Foreign students what surprised you about the UK?

Did anything surprise or shock you when you landed or in your first few weeks or months as you got used to liveing in this country? Maybe the amount of rain? or How cold the weather can be? was it more something to do with the culture how much we drink or what?

Reply 1

Meheraj

19

Original post by Anonymous

Did anything surprise or shock you when you landed or in your first few weeks or months as you got used to liveing in this country? Maybe the amount of rain? or How cold the weather can be? was it more something to do with the culture how much we drink or what?

I won't say I was absolutely blown away by something when I went there for the first time. But I can recall there were a few things that surprised me a bit, such as having fewer holidays, understanding people from different regions, noticing how nice Brits are, the atmosphere around me, the wind sometimes, and prayer calls (I knew about many European countries but not the UK), etc. I wasn't really bothered about cultural shock since I knew I would experience something different from my home country.

(edited 10 months ago)

Reply 2

Anonymous #1

OP

Original post by Meheraj

I won't say I was absolutely blown away by something when I went there for the first time. But I can recall there were a few things that surprised me a bit, such as having fewer holidays, understanding people from different regions, noticing how nice Brits are, the atmosphere around me, the wind sometimes, and prayer calls (I knew about many European countries but not the UK), etc. I wasn't really bothered about cultural shock since I knew I would experience something different from my home country.

Oh yeah we have so few holidays it’s unreal I mean we get 8 which isn’t even double digits Spain has 11 national public holidays (with a few regional exemptions) and then there are local holidays as well for instance in Andalucía in Spain they have 12 public holidays Madrid has 14. un fourtnally I’m english so I have to make do.

Reply 3

Meheraj

19

Original post by Anonymous

Oh yeah we have so few holidays it’s unreal I mean we get 8 which isn’t even double digits Spain has 11 national public holidays (with a few regional exemptions) and then there are local holidays as well for instance in Andalucía in Spain they have 12 public holidays Madrid has 14. un fourtnally I’m english so I have to make do.

Yeah, you're right.

Haha... You're English! I thought you're an international student as well.

Reply 4

Anonymous #2

Original post by Anonymous

Oh yeah we have so few holidays it’s unreal I mean we get 8 which isn’t even double digits Spain has 11 national public holidays (with a few regional exemptions) and then there are local holidays as well for instance in Andalucía in Spain they have 12 public holidays Madrid has 14. un fourtnally I’m english so I have to make do.

In my country, there are 14+ public holidays per year (we don't call them "bank holidays" so this term was something new to me). The holidays in my country are for various cultures/religions, not just for Christian events. So we have public holidays for Muslim Eid, Chinese New Year, Hindu/Tamil event, Buddhist event, Hijri New Year, other cultural holidays and of course Christmas and the New Year.

The cold was shocking at first but later I thought the 4 seasons in UK are so interesting. Even though some people in the UK say they get depressed during winter, I have friends from my country who want to visit the UK just to experience winter. This is because in my country, we only have "summer" all year round. We are near the equator so it's warm, and daylight hours are the same length, all year round. In UK you have shorter days and longer days so that was new to me too.

Yes the people in UK drink a lot haha. People talk very loud wherever I go, even on the bus (but not everyone).

Reply 5

jonathanemptage

21

Original post by Meheraj

Yeah, you're right.

Haha... You're English! I thought you're an international student as well.

I wish I was sometimes I think to myself I live in England but Spain (I have a house there) is my home.

(edited 10 months ago)

Reply 6

Plantagenet Crown

20

Original post by Anonymous

Oh yeah we have so few holidays it’s unreal I mean we get 8 which isn’t even double digits Spain has 11 national public holidays (with a few regional exemptions) and then there are local holidays as well for instance in Andalucía in Spain they have 12 public holidays Madrid has 14. un fourtnally I’m english so I have to make do.

This really is amazing. But we don't get half terms like in the UK, then again, our summer holidays are longer in Spain and we actually pretty much always have guaranteed sun to enjoy them there.

Reply 7

Anonymous #1

OP

Original post by Plantagenet Crown

This really is amazing. But we don't get half terms like in the UK, then again, our summer holidays are longer in Spain and we actually pretty much always have guaranteed sun to enjoy them there.

We only get half terms in school not univerity or work "how long are your summer holidays in uni our summers are usually June (or May if you count the exam period) to the last week of September.

Reply 8

Anonymous #1

OP

Original post by Anonymous

We only get half terms in school not univerity or work how long are your summer holidays? in uni our summers are fairly long usually June (or May if you count the exam period) to the last week of September.

this should to scan better you cant edit when anonymous.

Reply 9

sarawpx

3

Original post by Anonymous

Did anything surprise or shock you when you landed or in your first few weeks or months as you got used to liveing in this country? Maybe the amount of rain? or How cold the weather can be? was it more something to do with the culture how much we drink or what?

After staying and interacting with the people for a while, i would say their Sense of Humor. British humor can be different from what some foreign students are accustomed. The use of irony, sarcasm, and self-deprecating jokes is prevalent, and it may take some time for foreign students to understand and appreciate it fully.