Student Profiles
Nanaka Yanuma-Japan
When she arrived in Preston from Japan to study a Foundation Certificate in English for University Study, Nanaka Yanuma was pleasantly surprised by her new surroundings.
The 20 year-old, who previously studied at Okinawa's Meio University, was worried that she would find it hard to settle into her new home. But her fears disappeared instantly upon her arrival.
She said: "At first I was worried about making foreign friends because of the culture differences, but there was no problem once I was here. Everybody here was really friendly and helped me settle in from the first day.
"I was born in Tokyo so it is a nice change to come to a small and friendly city like Preston. It is such a nice place to live and study in. I particularly enjoy meeting and speaking to people from all over the world."
Broadened my horizons
"Studying abroad and learning about other cultures has really broadened my horizons. If I could give advice to any international students before they arrive, I'd say 'Don't worry about settling in - go out, meet lots of new people, try new things, and above all believe in yourself'."
Nanaka decided to come to the UK to learn British English and the fact that UCLan had well established exchange programme with her University in Japan made Preston an ideal destination.
She said: "My English has improved a lot since I came here. I had some English lessons back in Japan but by living here my listening, writing and speaking are getting better every day. I didn't know there were so many different accents in England though!"
And accents aren't the only new thing Nanaka has encountered since her arrival. "I have enjoyed trying new food over here," she said. "My favourites are fish and chips, shepherd's pie, prawn cocktail and an English breakfast."
