“Back in Vietnam, I was quite introverted. I was not the sort of person who would walk into a room full of strangers and introduce themselves. But being in a new country on your own has a way of changing that. When the cohort mixers and student meet-ups started appearing in my calendar, I found myself actually wanting to go, partly out of curiosity…
I will be honest: I was nervous about my accent. I worried that people would notice it, judge it, or struggle to understand me. What I found instead was that nobody really cared. People were far more interested in who I was and what I had to say than in how I said it. That realisation took longer than it should have, but once it clicked, it changed how I carried myself in seminars and social situations alike.
I also had a quieter worry about coming from Southeast Asia, about whether that would affect how people treated me here. I am glad to say it has not been an issue at Exeter. The international community here is genuinely diverse and the atmosphere has always felt respectful and inclusive, at least in my experience.
Coming from Hanoi, the culture shift was real, but mostly in the best way. Hanoi is loud, fast, and always moving. Exeter is calm, green, and breathes differently. I walk everywhere now, the air is genuinely fresh, and I feel healthier than I have in years.
Living independently has also taught me more than I expected: cooking, budgeting, managing my own time without anyone around to prompt me. I arrived as a student and I feel like I am becoming a more capable person, even before I finish the programme.”
