University of Edinburgh Year Long Exchange
From a very young age, my parents always used to tell me that the best things happen when you least expect them. Never has that phrase been more applicable than following this life changing experience I embarked. For the past few weeks since my arrival, I’ve been trying to process the memories, experiences and feelings that I have overcome throughout this past year at The University of Edinburgh.
During my senior year of high school, I took a social justice class where I learned about the decades-long conflict that had taken place in Northern Ireland between Protestants and Catholics. We got the amazing opportunity to travel across Northern Ireland talking to people from both sides of the conflict in order to get a holistic perspective. Following this, I knew I wanted to return to the UK and further study the political situation of the country. I applied to Edinburgh because Scottish politics intrigued me and thought it would’ve been an especially interesting time to be there both during the Brexit process, the strong push for Scottish Independence, and the 2019 Parliamentary elections.
Although the application process was time consuming and overwhelming due to the nature of a year-long exchange through UW Seattle, I received vast amounts of help from both the UWB Global Initiatives office as well as the UW study abroad office at the Seattle campus. After months of planning and organization: involving signing up for my student accommodation, signing up for classes at the University of Edinburgh, and taking several student orientation courses online, I was ready and set to go. The summer flew by and as my date of departure approached, I began to grow both more stressed and more excited. I had never lived outside of home much less lived thousands of miles away from it. A few days before I left, I met with one of my friends who had studied abroad in London the year prior, and he left me with a few very memorable words that throughout the trip I carried with me. “Do as much as you possibly can and take advantage of every opportunity you get because this will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” He said.
When I first arrived, I was extremely overwhelmed. I knew nobody, I was on a continent on the opposite side of the world, and I had no idea what to expect. However within days, that feeling was replaced with curiosity and excitement. Both the dorms and university organized hundreds of social events the first week and within that first week I met new people every day. Although I didn’t consider myself an extremely social person, I’d remembered my friend’s words and told myself I would not hold back. I tried to socialize with as many people as possible. Due to The University of Edinburgh’s extremely international nature, I met people from all parts of the world: Lebanon, Germany, Norway, Singapore, Kenya, Mexico, and the list goes on. I also made sure to befriend Scottish students as I wanted to learn more about the culture and politics of Scotland. This attitude paid off as I was able to meet and interact with people that I would have never met otherwise.
Again remembering my friend’s words, I told myself I wanted to get more involved in the second semester and I decided to join a few societies at the university. I decided to join a student-led think tank that had substantial influence at the regional level, even working with the Scottish Parliament on some occasions to develop policy. For years I’d wanted to learn more about investing so I decided to join the Edinburgh University Trade and Investment Club where I worked with team members to develop a stock report. Through these societies, I was able to get hands-on experience with stock analysis and policymaking that I wouldn’t have been able to get otherwise. As well, I created connections with other Scottish-based think tanks in Edinburgh and students who had participated in internships with investment banks such as Barclays and Marryl Lynch in London.
The classes I took were also extremely insightful. Although I came in with the intention to further my studies of British Politics, I learned much more. I got the opportunity to study the power dynamic that took place between the governments of Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, and Westminster during my Introduction to British Politics course. Additionally, I was also able to gain insight into the political situation that had led the public to vote for Brexit, and the current push for Scottish Independence from the United Kingdom. I was additionally able to learn about the welfare state not only in the UK but also in countries throughout Europe with my European Social Policy class. This knowledge has certainly allowed me to view our current political situation in the US through a different lens that I will carry with me as I continue my studies of American politics here at UWB.
I had never quite considered myself to be a risk-taker until after this experience. Throughout my life, I had even prided myself in always taking the safest route. Following this experience and knowing how much I will treasure this exchange for the rest of my life, I know now the importance of taking risks. If I hadn’t taken this leap of faith and applied for this year-long exchange program nearly a year and a half ago, I never would’ve met the dozens of people that impacted my life on this exchange, and I certainly would not have obtained the vast knowledge of British politics that I now have from both taking classes at the University of Edinburgh and interacting with British residents. The sheer amount of gratitude I have for Global Initiatives is indescribable. Due to this experience I have learned the importance of taking risks in life.
Adrian Gervassi-Saga, Autumn 2019
