My UK life, One Song at a Time
1. London calling – The Clash
The dream of studying in England
I always knew that I wanted to go abroad to study a master´s degree. It was just a matter of where, when and how. Having finished my bachelor´s in biology in México, I started to work towards answering those questions.
The “where” question was the first milestone I encountered. My criteria to find the right university for me consisted of the following:
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English-speaking country or, at least, English-delivered course in Europe.
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An engineering course that focused on the development of sustainable technologies and/or processes.
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The course also had to be open for applicants with different backgrounds (not strictly engineering), since my goal of doing a master was to have change in career direction.
It didn´t take me long to come across Cranfield University´s web page. And I soon realized that their MSc in Advanced Chemical Engineering course was the perfect fit for me. Aside from ticking all my checklist boxes, the course was very industry-oriented, which was important to me. Also, the university is located an hour away from London, a place where I have always wanted to live in, which meant visits to this iconic city would be easy and regular while living costs affordable.
Receiving my letter of acceptance was life-changing for me. Even though I was incredibly excited for this new adventure, starting the process of moving away was often stressful, especially if you don´t know anybody who has done this before. The Across the Pond team were there for me as a guide in all the technical and visa-related processes, but also as reassurance that everything was going alright and I was just a few steps away from my dream of studying aboard.
2. House tour- Sabrina Carpenter
New life, new home.
The first thing I did right after receiving my letter of acceptance to Cranfield University, was to look for a place to live. The student accommodation Baroness Young Hall was everything I was looking for: a secure space, in-campus, studio room apartment. A private place I could feel comfortable to rest in and do my daily chores was a non-negotiable for me, even though it is a bit more expensive than the rest of the student accommodations the university offered. Personally, I also consider being in the university the right choice, since I was able to avoid any back-an-forth traveling; I could focus entirely on my studies, enjoying the university´s amenities (library, lounges, and common areas) more freely, without worrying about traveling schedules; and going into the nearest town (Milton Keynes or Bedford) for grocery-shopping, a night-out or simply to enjoy the town was never a problem since they are minutes away and I had different options available (carpooling with fellow live-in-campus friends, the university bus, uber, ect).
One of the main things that I was excited for was the concept of living for the first time on my own, in a student residency and experiencing a new way of living. Since I had lived with my parents and sisters even when I was doing my bachelor’s degree, I had never had the experience of living alone, not to mention in a different country. The whole thing just felt very grown-up: new room, new bed, new kitchen, bathroom, etc. and I was excited for it.
3. The middle- Jimmy Eat World
Missing home while making a one
Having moved from Mexico to England, the change at times felt abysmal.
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For starters, the weather: having lived in the northwest of Mexico for almost 25 years of my life, which is a very sunny, hot-weather place, experiencing rain and cold weather for almost 7 months of the year was something I never got used to.
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Secondly, the food. Even though you can find a wide variety of groceries and products in the supermarkets here, there is specific food products very niche to Mexico that I could never find here (such as some types of chiles, veggies, tortillas, ect). The unavailability of products I was so used to incorporate in my diet wasn’t terrible, so I instead started to cook different dishes. However, as the months passed, I found myself craving more and more for authentic Mexican food.
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The people. Meeting people from all over the world is always super exciting, since you learn about how they grew-up, their different traditions and customs. Specially since we were all students and, almost the majority were foreigners like me, we could all relate to each and understand each other more. However, this also made me feel at times very distant to my course-mates and friends.
Even though battling homesickness was a challenge ( missing the sunshine, the tacos and my family and friends), once the year progressed, I started to become more comfortable with my life in the UK. The weather got better as the summer approached, experiencing a lot of sunshine and warm weather in June, July and August; the friends I made during my course made me feel more at home and motivated, arranging fun night-outs, study sessions at the library and in-between classes coffee an chat breaks. Lastly, even though I still miss tacos, I have been experiencing different cuisine styles asides from the british, such as Chinese, Italian and Greek, which I have loved.
4. Viajando por el mundo – Karlo G
Collecting postcards around Europe.
One of my favourite things to do when I have free time, is visiting different places. I wanted to make the most of my time studying abroad, and being in Europe, traveling to different countries becomes easier. During my time here, I had the fortune of being able to travel to Germany, Italy, France and Greece. These are places I had never been before and had been wanting to visit for a long time. While in England, aside from visiting London multiple times I have done sightseeing to the surrounding areas, such as Stevenage, Hitching, Sharpenhoe, and Cambridge, and have visited Brighton and the Seven Sister´s Cliffs on the southeast.
Traveling, even if it wasn´t far from the university, really helped take my mind off things for a bit and relax, so I could finish my studies more motivated. Everyone needs a little break once in a while.
- Sofía
