As I'm reaching the semester's mid-point, I want to reflect on my time thus far. Specifically, I want to discuss making friends abroad. I've always considered myself to be quite a social person making friends wherever I go, but I was nervous before coming abroad. I wanted to start going on adventures and exploring the city early on, so I put pressure on myself to meet people with the same mindset. I thought that a great opportunity to do this was to knock on every door in my flat, but someone beat me to it. My now close friend knocked on my door and invited me out to a pub with a large group of others who lived in my building. Pub culture is extremely popular in the UK, with the pub quiz being an integral part of it. From there, the pieces started to fall into place. Several of us talked about our experiences from the states or from their home countries elsewhere, and we quickly became a group of friends.
Since then, we've gone on several trips around Europe and explored all over London. During this time, I've grown extremely close with this group, and we will absolutely remain as such even after the semester ends. The attached picture depicts one of our many memories — a trip to Edinburgh with my new friends!
To complete this post, I want to offer some advice to anybody who is worried about making friends during their time abroad. Try not to let this fear stop you from going abroad or enjoying your time whilst you're away. For many students, the ability to study abroad is a once-in-a-lifetime experience — take advantage of the opportunity even if it seems scary. Step out of your comfort zone. There are so many opportunities to meet new people whether it be class, GW England-organized events, or simply knocking on doors in your flat. It's likely that many of the people around you, especially other study abroad students, are feeling the same way, so they'll be relieved when you strike up a conversation with them.
Griffith Evans
GW England - King's College London
Spring 2023
Elliot School of International Affairs
International Affairs and Finance Major