Studying abroad in London can be a little imposing at first, especially if you have never really been away from home before. However, there are a few things you can do to make yourself feel all the more at home while you study abroad in Europe. Keep the following tips in mind and you should be calling London home in no time.
Learn to Love Soccer
If you are a sports fan, something you will discover when you leave the States is that everyone the whole world over loves Soccer, or Football. Everyone except the US, that is. If you ever want to be able to chime in on a conversation at the local sports pub ever again, you would be wise to develop an interest in soccer. If not soccer, then develop an interest in London culture. Some people travel all the way to Europe only to look for the most American places they can find. What is the point in that? Learn to appreciate London culture, or why bother going in the first place?
Crisps and Chips
Learning some of the lingo will be a big help in making sure that, at the very least, you do not wind up with the wrong thing on your plate when you go out to lunch. Crisps are potato chips, for instance, and chips refer to French fries and other fried potato snacks. You will pick most of this up as you go, but you would do well to perhaps watch a little BBC before you go and converse often with the locals when you arrive in London so that you can quickly pick up on the language. Get used to the English style of swearing, too. To put it gently, there are some words we never utter over here that they use as casually as “heck” and “dang” across the pond. Just know that it sounds harsher to your ears than to theirs.
They Gripe About Their Government, Too
There’s a bit of a misconception in the US that the English are big fans of Tony Blair. His approval ratings, in reality, were about as impressive as Bush’s. The royal family still draws some respect from many Englanders, but don’t confuse the country with its government.
Of course, if you really want to get comfortable living in London, the first step is making sure that that is actually where you want to go. Let’s weigh the pros and cons of living in London.
Pros
- London is a lot cheaper than many other major cities in Europe
- London is a great hub from which to explore the rest of Europe
- Lots of free museums, art galleries and shows
Cons
- London can be cold, foggy and rainy, which may take some getting used to if you’re from a warm part of the world
- Very crowded
- Still more expensive than a rural district
You can see that it really comes down to a personal choice. You may be spending around 400 Euros just to rent a room, and closer to 1,000 Euros a month if you want to rent an apartment. Are you okay with taking out a bigger college loan to stay in the city, or would you rather forego the beauty of London and study somewhere cheaper? Where you study is as personal a decision as what you study. Don’t let anyone make the choice for you.
http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/current.student/costOfLiving.shtml