My journey to Heriot-Watt

It's crazy to think that your whole daily life can fit into a few boxes (or two cars in my case ha-ha). I personally did not feel too worried or nervous about moving but once I saw all of my stuff packed away, it hit me that I was actually moving.

I had picked the morning (9-12pm) slot to move in which I severely regretted as it took me just under two hours to get here, and that only left me with 15 minutes to get my keys and unload all of my stuff 🙈. Initially, I had been worried about moving to a completely new place with nobody I really knew but even just arriving at my accommodation, people were super nice and made me instantly feel comfortable. I left my accommodation for a while to do a food shop and when I got back and began to unpack my groceries, I ran into my first flatmate. He was super nice and immediately made me feel so much better in my choice in moving away from home.

The day I arrived on campus there were a ton of induction and Freshers' events going on, unfortunately because it took me so long to arrive, I missed most of them but even the next day there were still lots of options like a soup lunch or pub quiz. 

I even discovered the Discord student feature which allows you to join different societies when you log in with your university email. I would 100% recommend downloading Discord to have a look because it lets you (if you’re socially anxious like me) join clubs and talk to people without having to go out and meet lots of people at once. Then once you feel comfortable, you can go out and meet people and join in with all the events!

After being here for a few days, while I do feel homesick, I am slowly finding my way and I have met some amazing new people and friends.

While it can be a daunting experience, moving away is so essential in developing a sense of self and independence, it is such a confidence-building experience once you get over the initial homesickness.