I did my year abroad in Newcastle and I miss it more than I could say

Im experiencing a reverse culture shock returning to Pakistan


Many students have studied abroad at some point and it is true that some purposefully miss classes. I have read articles about the prospects of living in the UK, but there are few articles on life after the international students return home following their studies and how they handle the reverse culture shock.

I have returned home after studying in the UK for five years at Northumbria University. I made many friends in Newcastle and had many great experiences. When I think back on my time there it was almost like a dream that someone had woke me up from after five years, and the return back to reality in Pakistan has been a struggle. Every morning when I wake up I check the weather in Newcastle, I wonder constantly what my friends are doing and wonder what I would be doing if I was present.

Sometimes my friends wonder how I could miss Newcastle that much because I was only there for a short period but honestly the city gave me a lot in such a short period of time, a feeling my hometown would never gave me. I have been away from my home so long that it almost feels as if it is not my home anymore. Newcastle has become my new home. I often go through the 20,000 pictures I have from my time in Newcastle and reminisce and I cherish each moment as I knew the day would come when I would eventually have to leave Newcastle.

I miss the feeling of living in Newcastle, it became so familiar that I forgot about the city where I was born. I miss the travelling, the house parties, the pubs, walking home at 3am from various night clubs, and finally I miss the lack of responsibility I had there. People say: “it’s not where you are but it’s whom you are with” and this statement is true in many ways as I do miss my friends but not only do I miss them but I miss the new people which I didn’t have the chance to get to know properly.

I miss the different food, the Geordie accent, and some phrases they use, more often I miss the struggle I encountered on arriving to understand the Geordie accent. Frequently I compare my life in Newcastle to the life I had in Pakistan and feel emotional about the amount of fun I experienced in Newcastle.

Sometimes I check flights going to Newcastle even though I have no plans of returning to the UK any time soon. I have such an emotional connection I find every excuse in a conversation to bring it up, although the people I am conversing with may not be interested I feel it has impacted my life so greatly and will always be a huge part of who I am. I will never forget is the weather in the summer, the late night kebabs, the fish and chips, my apartment, my friends, meeting new new students every year and, worst of all, the hangovers.

A friend of mine told me the only way to escape this feeling of loss and anxiety from leaving Newcastle would be to visit Newcastle often. I hope one day I return to Newcastle even if it is only for a short period.

I asked some other students who were studying there for the year that I was, and this is what they had to say:

Ray: “I sincerely miss everyone, everything, every moment in Newcastle”.

Harmon: “I have no regret for getting a tattoo saying ‘Newcastle’. I miss Newcastle.”

Jessica: “It’s a place I really wanted to escape from in the past, but I am eager to go back right now”.

Emilly: “I can’t describe how much I miss Newcastle in one sentence”.

Kirsty: “I miss Newcastle so fucking much! It’s the best place ever and I love the nightlife. So many memories and I’m proud to have been there in my life!”.

Jason: “Newcastle is my second home in the world, I do miss everything in my Newcastle”.

Adeline: “My memory of Newcastle is full of hope and happiness, which lasts forever”.

Kiki: “I miss everything in Newcastle and wanna come back again”.

Betty: “Newcastle seems like my second hometown. I will definitely come back”.

Donnie: “One sentence doesn’t describe how much I miss it, that memory is in my blood”.

Romain: “I studied in many cities and countries but I was never able to find an atmosphere nor a community of students that could possibly match those of Newcastle”.

Nina: “I miss walking along the Tyneside river. I miss the days buying cheap sandwiches in Tesco and rush to library for assignments. I miss the Geordie accent. I miss the people. I miss everything about Newcastle”.

Van Anh: “About once every week I have a dream that I could come back to Newcastle”.

Nish: “The rest of the world is a different place to Newcastle”.

GaopeiI: “I can still remember everything in Newcastle, every person I meet, every street I walk, every bar I go, and of course every assignment I write”.

Susanna: “I miss Newcastle! Not only the place,but also the people I met in there. But the most unforgettable memory should be deadline catch up for our thesis, lol pain and joy”.