Dear Future Newcastle Uni Student...

I cannot fathom how quickly time is ticking by. In less than 50 days, I will be back in the States, readjusting to old routines and habits, reunited with the family and friends I left behind.

Newcastle is truly the best place to be as a student/ young person. The nightlife is exhilarating and lively, the restaurants and shops are affordable and enjoyable, and the scenery is the perfect balance of modernity and an old, historic city.

Although Newcastle is not a typical “touristy city,” it has its quirks and “must-see” places/aspects. If you are going to stay in Newcastle it is absolutely essential to see the structure that gave it its name: the Newcastle Castle, of course! I would recommend future students take a guided tour of it to soak in as much rich history as possible.

One of the main aspects that defines Newcastle is its seven famous bridges that reside over the River Tyne. These must be visited (especially at night when beautiful lights illuminate their presence). The Baltic is a museum I have been to right nearby the bridges and you can see every bridge in your line of sight from the top floor!

Grainger Market is MUST. My friends and I continually go back for the incredible food and variety of vendors. If you are missing a little bit of good ol’ American comfort food, look no further than Redheads Mac n Cheese for perhaps the tastiest, cheesiest bowl of noodles you will ever have. Acropolis is a great spot for authentic Greek food (and this is important coming from someone who could not be snobbier about authentic Greek cuisine due to my own Greek roots).

I love a good play or musical, and the Theatre Royal in Newcastle is a great spot to see excellent shows on a budget (or so I hear as I have not actually been myself yet but hope to go one of these days). These landmarks, although rich in history and significance, are most-likely not so widely recognized to those who are not from the area.

Although Newcastle itself differs from many other study abroad programs as it does not contain well-known tourist attractions like Rome’s Colosseum or Amsterdam’s Anne Frank Museum, there are plenty of surrounding attractions in the greater northeast of England. For instance, Tynemouth: this was one of the first day trips we took, and it is just a short metro ride away. The famous market, located at the arrival station, is the perfect place to find a unique trinket, puffed pastry, or handmade pair of earrings. Once you’ve had enough shopping, you can make your way to the breathtaking priory and castle. A breezy, but stunning view of the beach can be observed.

After a few hours of exploring Tynemouth, it is essential to stop for fish and chips. This is a dish quintessential to the Newcastle/U.K. experience. A beer-battered crispy piece of fried fresh white fish complemented by thickly cut fries always hits the spot (p.s.: do not knock mushy peas until you try them).

Some of the favorite spots between myself and my group of friends are The Crow’s Nest and The Five Swans (part of the Wetherspoons chain). These are your typical pubs: cheap drinks and food, and always a good time. Although a chain, Pret a Manger is our favorite place to get coffee, not only because of the way the coffee tastes but also due to the sunny and hardworking employees. They speedily take orders and whip out coffees in an orderly fashion daily.

In preparation for Newcastle, I would tell a future study abroad student that it is ok to be having the time of your life while missing home/your familiar life and routines at the same time. I think it is important to understand pre-departure that not every single day is going to be easy. Homesickness feels as though it comes in waves: even if it goes away for a day, week, or even a month, that does not mean it will never be felt again. In my own experience, I recall feeling proud of myself after the first week: I had made it through without any waterworks, I was making new friends, and I was constantly curious and eager for more exploration. Yet, this initial excitement soon wore off and it was not until I started feeling under the weather that I found myself beginning to break down. Nothing is worse than not feeling your best while away from home. But this time it was different: I wasn’t just a few hours away from home at Loyola, I was in a whole new country.

Sometimes these ups and downs of study abroad are not addressed enough, as there will always be a great emphasis on the positive memories being made. Yet, these feelings are genuine, and they will be experienced by anyone who decides to study abroad.

In the first few weeks of this experience, our program coordinator, Grace, told us that in order to reach the “growth zone,” we had to go through the “groan zone:” an area that required us to escape our “comfort zone.” I would urge a future Newcastle study abroad student to avoid remaining in their comfort zone, as easy as it may feel sometimes. I would tell them to say yes to everything and experience all this city has to offer, as something they were unsure about may just be one of the best memories made while being abroad.