Story Location: England
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Goodbye London, Or: It’s a New Beginning
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Four months ago, when I just arrived in London, I was shy, scared to make friends with others, and also anxious about whether I would enjoy my time here. I remember clearly that I wouldn’t even go out of my room as my social anxiety hindered me from meeting with other people. Now, as my…
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It’s Fun Studying Abroad (IFSA)
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IFSA is more than just an organization to help students study abroad. They made me feel less alone while I was abroad. The status of being a foreigner was definitely evident, regardless of the similarities between American and British cultures. A majority of students in London commuted to university, and therefore many friend groups formed…
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First Generation Student Abroad
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Grit Gets You There. Becoming a first generation student scholar through IFSA was one of my biggest dreams come true. Despite the high financial demands of attending college and studying abroad, I accomplished this though persistence, grit, and hard work. I was looking forward to gaining research skills and relevant job experiences to improve my…
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Strengthening My Queer Identities in London
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It can be quite hard to study abroad if you identify as a queer person, because not all countries are open towards queer and trans people. However, London is an amazing city where different kinds of gender expressions and sexual orientations are accepted by the majority of Londoners. As a result, my queer identities have…
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Living with Social Anxiety Abroad
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I always knew that I was an introverted person, but I did not know that I have social anxiety until the second year of college. I realized that had felt stressed and anxious in almost all social settings: from a theater rehearsal room, a Friday night party, or the cafeteria resounded with American small talks,…
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4 Common Myths About STEM Students Studying Abroad
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As you probably know, STEM students continue to be the minority of those who study abroad in their undergraduate study. Many STEM students either think it is impossible for them to study abroad or feel like it’d be a burden. Let me assure you: those conceptions are not necessarily true. Myth #1: It Doesn’t Fit…
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Embracing Discomfort: Studying the Arts in London as an East Asian
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“There will never be a place where I can fully belong.”This is what I wrote down on Facebook, right before the plane took off to London, the city where I would stay for the next six months. All kinds of anxieties started to upsurge into my body, and one of them is the fear of…
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Why I Chose to Study a Full Year Abroad in London
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While many students are beginning to reflect back on their fall study abroad experiences, I am only halfway through my full year abroad. Sometimes I worry about what I will be missing at home in the spring, and I definitely miss my friends and family back home in the United States, but I think that…
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A Love Letter to the East End
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Online research about the East End would have you thinking that the most significant part about it was Jack the Ripper. However, London’s EastEnders and those such as myself who have had the opportunity to live here would most certainly disagree. As I prepare to leave my home of the last three months, I am…
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Being Black and Muslim in London
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Studying in a foreign environment, as exciting as it is, can be a little daunting. For students who identify as members of marginalized groups, transitioning can be even more difficult. As I was preparing to study abroad, I remember hearing that only 5% of Black students travelled abroad, and I found this statistic to be…
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