Hi, my name is Kristiyana, and I am in my final year, studying Media and Communications, coming form Bulgaria.

I came to the UK three years ago for university and have never lived away from home before moving here. The transition from living back home to travelling across Europe to a completely different country was not a light one but it was an experience that taught me a lot and shaped me into the person I am today. When I go back to my move-in day and reflect on everything that happened in between now and then, I can truly appreciate how much I have changed though time.

For example, on my first day I could not even understand what some people were saying because of the variety of accents and intonations they had. Not to mention all the Loughborough-specific jargon or slang words people were using that I couldn’t decipher. It was without a doubt a journey with a lot of nodding and hesitations.

However, now I have not only adapted to the language style and jargon but have even adapted them to the point that when I go to another country and speak English people think I am British. Also, I remember how reluctant I was to speak to new people and make friends outside my halls of residence. Now I communicate with people with ease, enjoy meeting new people and have numerous friends across campus.

Missing home – and missing Loughborough

If we go back in time to the first semester of my first year in the UK, I remember how I enjoyed the newly obtained freedom to make my own decisions and put myself first. However, although I had found friends on campus, I missed my family and friends in my home country. I was also longing for the sense of community from home that I could not feel in university. So, in December I was looking forwards to going back and seeing my family and friends again. But most importantly I could not wait to eat homemade traditional food again.

Interestingly, even though I was very excited to return home, once I did, I found myself missing the university, my halls, flat mates and Loughborough in general. I was happy that I got to spend Christmas with my family, but I also could not wait to fly back to the UK and reunite with my university friends.

For every international student going back home for the winter break, I would recommend spending as much quality time with your family as possible as you might not see them again for another three to six months. I would also recommend trying to complete or at least do as much as possible from your university workload the week before you go home so you can truly enjoy your time and take a break without feeling the academic pressure.

You might think that three weeks are a lot of time, but I promise you that they fly by so quickly and before you know it, you will be travelling back to Loughborough with so many tasks to complete before exam season starts.

Going back home is also the ideal opportunity to take back with you all the things you brought with you in September but never ended up using, such as clothes you never wore or notebooks you never wrote in. And reversely, consider taking from home things that you thought you would not need but really needed during the three months of university such as more food from your country or sportswear etc.

Finally, I want to emphasise that everyone has unique experience and that my personal one would not necessarily reflect yours, but I hope you were able to learn something, draw inspiration from or relate to my experience. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and I hope to see you on campus in 2025! 😊