Surviving

 

All those who are for the first time far away from home and experience the first touch with the independent life, you will have to deal with some situations. When you will arrive everything is going to be new: new flat, new people, new food, new timetables, new language… but take it easy.

Probably you will have some troubles in understanding the Scottish accent but don’t worry, even for the native English speakers it’s difficult to understand it.

Moreover, have you thought about food? You will have to eat! Most of the people forget about this before arriving, but when you are new and your fridge is empty, you would like that someone would have told you where to go. I recommend going the Morrisons is 10 minutes walking from the residence, it’s the cheapest supermarket and it’s open until 10 pm. If you want to buy frozen food also a good option is Iceland, located inside the Piazza mall. The Co-operative and Mark&Spencer are the most expensive supermarkets. The Family shopper is also a good shop to do last minute shopping; there is not a huge variety of items and food but it’s excellent if you want to buy cheap drinks for a party because it’s close and open until 10 pm.

Another thing to deal with, if you live in the residence or in a shared flat, is the people. They probably will have different cultures, habits and language but this is not an obstacle to make new friends. I encourage you to open your mind and try to talk with them and plan some things, even going to the supermarket it’s a good opportunity to know your flatmates in the beginning. Of course, it will take some time until you see with who you get on well better or to trust them, but take advantage of the opportunity to learn from other people. I recommend you to join to the activities that the university prepares for the first week of each trimester; it will help you to know new people.

When you will arrive maybe you will feel alone the first days but it’s completely normal, don’t worry. To feel more like home, you can decorate your room with photos or flowers.

In addition, the timetables here maybe are different from where you live, so my tip is to try to adapt, it’s better to have a routine.

Don’t be discouraged! You can handle it! I am sure that you will gain more experience of life, you will not regret it!

 

Here I post a video where you can see what Erasmus is!

 

Moreover, if you click in the following link you can get in touch with other students who have been through this experience or are going to do in a close future.