I arrived at Charles Morris Hall at around 10pm, disgruntled and tired from a day of flight delays, missed connecting flights and expensive train rides. I was in a bad mood; this was not the start I had anticipated.
After unpacking my things and taking a quick shower, I ventured out into the wild at 12am to find some warm food. Instead, I found Peter outside (or as I like to call him, EncycloPeter – he knows facts about almost everything), another new student at the summer school. While walking around to find food, and failing, I had made my first friend in Leeds.
What followed was an entire month of making new friends, from all across the globe. In the first two weeks I studied Business and Cultural Awareness: Bridging the Gap, a class centred on cultural diversity and openness. The discussions that ensued from these interactive classes allowed us to gain invaluable knowledge that will undoubtedly be useful throughout our lives.
My second module was Heretics, Witches and Conspirators: A History of Fear, 1500-1700 – the great thing about LISS is that it gave me the opportunity to study something I would never have been able to study otherwise.
Although the modules I studied were fun and interesting, the best parts of LISS were the experiences I had outside of the classroom.
Whether that be sitting in my favourite spot on campus or in Hyde Park sketching, going for drinks with friends, attending the social events and LISS excursions, exploring the vintage shops and markets of Leeds or searching for the best food spots in the city, every day was new and exciting. I even spent a weekend away in Amsterdam with some amazing people I met here at the summer school.
Leeds is a city primed for international students. It is a place that welcomes diversity and cultivates independence. Even if my exit from this country is plagued by flight delays, missed connecting flights and expensive train rides, the friends and memories made during my time in Leeds will make all of the transportation drama worth it.
With a very supportive network of staff and social assistants at the University of Leeds, and an incredible opportunity to explore another culture with a diverse group of students, LISS is a university experience you cannot pass up.