The beauty of being thrown into a house with 30 other people from all over the world is that you meet and connect with people you never would have crossed paths with otherwise. I now speak to people from places like Australia, Iceland, Mexico, Chile, parts of Asia, and all over Europe on a daily basis, sharing stories, experiences and ambitions. The world is a diverse and interesting place, and having the chance to share part of my life with people who can teach me about places I never would have thought about before is a very special thing. Even those from the UK who I would consider myself similar to in many respects have changed my perspective.
Some of the most valuable lessons I have learnt here have not come from lecturers, they have come from the people who I am living this experience with, and I am going to share some of these.
Positivity is so important
There are a handful of people in this house who have such a positive outlook on life. They find the good in every situation, and this is something that I find both inspiring and daunting. As a naturally pessimistic person I rarely see the good in bad situations and let them get me down, but somehow these people are able to turn anything into a positive situation and rarely let things get to them too much. I feel like this has rubbed off on me a bit (I want to stress the words a bit, I still like a good old moan), and I hope to be able to channel more of their attitude and gradually work towards a more positive mindset.
It's ok to rant
On the flip side, I have also learnt that it is ok to have a rant and get things off your chest from time to time. It stops you bottling things up inside and exploding at the poor person who happens to hit a nerve on a bad day.
What's meant to be is meant to be
This is so cliche but I have learnt from the people I have met here that if something is meant to be then it will happen. We have all ended up in this position because we are meant to be here for this portion of our lives, whether we expected it or not. Everything that has happened here and will happen here over the next few months is supposed to happen and thinking ahead/planning for the future can only get you so far. I've learnt that I need to sit back and relax a bit more and let life follow its path rather than planning every detail of my day and the months ahead.
Culture is so important
I'm not sure as a through and through Brit I can say I'm particularly cultured. I've travelled parts of Europe and can appreciate the importance of different cultures around the world, but I'd never really realised how you can learn from being surrounded by many different ones 24/7. Even the Canadian culture has taken me by surprise as I ignorantly assumed that it would be very similar to what I'm used to. I have definitely learnt to appreciate the value and importance of culture more, and will definitely try to embrace what's left of the British culture when I get home (even if it's nothing more than sarcasm and complaining about the rain).
The world is so big, but also so small
I didn't know that it takes hours to even fly off Australia if you live in the South. I had no idea how far away I live from most of the world, and how lucky I have been to be within a couple of hours of most of Europe. This planet is huge. If I think about it too much it really messes with my head. The fact that for most of the day my Aussie friends are living in a different day to their families is crazy. Canada is massive too, Quebec is 12 times the size of the UK and driving for two hours doesn't even get you to the next nearest city. Two hours from home and I'm South of London, in Yorkshire, by the East Coast or almost in Wales. At the same time, the world is so small. I have housemates who grew up in the same area and only met here. I've met someone who knows another friend of mine from home. I'm constantly reminded of that 'It's a Small World' ride in Disneyland.
There's more to life than grades
Echoing my last post, one of the most important things I have learnt is that there is more to life than grades. As I mentioned before, it took me a while to accept that but now I can appreciate that sometimes an experience is worth so much more and I have learnt this from the people I am living with.
This post is slightly cringe, but as the semester draws to a close and I start having to say goodbye to some of my housemates, I think it's important to reflect on what they have taught me, whether directly or indirectly. I'll definitely be going home with different attitudes and outlooks on things thanks to being surrounded by so many different backgrounds, and I'm pretty lucky to be able to do that.
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