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Imagine this: You are a student who has just arrived in London.
It does not matter where you are from, it could be as far as China or Canada,
or as close as Stratford or Scarborough. What matters is that you’re here in London
now in 2012. Having arrived, you become acutely aware of
how crowded, noisy, fast-paced, impersonal, and frantic the city is.
This cosmopolitan melting pot might feel strange and alarming to you.
As someone new to the city, it is easy to become overwhelmed.
How do you feel? How do you cope? How do you find your place in this vast city?
This is a story by students about how they create their homes in London.
Upon arrival, students must deal with a variety of challenges and changes.
Many experience culture shock and become stressed when trying to find a place to live:
In the south of Italy we like to cook vegetables, and very rustic dishes,
so I try to repeat them here but I cannot find everything,
like some kinds of vegetables… it’s impossible to find them here in London.
That’s what I miss most from my home town Sometimes it feels like a rat race.
You get up in the morning, you get onto the tube,
everyone’s pushing each other and you get to work, get out of work,
you’re running back home to kind of tick the box, eat, cook, shower, study, sleep.
Students often live with complete strangers which also poses a unique set of problems.
Different lifestyles, personalities and habits can cause conflict.
Stealing or ‘borrowing’ each other’s milk, taking too much space in the fridge,
or being noisy or messy can make student life difficult at times.
Students can either let this conflict bring them down,
or they can learn to compromise. In addition to learning how to share things
and space, students learn the importance of good communication.
The impact, on my personality, I would say would be that I have become a little bit more
diplomatic and less direct. Leaving your family behind might add to the
stress as well and students attempt to find ways to combat
homesickness. In addition to keeping in touch with their
families, some students may find comfort in the things
they are familiar with. So this hat was made by my mom.
She gave it to me because she knows that it’s cold here
and where I come from it’s very warm. She thought I’d need it but I actually don’t,
but I still brought it here so that it makes her feel like I’ll be okay.
Other students bring small tokens of encouragement from friends and families.
Usually when I come back down my mum will pack things.
Sometimes she’ll bake something like banana loaf,
but usually it’s just kind of supplies: chocolate cake, chocolate bars, just things
to keep me going Not all students make their student house
into a home, but many attempt to do so through various
means, for example through the use of decorations
including photos, postcards, and posters. All these make their physical surroundings
more meaningful. Others bring personal objects from their previous
homes which have sentimental value. And still others try to create a home through
cooking and eating the food that their mothers or grandmothers
made. I miss home so I chose to buy a lot of rice
and a lot of Chinese food from Chinatown But, ultimately, the most important factor
in transforming a student house into a home is the friendships that are formed.
Having someone support you through challenges and adversities,
the ups and downs, the shock of living in a new city, uncertainty,
and all other problems that students may face is important.
Having someone to spend your spare time with, laugh with, cry with, and eat with
… this is what makes a student house a home. In the words of one student:
We’ve created a nice warm home here.