My experience in Liverpool was without doubt an incredible one. When I first arrived at Manchester airport, the first thing that really caught my attention was the strong accent. From the first moment, it didn’t sound like English, but maybe a mix of other languages all together. For a while, it was the most difficult aspect for me. Now I am almost finished I almost always understand what liverpuldians say, but it is time to go back to Brazil!
I have spent four months in Liverpool as a visiting MSc student from Sao Paulo, working in the Department of Geography and Planning with Dr Neil Macdonald. It has been a really valuable experience; I am leaving with much more than just the academic knowledge, but everything else I have learnt and experienced. In only four months it was possible to learn about the culture, life, behaviour, cooking (the second most difficult point for me), thinking, and the most important – how people can be receptive in a foreign country. The University environment is really pleasant, the staff and students are friendly and committed – almost every day they have some time together for tea and usually they share cake. I have found this really helpful in learning about the people, research and developed some strong friendships. Moreover, the experience as a postgraduate student in the University of Liverpool made me feel valued, as I could work with the different research groups and have different experiences and it helped me become more intellectually mature.
“The city is magic”! It does rain quite often (relative to Brazil anyway), in the beginning it was really weird for me, but I have become familiar with the weather over time. In my country, if it is raining we don’t do anything outdoors; it means that is not possible to take a walk outside, because the rain is short and much heavier than here. An aspect of the weather that really surprised was the temperature; before coming I was scared I would become sick because of the low temperatures, but I was wrong! I felt really pleasant, even though I had never lived in this sort of climate, it was easy to adpat. That’s exactly what makes this city seem magic.
One regret is not having enough time to see more of the UK. This country has a lot natural beauty that should makes fieldwork a fantastic experience. During my time in the UK I have been able to travel around much of Europe, having visited Edinburgh and London, Dublin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Lisbon, Madrid, Paris and Rome.
Liverpool has a great nightlife – I’ve never seen before a city with this amount of pubs and bars. I loved it! Even if the temperature of the beer is higher than I am used too!
Lucinete Ferreira de Andrade
Geography at the University of Liverpool Blog 