Sidharth Nair
UMBC Exchange: Newcastle University
Major: Computer Science
Jump To: Pre-Departure Post, In-Country Post 1, Post 2
Pre-Departure Post
Hello everyone, my name is Sid. I am a third-year student majoring in Computer Science, and I am writing this a couple of days before my flight to Newcastle, UK! It’s been a restless week leading up to my flight. Aside from general anxiety and worries, this is my first time traveling and staying in a country alone, and for such an extended period of time at that. Either way, I’m excited. I’ve had friends travel to the EU and do study abroad programs at Newcastle University, and their experiences always sound so eye-opening, so I am looking forward to doing that myself.
Throughout my life, I have been fortunate enough to travel across the world, but never alone, and I feel that’s an experience anyone who can do it should have. With that in mind, I figured college would be the perfect time for me to study abroad, a killing-two-birds-with-one-stone situation. Newcastle University seemed like the best choice. Aside from its vast pool of academic opportunities and strong computer science department, I felt that the city itself would be a great place to broaden my horizons and explore in general. Newcastle is also fairly close to Scotland, a place I’ve always wanted to travel to. On top of all these factors, I have family who live not too far from the university, so it would be a shame to let the opportunity pass. Old habits die hard, though; I still have yet to even start packing. Everything will into place one way or another.
In addition to exploring the UK as much as I can and making loads of friends and memories, I will be doing my best to get involved in computer science research, mainly with AI or a cross-disciplinary program with biology. Not only does Newcastle have many research programs, but many have huge benefits for CS communities in Newcastle and around the world, like their work in discovering new medicines and finding better ways to manage our power, all through computer science research! Academically, I’m extremely excited. Their selection of computer science classes is very specific once you get to a certain level. Taking any of them allows me to explore the many different pathways you can take within the CS industry, and that experience is something I need more than anything right now.
I think the main goal for this study abroad semester is to step further out of my comfort zone. I do enjoy challenging myself–academically and socially–but with an experience like this, everything is on me. As daunting as that may sound, it’s a skill that we all need at some point. With academics, it’s an entirely different course system, along with (hopefully) getting involved in research. Socially speaking, I’m in an entirely different place. I know no one (aside from my family), and I feel like constantly living in a space where I know or am familiar with most of the population has strongly degraded my social skills. I think I’d go insane without at least a friend or two, so this is the perfect opportunity to fix whatever damage has been done. I also want to experience new cultures, new art, new anything, really. On the surface, the UK experience doesn’t seem so different from the US one, excluding a well-connected train system and the accent, but I’m sure the further I explore, the more I’ll learn.
On the note of new environments, I’m really going to miss Maryland. As expected as that is, that’ll definitely be the hardest part for me to get around. I have this fear that when I come back, I won’t be able to resume my life and return to the rhythm of normalcy that I had. I was finally finding a good place at UMBC. In all honesty, it feels a bit awkward starting my junior year–arguably my most important year as a CS major–in another country, with one of my main goals being to explore. Something that also sits on my mind is the worry that I didn’t spend enough time with my people before I left. Granted, all of these worries are in my mind at the end of the day. As I said earlier, it’s up to me to make sure things go smoothly. No matter my fears, I’m going to do my best to make this semester worth every second. See you next time!
In-Country Post 1
Hello again! This post is a bit delayed, and I apologize; I was in the process of moving. I arrived in Newcastle on September 9th, well before anyone else arrived or anything started, so I was staying with my uncle in Durham at the time. I had around a week to get used to Durham, and then a week for Newcastle, just to make sure I could figure out my commute and get time to explore. After three weeks, we realized that the commute from Durham to Newcastle basically every day would add up to around the same amount as it would be to stay on campus, and thus, my move.
When I originally got here, I spent a good amount of time doing absolutely nothing. Still a bit jet-lagged and anxious to explore on my own, I sat in my room watching shows, applying to internships (I can’t escape), and just biding my time till I felt good enough to go out. After that, I was outside almost every day. While in Durham, I walked around a couple of nature reserves and explored the city center. I also got to look at the Durham Cathedral, which is where Harry Potter was filmed! I familiarized myself with the public transportation, so I could plan out when I’d have to leave to reach the university on time, as I wasn’t planning to move at that point in time.
Aside from Durham, I had an amazing time exploring Newcastle. I went to art galleries, museums, parks, historical sites, and local food spots. Unlike UMBC, there’s hundreds of things to see and do within walking distance of the campus, so it’s a nice change of pace. I visited this town called Tynemouth, a costal town at the beginning of the River Tyne, and it was absolutely beautiful. Perfect weather and to roam around old fort ruins and chill on the beach, shouldn’t have worn jeans though. I’m very excited to travel around the UK and hopefully further during my time here.
I’ve not had many issues since coming here. Everyone is so kind, welcoming and helpful, you rarely ever have to worry about making friends or asking for assistance. I’ve made a lot of friends since coming here and have learned of so many different cultures and heard so many stories about people’s home countries and their histories. The only real issue I’ve had so far was the commute. Not the length of it, but the cost and the delays that come with the colder months. The public transportation here is very reliable and usually affordable. My family and I were looking at housing options, just in case we found something viable, and we found a place with a total that would’ve been about the same as the total amount I’d spend on the commute, with less of a risk of a train being cancelled or a bus running late when it’s already late at night, along with many other factors that came into play when commuting. It’s a nice place, and it helps being on campus, as I’m able to properly get involved with the student life and further immerse myself in the culture here. I do have to get groceries, which sucks, but you do what you gotta do.
Extracurriculars aside, my classes have finally started. I didn’t even get registered for the courses I wanted to take until a couple days before they started, but it was a really simple process. I’m currently taking Computer Vision & AI, Human Computer Interaction, Intro to Quantum Computing, and Biomedical Data Analysis & AI, and I am really looking forward to all of them. I’m hoping to get into some research with the professor for my Computer Vision & AI course, but that’s a goal for further down the road. All of the staff and faculty are very laid-back and supportive which made getting acclimated to the university way easier than I thought it would be. I actually met and had a conversation with the Director of Education for the School of Computing before classes had started, and it was as if I was talking to a friend of mine. That’s all I’ve got for now, I’ll see you guys in two weeks! On time.
In-Country Post 2
Hello again, and welcome back. Three weeks into classes, and I have yet to lock in. I’ve been doing more exploring and making more friends, which has been awesome, but I’m taking Intro to Quantum Computing, and I cannot be slacking off. Thankfully, though, I’ve settled in quite well and have been able to find people to study and work with, which has been helping me actually get through my work. As of writing this, despite having lived in my new accommodation, I have just now bought groceries. Let’s hope I don’t burn the kitchen down!
I’ve been a bit busy socializing as of late, so most of my recent adventures have been within the city or Tynemouth, which I spoke about in my previous post. I’ve finally gotten the chance to experience the nightlife here, and it was eventful, but I’ve had more fun looking through the markets and landmarks around the city. One thing I’ve learned is that, compared to markets back home, most people come to sell actual products. In my experience, most of the time people sell secondhand items. Either way, it was a fun experience, and it was right by the river as well! Roaming around the city, you get to see the remains of old castles, walls, and bridges that have been repurposed to better fit the public. In Tynemouth, I saw an old church get turned into something like a mini shopping complex, with a pub, a restaurant, a tattoo shop, and a couple of other stores.
On my own, I’ve continued to explore the art scene around me, especially the antique pieces. In the area, there are multiple antique shops and a couple of stalls at the markets I mentioned earlier. I’ve learned about tea and cigarette cards, which are small, lighter-sized cards with some artwork on the front and information relating to the topic of the art on the back. They’re small and somewhat insignificant, but they look beautiful and seem to be a good conversation starter. There is also an art gallery across the street from where I live, which is updated regularly and holds more recent artworks. Aside from galleries, I’m hoping to get involved with the live music scene here. Surprisingly, despite living very close to the heart of the city and a student hotspot, many of the pubs here don’t do live music very often, if at all. In fact, most of the pubs are generally filled with older patrons.
A very interesting experience I had was going to church for the first time. I am not a Christian who suddenly felt a religious surge, nor am I converting, but during the first week of the semester, the local church was offering free pizza to all students. During this event, the people working at the church were spreading information about the church and certain groups they host. One of the groups was a place for people to discuss the Christian faith and how people perceive and understand it. I had some very meaningful and insightful conversations with people who did believe in Christianity, and I am honestly debating if I should go back. They have free refreshments, so why not?
During one of the earlier weeks, they had a society fair for incoming students to explore societies (or as we call them, clubs). I found a couple of societies that I found really interesting, like a computer science society and their student media collective. One thing to note about these societies is that they all have a membership fee, most just £5, so you really have to want to be part of the society. These societies have something called “tasters” during the second week of the semester, which allow you to participate in some of the society’s events for free before joining, just to make sure the society is a good fit for you. Sadly, I got sick and missed all of the tasters for the societies I was interested in, so I just have to trust my gut and hope that the £5 is worth it.
Hopefully, I’ll be travelling to Scotland next weekend. I was planning to go this weekend, but I’m spending time with my cousins in Durham. Aside from all of that, I really gotta make sure I stay on top of my classes. Either way, I’m having the best time across the pond, and I was on time this time! See y’all in two weeks.