16 Oct Dealing with the changes…

I’m from England, and go to University in Swansea, Wales. So, of course, the differences I am able to take note of between California and England is immense, good and bad. Let me tell you a couple. One that seems to really affect many of my friends (I’m 21 so not me) is the drinking age. At home in England, it’s 18, so we’ve all been drinking and going out for many years. However, we have suddenly come to a place where you are restricted with drinking and going out! It’s very sad. Obviously, I’m not complaining about being here! But that is one of the biggest changes we have had to deal with. Another change that may occur if you decide to do a year abroad in America is the adjustment of the work load. For me, my studying at home mainly consists of a couple of essays throughout the semester, and then a final exam; very chill. However, here, we are given readings every class to do for the next meeting, which I do have had to say has been difficult to adjust to. Midterm exams are also something that is an alien concept to me, and many other English students too, probably. In one of my classes, it is required that every student takes a test every single week, which is worth 5% and counts towards our final grade. Stressful! Moreover, everything is much more expensive here than at home, so it is so important to budget. Of course, San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities in the country, and I was aware of this when I applied to come here, but it’s still a shock to me and my bank account when my rent comes out every month! Budgeting has been a struggle, but in most of the supermarkets such as Target and Trader Joes, which are closest to my house, it’s easy to find cheap vegetables and other groceries. One amazing change is the weather, and how beautiful it has been so far! I know it can get very cold, but since I’ve arrived in San Francisco, it’s been amazing, giving me the opportunity to even go in the sea a couple of times! So far, I am loving it here, and the good experiences and memories I’m creating here really outdo the difficult changes I have listed in this blog!