UK – Ebony
Student: Ebony
Course: Bachelor of Criminology/Bachlor of Laws
Program: Trimester Exchange T1 2024
How did you make friends and what sort of things did you do together?
Initially, I was really nervous about the aspect of making friends, thankfully, I met a now great friend at the Deakin pre-departure meeting and we hit it off straightaway. We ended organising private accommodation together and honestly had the best time. It helped having another person from back home who was going through a similar experience as me and being able to lean on each other when needed. Because we lived in the same house we did pretty much everything together, made dinner together, watched movies together and any event/place that either of us wanted to visit, we made a day out of it.
Another way I made friends was through Rediscover Church, which is a local church based near the Quay. Going to Young Adults and Students (YA) meetings and getting to know other students who weren’t in my classes was another great way to make friends and meet people who I may have never come across before.
What is the one big thing you will always remember from your experience? Or one big lesson that you learnt?
I will always remember the experience as a whole, it’s a massive privilege to be able to go overseas for a period of time and experience another area of the world whilst studying. I will always remember staying up into the early hours of the morning just chatting to my friend/housemate, talking about our lives back home, the observations we had made around the city, and watching terrible Hallmark movies in the process.
One big lesson I learnt was that you shouldn’t let the time that you have go to waste out of a fear that it is going to end eventually. Initially, I had the mindset that there was no point getting involved in anything or with many people because I knew it would be short-lived. I will say, I am so glad that I finally opened myself up and put myself out there because getting involved in the Rediscover Youth Team twice a week, and volunteering at the local elderly home not only gave me a purpose for the months being in Exeter but left me very fulfilled.
Did you go on any memorable trips to explore your host country or maybe a nearby country?
Exeter is a very beautiful, small student town that has a lot of gorgeous areas to walk around. I had the pleasure of visiting Spain and Italy whilst studying, Spain was particularly memorable because it had always been on my bucket list since I took Spanish in high school. However, in Italy, we did a cooking class in Rome which was definitely the highlight of my trip because I love everything in the culinary space and it was so fun meeting and being able to share my love with other people from different areas of the world.
What is your one piece of advice for a student who is preparing to study abroad? How should they prepare?
Go without any expectations. I had zero hence I never felt underwhelmed or disappointed about anything. Have an open mind and understand that your experience is unique to you, sometimes you might feel like you’re not taking full advantage of the experience because you might be comparing yourself to other exchange students, but you should make the exchange your own. What you put into it, is what you will gain from it.