London: a survival guide for international students

Do you remember what it was like when you first arrived in London? Did you find it challenging to live in a foreign country or did you find it difficult to communicate with people in English?

From my experience, moving into a foreign country can be challenging. It is, no doubt, a valuable experience in life as you now have the chance to explore new places and experience different cultures. During my first year in London, I had spent most of my leisure time traveling around the UK, visiting different towns and tourist attractions. The beautiful scenes and historical architectures in the UK interest me a lot and motivate me to explore more.

Of course there will be less time for traveling once the term starts, but it will be nice and relaxing if you can spend an afternoon away from your work and participate in different trips and events at Imperial.

International Student Support is running its first ever Cosmopolitan Café this year. It is a free fortnightly event taking place on Wednesdays afternoons where you can relax and socialise with the other students from all over the world. On weeks when there is no Cosmopolitan café, there will be different kinds of events on weekdays afternoons and evenings such as walking tours, karaoke, museum tours and Christmas events both inside and outside London which you can join and explore different parts of the UK.

Also, if you have any questions related to student visas, immigration and welfare issues, International Student Support is here to help and advise you too! If you are keen to improve your English literacy, there are also a number of free English courses provided in the Centre for Academic English at Imperial which you can join and improve communication skills, both in an academic and social context.

_International Student Support will also be running their Cosmopolitan Café on Wednesday the 12th November, in the Chaplaincy from 3pm. _