Zhi Qin Wong (Lyra)

What were the key differences you found between your home country and the UK?

The weather and the teaching styles are definitely the key differences between Malaysia and the UK as we have summer all year long and the monsoon season but we will never experience winter or even snow in Malaysia. In Edinburgh, the weather is nice during the summer and a bit brutal in the winter (I struggle a lot to keep myself warm as I get hypothermia quite easily).

Teaching styles can be quite different but it depends on which colleges or schools students have been studying at. Most national schools are spoon feeding the students about the exams diet which can be very unhelpful.

Did you find it easy to settle in to the UK?

Apart from the winter, everything went very smooth and people are really friendly. The google map is a very useful tool as it will show the time and buses to get when you are going somewhere. Living in Edinburgh is really convenient as the buses are literally everywhere, and most of the bus driver would give advice to the passengers if the passengers are having doubts on which buses to get to their destination.

What advice would you give to a new international student who is trying to settle in to the UK?

Try to make friends and go to the Chaplaincy at first to get to know more about the vibes in Edinburgh. Don't be shy about asking questions as we can help and hopefully answer all of your questions and doubts!