In the early autumn of 2019, at Shanghai Pudong Airport, I had no worries or reluctance to leave home. As I watched people in the airport tearfully hugging their parents, their smiles seemed to have shifted onto my face. Holding my plane ticket, I twirled and leaped with closed eyes. The English Premier League, Formula 1, medieval castles, there were too many things in the UK that attracted me, that I forgot how good home is. Home had become too familiar and unexciting for me, so I wanted to embark on this "escape journey" as soon as possible.

Everything in the UK when I first arrived sparked my curiosity. Even walking on the most ordinary street gave me a sense of jungle exploration. Determined with no retreat, the four-person team from Soochow University wandered around every corner of Swansea. On the road, we also planned our future, Manchester, London, Edinburgh, and we seemed to have an impulse to travel all over Britain the next day. However, at that time, we were not aware that stress, insomnia, and anxiety would follow soon.

In an unfamiliar foreign country, existing knowledge would be shattered, the different languages and cultural logics would make one feel insecure. Coupled with the endless rainy days of the British winter, along with the never-ending papers to write, life seemed different from what I had imagined. Loneliness surged, I longed to hear familiar voices. So, sitting by the window, I made a phone call to my family, but no one answered. I realized that my family and friends were in a different time zone, as if there was a whole different time and space between us. After leaving home, I began to learn how to cook, iron clothes, and tidy up the messy room. In the remaining time, home became a foreign place.

When winter ended, Great Britain was no longer a wilderness. The beginning of spring meant six months of good weather, and the sun setting at 9 p.m., maked nights shorter. After the busy life of the first two semesters, I had already adapted to the rhythm and was able to handle my studies with ease. Therefore, it was time to enjoy the leisurely happiness of doing nothing. Most of my time was spent by the sea—clamming, playing the role of a fisherman, or simply sitting quietly on the beach, observing the sunlight in the waves and the purple sky. The foreign environment molded another layer of my being—lonely yet content. Of course, I was not always alone. The friends and classmates I met in Swansea were all unique, yet so compatible with me. We traveled together, gathered, made merry, and eventually drifted apart. The days spent with them formed unforgettable memories of my time in the UK.

As I write this, I realize that words cannot fully describe the feelings of my nearly three years of studying abroad. It's like the colorful scenes imprinted on a film roll —only those who have seen it can truly understand.

I wish all students studying abroad success in their endeavors.