by Caelyn Dillinger

As the plane touched down in Manchester, a range of emotions swept over me. Leaving behind the familiar places and feelings of New Zealand was a struggle for me, with a lot of homesickness settling in as I realised how far away I was from my family and friends. However, the excitement of exploring a new culture was there too. Jet lag has definitely been present and added an extra layer of fatigue to the mix, but I slowly started to navigate the massive university and see the new surroundings that looked like a movie. I still feel homesick and miss my friends and family, it’s still hard to sleep (getting only about 3 hours a night) but I know in a week or so everything will start to come together.