Larisa de Vries is a Multimedia Journalism student at Southampton Solent University. She is from Belgium and staying in Southampton for a semester. She chose to study in Southampton to practise her English some more and to explore the UK in her free weekends. Here is her post about her first few days in the city, and her first day at a British University!
It’s already Thursday and I’ve already done so much…
Yesterday I started the day at Bill’s, a pretty restaurant in the centre of Southampton. I had Bill’s Granola Sundae and, god, it was delicious!
After eating there, I went shopping in West Quay. My accommodation is very close to all the shops like Lidl, Primark and Poundland which is very useful! Firstly, I bought all the useful stuff like washing-up liquid and toilet paper. If you need things like this, Poundland is simply the best shop for them!
Then, I bought some cute decorations and things from Primark, like coat racks, a laundry basket, some pillows and a bathroom mat (a pink one, but that might not be a surprise… I love pink). Also, in Ikea, I found some cute pots and plants to make my room that little bit cosier.
After all the decoration and household goods, it was time for food! Lidl supermarket is just two houses down from mine, which is very handy. Some cereals, yoghurt, vegetables, fruits and tea filled my refrigerator in a few minutes!
After my very busy first day, I went to bed at 9pm... I was exhausted!
The next day, I went my new university- Southampton Solent University- for the first time. I was a bit nervy, but also so excited to see the university in real life. I had already seen some pictures of it, but after so much time waiting to be there, it was very nice to see it! Southampton Solent University is a well-known university for Erasmus students; more than 20,000 students come here, and 15% of them are from abroad.
It is remarkable how sweet and helpful everyone is here: not only at the university but everywhere in Southampton too. When someone sees that you’re struggling with something, they come to you and help you if they can. Also, when I arrived at the university yesterday, several people came to me to show me the way which was very nice!
After the introduction, we had to do some more administration... again.
It’s incredible how much of paperwork you have to do as an Erasmus student, but I’m sure it’s worth it! After all of this administration work, a man took a picture of me for my own student card! And guess what? He just gave me a halo! I think he knew that I was a sweet girl ha!
I’m so happy to finally say that I’m actually an Erasmus student at Southampton Solent University!
See you soon – Larisa x
Check out Larisa’s own blog and Vlogs at www.larisainsouthampton.wordpress.com
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