August

When I landed in America just over three weeks ago, some of the other international students and I were greeted by a few of the staff from the university who gave us a party bag which contained goodies including smelly chips (crisps), some chocolate cookies and a map. A balanced diet, you might say. We packed ourselves and our luggage into a tiny bus and a smartly dressed gentlemen drove us from the airport to the campus. There were about 12 international students on the bus, all of us from different countries and backgrounds. Having probably travelled for the least amount of time to get to where we were, it really put things into perspective.

The first week of term was purely for international students so there were many social activities and events planned for us, allowing us to meet so many people. At one event, all of the international student (about 300) were sat in a room on randomly selected tables. I was lucky enough to be sat with students who were from either Asia or Africa, and it was so strange to realise that out of everyone in the room, I was probably one of the students who were closest to their home country. It almost made me feel guilty for complaining about the length of my journey, or about how far away I was from home. It was so humbling to hear and learn about each other's cultures and experiences. Sharing lunch with those amazing people on that day will always be a memory that I will cherish.  

With itchy feet to explore the area, my two bffls and I are keen to use our free time to get out of the university campus and travel to as many places as our bank accounts will take us. Our first few trips have been fun so far, having just got back from a long weekend away in Columbus. However, having lived in big European cities for all of our lives, it is so interesting to visit the Midwestern American cities because they're all so small and boring! Considering Columbus is the capital city of the state, it is just not comparable to London or Paris or Vienna (the capital cities of our respective countries). Maybe it's unfair to make those parallels, but seeing that England isn't much bigger than Ohio in terms of area, Columbus felt like a small corner of a wealthy city in Yorkshire. There is like one main high street which housed independent card shops and thrift shops, and a line of big tall buildings on the bank of the river. It was beautiful to see and I'm pleased we went, but it's just so interesting that that is the extent of a big city in this area of America. We're currently planning our next trip and we're aiming for somewhere bigger and further away. Vacation anyone?