I was fortunate enough to go to university in one of the most beautiful cities in the UK. My favourite part was living in Bath where the city is made up of preserved old buildings and is small enough to be able to explore on foot so we could find a lot of hidden gems. Even with some modern developments and a lot of tourism, it still maintains its small city charm.The campus was also small enough to know faces and constantly meet new people, so the closeness among the students and professors was something I enjoyed and valued.
I received my degree in Social Sciences and was able to try out the different disciplines that fall under that field. My work has been a mix of social and cultural research, community development and engagement with a diverse mix of stakeholders and communities, so as Social Sciences is a diverse field in itself, it certainly has helped me navigate through all the different aspects of work I have been involved in.
My UK story started when I was applying to university and I made the decision to go to the UK. I was fortunate enough to have been accepted to a university with my closest friend. As someone who was used to moving around and being around a multicultural group of people, I am not a stranger to new places, but university was a big step in life and going through that stage with my best friend was and advantage I didn’t know I needed.
Both being Asian (me Indonesian, her Korean), the first thing we experienced was a craving for some home-cooking, but neither one of us knew how to cook our favourite dishes from our own countries. What really helped us with our cravings, was being part of the societies for students where people from different countries had a lot of events and gathering that involved a lot of food. This made the campus very welcoming and multicultural.
What I valued the most about my experience in the UK in regards to my degree, was the independent and explorative approach of teaching. Our professors were there to support and guide, not to instruct. This was an approach I greatly appreciated because I was able to find out where my passions and interests are, which then had a great influence to my life now and my career choices.
All in all, being in the UK exposed me to opportunities and insights I never had imagined before. It helped me grow up to me more passionate and curious about the world.