Plymouth, England

Hey from England! I’m currently ‘studying’ my way into the second week of lectures at Plymouth University and it’s about time for my first blog. My trip actually started about six weeks ago, where I travelled through parts of Wales with a few friends, and escaped to Portugal to snatch up that last bit of European summer. Firstly, I was surprised to find that Wales actually had more to offer than sheep and rainy days. Instead, I was greeted with beautiful, green countryside, little old cottages and historic castles at every turn.

Portugal was especially exciting as it was my first time backpacking as a solo traveller. I was worried I’d get lost, lose my baggage, miss my flights and end up crying in my hostel bed. But in reality, I only missed two trains and lost one key to my hotel room so it could be worse! In the end, I met so many new interesting people and never once felt helpless or scared and I highly recommend the experience.

Once I landed back in the country of her Majesty the Queen, I knew the time had come to get settled into my home for the next five months. My initial shock was, of course, the weather. So far, the average temperature has been around 16 degrees! Yet somehow, the English have a way of convincing themselves that it’s warm, and they walk around in Hawaiian shirts, shorts and ‘flip-flops’ (I’ve made the mistake of calling them thongs before). As a result, I’ve quickly learnt to always keep an umbrella with me because even if there’s not a single cloud in sight, you are never safe from rain… never.

On the contrary, the people here have been very warm and welcoming towards me. The university is full of fun activities and clubs to join, with a great nightlife. Most students live about a 15 minutes walk away so it’s easy to keep in touch with new friends and course mates. All in all, I’m beginning to feel settled in.

Okay, bye for now! I’ll keep you posted.

Lucia Langen (98106115)

Bachelor of Education

Plymouth University, England.