I found the University of Westminster through a family friend who studied here 4 years ago. She had a great experience which led me to explore the programs offered here. Masquerading as a humanities student, I didn’t look very far into the specifics of coursework, I was more concerned with the university’s location and student body. Living in central PA all of my life, I was excited to see that the University of Westminster has what is considered one of the most diverse student bodies of the greater London public universities.  I applied without question, so excited to meet people that weren’t from “New Jersey” or “Just outside Philly.”

Since living here, I have had the opportunity to soak in just how diverse our student body at UoW really is. I’m sure you’ve seen that the masked man in the gruesome videos released by ISIS has been identified. Mohammed Emwazi or “Jihadi John” was a 2009 graduate from my university, and an unmasked photo of him wearing a Pittsburgh Pirates hat is now plastered on every newspaper and website I see.

Knowing that I am studying and possibly living in the same quarters as this extremist is the most eye opening thing that has happened to me, ever. Despite all of the terrifying news of ISIS over the last few months, I never thought twice when I saw the signs for the Islamic Society meetings at UoW. Despite visiting a Je suis Charlie memorial in Paris, and even after being in Copenhagen just a week before its first terrorist attack in decades, I never thought twice when I saw the signs at UoW combating Islamophobia. “What kind of a closed minded person would have Islamophobia?” I thought. After the news of Mohammed Emwazi, and after reading Raheem Kassam’s account of attending UoW here, I still do not “think twice”, however I have experienced a culture shock that I never expected.

The day this news broke there was a lecture scheduled to take place in the lobby of my building which was cancelled due to “increased sensitivity and security concerns” that came with the news. Haitham al-Haddad, the scheduled lecturer, is a British scholar with “controversial” views: it’s been reported that he believes being gay should be illegal, Osama bin Laden will go to heaven, and female genital mutilation is justified, to name a few. I will note that he has spoken out against some of these reported views, saying that things can be misinterpreted.

Even in Pennsylvania, I thought that I was aware of some of the radical beliefs that exist out there. I thought that coming to a diverse school such as the University of Westminster would open my eyes to the world, but I never thought that I would potentially come face to face with beliefs so extreme.

The news of Jihadi John and learning of Haitham al-Haddad has shown me just how diverse of a university I chose, which has helped me realize just how diverse the world truly is. “Realize” being the key word – digesting it is a whole other ball game.

What’s the best way to get acquainted with a new culture?

Mingling with the locals, definitely.

What’s the best way to mingle with the locals?

By going on Tinder dates, definitely.

And therein lies the logic in my strategy for exploration these days. I have found myself on three dates in London via the infamous Tinder. For those unfamiliar (Grandma), Tinder is a dating application for smart phones that involves swiping a photo of your potential suitor “right” if you like the profile, and “left” if you would rather not be courted by the individual.

Is this a relatively shallow and potentially dangerous way to meet people?

Yes.

Could this result in going on epic first dates and meeting half decent British lads?

If you are me, yes.

I have simply had the best luck on my Tinder endeavours. Through expressing my semi-quick wit and interest in soccer throughout my Tinder profile, I eventually landed myself an invitation to a premier league soccer game. For the less inclined soccer fans out there, I will put the grandeur of this invitation in perspective: my Instagram of the event landed itself 77 WHOLE “LIKES”. For the less inclined Instagrammers out there, that’s a lot of “likes” in the land of @VAWool.

I have found this whole tinder dating thing to be an interesting exercise or sorts. To warm up you cover the basics – “How are you?” “What did you do today?” Then we move on to the surface details about work, school, hobbies, etc. From these few dates I can see where interview prep has really come in handy; my 90 second “walk me through your resume” has translated beautifully. In the case that the Tinder date is going relatively well, we will continue talking and maybe go more in-depth on family, background, etc. This is where I’ve had the chance to really refine some of my social skills – my go-to stories are now more concise, with hopefully better punchlines as well. In a nut shell, these dates have been great grounds for “practicing socializing”, hopefully increasing my endurance and agility through the art of getting to know someone. I know, you all want to go on a date with me after reading this paragraph, I know.

While having the app on your phone is a source of embarrassment alone for some, I am happy I have briefly reached into the realm of internet dating for my time in London.

What my friends think I do:

 The Metropolitan Bar: Drinks with unidentified man

What my mom thinks I do:

Glencoe, Scotland: Site seeing to the max

What I think I do:

Nyhavn, Copenhagen, Denmark: Looking fabulous with coffee

What I actually do:

Paris, France: CREPE CREPE CREPE CREPE CREPE

&

 London, England: Netflix in my nest