Dubai: Green leaves, white powders, alcohol for £2 (Dh11.25). UV paint, fluorescent lights, heavy beats. Trance, dance, electro, dub step. Cold.
What do I wear out when it's so cold?
Wait. How do I get there? Underground, overground, day bus, night bus, District Line Rail. Walk? Alone? Do I take that shortcut? Is it safe? Remember, cars go the other way, do not get run over… Nearly got run over.
Okay, here, but now I have to make friends. How do I know who wants to be my friend?
No, thank you, I don't want to smoke that. What? Up my nose?
No, I didn't ride a camel to school in Dubai. Are they kissing? But, that's… illegal?
Is this what it's meant to be like? Have I fallen in with the wrong crowd? I didn't know it would be like this.
It's only the first week! How can I even think about looking after myself for three years and getting good grades when I have all of this to worry about too?
Students, who have left Dubai to go to university in their "home" countries, speak of panic and an uneasy inner dialogue. Simply put: a life of struggle. The struggle to, not only, adjust to the cultural and social norms of other countries, but also to become independent after such a fortunate yet sheltered upbringing.
"Because of the Dubai lifestyle I feel I was completely unprepared for becoming independent in the UK", says James Evans, a 20-year-old student. James spent a year in university in Bristol, United Kingdom, but, after losing himself in the ever-so-prevalent clubbing scene there, found that his academics, finances and, indeed, personal well-being were suffering. He is now back in Dubai to complete his studies here.
Students' difficulty to adjust and settle when leaving Dubai for university, to the UK most commonly, is becoming a trend. A 26-year-old man who is pursuing a successful career in Dubai, but wished to remain unnamed, remembers the first week of university as "a slap in the face; a what's what of cheap ‘student' drinks and Class C drugs; an eye-opening preview to student life in the UK; and a terrifying transition from a strict, sheltered, expatriate lifestyle".
Temptations
Peter Mazloumian, another student who grew up in Dubai, was also overwhelmed by the new-found freedom and the openly available temptations of an illicit and scandalous nature. He echoes much the same sentiment.
He tells Gulf News that "Coming from Dubai, where everything is essentially handed to you on a silver platter, to the UK where you are expected to live independently and deal with all the inevitable changes alone really affected his perception of and approach to university life…And not for the better!" Peter will be returning to Dubai in September to give university a go closer to home, Dubai.
Is Peter's attitude an inappreciative one? Or is it correct to suggest that the extremely sheltered and mollycoddled upbringing so associated with Dubai actually acts as a great disadvantage when Dubai's teenagers attempt to start life elsewhere?
Jasmine M., a 21-year-old student at Brighton university, explains. "When I first started university in Brighton I found the culture shock very difficult to deal with as I went from being in a place where being gay was illegal to sharing toilets with transvestites; seeing girls wearing clothes that barely cover their dignity; and being exposed to hard drugs for the first time".
Difficult to make friends
Jasmine adds that to start it was also incredibly difficult to make friends, because she was surrounded by "people who thought I was rich and spoiled, because I had lived in Dubai and tried to take advantage of that".
Anna Shpaltakova, 21, also at university in the UK, explores some of the more day-to-day issues students travelling overseas [home] for university face.
She tells Gulf News about getting used to left-hand side driving.
"First time catching a bus I waited on the wrong side of the road for a good 15 minutes as a result of this," she says. "The first time I travelled within the UK by train, I went to Brighton to visit a friend. I had no idea there would be changes on the train. I thought they were all direct!"
Nonetheless, unlike some, Jasmine and Anna have, insofar, managed to surmount these obstacles. This is not to say that it has been easy, by any means, but they are clear examples of the fact that it is possible for students leaving "the bubble" that is Dubai to adjust, settle and, more importantly, be happy and successful at university elsewhere.
So why is it that some can and some can't? Is it not so much down to the cossetted upbringing and more down to the individual? Perhaps it is a combination of the two?
Those who have and continue to experience success furthering their education abroad take a very realistic approach, expressing the well-known sentiment that "life is never easy" and acknowledging that "sometimes you just have to get on with it".
Jasmine may have struggled to find a good group of friends at the beginning, but she tells Gulf News that by second year she had "found friends [she] can now call her best friends".
Adjusting to independent life elsewhere and having to adopt a "life is never easy" attitude, when up until that point life has been incredibly easy, is not something all those travelling overseas for university manage to achieve.
Students from Dubai, who have overcome the challenge, offer a couple of solutions. The common theme is the "need to be prepared" and associate yourself with the different social and cultural norms to expect before starting university.
"Having family in the UK and making visits there over the years I spent growing up Dubai meant I found the culture shock much less than people who, for example, had never visited the UK, says a 20-year-old university student.
"I think it is essential to, if you are thinking about studying at a University in the UK, at least visit it once or twice to familiarise yourself with the different culture."
Jasmine says one of her main tips for surviving the move from Dubai to university elsewhere is to maintain a healthy amount of contact with your friends from Dubai.
Although she makes it clear that making new friends at university is absolutely vital and, of course, exciting.
Did you, or someone you know, have to face similar challenges when they traveled abroad for higher studies? How can children be trained to make sure they do not face a cultural shock when they travel?
