By: Makaia Trueman

Two months have now passed since I first arrived in the UK to study abroad. I am currently attending Cardiff University in Wales, and it has been amazing so far. As far as student life comes, it has been really good. Personally, I only have one class a day for most of the week, and tutorials are much less frequent, being only every 2 weeks, making it easier to stay on top of work. Although it is common to take up to 6 papers here, the workload is much lighter. The university is also very spread out, so some days you definitely get your steps in walking all around the place. 

Cardiff itself is a very social and lively city. It’s a great area to walk around as it is mostly flat with all the shops being very central. It is common for students to go to a local cafe and do their studies there, as there are cafes everywhere! Every Wednesday is also student night, when all the sports clubs and societies meet up for their weekly socials. You’ll see people everywhere dressed in costumes walking the streets at night, even in the pouring rain- because yes it rains a lot!

Being in Cardiff has made it especially easy to travel since it is so central. Most people travel around the UK by train, which took some getting used to. On weekends, many students head off for a quick trip to London or even catch a two-hour flight to Spain or Portugal. Being in Europe is exciting because so many well-known countries are only hours away from you. It makes you want to make the most of travelling and go to as many places as possible, because it could be years before you’re back on this side of the world. 

One thing about travelling around Wales is that you will most likely always see a castle whenever you take a drive. Wales is full of history and has such cool old buildings, with Cardiff Castle dating back to the 11th century.

Overall, this experience has been life changing and has encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and become more independent than ever. I never imagined that I would be living on the other side of the world, by myself, not knowing anyone, but I am grateful that I pushed myself to do this once in a lifetime opportunity.