Manisha

First week in London: my thoughts, challenges and experiences

on 11 January 201723 June 2017 By Manisha

So here I am, typing this blogpost at my desk in a city which I can call my home for the next three months. Last week was all about settling: getting used to a new environment, my own place and the people. I have lived at my parents’ house my whole life, so moving to London was a big transition for me. Besides that, this will be the first time to experience life in a big city. With 8.6 million inhabitants, London is the biggest city of Europe. I had to get used to the big crowds and the huge amount of buses and cars crossing the roads every day. People in the UK drive on the left side of the road, stand on the right side of the escalator and walk both the left and right of the street… You probably understand that it gets confusing for me sometimes.

Since my classes started this week, I had enough time create a daily routine and got to know the city better during the last couple of days. I did a lot of strolls in my neighbourhood and jumped regularly on those cute red buses to get a better idea of where everything is situated. I went to the introduction days which were organized by my university and attended a boat cruise on the Thames that included an afternoon tea (as a tea-lover, you can imagine I was totally in my happy place!).

Living on your own for the first time in a country where you don’t know anyone can be a challenge sometimes. It gives you a big responsibility, since you have to figure out everything yourself. On the other hand, you’re provided with a lot of freedom (which isn’t a bad thing at all ;-)). My classes are starting this week and I’m ready to get involved into the British uni life: Bring it on!

Oxford- & Bond street

on 11 January 201711 January 2017 By Manisha

For those who shop till they drop and the people who are not afraid of crowds, the shopping district in the West End is the place to be. I visited this area on the first day I arrived in London. My first reaction when I walked past the exit of the underground station: “THE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS ARE STILL THERE!”. Yup, I was totally surprised and very happy I got the chance to see them in full glory. Londoners sure know how to treat their visitors well: the decorations were absolute eye-catchers. If you ever get the chance to visit London during Christmas time, I’d defenitely recommend it: witnessing this lush spectacle is an experience you’ll not easily forget.

How to get there? The best way to travel to this area is by underground. The red, blue and brown tube lines will take you to Oxford Circus, where you’ll immediately be in the heart of the city centre.

Studying abroad: my reasons and choice for London

on 9 January 201723 June 2017 By Manisha

It all started last year: I was almost finishing my Bachelor of Law and started thinking of what should be the next step in my life. Starting right away with my master didn’t sounded like a good idea to me, since that would mean I would have to to find a job soon and my life as a student would be over (wait, whaaat). In my opinion, I needed more time and experience before starting to get more serious. Travelling and exploring new cultures have always drawn my attention, so that’s how I began to think of studying abroad. I felt like I needed a new challenge: living in another city, getting involved into a new student life and experiencing a new culture: it all sounded very appealing to me. From that time on I started working on turning this idea into reality.

Picking the university and city to study was probably the hardest part, since my university offered a huge list of universities to which I could go. I had to make a top-3 list of my choices. After a lot of thinking and research, London was the city where I wanted to study in the first place. Living in the UK would mean that I would have to speak English all the time, which would help with improving my English skills (who knows if I manage to get a British accent before I return home ;-)). Besides that, I wanted to experience living in a world class city, gaining more knowledge of the common law system and of the rich history this big city has got to offer. I chose to study at the Queen Mary University of London, since it has a very good reputation, offers good Law courses and is situated in the city centre. After a few months I heard that I was accepted for the Erasmus+ program, and I couldn’t be any happier. The preparation for this big adventure was just about to begin..