Across the North Sea: A Home as Close as it is Far

The concept of going on a ‘study abroad’ is probably not unbeknownst to most of you reading this article. Neither is it to me, being a Dutch exchange student myself. Though I have only been here in Leeds for about three weeks as I write this, I have already noticed that international students, especially exchange students, form somewhat of their own subculture within the bustling and thriving student scene of Leeds. From tipsy conversations about how to pronounce odd-sounding Swedish phrases, to trying my flatmate’s homemade Venezuelan dish: getting immersed in the international community of Leeds has unquestionably been a great pleasure so far. However, it has not been my Australian friend saying “howdy” unironically that has thrown me off most in these past few weeks. Rather, it has been the slightly unexpected shock towards British culture itself that has managed to surprise me most so far. Let me elaborate.

Being able to travel to my study abroad destination by train on a mere five(-ish) hour journey had initially led me to fall into an obvious but dangerous trap: the first couple of days here, I felt like I never quite left home. Stepping foot into a new country with my life packed up into two (way too heavy) suitcases felt like an enormous new adventure on the one hand, of course. On the other hand, however, the thought that England was relatively close to home both in physical distance and in culture took away a large chunk of my nerves. As my friends from home spread out all over the world for their semesters abroad, from the United States to Hong Kong and from Peru to Finland, I was assured that crossing the North Sea could not change that much for me. I had years of experience speaking the language, and had always figured that the English and the Dutch were two peoples largely cut from the same cloth. Right? Or so I thought.

Well, what I firstly underestimated was the impact that small alterations and differences can make in the bigger picture of one’s daily life. It was all of the specific little quirks, the ones which make the United Kingdom so different from almost all of mainland Europe, that confused me. This confusion manifested, for example, in the form of almost getting run over at least seven times in the first few days of trying to cross the road here. And don’t even get me started on figuring out your roundabouts along with randomly appearing and disappearing bike-lanes. As my Google Maps suddenly changed from kilometres to miles, and my bank account got empty a lot quicker with the use of pounds, I realised that I may have slightly overestimated the twin-like similarity between our countries.

What I found somewhat more impactful though, were not the logistical switches I had to make, but rather the cultural differences that I’ve had to adapt to – despite being this close to home. Naturally, I am still in the midst of discovering all of the unspoken societal rules and norms that lie beneath the surface of each and every interaction I have here. What I have found so far, though, is that people in England are much, much more considerate than at home. As the proud owner of absolutely zero sense of direction, I have stopped in the street many a time looking a bit (or more than a bit) lost. Where people in the Netherlands would probably not even have looked up, here, multiple people would ask me whether I was okay or needed help. I noticed this not only on the streets though, people are nicer everywhere. The doors always being held open, no matter how awkward the little run becomes when you are just slightly too far away to catch it, and the cashiers and bartenders calling anyone and everyone ‘darling’ or ‘love.’ The atmosphere here in Leeds is just so much more sympathetic and welcoming. One thing I find it a bit harder to get behind, though, is the food. I won’t lie, Dutch food will probably never show up on some ‘best national cuisine’ list either, but the British obsession with peas is something I will never fully understand. Moreover, eating beans for breakfast also has not quite snuck into my new routine yet, but who knows what the future has to bring, right? 

Why does all of this matter, though? Well to be quite honest, on some personal level my choice to study abroad in the UK was a secure bet, a promise of adventure with a safety net. ‘If anything is wrong, I can always go home…’, was the argument dedicated to fighting off any worries or nerves in my head. This subconscious self-protection also made me feel a bit like an imposter, though. As if I was doing exchange ‘wrong’ by going away to a place that was essentially the same as home. In reality, what I’ve learned during these first few weeks on exchange here, is that being geographically close to home is not remotely equal to feeling close to home. But also, that it doesn’t really matter.  Wherever you go and whatever journey you choose to embark on: as long as you can find a way to step out of the safe little bubble that you call home for a while, you will be in for an adventure you will never forget.

Words by Esmée Huizinga