# @carmen.strives on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DI1x4BqTAXz
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/59924488-carmenstrives-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/5c39625548.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-04-24T19:03:33.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Carmen | Medical student 🩺 (@carmen.strives) — https://gondola.cc/carmen.strives

## Caption

After 6 years of living in the UK, here’s what I wish someone told me sooner⬇️:

1. You’ll spend a lot of time alone
No one tells you how lonely it can feel. Your friends back home slowly drift, and the ones around you are busy living their own lives. But embracing solitude is how you become your own home🏠Learn to enjoy your own company - romanticise solo walks, solo study dates and solo growth.

2. You don’t have to fit in to belong
If clubbing or drinking isn’t your thing, don’t force yourself just because everyone else is doing it. You won’t find your people by pretending to be someone you’re not. The right ones will come when you stay true to who you are.

3. You’re not lazy, you’re just adjusting
Jet lag, homesickness, grey skies …. Some days, you’ll feel like you’ve lost your spark. But it’s not because you’re unmotivated — it’s because you’re adapting. Be kind to yourself! 🤍

4. You get to choose who you become
For the first time, you’re not under your parents’ roof. You don’t have to live by anyone else’s script. You’re free to explore, to fail, to grow, to reinvent yourself. What you do with that freedom shapes your future🌱

5. Protect your phone like it’s your baby👶🏻
If you’re in London, your iPhone’s life expectancy might just be shorter than your degree. International students are easy targets - strap it up, stay alert, and grasp your iPhone like your life depends on it 📱

📌Save it for later! 

——
Follow carmen.strives for more unfiltered life abroad in med school *✩‧₊˚

#medstudentlife #medschooldiaries #medstudent #medschool #studyabroad #internationalstudents #internationalstudentlife #studentvlog

## Stats

- **Views:** 3,628
- **Likes:** 0
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 5

## Tags

studyabroad, medschooldiaries, medstudentlife, internationalstudentlife, medschool, internationalstudents, studentvlog, medstudent

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