From mid-September 2022 to June 2023, I attended Durham University in Northern England for my third-year full-year exchange. Recounting why I decided to do a full-year exchange, it was because I couldn’t imagine a time in my life when I would have the opportunity to fully immerse myself in a new country, culture, and university. Having never flown outside of Canada before, this was a big step. Nonetheless, I told myself it was now or never, accepted my nomination, and before I knew it, I was waving goodbye to my parents as I began my year-long adventure.
When I arrived at Newcastle Airport, my senses were shaken by the newness surrounding me. Everyone sounded different, the stores were different, the cars drove on the other side of the roads, and I gasped seeing my first double-decker bus. When we entered Durham, I remember fixating my eyes on the beautiful cathedral in the town’s center. Being a collegiate university, Durham has close to twenty colleges scattered throughout the city, acting as student residences, dining halls, and social spaces. My college, Collingwood, was on a hill with a great view of sunsets overlooking the cathedral and a botanical garden in the backyard. There were many events throughout the year of balls, carnivals, and sport days. During these events, I was drawn to other international students as we bonded over our unknowns of British culture.
Whenever I walked in the city, I was enamoured by its beauty. By the trails by the river, the ivy that spread for miles throughout the trees, and the cobblestone bridges that lead to the cathedral. I felt transported into a storybook setting every day. However, I found the adjustment difficult. Initially, I thought it would be easier to speak the same language, but I found the subtitle differences separated home and the UK the most. Differences in words, greetings, or social spaces and learning what home students saw as innate parts of their culture proved humbling.
I overcame these challenges by branching out and making amazing friends through international student trips or at my local community church. The best part of my exchange was being downtown and running into a familiar face. I had a network of supporters that made Durham feel like a home away from home. People that, even though an ocean separates us, will always be in my life. Going away for a year was scary, daunting, and, a long time, but without that time, I doubt I would have made these connections or felt part of the Durham student heartbeat that flows through the city. Upon my return to Queen’s, I am grateful to the IPO for allowing me to share my experiences and help others considering these opportunities as I have since become the biggest advocate of saying it’s now or never and just doing it.
