For international students like me, moving away from home to another country where weather, culture and language are totally different could be tough. Here I will tell you my story of how I found accommodation and how I settled in for the first few days in Bournemouth.

I don’t live in BU halls, not because they are not good, but there are other cheaper options to consider. Personally I’m fine with a less expensive room to save some money. Before flying to the UK, I gathered a group of students and we rented a 6 room private house through a letting agent. In fact, if it’s not your first year, you can’t be guaranteed a room in BU halls unless you’re early and lucky. However, there is a BU Letting Service to assist returning students to rent private flats and houses. Otherwise you can approach any letting agent in Bournemouth, but make sure you seek advice from SUBU’s Don’t Rent Yet for some helpful tips and to avoid difficult situations.

My house was quite nice, although the room wasn’t as big as expected, but other facilities, kitchen, and heaters were in good condition. At first it was not easy to live in harmony with my housemates as we came from different parts of the country with slightly different cultures. Eventually, through proper communication and compromise we managed to live in peace, actually we had a lot of fun together. The key is to respect each other’s privacy and have some rules in the house.

I arrived in Bournemouth two weeks before the semester started to get used to a new life, but it turned out I didn’t need that much time. I got lots of help and advice from the uni and the Vietnamese community here of where to buy good food, nice clothes, what to do in your spare time and even available part-time jobs. The induction week was also very informative and helpful. They give you instructions on how to perform well and improve your skills while enjoying your student life.

The second week in Bournemouth, I went to the beach, enjoyed the sound of the waves and thanked myself for making the decision to be here. I felt very positive and excited about how the UK would change my future.

By Anh Ngu