1. Romantic:

Studying abroad is truly a wonderful thing, but if we only look at the rosy aspects of a colorful life, we will have a biased and unrealistic view. Standing at a major crossroads in life, being prepared and ready to face unpleasant things is what teaches you to grow up, helping you have truly fulfilling experiences. Below is an article about seven things that the study abroad life has taught the author Phuong Anh Violet, who is currently pursuing a PhD in the United Kingdom. Through this video, Spider Room hopes you can draw lessons from those seven notes and feel more confident as you prepare your mindset to fly to a brand new sky. Additionally, if you have any questions about the study abroad path, from choosing schools, preparing applications, applying for visas, or scholarships, please refer to other useful information sources.

The efforts leading up to stepping onto the first plane to achieve the dream of studying abroad require students to go through a long period filled with worries about various aspects such as finances, scholarships, visas, and the mental strain from numerous small tasks. If you are studying abroad on your own, I believe your parents have had to work very hard because the cost of studying and living abroad is very high. If you earn money to study abroad, that is an investment you have had to save and consider, even working part-time while studying. If you are studying abroad on a scholarship, I understand the pressure of writing applications, interviewing, and waiting for results.

Even during the years of studying and working, the thought of doing everything to have a beautiful scholarship application is always on your mind. When striving for this, you will have to sacrifice and set aside other interesting things, unable to do many other activities. No one is perfect; you cannot have everything at once. Once you achieve the scholarship, you then worry about applying for a visa, which is not simple. Or even if it is simple, you still cannot feel at ease because of the fear of missing out on this opportunity. There is a friend in my cohort who, after two weeks of starting school, just messaged the class that they had just received their visa. After that, they asked about renting a house. It wasn't until I went to receive the house, finished unpacking, that I could lie down on the bed and breathe a sigh of relief because I temporarily had nothing else to worry about.

The subsequent unfamiliarities will confront you with countless other difficult situations. Adapting is already hard when we step into a new place in our own country, and it becomes even more challenging when going abroad alone. On the day I arrived in Nottingham, many friends also arrived on the same day. I was lucky to have a friend here before to go house hunting through a reputable agency, so I paid a deposit and transferred the rent in advance, and everything was fine. But many friends were not as fortunate. That afternoon, my friend mentioned in the study abroad group that one of our friends had been scammed. They had asked someone to view a house, transferred the deposit, but upon arrival, they could not contact the landlord. The room was on the second floor, but when they went to the store on the first floor to view the house, it had disappeared. I know students going to Hanoi to find accommodation also suffer from being scammed, but here it is in a new country.

2. International students:

I spent the whole day learning how to use household appliances, buying missing items, learning how to buy train tickets, finding the most convenient route to school, and even checking what I could eat in the supermarket. I got lost for two days on my way to school, taking over an hour to finally reach my class. A classmate had to show me exactly where to get off and which bus to take; the next day, I got used to it. Going to school seems like it should be straightforward, but I also encountered problems. Seeing me like that, my classmate had to comfort me and say, "I know that coming to a strange city alone is not easy."

International students not only have to get used to things that seem familiar but also have to go through many first-time experiences with brand new and bewildering things. If you don't know how to cook, life as an international student will be much more complicated and expensive. I am someone who cannot eat bread with butter and cold cuts every day, so knowing how to cook helps a lot. But when I get home from school, I think about what to cook, what to eat, then prepare my meals to take to school, and wake up early to make breakfast. I realize living with my mom is really nice.

I have had my first experiences of doing housework: the first time going to the supermarket to buy a toothbrush, toilet cleaner, and bathroom cleaner. It sounds simple, but I still took a while to distinguish them, and I even bought the wrong ones. Then there was the first time I automatically cleaned the bathroom without waiting to be scolded by my mom. This was also the first time I went on Google and searched for how to unclog a drain. In general, it was the first time I felt that my entire life was in my hands, without having to worry about affecting anyone else. It was truly freedom, but with that freedom came many responsibilities.

When friends say they don't understand, the next lesson that studying abroad taught me is the huge gap between English learned for exams and real-life English, as well as what language barriers can lead to. In the first week of class, I could still understand the lectures because there was context. But during breaks, when I heard my friends talking, I didn't understand anything. I was the only one in the class who was living in Nottingham for the first time, so besides being unfamiliar with the streets, I also couldn't keep up with the flow of conversation at the speed of English spoken by the British.

After that first time, I had to text a friend saying that now I understand why people have to practice IELTS to get an eight. When I was studying for my master's degree, I really hated group work because I felt I couldn't have a say in the group. Once, my friend even overheard someone in our group talking bad about me to the other members. Fortunately, my PhD classmates are very friendly and kind, although they speak English a bit fast, but I think I will get used to it.

3. Luck:

I am also lucky to live in an English-speaking country, a language I understand. Once, while traveling in Austria, the train had issues, and the announcements on the train were in a language I didn't understand. When all the other passengers had gotten off the train and it still hadn't moved, we started to worry and ran to ask the staff on the train. Therefore, I really admire those who live in a country where they cannot speak the local language. In such moments, recalling my own experiences makes me feel deeply.

When I miss home, there is one thing that every international student must go through: those days of longing for home. Autumn in England is as cold as the coldest days of winter in Hanoi. I cried on the flight to England. This is my second time studying abroad, but I don't understand why last time I only missed home a little during Tet, but this time is different. I see friends on the same flight excited like I was last time, but this time I only feel homesick. Perhaps it is because I miss my mother's care, which I will no longer have, and partly because this study abroad journey is also longer than the last by a few years.

Studying abroad also means there are times when family matters arise, and I cannot return. No matter how carefree I am, at this age, I must know how to care for my family. Even though I can't do much at home, I still feel a pang of guilt whenever someone says, "You're so far away, who will take care of your elderly parents?" My parents are still healthy; I don't have to go and not come back, but why do people always talk about unfortunate things.

Truly, studying abroad is full of surprises. At home, my parents sheltered me a lot, and I always thought I was lucky. Yet, when I first came to study for my master's in London in 2018, I lost my wallet at the train station and was robbed in Paris. I was really shocked at that time; even though I had heard many stories, I never expected it would happen to me. There was also a time when I traveled to Vienna, Austria, and I booked an Airbnb with a Vietnamese woman. When I arrived, she made me stand outside the door and didn't answer my calls. If even our compatriots can scam each other, who can we trust in a foreign land?

Stories of students being scammed for money here are not uncommon. The other day, a younger friend I just met in Nottingham called me to the park to talk. They had just called their parents to tell them they had been scammed out of all their money and were thinking about going home because their experiences in the UK had been too painful. Since coming to the UK, they have encountered many sad things, and I don't know how to help; I can only hope that everything will be okay soon.

However, there are good people everywhere. Many friends in Vietnam wholeheartedly helped me when I first arrived to stabilize my life. During times of confusion standing on the street, many foreigners also came to ask me, "Are you okay?" The British are friendly, unlike the coldness that people often mention. That is a little warmth to comfort international students like me. To go or to stay? Studying abroad is costly and challenging. So, in the end, should one go or not? In my opinion, it is a personal decision. I also don't say that studying abroad is harder than staying at home.

4. Results:

Because I know many people have had to be independent from an early age, unlike me, who was quite sheltered by my parents, so when I left home, I felt a bit lost. When I had just graduated from university and was looking for a job, I read an article by a friend studying abroad about why they didn't stay home and have a stable job but had to study abroad and struggle like this. I hated reading that sentence; I thought, "You try staying home to find a job and see if it's not tough." I have also been working for six years, so I know that jobs in Vietnam are also full of pressure and not without unpleasant experiences.

But I think everything we have is the result of our choices. On the plane, I watched the movie "Everything Everywhere All at Once." There is a story in the film that I remember: it seems we are in this universe but often think about ourselves if we were in another universe. I myself am full of regrets and dream of those universes where I could have chosen a different path. Throughout the flight, I thought about those regrets. However, every universe has its ups and downs, joys, and losses. There is joy and sorrow, happiness and suffering everywhere. But just because life sometimes isn't joyful doesn't mean it becomes miserable. At the end of the film, the answer to all contradictions lies in two words: "Kindness." If we cherish happy moments, we will become the pieces that make this life worth living. As long as I am truly satisfied with each of my daily choices, whether trivial or significant, then the current universe is the most suitable place for me.

When introducing the PhD program, my teacher talked about peer pressure and reminded us that anyone we think is wise and talented has their own struggles. So, don't compare the backstage of your life with someone else's trailer.

So, in conclusion, is studying abroad enjoyable? There will be many challenges. You will go through tests, group projects where you feel invisible, books that make your eyes dizzy, and sleepless nights to meet deadlines. You will eat unappetizing food, experience cold winter days with a growling stomach, truly craving a bowl of pho. There are times when you feel like the little match girl, only able to look at the items you like through a sparkling display case without any money to buy them. And the worst is when you miss home, want to go home, but there is no Doraemon door appearing for you to walk through. Sometimes, you will ask yourself why you are going through all these challenges alone. I think, after all, what you gain is a worthy journey of growth. You not only have broadened knowledge but also a rich and stable life.