What is one challenge you experience during your first month? How did you overcome that challenge?

"A challenge I experienced during my first month was securing housing. When I arrived, all the students had hotel accommodations for 10 days. After that, we had to secure and find our own housing. The Student Village (university dorms) is currently being renovated, and the students were aware until arrival. I had connected with a lady I met on the plane who has been very welcoming and helpful. I reached out to her to see if she knew any open apartments, or host families. She helped me find a permanent location while I am here abroad. If it wasn’t for me asking for help, then I would probably still be stuck in a hotel and paying a lot more money for housing accommodations."

What skills have you learned while living abroad? ”I’ve managed to get around in unfamiliar places, whether that’s taking the train, a taxi, ora bus. Traveling around and being reliant on public transportation means facing some challenges, and I’ve gotten much better at brushing them off. I’ve also gotten more creative with my cooking! There are some ingredients and spices that I don’t have access to here, so I’ve had to learn how to make different cuisines and substitute certain things.”

What is something you want to remember about your time abroad? ”I believe that it will be easy to remember the larger excursions I’ll take while I’m here. For example, I’ll never forget my trip around Mt. Fuji or the nightlife in Shibuya. However, what I’m growing to love the most are the more mundane, everyday things. My train rides to school every day, wandering around in a new neighborhood of Tokyo once a week, and getting snacks from the convenience stores are a few of the things I’m sure I’ll subconsciously miss. I hope I don’t forget to cherish these small moments.”

What is something you want to remember about your time abroad?”I just made it back from the Western side of the United Kingdom and am glad to say I was able to visit many places like Plymouth, Westminster, and Oxford. One thing I would like to remember about my study abroad experience is the different views I was able to have of different architecture and natural terrain. While the United Kingdom has deep historical roots, many of the buildings and architecture you'll see were built centuries ago. Considering this, I believe the buildings and the beautiful natural terrain are both once-in-a-lifetime sights to see.”

What is something you want to remember about your time abroad? ”During my time abroad, I want to remember the awesome people that I met and experiences I was able to have. I was able to have an experience of a lifetime and I want to cherish the memories cultivated here.”

Describe a moment where you experienced culture shock. How did you navigate it? ”There honestly was not much of a culture shock for me. I came into this exchange with a lot of pretty conceived notions about the people that would be here, but after getting familiarized with the culture in the people here- I realized that they aren’t so different from me. Sure they have different beliefs and ways of living, but so does everyone. I didn’t find anything to be super shocking, besides the lack of diversity which I expected because this is Finland. The population is very homogeneous.”

What is one challenge you experienced during your first month? How did you overcome that challenge? “The bus system is the first challenge I have experienced while in Colchester. Being raised in a small town forced me to walk or drive, so I had only experienced riding a bus once I came to the United Kingdom.

What is one challenge you experienced during your first month? How did you overcome that challenge? “My first month in Finland was definitely a transition I had to get adjusted to. I had trouble penetrating the social spaces. I realized that I needed to put myself out there. I couldn’t isolate myself in my apartment and expect to make friends, so that’s exactly what I did.