Community: Feeling at Home by Getting Involved While Abroad
The task of getting involved in your local community, as well as your campus community can seem a bit daunting when you go abroad. I definitely had to do some adjusting of my own in my first month or so of my semester in Stirling, Scotland. After attending the IFSA orientation in Edinburgh and meeting some awesome friends with whom I’m still in touch, I was able to take what I learned and use it to make the most of my semester.
My IFSA orientation taught me a lot of valuable ways to cut costs on necessities like transportation and food while in the UK. I saved money by buying a Rail-pass for the trains, and a ton of time by having my groceries delivered to my flat instead of going into town to shop every week. I was also very frequently reminded of the importance of joining clubs and societies at my university, which turned out to be such an important key to my happiness while abroad. By the end of the semester I was in love with the university and the town of Stirling.