Aida, a 24-year-old medical student from Nablus in Palestine, is currently studying for MSc in Human and Applied Physiology at King's College London, supported by the Asfari-MAP scholarship programme. In this second blog, she describes her experiences so far. You can read part one here.
“Today is the beginning of my sixth month here in the UK! It seems like just yesterday that I first arrived. Living in London is a wonderful experience with so many interesting events taking place. I especially love walking by River Thames, visiting parks and being nearby London’s fabulous attractions.
What has surprised me about the UK is that it is a very international place. I am thrilled because I meet interesting people every day from all over the world, and have made friends from places I once knew very little about. I definitely believe that I am learning things beyond the science I study, and am expanding my mind and personality.
My expectations about the UK were somehow different from reality. To be honest, I was worried about many things that today seems very silly to me. I had been watching YouTube videos about how to use an Oyster Card! I have also expected the weather to be very cold and rainy all the time, but I realized that it is not that bad. I was also anxious about finding a place to pray, but the reality is that there are many friendly Muslims around and they have prayer rooms on campus.
Living away from my family is what I find most difficult. I have awesome family members and lovely parents. Sometimes I feel I need to hug them, like I do every day before I leave home when I’m in Palestine. But I am grateful to be able to Skype with them and always keep in touch.
I can’t wait to be able contribute to the work of a charity like MAP, and help make Palestine a better place.
My course so far has been interesting and challenging. Because there are only ten students on the course, we get first-hand experience with many physiological techniques. It is wonderful that we go on field trips to do new experiments and ask novel questions. Recently we spent a week in Portsmouth studying how human body responds to cold water immersion. Although it is very challenging as it involves endless reading and data analysis, I am enjoying it.
Taking into account how intense the course is, it is not surprising that I don’t have much free time. However, when I do I enjoy going to new places and exploring new things such as sailing and ice skating. I also read some books, memorize Quran and help friends to learn Arabic. I have recently visited my friend in Newcastle and would love to visit other cities that I hear about, like Oxford and Manchester.
I am looking forward to the rest of the course and to experience spring and summer in the UK. I hope to use the knowledge and skills that I am now developing to teach physiology to medical students in my country as a part of a future career. This is important because improving the way future doctors learn will certainly have an impact on the quality of healthcare in the future. I also can’t wait to be able contribute to the work of a charity like MAP, and help make Palestine a better place.