Navigating Loneliness as an International Student: My 4 Coping Strategies

The author shares their experience of unexpectedly feeling lonely while living abroad, despite initially feeling prepared and occupied. After submitting their dissertation, they realized the absence of familiar structures and craved more human connection. Through introspection, they identified fears as a barrier to socializing and emphasized the importance of building a local community. They are actively working on overcoming fears and reconnecting with old friends while making new connections.

Lessons from 2022

This is just one example of life’s experiences you cannot will, pray or wish yourself out of. You have to go through it. I did not know this then and have since had to navigate other life challenges and triumph over them but I hadn’t learnt the lesson. I learnt it in 2022 and now as I go through 2023, I will not be seeking the easy way out of situations but instead to have the resilience to under go the experiences and the heart to pick the lessons I’m meant to learn.

What I have been up to -Nottingham Chronicles

This is about the “I have lost count of times” attempt to get into a fitness routine but here is to believing that this is the time I will get into a routine. I gave myself the grace to use reasons such as I didn’t know my way around well to jog comfortably, I am food exploring (my favourite reason), the weather wasn’t favourable ( its cold), etc. But after two two months plus, these started sounding like exactly what they are, “excuses”.

Leaving a job without another in the picture; the why did you leave probe!

Take the example of someone who quits their job; to start a business, to pursue a passion project, or go on an adventure, it’s the same thing. All this stems from a deep point of conviction and a great deal of faith. I continuously have to remind myself of the power of our faith and how it is often taken for granted. A perfect example is how we sleep at night with plans for tomorrow because we expect to wake up the next day.

My first weekend in Nottingham-UK

I kept calm, dragged my suitcases, and walked into the bus station. It was after 3 am, and there was no activity, no cars, buses, or trains in sight but a couple of people sat on the floor, and others walked about. Late travelers like me.

Visiting an apple farm in Bunyonyi

I felt that Peter could distinguish each apple tree from the thousands of trees growing on the six acres of land that they cover. This was from the way he aptly described the attributes of almost every tree, and I was in awe.  It was the full immersion and understanding of his garden, how he talked about it and described different processes of how the garden is run, cared for that I was blown away. I thought, this is how you farm.

March Musings

The cock crowed the first time, second time, and on the third time, my eyes flew open. Was this cock sending a message, was it a sign, or something?  I am rather superstitious, so you catch my drift.

The mangroves of Zanzibar

The mangroves in that particular area are located about 4-3 kilometers from the ocean. During the high tides, mostly in the evenings and at night, the water moves from the ocean and covers the part of the trees washing away the soil.

Hiking Mt. Oce in Moyo

You spot it from afar standing tall and majestic as you approach the Laropi ferry crossing on the River Nile. At 1,563 metres above sea level, Mt. Oce towers over the R. Nile in a seemingly endless stretch from both sides of the river.

The dark-brown puppy

He had spotted it too, hence parking his car. A cue of cars was forming behind me but surprisingly, no one hooted impatiently as would be the case normally. I told him what I was witnessing under and in front of his car. Had he moved an inch, chances were high that he would have crushed the puppy.

What are your midyear reflections?

If you’re in the category of “but it was just January, where did the months go” let us not panic, we still have several months to make the most of. At the start of this current lockdown, social media had the chatter of “what will do during this lockdown to stay productive,”

“It takes a village to raise a child.”

A few brief meetings happened, and this was usually on the route between my home and the village, letters were exchanged, and life was beautiful until one of the letters was discovered by my parents. Until then, I had been denying the reports my parents had been receiving about being spotted with boy X. I was given stern warnings to stay away from him.

Hiking Rwampara hills

A few years ago, a young man woke up to his usual routine of stone quarrying, but little did he know that his entire life would be altered. He walked up the hill near his home, spotted this black stone, and decided he would work with that one that day. I bet the tempting devil in the stone was calling out to him.

Recapping my recent field trip

The conversations we had had with Irene while at her home before leaving for the swamp, her description of a typical day , what the husband did and how he supports her and the family , all this came to life in that one moment. It was a gesture that symbolized a lot.

Bye Bye 2020, Hello 2021!

“All the problems of 2020 did not/may not have disappeared at the stroke of midnight going into 1st January 2021 (mine did not). But here is to hoping that we all find ways to see more moments of light in 2021 or better yet find ways to create them”.

Hiking on Bukasa Island

The thing I have noticed with seemingly flat roads/paths is that they lie. They seem easy to walk because your steps are consistent, there is no ascending or descending but you’ll realize that walking from where you are to a tree you see from a distance will take forever.

First time horse riding!

n my many years on earth, this was my first time to see a horse with my naked eyes and oh boy I wasn’t ready. First off, they are way bigger than I expected, they are so fit and beautiful.

The mint and a mysterious neighbor

Since I planted the mint a few weeks back, every two-three days a week I would pick two to three leaves that I would add into my juice to give it a bit of flavor. Mint does that. The caretaker would often make jokes that I wasn’t giving it space grow and flourish because I was picking it’s leaves every day… hehe. Nonetheless it was growing steadily especially with the rains lately. The weather was being very kind.

Building business with friends

As I grew up, I have realized that friends and networks are the greatest resources and capital one needs to start a business. Money is important but networks are invaluable.

Respecting the alarm clock whenever it rings. I have a tendency to push it with extra minutes which has meant…

Pineapple Mangoes Jackfruit Tree tomatoes Guavas I have fond memories of climbing trees in the village to collect them. Straight…