Being involved and experiencing life as
the locals do could mean any number of things. The phrase “living like a local”
at first glance seemed to me like it would mean going about the daily grind in
another town in another country as if I’d lived there my entire life, which, to me, almost implies focusing only on business and taking the natural beauty and charm of a place for granted. It seemed
to imply living there the way I live here – I am from east Tennessee, so I tend
to do the same things week after week, rarely taking time to experience the
truly lovely and unique parts of the area, or branching out to try new things.
But since traveling to England and living there for several months is already
an adventure, I think it applies more to making yourself comfortable in the new
location and culture, assimilating yourself into this new experience. It
strikes me as probably a vital part of the experience, as it would provide
structure while I still feel new and likely disoriented, and help me segue into
a productive and more social life while I am there.
I’m sure there’s an astounding number of
ways for one to get involved, but a few specific ways come to mind for me. I
have heard from students who have been at Worcester that the school has a
variety of student organizations and clubs. I will look into that when I get
there – I think I might enjoy a history, music, or film club, and those would
be excellent ways to meet students there who enjoy some of the same things that
I do. I also plan on attending church. Here, I sing in the choir at my church,
and the Wednesday night practices and Sunday morning services are a very
enjoyable and fulfilling part of my week. I don’t know that I will try to join
a church choir necessarily, but I will definitely find a church there that I
like and attend regularly. This would be a great way to hopefully meet people,
as well. Plus, I will be doing Bonner work while I am there. I love working at
the assisted living home here, so maybe I will find something similar to do
there – or, it might be fun to try a different type of service! Either way,
this is yet another way to “live like a local,” meeting people, interacting
with them, and becoming acquainted the town’s social climate and structure.
My day to day life as I describe it doesn't seem that much different than what it already is – I go to class,
volunteer, go to church, and hang out with friends. I don’t think, though, that
it is necessary for my “living like a local” to be drastically different, nor does it need to mirror my life in Tennessee. It
already will be, and doing familiar things on a regular schedule would keep me
grounded and active – and in a way, force me to meet people, which would be
handy if I have some trouble in the social department. Of course, I will try to
explore and do new things as often as possible, but the day’s structure will be
very beneficial. I hope that in establishing this sort of schedule or routine
for myself will help me to feel like a part of the city while I am there –
hopefully I will make tons of awesome new friends and return home with
wonderful memories.
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