Studying abroad gives confidence
Despite the many challenges of studying abroad, it only makes one appreciate the experience more.
By HANNAH CONTRERAS
It’s still only week six in the semester here in Edinburgh, but that means that it’s midterm season. It also means that I’ve been here for almost seven weeks, my longest time out of the country. In the weeks since I last wrote this column, I’ve really settled into both my place within the university and my place within the city.
I can navigate the streets of Old Town blindfolded, as evidenced by our many nights on Cowgate, but I also know the Main Library like the back of my hand. Study abroad, as the name suggests but everyone always forgets, is actually about studying. I spend most of my time working in either the beautiful and secluded History, Classics and Archaeology research room, or in my top floor flat bedroom with the window open and the sounds of church bells, bagpipes and seagulls filtering in.
However, in between all that studying, I’ve also experienced more of the local culture recently. I attended a cheap concert at The Mash House after getting an Instagram ad for it the day before (I fall for them, sue me) and enjoyed a wonderful set from up-and-coming indie artist Nell Mescal, who also performed at the festival Electric Picnic in Ireland this year. Her set was vibrant and her on-stage presence was commanding. She seemed effortlessly funny and collected, and, I’ll admit, I blushed when she made a heart at me from the stage.
My friends and I also recently went to The Jazz Bar, a local institution where we saw The Sinners perform neo-soul and classic songs in a moody underground environment. Live music is alive and well in Edinburgh. It’s so easy to walk to a nearby venue and see any genre for relatively cheap. At The Jazz Bar, entry was only £5 for students for a wonderful night of dancing and fun.
One of my friends from USC who is studying abroad in London recently came up and spent the night. They met all my friends, and we reflected on our two different experiences so far with study abroad. They are studying at the British American Drama Academy, where their entire cohort is American, albeit a mix of students from universities across the U.S. In contrast, I’m simply a student at the University of Edinburgh, one of thousands from all over the world.
Although the majority of my friends are English, some are Scottish, Australian and even Spanish. Our wide-ranging and diverse backgrounds sometimes make jokes a little hard to understand or a bit of slang slips out that no one else gets, but mainly it means that we are all learning to understand new cultures and meet each other in the middle.
My USC friend enjoyed getting to know Edinburgh, as although it’s the capital of Scotland, it still feels like a small town compared to L.A. or London. With its tightly packed streets in Old Town and compact layout, plus great public transport, Edinburgh is quick to navigate.
Armchair Books is a family-run bookstore in Edinburgh’s West Port that carries used and rare selections of books. (Hannah Contreras / Daily Trojan)
We went shopping in Leith, one of the more “artsy” districts in Edinburgh, and wandered through church graveyards and progressive bookstores, one after the other. We also hit up Armchair Books, one of the quirkier book stores in Edinburgh. As we wandered through the towering stacks, it felt like a book lover’s paradise, and I actually bought two used Vintage- published books for pretty cheap. We also ate some wonderful Indian food at the swanky Mother India, a restaurant located super close to my building. We shared vegetable curries, garlic naan and the most delicious veggie pakoras.
But Edinburgh isn’t the only place that I’ve spent time in recently. The U.K.’s great train network means that trains from Edinburgh to Glasgow run every 15 minutes on Saturdays, and so I got to spend a wonderful day in Glasgow as the sole participant of a USC-led trip. I was shown around by a member of the program staff, a local tour guide and the guide’s partner. Our tour was very informative, both of the history of Glasgow and in illuminating the differences between Glasgow and Edinburgh.
We wandered all over the city before they dropped me off outside the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, where I sat by myself and listened to the free organ recital. The deep, bellowing sounds of the organ pressed into me the fact that I was really alone in a foreign country and navigating a completely new city by myself.
I had been given an open return ticket, meaning I could head back to Edinburgh any time I wanted. It was an unsettling but not uncomfortable feeling: Study abroad has given me control over my life in a way that I never would have previously imagined. It’s made me more confident in myself. My time here — and only a month and a half — has proven my resilience.
I think this will be one of my biggest takeaways from studying abroad: I know that I can do hard, unfamiliar things. I encourage anyone thinking about studying abroad to understand that while there are many moments that will be difficult, one grows more than they thought they would in every aspect of life while abroad.
Hannah Contreras is a junior writing about her experiences abroad in Europe. Her column, “Notes from Abroad,” runs every other Friday.
