So What's It Really Like?

Afrin Haque, India

Hmmm…so what´s it REALLY like? In the not so distant past, I remember asking myself that same question after having accepted my study place at Sheffield. Almost a year later, I think I can give you a pretty good picture.

I landed in the UK a long time before the Orientation Week was about to commence, and so was gladly received (and well-fed!) by my relations here. The actual adventure began the day I left their home to come to Sheffield for Orientation. This was also the first time that I was handling my luggage on my own, which I assure you isn´t a very pleasant experience if you have decided to bring all you have possessed since being born, into your suitcase.

Now, generally I like to think of myself as a reasonably practical and sensible person, and am quite good at giving wise advice (as you shall notice in due course!) but speak of travels and luggage, and somehow I transform into a possessive little child, unwilling to part with useless toys and at the same time, wanting more. So in a nutshell, one disdainful look from the taxi driver proved more effective in making me learn an important lesson, than all of my mother´s suggestions and SWIRL-writer´s experiences could! (Oh yes, I read this section too, and was quite thankful I did!)

As the taxi drove into the driveway of Ranmoor, I remember the sinking feeling I had about how things might turn out. "Will they laugh at the quantity of my luggage?"; "What if I actually mixed up the dates and the Orientation Week has either not started yet, or is already over?"; and most importantly, "Where can I find a payphone to call back home before my over-anxious mother rings up the Vice-Chancellor´s Office to enquire about the welfare of her child?" Gurr…parents!!!

Thankfully, there emerged from within, a very pleasant group of University students, in their smart navy-blue t-shirts, smiling at me, trying their best to make me feel welcome. Once inside the hall, all my anxiousness evaporated at the sight of eager and gawky-eyed overseas student, much like myself, happily chatting away and enjoying the `International-ness´ of the week that was to follow. The rest, as they say, has been history!

I do call back home often and the pride I can sense in my parents´ voice echoes my own gratitude to this wonderful University in helping me achieve my numerous dreams and in encouraging me to dream some more! The warmth, love, and friends that Sheffield has given me, are some of my most treasured possessions ever. I have four more years to go, and yet I dread that day when I finally have to bid this phase of my life good-bye. No matter where I go or what I end up as, the sight of Firth Court on that damp September morning will remain etched in my mind almost as a poetic prologue to the most beautiful phase of my life!

Afrin Haque, India