpose. 

So, looking back I know this journey was not smooth. I faced rejections, failure and sometimes even gave up. However, this taught me to be independent and be authentic. It helped me meet some amazing people from across the world and experience core memories. So, I would say just think of your younger self and become a version they would be proud of, focus on personal growth and best of luck! 

 Written by Zoha, current MA Educational Leadership student.

Related