The Republic of Belarus is where I’m from is quite different to England. To start with, we’re not even in European Union. So, when I was planning to come to UK for my studies I knew it will be different in some way. In addition, I’ve spent 4 years living in New Zealand and I can say with confidence that travel abroad can be scary. But don’t worry a person can adapt to almost anything.
My fears before coming to England
When I was applying for my course I already was 18 years old. I was living in New Zealand by myself since I was 14. In my country, we are getting mature very quickly compared to England and the rest of European Union in my opinion. It is common in Belarus to have families and getting married at 20. I guess this is one of the differences between Belarus and England, however, it is changing. So, I cannot say I’ve had any particular fears because I had a pretty clear picture what to expect and what issues I’ll be faced with upon my arrival here.
Difference in food
There are many food products I cannot buy in UK that I have back home. For example, dumplings or different sorts of porridge's and cereals. So, if you’re coming from abroad be ready for it however, Newcastle has many restaurants with different cuisines. I’m sure you will find something for yourself there. My favourite one is Argentina’s restaurant where they serve the best steaks! Very unfortunate for me I don’t have Argentina’s cuisine back in Belarus.
Live on your own
One of the fears you might have is how to live on your own? I was there too, it can be a bit scary at first but with time you will learn how to manage finance by yourself. If you not sure how to plan your finance, ask for help at the university. Alternatively, I wrote the great article on ‘How to budget at uni’ it goes in depth what you can do to plan your finances and how to achieve your financial goals. So, don’t stress too much, the university provides a lot of support to students.
Find a part-time job
The nice thing about the Newcastle and England itself is a great size of the part-time jobs market. For example, in Belarus, the only part-time job you can get is only in McDonald’s. So, the variety of part-time jobs are very limited. In UK however, there are hundreds of different part-time jobs you can get. Yes, it is highly competitive, but opportunities are out there! This is a great chance for you to develop new skills and work in the industry of your choice. When I was 16, I’ve spent most of the time behind a camera and making short videos on YouTube. Now, I do nearly the same thing for our university as part of my job and very enjoying it.
History of North East
Many important events took place here in the North East of England. The famous ‘Harry Potter’ movie was shot here at Durham Cathedral. It takes only 15-20 minutes to travel there by train from Newcastle. I have personally been there, and I should say it looks astonishing! Also, one of the most visited art pieces in the world are based here.
For example, ‘Angel of the North’ is the biggest angel sculpture in the world which gets visited by more than 90,000 people every year. If you want to know more about great places we have here please check my previous article ‘Benefits of studying in Newcastle’
Night Life
Well, the nightlife in Belarus is nothing compare to Newcastle. It is way better over here!
For example, in Minsk (The capital of Belarus) there are around 6-8 night clubs. However, around 2.5 million people are living there compare to 250,000 in Newcastle. I know at least 10 night clubs here. Also, the diversity of night clubs and bars are so much better in Newcastle. My personal advice would be to visit next following: Florita’s & Madame Koo, Digital, House of Smith and Stein Bierkeller. For example, ‘Digital’ was ranked 11th best night club in the world and been visited by David Guetta and Fatboy Slim! If you want to get a taste of best parties and loud music, then Newcastle is definitely the place for you ;)
