Life in the Posh Lane

A red-eye flight, Swedes, drag queen DJ’s, and the fire brigade. These are not the ingredients for a fine Italian bruschetta or a good night out. Rather, these were all part of my first week as an international student at Northumbria University in Newcastle, England.

You’ll be hearing from me every so often throughout the semester as I travel and study with fellow Bobcat, Haylee Wilson. I would like to begin by saying that I hope to honestly relay my experience abroad – the good and the bad – to students who wish to do the same. Hopefully, my travels and experiences will encourage other students to take a leap and study abroad. If so, plan now. As in, begin this instant. If not, it would be your loss entirely.

After a somewhat tearful goodbye in the international terminal of Baltimore-Washington International, as well as a truly grueling six-hour layover in Heathrow International, I finally landed at Newcastle International Airport on Tuesday, September 9. As we began our descent, I found what I believed to be a good omen. Instead of descending towards the shipping yards and industrial plants I had expected of North East England (I imagined Pittsburgh), we landed amidst many a flock of sheep and truly gorgeous country estates.

The university picked us up at the airport as part of an exceptional meet and greet program and promptly took us to our accommodation. Now, it is important for me to say now that I am a commuter student and I have limited exposure to the residence halls at FSU. However, I believe that I have enough exposure at FSU to make some fair comparisons in accommodation. Our flat at NU houses six students (this is where the Swedes come in). Six bedrooms (each with their own bathroom – complete with shower, sink, and toilet) and a common kitchen and living room compose our flat. Aside from the truly grotesque green carpet, I have to say that I much prefer the European style of student housing. Think Edgewood with a view. And, on top of our “posh” living arrangements, we were fortunate enough to land with some exceptional roommates. One is from Russia, two are from Sweden, and one is from Italy. However, the Italian attends the same university in Gothenburg, Sweden, as our Swedish roommates. And in the flat next to us: Swedes. All from Gothenburg, in the same program, and all graduate students. At first, this was daunting. However, after a trip to H&M (Swedish), IKEA (Swedish), and Clas Ohlson (Swedish), I am happy to report that we are friends with all our roommates and neighbors, and will likely pick up some Swedish vocabulary. Everyone proceed to Google “lagom” now. It’s my favorite new Swedish word.

Before we came to England, a Northumbria student reached out to us and invited us to a house party. Her name is Jen and she is the current president of the “American Studies Society.” The society studies all things American and is currently recruiting. At their recruitment table, they wear NFL jerseys, hand out Tootsie Rolls, play old school hip-hop, and wear American flag bandanas. It made me cringe.

On one of our first nights in Newcastle, Jen took us to the house party she had invited us to. At a rather cramped English townhouse, we meet the host, Ares. Ares is originally from the Congo and has traveled far and wide. He knows everybody – I mean it. Complete with a suit and top hat, Ares made our first night out memorable as he stood on his doorstep and hugged us as we entered his home. Complete with a real, live DJ, the house party was fun and quite international. I would like to remind all readers that the legal drinking age in the United Kingdom is 18 and, as visitors, American students studying in the UK are bound by UK laws.

After the house party, Jen proceeded to take us out on the town. I won’t divulge all the details, but I will say that it involved the previously mentioned drag queen DJs and fire brigade. Some things you simply have to experience for yourself.

Along with some nights out on the town, or the “toon” as Newcastle residents call it, we have proceeded to explore Newcastle and much of what it has to offer. The historical district, the riverside, and neighboring Gateshead all offer activities and fun adventures. Classes start on Monday, the 22^nd, and then I will begin to plan travels to London, Paris, Italy, and Scotland (which just voted to remain in the UK, by the way).

I can’t express how happy I am with my decision to study abroad. I am having the time of my life in Europe and encourage all students to seriously consider studying abroad. I’ll keep you all updated on this whirlwind and hopefully will continue to have good news to report. Cheers for now!