My name is Orazio, and I’m an Italian student on Erasmus in Bristol; I arrived in January and will stay until June. Why not share my personal experience here? First of all, I must admit that I had very strong cultural shock when I arrived. My first thoughts were: ‘Why am I here?’ ‘How strange is this city?!’ ‘Will I be able to live in Bristol for such a long time?’. Well, at the beginning, it is absolutely normal to think about a new place in this way. You may feel lonely and forgotten by everyone, but soon enough you will become stronger and more self-confident. It is very easy to complain, to isolate yourself or to stay with your fellow citizens. These are the easiest things to do, as they are a kind of ‘defence mechanism’. However, it is necessary to have the courage to push past those fears, to always play an active role in your new life, and also to ‘live a little’.
I have learnt with time that there are many amazing places to visit and things to do. For example, Bristol’s waterfront and harbour-side area is stunning, and there are plenty of places to sit and enjoy a drink or two whilst looking out at the river. There are also clubs, pubs and restaurants on boats! Also, Park Street has a variety of different shops, clubs, and awesome cafés where you can eat whatever you fancy. In my eyes, one of the best things about Bristol is that it has all the shops you could ever want, without the crammed mayhem or huge crowds which you would face in London. Did you know that Bristol is considered ‘the small London’? Did you know that Bristol is the warmest city in the UK? Did you know that Bristol was named the best place to live in the UK for 2017? And all that is because it is also an eco-friendly city to such an extent that it was named the European Green City in 2015.
What about the University of Bristol? There are no words to describe how much I appreciate it. Everything is perfect, there a variety of services and facilities (it even has a mini-cinema!), and every single person does their best to make you feel comfortable.
Bristol also seems to be a slightly unusual city, in the sense that it has a vast blend of different things, different architecture, and a different way of living. At the beginning, I questioned how it could be possible to have a city like this; it didn’t make any sense! Yet when you start seeing everything from a different point of view, everything starts to make a lot more sense.
So, what happens if you manage to throw away your ‘cultural glasses’? The most important benefit of working on cultural diversity is as follows: you become more understanding if you are able to look at different cultures from their cultural point of reference, rather than your own. It is a kind of ‘cultural empathy’, and this is fundamental in order to develop your empathetic side. Thanks to this experience, I have had the opportunity to rediscover myself and to become a better person. This is the way to become truly free from any prejudices and preconceptions. The huge amount of things you are able experience is really impressive! Really. So I definitely think it is worth every minute.
the courage to push past those fears, to always play an active role in your new life, and also to ‘live a little’.
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