Too Short of a Stay!

I'm afraid I didn't take advantage of my semester abroad as much as I should have. I struggle with social anxiety and depression, and consequently stayed in my dorm and on campus for the first two months of my three month-long stay in Brighton out of fear. I was doubly afraid of and felt inept with making friends but I was approached by three other Black girls that transformed my experience. We shopped, ate, visited the pier and explored, and studied together; without them, I doubt whether I would have never had fun while I was there.

As far as the campus experience, it was great. My home university has very little breadth in its humanities and social sciences courses, so I was particularly excited to visit Sussex and finally explore my interests. My curiosities were satiated, then piqued, then multiplied, and I was so happy to have several post-class chats with my professors after nearly every lecture. My dormitory was a sore spot, however. I lived in Norwich House, which was fine on its face, but my flatmates' inability to keep our kitchen clean was abhorrent, and the continuous construction outside my window made sleep and studying increasingly difficult (on top of my depression). The food on campus is also lackluster and the ethnic options have much to be desired; I had to travel into Brighton to eat other styles of food, and even then there weren't many Latin or Caribbean restaurants.

Overall, I enjoyed my time and wish I had made more of it! It was a wonderful experience.