Time Flies...

Dorcas Yap, Singapore

Time flies. Already, I find myself almost at the end of my second year of university. It has been an enjoyable two years, although it has passed by extremely quickly. Looking back, I try to remember what I was thinking and feeling when first facing the possibility of coming to Sheffield to study. I know I really wanted to come to the UK. While pursuing my university education, I would be able to visit Tower Bridge, the famous York Minster, and Loch Lomond during weekends or holidays. I would be coming to the country of Shakespeare, Eliot, and Wordsworth and his daffodils. I'd be nearer to where Wilde was born and, have the exciting possibility of catching a West End musical or an English premiership match, and even have continental Europe as my neighbour.

With all my romantic notions about England, I have to say in hindsight that it hasn't turned out to be all that I expected. Movies about university life are deceiving; you really can't tell very much from those promotional videos the different universities show you and some of the buildings in the prospectus definitely look better in the photos. I did ask many people about life in the UK, including a friend who was studying in Sheffield, but I don't think anybody really knows what it will be like until they get here. That's because university life is not the same for any two people. We all have different perspectives on things. The perfect university for someone might not be the right university for another. The most we can do is to get as much information as possible about our various options, and make the best choice from there. I wouldn't like to think that I can give advice about which university is best for anyone, but I'd be happy just to share how life in Sheffield has been for me. Hopefully, this will help others in their decisions about which university to choose.

I didn't know much about Sheffield before I came. It is not a tourist city, and the film The Full Monty didn't paint it in a very good light. But I have to say that the city grows on you. It isn't very pretty at first, especially if you arrive in Sheffield by train, seeing that old brick train station surrounded mostly by grey buildings. Actually, I remember thinking that the whole town seemed rather dreary, which wasn't helped by the infamous British weather – the constant grey skies and perpetual drizzle.

Compared to Singapore and perhaps other cities such as London, Sheffield is rather, to put it plainly, unexciting. The shops close at 5 p.m. and hardly anything is open on Sundays. Only the pubs are buzzing with activity in the evenings. The pace of life is generally slower than in Singapore. But I have to say that the quietness of the environment is rather conducive for studying, and there are several parks around Sheffield, making it a green town. It's lovely to see the parks at different times of the year. For once, the beauty of the seasons are all that books and movies make it out to be – the vibrant red and yellow of autumn, the white of winter, and green of spring and summer, accompanied by the beautiful flowers that bloom even by the roadside. We who live near the equator truly miss out a lot by not being able to enjoy a temperate climate.

In Sheffield, I have grown to love my occasional visits to the Crucible Theatre and Valley Centretainment and even Meadowhall. Whenever I go out of the city, coming back into Sheffield always makes me feel as if I'm coming home.

I am glad to be able to say that the course has been everything I hoped it would be. Having wanted to study Psychology for several years, it has not disappointed. The word interesting seems insufficient to describe it. There seems to be something for everyone who chooses the course. What I didn't know before was that the area of study is so vast. From Social and Developmental Psychology to Neuroscience and Clinical Psychology, it seems that we should acquire an incredible range of knowledge in these short three years. It is no wonder then that we are able only to dip a little into each topic, finally going a bit more in-depth in the third year, especially for our research project in the area of our choice. The lecturers are mostly extremely approachable and I do feel quite at home in my little department building. The course is the main reason I am in Sheffield so I am happy to say that I feel extremely fortunate being able to pursue my dream in this respect.

The University does its best to help international students in their transition to a new country as well. The welcome we got at Manchester Airport was definitely a spiritlifter, as well as the beautiful scenery we saw on the way to Sheffield, using the Snake Pass. The Meet and Greet scheme is excellent, considering the luggage we bring with us when we first arrive and the long tiring flight for those of us from far away. The International Students' Committee really has done a great deal, keeping its committee members very busy in organising different events throughout the year like the International Food and Cultural Evenings. The union is very active and has even been voted the best UK union; and there are all sorts of societies here, eagerly awaiting your membership. Some of my best memories of my years in Sheffield will come from my involvement in the Malaysian and Singaporean Society, as well as the original musical I was a part of with the International Theatre Company.

I would say that living in a hall of residence in my first year was the right decision for me. I was able to make many more friends than I otherwise would have, and we often enjoyed going to each other's rooms at night just to hang out. At the same time, living on my own in a privately rented house with three friends has been an excellent experience, one which I probably would not have had the opportunity to do had I stayed in Singapore. Living with friends is not always easy; we all had to get used to each other's different habits, and sometimes risk offending the other by discussing household chores and bills. But we made our house like a home, and acted as one household, talking together, praying together, doing things as a household. It's always a pleasure to be able to invite people over to our house for a meal or to watch a rented movie together.

Before I came to Sheffield, I had the opportunity to meet several students who had already graduated from here. I was cynical when they told me that it was difficult to make friends with the British. It sounded to me as if they hadn't been making the effort, simply content to be surrounded by other Singaporeans and live in a mini-Singapore within Sheffield. I have found some truth in what they said, though. It is not easy. One has to try very hard to make the first move and perhaps get a bit hurt by being snubbed. Perhaps it is understandable, since it is easier to make friends with others who are similar to yourself. Furthermore, the British students are not looking to make friends with students from different countries; they're ready enough to make friends from different parts of the UK, but with a totally different culture, there is an unfortunate but undeniable barrier. It takes time. I have found, however, that there are some British students who are friendlier and some who even go out of their way to befriend international students, especially if they seem a little lonely.

On the whole, I would say that coming overseas to study has been a maturing experience. One has to learn to be independent and self-reliant, even stick one's neck out at times, ready to offer help from friends just as help would be accepted from them. After all, for us as international students, we are making the transition to a totally new country and way of life. Just coming to the UK has been an education on its own. I suddenly feel as if graduation will be upon me before I know it. I make a mental note to enjoy the time I have left in Sheffield, to treasure the moments I have with friends, to study hard as well as enjoy times of relaxation, to make the most of every opportunity.

Dorcas Yap, Singapore