Yana Kunichoff offers a few introductory notes for apprehensive international students…

‘Sorry, what was that?’
If you’re a British student then the chances are that you are already aware of Durham’s academic credentials. Not only that, but you will also know about its lack of ethnic minorities, its penchant for turning everyone into a hill-walker, and the varying temperatures each winter. If you’re an international student, you get to find all this out for yourself, along with a number of other pleasant surprises. Firstly, students like to be disparaging about Durham – don’t let this put you off. People complain about it in the same way they do their parents – they can stifle you, but you’ll miss them when you’re away. This is how you’ll come to feel about the rest of the student body as you encounter everyone you’ve ever drunkenly met during fresher’s week on the way to your 9 a.m. Secondly, you too will soon become disparaging about Durham – again, don’t let this put you off; you were bound to lose your innocence in one way or another, and most unfortunately that ‘trademark move’ no longer works its magic.

As someone who had only ever heard BBC British accents, the north of England was always going to create a few obstacles. Which they were – any passing joke turned into a ‘sorry I didn’t catch that’ which turned into me repeating my life story, which always ended with me being spoken to as you would to one hard of hearing. Over time, being spoken to incredibly slowly prevents you from feeling as bright as you once did, and in the end you still don’t understand anything because of the slang words people use. A quick tip on speaking to the locals – it would do well to keep in mind that while in most languages ‘pet’ does translate into something akin to ‘dog’, here it’s commonly used as a term of endearment.

Yum, yum
Another enjoyable aspect is college food, which you will invariably have to deal with – unless you take the expensive decision to only eat produce bought from the shelves at Marks and Spencers, or somehow get a meal card for a college with better food (it has been done). While they may seem preferable, the experience can provide a great sense of amusement when it’s not presently being endured, and so chances are you won’t do either of these. Instead, while standing in line next to the guy from your corridor and suddenly struck by the realization that you just can’t quite remember his name, you will, with bated breath, distract yourself by reading the menu. Which, more likely than not, will offer a variation on meat and potatoes. Or curry. To give credit where it’s due, the kitchen does produce culinary feats with them both – ever had a Yorkshire Pudding which tastes like a bad curry, or a curry which tastes like watered-down rhubarb? Soon enough you will, and all probably in the first two days.

You will also hear a lot about ‘Rahs’. I did just from reading durham21, and it was quite a dilemna before coming to Durham – what are they? No British person from home knew, it wasn’t on Wikipedia, I was beginning to doubt they even existed. To clarify, it’s a social group known for wearing pashminas, messy ponytails, collared shirts and sweatpants, as well as being well off – the American equivalent of a WASP (white Anglo-Saxon Protestant). While they do at times dress comically alike, I find it much easier to make fun of people from my own country. Anyone want to laugh at the quirks of Russian immigrants to America? Not so much? Still, it’s all in good fun, and for the first couple of months everyone will sound so alike that any differentiation in dress or a ‘fun nickname’ really does help.

Ja, Oui, Yes
There are serious benefits to living as a foreigner in Durham – if your language is taught at the University you are immediately the envy of all language students, and get to take credit for something you don’t remember learning, as well as receiving compliments on your English. This was particularly great for me, as like many international students I was educated in English my entire life, but no one seems to realize this. Other perks – getting to convert pounds into your own currency as you watch those £10 shoes turn into 15 euros, or $20. Then there are, of course, things which all students can enjoy – student discounts, not being I.D’d (though it has happened to me once when a bartender wasn’t wearing his glasses), doing your own laundry, waking yourself up for your 9 a.m. lecture, and, for some, writing your own papers. And, best of all, when we reach a new level of sub-zero temperature and it snows, Durham looks like an architecturally elaborate sugar-dusted gingerbread house.

On a concluding note, I’ve only skimmed the surface of what you’ll encounter here, and this is meant only in the best possible way. University life is full of fortuitous accidents if you’re lucky – otherwise it’s full of cheese (a specialty in Durham), overdue library loans, and that friend who makes the most amazing toasties, which isn’t so bad either.