On 24th of November 2018, I was on a holiday in Goa, India as I needed a break from my work and side-by-side I was prepping up for my master’s program in the UK.  After receiving the offer from Bournemouth University, I was so happy – I was also very pleased to be able to share this news with my parents.

After my holiday, I was back in Bengaluru, where I got back to my usual work mode. Even though I was trying to concentrate on my work, there was one thing still bothering me. How I can tell my employers about me leaving and going to university in the UK?  As well as admitting I had hidden this fact about it for many days.

I wanted to tell them about my University offer but I was scared about their reaction. However, once when I revealed it, their reaction was opposite, instead of being angry, they became very supportive about my intentions.

They offered me free time to attend my visa interview and cut short my notice period after submitting my resignation to them. After getting my visa and a sendoff from my organization on New Year’s Eve, I began the first step of my journey by buying the important necessities which a student requires when he’s going abroad for studies. I bought some warm clothes, which were very useful arriving in Bournemouth in January, as well as a few home comforts to help remind me on India whilst living in the UK.

Despite all this excitement, I still felt nervous and uneasy as I had never stepped outside of my home before to travel overseas. I boosted up my confidence by thinking about the great people who left their hometowns to accomplish their dreams and if they can do it, why not me? With this attitude, I began a step forward to my journey to start a new beginning.

On my first day when I arrived in Bournemouth in January, there were some new experiences which I had to encounter – like the extreme cold to early dusk during winters mornings. As the days passed by, I started getting used to the environment and made new friends through mutual gatherings like the ResLife activities in my dorm and lectures at the University. There were times when I was being tested in deep waters but those situations gave me a learning lesson which can never be ignored in the future.

Concluding, I would say that sometimes you don’t have to be perfect to face the real world all by yourself. Every small moment teaches you a lesson which can have a greater impact in the future.