by Florizza Martinez
International Officer
Coventry University, 15th in Guardian University Guide
Oslovili sme zástupcov našich partnerských škol Scandinavian study, aby pre študentov napísali pár viet, ktoré by vám dodali odvahu do vašeho rozhodnutia študovať v zahraničí. Snáď sa to podarilo 🙂
As a Mexican living in the UK, I found myself having to adapt to a new culture and a new way of living very different from my home country. I always thought I was good at adapting to new situations and that living in England wouldn’t be that much different. However, it made me realise something really important. The importance of cultural awareness. Cultural awareness means being able to understand other people’s cultures, values, beliefs and the way others see the world. Cultural awareness is being able to understand other people’s backgrounds and accepting their way of seeing things. Being cultural aware is not just understanding but also respecting other people’s point of view.
In Mexico there aren’t that many people from other countries, I mainly interacted with Mexican people and Mexican culture. It was until I moved to the UK that I met people from all over the world and started understanding other cultures.
Living in England for 7 years has helped me learn about different religions, festivities and cuisines. It has allowed me to meet new people and to learn different languages. Something I wouldn’t have been able to do if I had stayed in Mexico. I have made friends from at least 50 different countries and counting. Every one of my new friends from around the world has left an impact in my life and something new to learn. Students studying abroad, especially in the UK will benefit from interacting with many different nationalities and becoming culturally aware. This will help them not only during their university studies but in their future working careers with endless possibilities of networking.
In this modern world the opportunities to travel and to see the world are wide, I believe every young person should experience new countries and new different cultures as this will only enrich their lives. I have a friend who is now working in Japan as she did a semester exchange there during her time at university, this allowed her to make connections and understand the Japanese culture and become confident enough to move to Japan. In my current job at Coventry University I work with people from India, New Zealand, Romania, Oman, Croatia, USA, and China to name a few, something I wouldn’t have been able to do if I hadn’t made the move to live in the UK.
If you are thinking about studying abroad, do not thing twice and do it! It will be an incredible experience you will never regret, and even if you move back to your home country you will bring home a huge amount of knowledge that will make you see the world in a different way.
Go on and take your further steps into being culturally aware and become a student in the UK!