A cultural Trip

31. Januar 2026

“They will treat you all like English students. They don’t care that you guys are internationals.”

A sentence I heard in one of my first lectures. One leaving me in the dark about whether the Brits are really so closed off to international students.

Would this stay confirm my fear that the Brits are closed off to other cultures? Or would I be surprised in a completely different way and learn a lot of new things?

I completed my semester abroad in Newcastle, England. I visited the Nothumbria University, which seemed quite large and almost inaccessible. At this point, I felt fear and homesick. Fear that I couldn't really do this and adapt to the Brits in an acceptable way.

Openness at the university

And yet, I was convinced of the opposite. As soon as I went to my first class - without my two friends - I noticed that the professor reacted differently to me. When he found out later that I was a German exchange student, he started talking to me more about my culture and even told me about his relatives in Germany. He also asked me how I liked it so far in England. In later classes, he often made sure, that everything was clear or asked me, if he should speak more slowly. He tried to lend me a hand.

It was clear in my other two courses, that the professors wanted to support us as well. One of the professors often asked if we understood everything or helped us choose a topic for our final exam. Even during the consultation, she wanted to learn more about us and Germany, and what the differences between our universities or the weather were. My other professor was no different in this regard. She loved the Germans and often used us as an example. She offered help with exam preparation and supported us in choosing topics, being totally fascinated by German commercials – which we were supposed to analyse in an essay.

The professors seemed quite different and much more open than I had thought before. Of course, they didn't treat us any differently in the grading, but they seemed much more approachable in the preparations.

The professors had already impressed me with how open and helpful they were. But what about the rest of England?

Cultural Impressions

Something I never thought I'd find was that there was a "Chinatown" in Newcastle. Even the Chinese New Year was celebrated in this small neighbourhood - with a small traditional parade. Lion dancers danced through the narrow streets, throwing cabbage at the doors of restaurants and houses. They were accompanied by a float with a band that played drums and bells to accompany the performance.

On another evening, I received an email, that invited me and friends to visit the "Globe Café." We thought about it for a long time. Should we go or no? But in the end, we did decid to go. When we arrived at a small kind of gym, behind a church, I first thought "Oh God. What is this?!" There were several older people and some internationals. At the reception, we were supposed to write our names on crepe paper and stick them on. People were offering us tea or other sweets; there were tables and chairs everywhere. And we? We just sat down, near our roommates, who were here already once.

Later that evening, some people introduced themselves to us. They explained that this was an organized event by volunteers to talk about different cultures and help expand one’s horizon. The evening, we first came, was all about India. A Presentation was also given about the country and its festivals and rituals. There was also always a well-known meal from the country and an interactive element – in this case, we learned an Indian dance. The evening had developed surprisingly positively and super fun! And so, we went two more times to learn more about other cultures later on!

Surprise

I never would have personally expected how open England is to other cultures. And yet, all these experiences have convinced me of the opposite. The brits are not only polite and sometimes very loud, but they also try to understand internationals, help them, and make them feel comfortable in their country. They greet most with open arms and fight for them.

The English people have astonished me

I learned not only new things about myself but also about others on this journey. The fear I felt was relatively quickly replaced with joy. And I'm insanely satisfied that the prejudices I had – that they’re not open minded and don’t accept other cultures - were not true. The English have managed to surprise me.

In this sense, don't let yourself be misled right away. Find the answer yourself and go out there! (;