Culture & Travel

2 October 2021
Almira İşler
Almira İşler

I took a journey all by myself two years ago. I lived on my own in London for a month. I was far away from my family, my friends, and everything I had ever known. But it was such a life-changing experience that I felt the urge to share it with you. I went to London for language school and I rented a room for a month near a family I had never known before. I could have stayed at a dorm, which I might add, I will definitely choose a dorm should I ever go for something like this again. The family I stayed with was very nice; I didn’t have any problems with them, but the dorms are usually closer to the school and the city center, which allows you to meet and become friends with more people. So, if I ever have the chance to do it all over again, I will stay at a dorm. When I arrived at the home on my first day, my host told me all about the bus stop, the grocery store, etc. We went and got an Oyster Card for the bus. I had everything I needed but as you could guess, it was not easy for me to find the school on my first day. The school was under construction and the main entrance was closed, but I finally found someone who knew the place and took me there. We had a placement test on the first day and they separated us into classes. In the afternoon, I participated in the introduction event organized by the school. Everyone sat at different tables and started chatting, but I roamed around all the tables and met everyone one by one. I am glad I did that, because otherwise, I would not have met some of my closest friends that day. My first day was going great, until I realized that I did not look at the name of the bus stop near the home. I went on the bus and got off when I saw somewhere familiar, but it was not the right stop. I had to walk quite a long way home. My suggestion to you is to always make sure to note the name of everywhere you go in a foreign country. My adventure in London started like this and continued beautifully for a month. I made beautiful friendships, improved my English, and had the chance to explore London for a month. My school ended at 1.30 pm and every day after school, my new friends and I went to grab affordable lunch at places like Subway. We preferred to walk everywhere we could; this way, we saw as many places as possible. Every evening, we searched online for the “best places in town” or “must-see places in town” like The Shard. We participated in the parties, concerts, and other activities our school organized to socialize with people. By the end of that month, I had had an unforgettable experience that I wished could continue forever.

Almira İşler