Every teenager craves independence, something that is a given when going off to study at university. There’s been a noticeable shift in how students choose where to study too, with more students choosing to go farther from home than ever before.
As an American teenager, living in Scotland and the UK has been a dream come true. As an international student, moving across countries (and continents) at eighteen gave me insurmountable freedom. However, this newfound independence came at the cost of some surprising difficulties and sacrifices.
The Holidays I Missed
Before moving, I knew that I’d be missing out on family events and gatherings. I just didn’t fully understand what that meant until it happened.
Since the United Kingdom doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving, they also don’t take a break from classes on that day– but, Thanksgiving is my favourite American holiday. Having to facetime into my house, full of family members eating my comfort foods, definitely gave me a bout of FOMO. It was also weird having to study on a day usually spent watching the Macy’s Day Parade and the AKC Dog Show, two programs that I was unable to watch for the first time in my life.
Studying at Glasgow University is worth the sacrifice but doesn’t totally replace the feeling of spending time with loved ones.
A Birthday, Five Hours Ahead
With a September birthday, and a time zone five hours ahead of my friends and family, celebrating my nineteenth birthday looked a little different too.
My family threw me a party before I flew out, and weeks before my birthday, rather than on the actual day itself. Instead of morning calls from my family as I woke up, usually before heading out to school, I woke to nothing.
The calls came later, around noon, one, or two in the afternoon UK time. Friends wished me happy birthday after the day had technically already passed in the UK. And since switching numbers, some of those texts didn’t go through until returning for Christmas and turning my US phone number back on.
Worth It, But Still Hard
Let it be said that I love my experience in Scotland, and I love Glasgow even more.
My best friends, friends, and teammates are some of my favourite people in this universe, and I can’t imagine studying here without them. Some of my best memories have been made with the people I’ve met here. The Glaswegian culture is endearing, the weather somehow still brings people together, and my classes are wonderful and interesting.
I couldn’t be happier with my decision to move abroad.
But doing all of this still came with parts that are less spoken about on social media. Sometimes this kind of change is hard to fully understand until you’re experiencing it, and that doesn’t make the move any less difficult.