Adjusting in London

Author: 
Avni Nangia, Global Business Institute: London Summer 2022

Before attending my study abroad program in London, I was worried about whether or not I would be able to adjust to the living situation there. However, it was not as hard as I expected and the living arrangements I was given were in a great part of the city, right near the iconic London Tower Bridge! The university coordinates with a study abroad company to send students abroad and they arranged all the housing accommodations for us. We were given a housing questionnaire before the program started asking about our daily schedules and preferences. Based on this, we were assigned our housing and roommates about 2 weeks before we were due to arrive in London. We were also given instructions on how to get there from the airport and how to check in once we arrived. I was given an apartment style accommodation with a roommate, and we had our own kitchen and bathroom. The building was also very safe with 24/7 security in the lobby and we were given special keys to access the building. It was quite similar to living in a dorm, which is what I think helped make the adjustment to living there so much easier. We did face some challenges at first, such as finding the nearest grocery store and learning how to use some of the appliances in our apartment as some of them operated differently than they did in America. These were only minor challenges though, and after a few days we were able to figure everything out! The location of our housing was very ideal as we were only a 5 minute walk from the tube station and there was a bus stop right around the corner as well. The grocery stores were also not far which made it easy to transport our groceries back to the apartment. Since we were very close to the London Tower Bridge and various tourist attractions such as the Tower of London, the area around my apartment was very lively and filled with various restaurants and shops and it was so much fun exploring and trying all the new, diverse food in the area. Each day in London was different and I felt like I was constantly learning something new about London or discovering another part of the multifaceted city. I know that immersing yourself into a new city and new cultures can be overwhelming, but it is also thrilling.

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