I am a third-year Forensic Science student at Trent University and this semester, I have the privilege of studying at Nottingham Trent University in England. Over the course of my exchange, I will be publishing articles about Nottingham Trent, England, travelling, finances, and living as an international student. I hope to encourage other Trent students to go on an exchange to learn in a different environment and travel abroad. Exchange is a unique experience to grow as an individual, develop independence, and further your education. 

I arrived on a sunny morning on Sunday, January 15^th. The plane ride was smooth, I was hoping to sleep for at least six hours but that got interrupted by mediocre airplane food. I sat beside two students - one studying law in Northern Ireland and the other studying at Leicester, UK. I wasn’t the only one leaving home that day to study abroad. After I arrived in London, I took the national express bus to Nottingham. It was dark when I arrived, but I felt safe walking to my hostel, Igloo Hybrid. The staff was very welcoming, and I settled into the shared dorm. Why am I living in a hostel as a student you might ask? This brings us to my first complaint about this exchange. My residence contract begins on January 29^th which I discovered was two weeks after classes start. As an international student, I expected the university to ensure I had a place to stay as I have no family or connections in the area. However, this was not the case. The hostel has been a pleasant experience, but the Wi-Fi needs an upgrade. I have discovered I have a fear of being robbed and my friends have a fear of me being murdered but so far, I have avoided both. 

After I dropped off my bags in the hostel, I headed to the convenience store, Sainsbury’ Local across the street and purchased shampoo and cigarettes. The border security at the airport rudely seized my oversized shampoo bottle which unfortunately was my fault. Since I packed for five months a day in advance and did not have the insight to transfer my shampoo to an airport-approved sized bottle. Now the cigarettes…everyone smokes in England (this is not an ad for cigarettes do not smoke it is bad for you). I had dinner at this delicious pizza place, Solo Grano. I highly recommend it. The staff was friendly, and my pizza was served less than five minutes after I ordered it. One of my favourite things about this city so far is how central everything is. No matter what you are looking for it is likely a five-to-ten-minute walk away. My hostel is a six-minute walk from campus and ten minutes away from my future residence. 

Nottingham Trent is known for being a modern university. Meaning most of the communication between administration and students is done virtually. Call me old-fashioned, but I do prefer face-to-face interactions. However, all my emails are replied to promptly except for the residence (accommodation@ntu.ac.uk) which takes several days. Hence why I am still living in a hostel and not yet in residence. I also learned yesterday that the residence I will be moving into next week is one of the worst ones as the rooms are small and 24 people share one kitchen. I’m optimistic I will make this work. The gentleman that informed me of this news is a French boy named Timothe. Unfortunately, not Chalamet. Timothe was one of the first friends I met here but he, unfortunately, is leaving in a week. But this has not stopped me from planning a night out with him this coming Thursday. Nottingham has many club options. The club to go to is dependent on the night of the week. Timothe gave me the list of days and accompanying clubs which is arguably the most valuable information I’ve received so far (don’t judge me for my priorities). 

One of the most important aspects of exchange is meeting friends and establishing a community while away from home. Nottingham Trent offers a wide range of events for international students hosted at the Global Lounge. So far this week I have attended a Language Café and Crafternoon. The Global Lounge is a great space for international students to get to know one another while participating in a fun activity or event. Other upcoming activities this week include the Global Community Lunch and Games Afternoon. These events continue weekly or bi-weekly throughout the whole term. Other events I am looking forward to attending include the City Campus Tour, Winter Welcome Social, British Culture and Culture Shock, Coffee Morning, Health System in the UK for international students, and Managing Your Money. I am looking forward to the rest of my time here and I hope I can encourage you to consider an exchange to Nottingham Trent!