Thoughts from London
By Isabel Berckemeyer
If someone had told me three years ago that I would be spending the first semester of my junior year abroad, I wouldn’t have believed them. I have always been confident in my comfort zone and have never truly pushed those boundaries before in my life. I enjoy the routines I established at Villanova and the familiarity of it all.
One of my favorite parts about Villanova is its proximity to my home, I am a mere five hours away from family and friends. Villanova has also become my home away from home, my friends, classes, and the gym, have become comforts that come with knowing the community around you. I didn’t ever see myself leaving this lifestyle behind to go across the world.
This all changed when for the first half of my sophomore year my father profusely convinced me to investigate and consider abroad programs. My father was born in Lima, Peru where he lived for his teenage years before studying in Scotland and the United States. The love that he’s always had for his experience led to him encouraging me to look at different programs.
In doing this, I found a Boston University London Internship Program, and, on a whim, I decided to apply. When I was accepted, I was so caught up in the second semester of my sophomore year that I didn’t quite process this. Up until boarding my flight to London, the reality of leaving my life in America didn’t settle in.
My first two weeks in London was when reality hit that I was across the ocean from all the comforts of home. I had a time difference of five hours from my family and friends, which meant I couldn’t just call my sisters or mom whenever I wanted. The stores around me did not have the same products I was accustomed to using. There was no meal plan so I had to learn about meals I could and could certainly not cook. I didn’t have a car or friends to text to drive me places, so I had to become comfortable with ‘CityMapper’ and the “tube”. I had to put myself out there to make new friends while adjusting to an entirely different lifestyle.
For the first time in my life, I was truly on my own, and across an ocean. This was difficult for me since I hadn’t done this level of adjusting since my freshman year of college where I was still surrounded by the familiarity of America. Being in London meant hearing different accents every day and learning the cultural norms of the UK.
The first two weeks in London taught me that going abroad is something that a lot of people romanticize. People often skip the part of going abroad that talks about being alone, homesick, confused, and honestly a little scared. There are still numerous experiences that deserve romanticizing but there are also those moments where you crave the familiarity of America. This is not a bad thing but it’s important to acknowledge that your experience abroad is not always picture-perfect. You might find yourself on a random Tuesday at 2 a.m. across the world talking to your mom on the phone because it’s only 9 p.m. where she is.
In adapting to a new lifestyle I have learned a lot about myself. One of my biggest realizations from being abroad has been that is that routine is so important to me. Learning my schedule, and making time between classes for workouts, meals, and exploring has made me feel more secure. I have realized that being abroad is really all about stepping out of your comfort zone, but also knowing your limits. For me, this means that a trip to Ibiza will probably not be in the books but a weekend at Oktoberfest in Germany is just right. Finding familiarity is also important. Culture shock is a real thing, locating a park near me that reminds me of home and has hundreds of adorable dogs has been helpful. I have realized the importance of spontaneity. Not everything needs to have a plan, sometimes a spontaneous trip to Burrough market or tour of the Tower of London on a Monday afternoon is therapeutic.
I have learned, and am still learning a lot, but thankfully I have a whole semester to find my footing. I’m thankful for my experience abroad thus far, but it wouldn’t be my experience if I didn’t recognize the difficulties of being in a new environment. Nevertheless, I have had the time of my life and cannot wait for the rest of it.
