The United Kingdom which has an incredible mix of international cultures and contemporary thinking. As a Nigerian, I found an array of exciting experiences ahead of me and I had the opportunity to discover exotic places and meet new people. As the UK is a cosmopolitan city, I found out that some things were quite similar to the things I was used to doing in Nigeria but it took some time to adjust.
Living and studying in the UK is indeed expensive, I’m not even going to lie about that and you might face challenges. Getting to settle down and fit into a new society is not quite easy.
Before some Nigerians come into the UK, they worry most about the food and the weather, well the cold weather isn’t a big deal to be honest. As a Nigerian, I made sure I bought nice winter jackets and boots, to make sure I effectively layer up during winter.
Food Wasn’t also a problem for me because most supermarkets sell ingredients from Africa as well as food from many other parts of the world. The British are increasingly healthy eaters and there is a very wide range of organic produce available in shops and supermarkets. You can get almost anything in these shops. Garri,semovita…etc.
Money matters
Though, It comes at a high cost financially but living in the UK is rewarding in every other possible way. Renting a house is also very expensive. You get to pay £300 or more monthly for your rent in smaller towns. It depends on the type of apartment and where you live in, some cost up to £700 – £ 2,000.
Food also can be expensive, food prices are high in the UK. Everything is x2. I was shocked a first! But I got used to seeing high prices.
Also the jackets, boots and other winter clothings aren’t cheap. You need to keep warm so you need money for that as well.
Well, UK is enriched with knowledge in its academics, environment, cities and people.
It is for sure you come into the uk and become transformed in a positive way. You improve socially and mentally. UK is expensive but worth it.
Life outside the campus wall
Whether you just listen or take part, you’ll find pop, rock, electro, hip-hop, classical, folk, jazz, opera and all sorts of world music in the UK. From independent cafes, bars to international scale concert halls or rock festivals you can listen and dance to live music all over the UK. There are so many fun places to hang out and if you’re an indoor person, well, you can also chill out on your bed at home.
What I found difficult.
Initially, I tried to balance up, it wasn’t easy to understand a lot of things because I wasn’t used to doing them in Nigeria. I had to adapt, learn and tried to understand their way of life in the UK to some extent in order to balance up. I could remember after my first lecture I met a British-Nigerian lady who helped me settle down. We became friends afterwards. After my first lecture, she took me to the mall and she showed me a lot of shops and supermarkets like Tesco, H&M, Bodycare, Boots etc. She also told me how I could get things at cheaper prices during sales. I met a lot of nice people afterwards, they all helped me settle down well.
And my accent?
Well, UK is a diversified nation. You get to meet people from different countries and you need to talk slowly or twist your tongue a little for some to understand you. You can’t really speak like you’re talking to a Nigerian, I had to improve my accent to sound clearer to people not from my society. And the British accent? However, with time you get used to it and for all I know I might be speaking like them too! Lol!!
