In general, the whole 6 months in London was an enthralling experience. Even after a year, I cherish every moment that stood out to me while I was there, and I just wish I could go relive my times there. Therefore, I can go on and on about how pleasant the whole journey was, but here are the five principal reasons why London felt home.
Its culture and diversity – the University of Roehampton was so diverse. You could see students from all around the world, and you have the privilege of hearing several languages, which was so intriguing to me. The city is so rich with innumerable inspiring art and galleries, history, music, festivals, museums, street markets and what not. Oh boy, I don’t remember a single weekend where I did not take the opportunity to wonder off in the city and enjoy London’s amazing and welcoming culture and diversity.
Various food cuisine – the beautiful city also did not fail to impress me with its plethora of restaurants; Londoners making authentic dishes from all parts of the world on every corner of the city. The most pleasing thing to witness was that all the restaurants with international cuisines would be packed with local customers (British people) rather than any Turkish, Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Malaysian, etc. I enjoyed the street food too.
I discovered my favorite spots – I mainly took core classes while in London. One of them was Digital Photography, which took care of my Creative Expression Core. This class gave me the chance to dwell in the city and discover nature even in the middle of all the hustle and bustle of London. Hyde Park, Camden, Kew Gardens, London Bridge, Canary Wharf, Richmond park, Soho, Chinatown, contributed to my final photography portfolio where the theme was greenery vs business.
Plenty of opportunities to travel – While I was there, I took the opportunity to travel within UK constantly. Using the public transport was very convenient (especially trains). You can hop on the train from any part of London to hop off in other parts of the UK. I had the pleasure of visiting Bath (Roman city), Brighton, Cambridge, Dover, Oxford, St Albans City, and Windsor.
You actually get to know who you are – As I am four-year international student (from Bangladesh) at Elizabethtown College, I still took the chance to study abroad in London, England. When you are on your own in a different country, far away from your loved ones, you become very independent. You gain the real life experience of striving for everything (academics, personal issues, etc.) that seems challenging to pursue and you achieve the best results for yourself. Above all, I learned to be extremely open-minded, studious, courageous, and optimistic. I also learned to be a hard-worker, traveler, enthusiastic cook, and my own boss in maintaining finances. Thus, studying abroad makes you realize who you really are and you make friends for a lifetime!
About the Author – Afsara Binte Mirza ’19, Spring 2018 London, England alumna
Hello, my name is Afsara Binte Mirza. I am a senior with an Economics major and an International Studies minor. I currently serve as an Outreach Coordinator for the Study Abroad Office. During my second semester of junior year, I studied abroad in London, United Kingdom. It was an astounding experience. I got to delve into a new culture, enjoy the historical and touristic sites, travel to all the jaw-dropping beautiful places, try different food cuisine and above all learnt how to be more independent and confident. My dad always says ‘traveling is a part of education.’ I always had his quote stuck at the back of my head, which makes it convenient for me to accept new cultures, and learn from the unknown. I am also an international student from Bangladesh in E-town College too, but that did not stop me from striving to learn the British culture and study abroad in UK. Therefore, never limit your passion to learn about other cultures and countries. It is always the best decision you can ever take when you decide to step out of your comfort zone.
Blue Jays Abroad 
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