Here’s everything I wish I knew before moving to Liverpool as an international student

Ah, The Beatles, bowls of scouse and freezing cold weather, right? Well, they’re not wrong, but since moving from India to Liverpool as an international student, I’ve learnt so much more about the city of music than I thought I would. Nobody really prepares you the culture shocks you face as an international student moving across the world to a completely new city – you kind of have to work it all out as you go along.

Being a student away from home isn’t an easy feat for anyone, but learning how to acclimatise to UK culture at the same time as keeping on top of your studies is definitely a challenge. Let me be your fairy godmother and tell you everything that I definitely needed to know before joining the University of Liverpool as an international student because I promise, you’ll need it.

Cheap food? What’s that?

My favourite thing to do in India is eat, eat and eat. What’s not to love about an unlimited burst of flavours, fresh & organic ingredients and every cuisine you can think of open 24/7?

Even in a big city like Bombay, you can treat yourself to a hearty meal, starter and dessert included, for under 50p – so imagine my frustration the first time I went out for food in the UK. The gasp I gasped the first time around still comes out sometimes. If you want affordable food, your only options are fast food places and a restaurant chain called Wetherspoons. You’ll find them at almost every corner, and the food is okay, but nice food is a luxury on a tight student budget. It’s also so difficult to maintain a healthy diet sometimes, and getting chips from Wetherspoons every day definitely doesn’t help.

It’s actually freezing cold here

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Previously, this was a phrase I never knew, or even heard of. For reference, Bombay claims to have a summer, monsoon and winter season every year. In reality however, we have a humid monsoon for four months, and for the rest of the year the overarching weather condition is just hot and sweaty.

Liverpool on the other hand, has a dreadful combination of cold and windy that has me wearing at least three layers at any given time. I was prepared for the cold obviously, but the wind caught me off guard. After three years of battling it, I have realised that gloves, scarves and beanies go a long way. All of us in Bombay endlessly complain about the weather (much like the British) and I never thought I’d say that I miss it!

There are so many culture shocks

India and the UK are miles apart, both literally and culturally. Although I grew up in a metropolitan city, the cultural upbringing I had there was drastically different. I went to a school where we had strict dress codes, grew up thinking kissing in public is taboo, and alcohol (and other vices) are a huge sin. Cut to Freshers’ Week, where there’s alcohol filling every corner of your student flat, drunken hookups in crowded clubs – and no one bats an eye.

It took a while to adjust to, but ultimately it was liberating to know you were allowed to be your best self, whatever that may be. A lot of the social life here does revolve around alcohol, but hopefully you’ll go on to learn that if that’s not for you, you’ll find people like you who you can have as much fun with.

Some conversations have no boundaries

Us people of colour who come abroad to study have our fair share of adults who warn us about two things: Peer pressure, and racism. It’s unfortunate that both those talks are still so relevant, but my perception of race and its implications changed when I moved. My ethnicity was a new form of my identity that I got to explore through the conversations I had with people here. My biggest takeaway from these experiences has been that racism and racial subtext are more common and unexpected than I was prepared for.

As you go on to meet people from different backgrounds, many of them, like you, have questions about you and your background. Most of the time they’re respectful and well-intended, but not always. I learnt that more often than not, people will ask you to answer any questions they may have about your country. Sometimes they’re fun ones about food, film and music, but some others may be coming from a place of ignorance. If I could give any advice, it would be to have clear boundaries for these conversations, in order to preserve yourself and your mental health.

You’ll do so much walking

I come from India, the land of magic carpets, or as we locally call them, auto-rickshaws. They’re constantly at your beck and call, and take you wherever you need to go, quickly and affordably. I was made aware of my learnt laziness and unhealthy dependence on rickshaws, when I saw none in Liverpool. Whether it was the bad air quality, or the budget friendly Bombay trains, I was never used to walking for long periods of time. Slowly I’ve made my peace with it, but walks in the rain and wind are still something I absolutely dread. Can we have rickshaws in Liverpool too please? They’ll definitely be more reliable than the 699, that’s for sure.

You’ll miss the comfort of your home cooking

Obviously, one of the big changes to get used to as a uni student is cooking your own meals. My first few months here, I experimented with all the new meats available, and the endless pasta and ready to eat sections at supermarkets. Slowly though, as the homesickness grew, so did my cravings for just simple home cooked food.

I know I sound like your typical brown auntie right now, but trust me on this. Indian food is the easiest to make, and it all has the exact same recipe. Heat oil, add ginger, garlic, onion, fry that off, add your vegetables or meat, chuck in some spices, fry and eat! The local international food shops have all the ingredients you need, so treat yourself from time to time.

All you need is The Beatles

Okay, I may have lied. This is the one thing I absolutely did know about Liverpool before moving here as a huge fan of The Beatles. A lot of the city’s attractions involve The Beatles, and a lot of their legacy is very well preserved, so get ready to see these four men all across the city, and dive into their incredible story. The city has a lot to offer, but its iconic rock band and football clubs are its main claims to fame! If either of those interest you, don’t worry, there’s plenty you can do, but it’s definitely worth taking a trip down Matthew Street to soak in some of the musical sights at some point.

What’s in an accent?

As I just mentioned, I had seen enough interviews of The Beatles to give me a rough idea of the Liverpool accent. However, you need to know that Liverpool has one of the most distinct accents in the country. Because English isn’t my first language like a lot of other international students, I struggled with the accent and the slang here quite a bit.

For starters, some letters are pronounced completely differently, and the accent is generally really different from other British accents. Some other things I had to learn were words like scran for food, tea for dinner and most importantly, ta instead of saying thank you. By the way, don’t be scared to ask the meaning of something if you don’t know it, the people are really lovely!

You do adjust to life here pretty quickly, but those first few weeks, or even months, can be really tricky. The main thing you need to know is that all the people in the city are so friendly, and you’ll find your tribe sooner rather than later. It certainly starts to feel like home before you know it.