Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé

Hi everyone, I’m Alice, and I’m from Italy. I study BA (Hons) Marketing and I’m in my second year.

As an international student, I remember feeling anxious and a little lonely when I first started at NTU because I was feeling homesick and scared of not being able to make friends. However, these feelings didn’t last for long thanks to all the opportunities at NTU that helped me connect with new people.

At the beginning of the first year, I decided to visit the and that’s how I found out about the incredible number of societies at NTU. Joining a society is an easy way to meet students who share the same interests and are in the same boat. Taking part in different societies helped me to get out of my comfort zone, meet like-minded people, and feel less lonely.

When I moved to Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé, I found myself immersed in a different culture, speaking only English every day, it started to feel overwhelming as the months passed by. One day I found the on Instagram and after texting them, I decided to join the society to feel closer to home, and it turned out to be a great decision.

From the moment I joined, I was warmly welcomed into a community of fellow Italians who not only shared my cultural background but also understood the challenges of living in a foreign country. Making friends within the society was incredibly comforting, especially during moments of homesickness.

Despite the majority of members being Italian, I had the opportunity to meet people from various other countries who were equally interested in learning about Italian culture. This helps to create a very inclusive environment.

As part of the society, I take part in different interesting activities. From pasta nights where we cook traditional recipes from scratch to fun parties, there is always something exciting happening. On sunny days, we gather for picnics in the park, where we eat Italian food and sing classic Italian songs together.

The event I enjoyed the most was when we made a pasta night all together and we made pasta from scratch, following our traditional recipes.

Being involved in the Italian Society helped me find a balance between embracing the new experiences that university life offers and staying connected to my roots. The friendships I formed and the memories I made through the society had such a positive impact on my time at NTU.

During my first year at NTU, I was all about trying out everything the University had to offer, so I signed up for different societies. One that stood out to me was the NTU Pole Dancing Society. Back home in Italy, it wasn't something I could easily get into because of the high prices, but here, I finally had the chance to try this sport out at an accessible price. I had such a fun time learning pole dancing and joining their social events.

But that wasn't the only group I joined. I also got involved with the , where I made some awesome new friends.

Then, there's the . It was such a great space to meet people in a relaxed, women-only setting. The activities run by the society ranged from chill cocktail nights to movie nights.

Overall, I’m so happy I joined all these societies because it helped me become more confident in my social skills and feel less lonely.