The grand return to Manchester after a year abroad: The good, the bad and the ugly

You’ve just finished your year abroad and, if it was anything like mine, it was probably the best year of your life. Now, you’ve landed back in the majestic M14 ready to tackle your final year. It’s almost comforting how nothing has changed; the 142 is packed, Sainsburys is full of ops and 256 is still the worst (best) night out in Fallowfield.

Except you’ve got no friends, you recognise no one on your course and you’re missing the random main characters you would see in Blue 2. You walk around Fallowfield in a sort of daze and think about what you were doing a year ago today (FYI: I was having picnics under the Eiffel Tower, in case you wanted to know).

It’s not all bad though, for the first week you’re still in the honeymoon phase. Manchester never looked more picturesque than from the top deck of the 142 on my first day back. The dulcet melody of Boombox Barry was an appropriate soundtrack to my first journey on to campus and I almost cried happy tears when the bus driver called me “love”.

It’s a full circle moment really, bringing you back to first year and making you act like a silly little fresher again. Joining every society possible in order to make new friends and actually attempting conversations (forcing small talk) in lectures because you don’t know anyone in your classes. RIP to my course mates.

Most embarrassingly of all, you’re having to use Google Maps to navigate your way around campus because you’ve forgotten where all the buildings are and what they’re called. What on earth is the Coupland Building?

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But then the honeymoon phase passes, and the post-exchange blues hit. Hard. Probably just in time for mid-term essay season! Not only do you have to come to terms with being back in Fallowfield, but you also have to realise that yes, your year abroad is very much over.

Uni deadlines actually count towards something called a degree and, unfortunately, you cannot just escape to every corner of Europe on the weekends.

But never fear my fellow year abroaders, for I’m going to remind you of a couple of things which make Manchester superior to any year abroad destination:

1. Fallowfield prices

Now I can’t speak for everyone, but personally I wasn’t a huge fan of paying six Euros every time I wanted a pint in Paris. So, despite cozzy livs hitting hard in the UK, I am actually hoping to save a couple of pennies during my final year compared to the big budget blowout that was my year abroad.

2. Great British gastronomy

Now yes, it is true that I spent my exchange in Europe’s gastronomical capital, Paris, where there are more Michelin star restaurants than fast food chains. Yet, picture the scene: You’re hungover on a Sunday morning and the best scran you can find is a day-old stale baguette. Not ideal.

So yes, I am very happy to now be within walking distance of a Spoons English Breakfast. Or even better, a drunken Allen’s on the way home, the superior post night out option for Fallowfield.

3. University culture

I will be the first to admit that I “grew” as a person on my year abroad, dare I say, I “found myself”. But no place in the world has uni culture quite like the UK and I have wholeheartedly missed it.

Not once in Paris did I see, on a Wednesday night, groups of freshers painted blue completing some sort of scavenger hunt just so they didn’t have to complete a forfeit that normally involved alcohol. Is it a bit odd? Probably. Did the internationals on exchange think British university students were crazy? 100 per cent. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

4. The people

It may be slightly cringe, but it’s true. Nothing made me happier than reuniting with the uni gang from second year in the city where we all became friends in the first place. Living in an all-girl house again that smells of fake tan and has an endless shared wardrobe is a luxury. A gentle reminder than it’s the people that matter, not necessarily the place.

There you have it: the good, the bad and the ugly. Even though returning from a year abroad can be rough, and you’ll miss the ones that got away and graduated without you, there’s a lot of good to look forward to as well.

You can conquer your final year knowing you managed to move abroad on your own – the dissertation looks less scary when you’ve spent a year studying in a foreign language. Finally, do not shy away from telling everyone that you went on a year abroad, it’s basically your only personality trait now.

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