Wu Chih-Jung (Thomas)

--MA ELT in the University of Nottingham--

I come, I see, I "am conquered"!

English phrases, sentences and vocabulary churning in my mind, the panic, the worry of “Can I do this?” “What if I don’t understand?” This is the clearest recollection of my arrival in England. After months of preparation, excitement and trepidation the plane finally touched down on the soil of Great Britain. I was elated; I was scared to death. Studying overseas has been a dream, a subconscious goal of mine for numerous years. And here I was, ready to live my dream.

On Mom’s insistence, my luggage was stuffed to overflowing with warm clothes, Chinese instant noodles (My son, I know it is unhealthy, but….), and countless books. I now realize that Moms are there to give good advice and that children are there to benefit from their angelic nature.

During the first few days of my stay in England, I had more potatoes than what I normally eat in Taiwan in two years. Instant noodles as a snack now and then came as a welcome change. The food in the UK is not inedible, I can even say I’m getting used to it now, and that I enjoy it sometimes, but it was a real culinary shock right at the outset. I felt very sorry when my tutor told me the British lost their traditional food during World War II. But luckily, it can still be found in a few “old style pubs”. I have now struck a balance between eating Chinese food (which I cook) and English food (which I buy).

The first time, several days after arriving here, I went by bus to the city center in Nottingham with some Taiwanese friends, everything seemed so fantastic except for our senses of the direction. We met a considerable amount of beautiful British girls. And then, we got totally lost. But when we asked them for the directions, I knew something was going wrong. I found that my “English ears” didn’t work. I couldn’t understand what these native beauties said at all. Their accents are really quite different from what I am familiar with. Finally, we just got in a cab and asked the cab driver to take us back to our Hall by giving him our address. I was heart broken because I had to say “excuse me” “could you repeat it”  “I can’t catch what you said” more than a hundred times in front of these girls and natives. Goodness! How can I date them in such embarrassing situations?

Going to pubs with my friends is an adventure here. Hundreds of different kinds of beer are available. I knew something was wrong when I said “Could I have a pint of row beer without ice cube, sir?” in a traditional pub. Everyone around laughed at me loudly because they didn't offer this kind of "beer". But it’s quite a good start for meeting friends, isn’t it?

I have done some traveling in England. I do think that besides the language, food and entertainment problems I have encountered here, UK is a beautiful country. Even the unpredictable weather is also charming, because I like taking photos of the colourful and changeable sky after a noon shower in summer. I am very satisfied with my university and courses. Teaching styles in Britain are very different from those in Taiwan. They teach us how to explore knowledge by ourselves rather than memorising sentences randomly.

Living and studying in England is a great eye-opener and it gives me the opportunity to grow as a person with poetic disposition. Now I can understand why a famous Chinese Poet, Hsu Chih-Mo, wrote so many wonderful verses and articles about England such as “Farewell, Cambridge” when studying at Cambridge University. For Chinese students who decide to study here, it is impossible not to visit Cambridge. Visiting Cambridge is not only for its popularity

but also for Hsu’s sake. It is a kind of pilgrimage.

Of course, the musicals in London and exotic customs in Scotland are both in my travelling schedule while studying here. I will go as soon as I am used to driving on the opposite side of the road, which make me the most notorious driver in Nottingham. There are too many beautiful and excellent things to be fully appreciated in England. “Given a motivation, a non-native student can speak English fluently”, that is, studying and travelling in Britain.