The student life is humbling. It’s one pocket friendly meal after another; it’s one stone pelting after another.
Back in 2018, I decided to pursue an education in economics in the United Kingdom – a land a few countries away from my own. Then, UK was going through a tumultuous time. Brexit had just been finalized, visa rules were about to change and as an international student, the opportunities seemed to be dwindling. Moreover, I personally was unprepared to face the world. I was going through a challenging time in life and in hindsight, I had definitely chosen to go for further studies at the wrong time.
I failed a majority of the exams I gave and by the time I started feeling apt enough for continuing my degree, I had run out of chances. On the advice of one of my friends I wrote an email to the program coordinator, asking for another chance to prove that I deserved to be there, and she replied, “Unfortunately the decision is out of my control and even if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t change it”. Ouch. No rejection had ever felt worst.
But while in the land of fish and chips, I found a small solace in art. On the days I didn’t have to show up at school, I would go to art galleries and museums and look at the art made by people long gone. I would look at their work and think to myself if their need to create this masterpiece arose from their need to escape the life they were living. I wondered if art was their only real outlet.
In a strange way, art distracted me from the trials and tribulations of the world and gave me hope. Whenever I looked at something that I had never seen before, I was reminded about how much of the world I am yet to see. Whenever I heard a perspective I hadn’t considered before, I was reminded of how many more conversations I am yet to have, with people I am yet to meet.
I remember going to Bicester village with my friend and when I asked the train conductor how to find the train to Bicester, I pronounced it as “Bi-ces-ter”. The conductor looked down on my uncultured face and my frizzy hair and said, “Bister, you mean?” in the most snotty manner ever! Coming from a country where people politely ignored or simply smiled at errors in pronunciation, I now found myself being perceived as uneducated and less than just because I didn’t speak or look a certain way and didn’t know how to pronounce one word. But ultimately, the kind man did help us out and we arrived at “Bister”.
I took a picture of this shoe that day, and promised myself that one day I’ll go back and buy it.
Life is hard outside of your comfort zone – which is why many of us choose to stay in it. My travel story might sound nightmarish – but I in no way want to discourage anyone from travelling the world, because I truly believe that no matter where I had gone and no matter who I was, I would have received the same friction from the other side. I was unprepared to face the world too, you know. And everything in life has a good side and a bad side. I was studying in Scotland and found its people to be the nicest I’ve ever met. Everyone always greeted each other with a smile and sometimes when I felt lonely, I would go to Tesco, just so I could have a nice chat with the cashier.
If you visit places of art, you’ll see them utilizing “negative space.” Negative space helps draw attention to the object of focus. It highlights the art piece in front of you and allows you the opportunity to admire it fully. Looking back, the advice I would give my younger self would be not to try so hard to fit in. There’s beauty even in a sore thumb, and there’s beauty in sticking out like one. The world may not recognize your potential or even your worth—but that doesn’t make you any less valuable, interesting, and unique.
Be art. Occupy the space. Stay unique.
