Alex studies in the School of Politics and International Relations at Queen Mary University of London and has recently returned from studying abroad at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Hello, I’m Alex! I spent 10 months studying abroad at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I study International Relations and I remember choosing Queen Mary because I was excited by the idea of a Year Abroad. I was enticed to study in Asia because I’d never been there before. Besides, when do you ever get the opportunity to study all over the world?! I wanted my Year Abroad to be an enriching experience, where I was exposed to new people, languages, and cultures, where I could travel to lots of foreign countries, and where I could try a wealth of different foods. I was also a recipient of the Turing Scheme Grant, which helped me achieve my goals of travelling around Southeast Asia. However, with all of these exhilarating new experiences come challenges too, like homesickness and making friends despite language barriers.

If you’re like me and your study abroad exchange will be your first time living abroad alone, it’s totally normal to experience homesickness! Even though I was so engrossed in my new life abroad, travelling to somewhere so different like Southeast Asia made me miss aspects of my life at home, like seeing my friends and family every day, my jogs in the local park, and my favourite comfort foods. However, my advice is to take this as an opportunity to enjoy the fun of your study abroad exchange while it lasts, while appreciating the little things you used to take for granted. This will also help with the transition back to your normal life after your exchange because you’ll be more likely to look forward to your return. To ease potential homesickness, I recommend finding a new hobby. I started scrapbooking, and over the course of my Year Abroad, I created a scrapbook filled with memories from my exchange!

Another benefit of doing a study abroad exchange is that you’ll be enrolled at a university with lots of other students, which I found comforting because I knew I wasn’t alone. Although making friends can be scary, these social skills are always important, no matter what stage you’re at in life. I recommend attending the welcome events at your host university where you’ll meet other exchange students. I met one of my best friends from my exchange through other friends I made during welcome week! As well as attending welcome events, I also recommend chatting to classmates. I always enjoyed meeting students from all over the world. A lot of my friends were from China, Japan, and South Korea. Even though we met in class, there was sometimes a bit of a language barrier.

If you do encounter a language barrier, I encourage you to embrace these differences and join a language club to combat this challenge. Efforts like these will be rewarded because it will bolster your friendships. The more you expose yourself to different people, languages, and cultures, the more you will broaden your perspective and enhance your communication skills, which leads to more personal growth as well. I started my Year Abroad by attending a few language classes like Malay, Cantonese, and Mandarin, and by the end of my first semester, I was teaching English to international students from East Asia! I would never have imagined that I’d be standing in front of a room full of students talking to them about idioms, sentence structures, and Harry Potter, but it was one of the best experiences of my exchange!

However, don’t forget to spend some time away from campus as well! While I was in Malaysia, I used my semester breaks to see more of Southeast Asia. In total, I travelled to an additional five countries while I was away; Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Hong Kong! This was possible because I was a Turing Scheme Grant recipient. I was able to use the money from the grant to pay for general living costs in Kuala Lumpur and use my personal savings for my travels. Along with this financial independence, I also tried solo travelling for the first time. If you find that your friends aren’t free or aren’t as interested in travelling as you, don’t let this hold you back! If there are places you want to explore, consider solo travelling. I chose to solo travel to Singapore because my research told me this would be a safe option for a female solo traveller. Even though it was only a short city trip, I thoroughly enjoyed the independence that came with it; being able to do things at my own pace, having control over the itinerary, and becoming more self-reliant.

If you’re planning on studying abroad in Malaysia, or another country in Southeast Asia, remember that experiencing homesickness is normal when you’re embracing such a different lifestyle, that making friends is an opportunity to improve your international social skills, and that solo travelling will make you a more independent traveller. Even though there will be challenges, it’s the once in a lifetime opportunities of travelling and exposure to different people, languages, and cultures that make it worth it!