Hi, my name is Garrett Bucklin, I am an American and have been living in Bournemouth for about 9 months now. I am currently on the MBA program and have enjoyed every minute of my time here. There is quite a diversity to the culture out here. As Bournemouth is a university town, it means that there are different types of nationalities everywhere you look. My course may be one of the most diverse in the university as well. I for one love meeting new people and learning new things about different cultures, and many people are excited to learn that I am from America; it’s a great ice breaker. That is one of the great parts, whenever I open my mouth almost instantly someone will want to talk because they can hear my accent. It gives me an opportunity to make friends and connections everywhere I go.

There are still a good amount of Americans as well. Being an athlete, there are many others on scholarships. I play volleyball for the university and on that team alone we have about five Americans. It creates a type of family atmosphere when around them. We celebrate our holidays just like I would back in the states. We had a little ‘friendsgiving’, a play on thanksgiving except for celebrating with friends instead of family. It gives you a little taste of home while you are over here. It is always nice to hear a familiar accent, and I have found that no matter your nationality, you will be able to find others from the same place. That is one of the best things about Bournemouth, the diversity; groups of similar and different cultures alike hanging out and learning from each other.

I would definitely recommend Bournemouth if you’re an American looking to study in the UK. People are always so interested in your story and often have jokes about your nationality that strike up conversation. Another nice thing is the fact that English is still your native language, so there really isn’t a language barrier. People have accents, but you can still understand them. There are a few differences, terms in slang or spelling, but definitely manageable. You can get the full foreign country experience without having to learn another language. I know in my course there are some that struggle because English is not their first language and it really holds them back. In assignments I still type just the same as I did in my undergraduate in terms of language, so that’s definitely a benefit.

I honestly believe I would prefer to be an American out here than a native. It gives you a sense of being special. People are very open and you can integrate into different groups, but you will have that bit of speciality even just by the way you talk that people will find interesting.