Getting back into the swing of things: returning to Leicester after my year abroad

I feel like I’ve been in a weird transition, floating period since I got back from America mid-may. I had finished my year abroad in Florida and come to the end of my two week road trip around California but I still had the best part of four months until I embarked on my final year at uni. It was hard to adjust to being home again after having had full independence and learning to adjust to living in a new country within a new culture; I found it odd returning to a sense of normality after the whirlwind of experiences I had encountered abroad. The longer I am away from the University of Florida and the more time that passes since making so many incredible memories, the more I miss it.

This being said, I’m so excited to return to Leicester for my final year of Uni, America has inspired me in so many ways and awakened interests and passions I never knew I even possessed, for example, I now have a much clearer understanding of what I want to write my dissertation on thanks to having been able to undertake an African American Art History class at Florida. I also have a renewed sense for wanting to get involved in University life, perhaps spurred by the patriotism and University spirit of University of Florida students; whilst you may not see me sporting as much Uni merch as American students seem to, I do want to get involved in some new societies this year and fully embrace the University in my last year there. Perhaps the final thing I’m looking forward to this year is the familiarity of Leicester and the campus; whilst the newness and freshness of American University life was something I will be eternally grateful for, there is something so nice about no longer feeling like the little fish in a big pond, Leicester feels like home and I’m excited to be a more mature and grown up student when I return.