It’s funny, I have read so may articles about what it’s like to live abroad. And almost all of them mention making friends with other foreigners. But what if you are the ONLY foreigner? And you can only speak the same language as a handful of people. And everything you see is in a language you don’t understand. I doubt many people will ever be in this situation but it happens to be the situation I’m in.

For those that don’t know me, I am an only child and an extreme extrovert. I remember times when I was little and I would call all of my friends to hang out and no one could play and I would have a mild panic attack thinking about how I had to be alone for the day. And my mom would be like, Lucy chill!!!……It’s funny, you would think as an only child I would be good at being alone but actually I was just good at finding people to be friends with. It really wasn’t until college that I could really be at peace with being alone for a day or more. So, China was a huge step, and I knew it would be.

Now, Im not trying to have anyone feel bad for me, I have made friends. I play volleyball with a group of people twice a week, I have lunch with a group of teachers 4 days a week but about 95% of my dinners are alone. Dinners were always important to my family. We always ate together, and we always talked about our day… So that’s why at dinner… I feel the most alone.

But being alone to the extreme… has really given me the opportunity to grow, more than I think anything else could. I have now found out how to be content alone. Notice I didn’t say happy, I am and will always be an extrovert and being around others brings me the most joy but as the extrovert I am, I have now found a way to be content alone…. Which is HUGE for me.

So for you extreme extroverts out there, it is possible to wake up in the morning with a smile on your face while feeling alone. Interactions with people are what bring me the most joy. So when that was lacking I just had to find new things to bring me happiness, like exercising, listening to music, and just enjoying the sunshine. Hegang has been a great challenge and I feel very lucky that I was given the opportunity to face it and learn how to make myself happy in different ways that don’t involve other people.

Living alone in London (when you have anxiety)

I’ve been struggling with anxiety for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, my anxiety was labelled as shyness, and I was constantly told that I would ‘grow out of it one day’. Now at 24, I can confirm that I never did. I just learned to accept and live with it.

One thing I’ve discovered is that I get less anxious when I’m doing things by myself because chances are nobody is paying…

View On WordPress

Adulting 101: how to live alone as a student

Disclaimer: I live in the UK so this mostly applies to uk students, although some of the stuff I mention are just general life tips

Keeping your home clean

• A mop, a vacuum cleaner, white vinegar, washing up stuff and microfiber cloths are all you need (do some research on how to use white vinegar for cleaning)
• Very basic home cleaning: dust off dirt from surfaces and vacuum clean & mop the floor. Get rid of limescale in the shower (tap, glass shield, pipes) and on your sinks. Clean your toilet (seriously that’s one way of checking if a place is clean or not). Wipe any kind of surface like windows, kitchen countertops, tables etc. There, the house is already quite clean, not so difficult eh?
• Do some cleaning regularly, try to wash your dishes right after using them instead of leaving them in the sink, don’t let laundry pile up, empty your bin (seriously it’s nasty if you leave it full for a long time, you’ll get mold), learn how to wash your clothes properly (best thing is to wash everything at 30C and air dry, I only wash sheets and towels at 60-95C) so your clothes last longer
• Set a 10 min timer daily to do any tidying in your flat. You’d be surprised how as little as 10 min can make a big difference

Food

• ALWAYS make a list before going to the shops and stick to that list as much as possible
• Learn how to cook very simple meals: have a portion of carbs, vegetables and protein (animal or not!), that’s already a healthy meal!
• One word: Mealprep!!! It saves you so much money, it’s much healthier economically and physically than buying food out every lunch!! Take time out on your Sundays to make 4-5 lunches. I usually make 4 and have a day I allow myself to buy something nice! You can even meal prep your dinners. When i cook at night I make a big portion that would last 2-3 dinners. Takes me the same amount of time as cooking one portion so might as well make lots!
• Save the Earth, reuse plastic bags or bring your own bags (a great way of using all those free tote bags that are piling up)

Rent, bills, money

• Always pay all your bills in time. You do not want any surcharges.
• Don’t be scared to fight lettings agents, energy companies etc. It’s not because you’re a student that you’re easy prey for them.
• Don’t be afraid to say no to things when it’s out of your budget. For example, say you’re looking for a place to live with potential flatmates. Make sure you state how much you can pay in rent and don’t hesitate to speak up when things get too expensive. Worst case scenario you can always find new flatmates lol

scared for college? me to….