Doing the Unexpected
By: Lah’Nasia Shider, CAS ’23
Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom
Lah’Nasia is one of the Semester Abroad Global Correspondents writing and sharing her experience abroad during the Fall 2021 semester. Follow along with the group of correspondents on our blog and look out for their images on the @pennabroad Instagram feed.
I am a “homebody,” meaning that I like to stay home or be in close vicinity to my family where I can easily get home. When deciding on colleges during my senior year of high school, I chose to go to a university only 45 minutes away from my house because I knew I was only a $10 train ride away. With that in mind, deciding to study abroad 3,558 miles away from my family was definitely unexpected and completely out of my comfort zone…but that’s what college is all about, right? Honestly, I did not have high expectations for my first few weeks in the U.K. I thought there would be lots of tears, FaceTime calls, FOMO (fear of missing out), and feelings of homesickness because that is exactly what happened during my first semester at Penn, but surprisingly, that was not the case at Queen Mary. There is so much to do in the beautiful city of London that I haven’t even had the time to be homesick. However, I am aware of the W-curve so I’m going to ride this “honeymoon stage” as long as I can.
Knowing that I have the opportunity to explore this city, makes me excited to wake up every morning (and I am not a morning person, so this is rare). Exploring London has by far been my favorite activity to do since being here. There are so many parks, cafes, restaurants, beautiful views, and historic sites. I am not one who likes history, it’s actually my least favorite subject, but I love how historic everything in this city is. I find myself in disbelief when I realize what I’m actually looking at, specifically when viewing Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, and Buckingham Palace. I remember thinking to myself, “I’m in awe right now. This doesn’t feel real.” It’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that I have the opportunity to see these amazing sites with my own eyes, and it’s only a quick tube ride away.
I honestly don’t know what prompted me to click through the Penn Abroad website and apply to Queen Mary University of London, but I’m so glad I did. I’ve only been here for four months and I’ve already noticed positive shifts in my character. I can’t wait to continue exploring this city and learning more about my home for the next three months while doing the unexpected.
The Semester Abroad (SA) program offers undergraduate students the opportunity to study in a new global community through extended study for a semester or year. Penn Abroad partners with top institutions around the globe and collaborates with Penn’s undergraduate schools to offer programs for students across academic disciplines.