I am a current senior at Purdue University, and I studied abroad in London last spring semester. I am also a competitor in Super Smash Bros Ultimate, and I have been competing for the last five years. In that community, I go by Gatsby.. 

It was around 10:00 pm, and I could not sleep due to the excitement and nervousness I felt for my early flight to London in the morning. I thought, well, if I can’t sleep, I might as well find out what competitions are going on in London and Europe while I am abroad. Three hours later, I learned about what weekly tournaments are in London and regionals around Europe.  

Competing in London 

It was the first day of classes, and my mind was all over the place, but I knew I had a tourney that night. My Mondays were long with two classes back-to-back. The tournament venue was at an esports bar named Meltdown London. One of the best parts about London was that everything I wanted to do was possible with the Tube. While riding the tube, I was so nervous because I had no idea how good people are at Smash Bros abroad and how good I am. I got to the venue, and people already knew who I was. Even though I didn’t perform as well as I wanted to, I had a great time talking to everyone at the venue, and I felt a lot more comfortable.  

After a few more tourneys, I started to find my footing. I also started to get to know more of the locals at these tournaments. I was also getting better at using London public transportation. It looks daunting at first, but once you get used to it, you will learn that you have so much freedom. Knowing I had limited weekends, I made sure to travel on as many of them as possible to compete. Even with this in mind, study abroad flew by, so make sure you take advantage of any free time you can!  

Me in a tournament in London 

Competing in England 

With England being such a big country, I wanted to compete and explore more. CEA CAPA had planned three trips around England at the time, which were to Bath, Stonehenge, and Cambridge. These trips gave me access to some of the major areas that I was so excited to experience. With this experience, I felt ready to go off the beaten path, and with my research, I independently found a regional tournament in Lancaster. Studying abroad in London makes it simple to travel to other parts of England due to the abundance of train stations. This tournament was at a university named Lancaster University. I never thought I would be visiting multiple universities abroad, but here I am. I had a great time competing there and was happy to see more of England. I was also able to see Lancaster Castle, which was mentioned in one of my classes titled “Witchcraft and Magical Performance in London,” allowing me to take my theoretical knowledge from the class to the field.   

Church in Lancaster 

Competing in Europe 

All of this travel around England prepared me to venture even further and take my gaming to another level. A benefit of studying abroad in Europe is that it’s much easier to get to other countries than it is in the United States. After finding a competition online in Oslo, Norway, I knew I had found my next weekend trip. While it was originally the competition that brought me to the location, I knew I wanted to spend my downtime exploring Norway’s capital. I knew very little about this place, but I wanted to make the most of it. I purposefully arrived two days earlier, equipped with only my phone to help me find things to do. The first day I was there, I walked around and saw The Scream painting by Edvard Munch and the best-preserved Viking helmet in the world.. The next day, the main tournament organizer gave me a walking tour of Oslo. This was by far the coolest experience I have had abroad. Being able to learn about the area with a local was amazing. The next day was the day of the competition. Funny enough, this competition was at another university, and this time, I performed as well as I was hoping. This trip was the perfect balance of competing and experiencing a new culture. Norway is one of the coolest places I have ever been to.  

The Viking Helmet in Oslo 

The Scream in Oslo 

In Oslo, on top of the Oslo Opera House 

Conclusion 

A big lesson I learned abroad is to pursue your interests, even if it feels daunting. You bring your whole self to the trip, and by embracing your already-established interests, you can find your community anywhere.  If you want to go somewhere, GO. Your time abroad is very limited, and you will most likely not be able to travel as easily after this experience. I did most of my travel alone, and I was able to see so much of the world. I was also able to find my people abroad and make many memories. With studying abroad, don’t be afraid to get outside of your comfort zone. Thank you for reading my adventures.