Jasmine

I feel like I live in a forest here because the view from my room is very nice. And there’s a pond, it's like a picture, every time I look outside I feel very thankful.

14th October 2025

First impressions

Jasmine, as an international student, what was important to you when looking for accommodation?

I only arrived a couple of months ago and my friends said Purdown is the newest accommodation here. The rent’s higher than other places but it’s worth it for me because it’s new and clean!

Talk to us about life in Bristol, have you explored the city much?

A bit but not too much because it’s very cold—the weather here shocks me! I work at a restaurant on Gloucester Road though where there are lots of pubs and bars so when I finish work I see lots of people. It’s nice. Bristol feels like a village to me, but it’s a city. But most of my friends who live in the centre say it’s very noisy.

And how does that compare to Purdown?

I feel like I live in a forest here because the view from my room is very nice. And there’s a pond there [points]. It’s like a picture, every time I look outside I feel very thankful. Back home there’s car honking and air pollution and not many trees.

Life in the flat

You’re in a shared flat, how’s the social dynamic so far?

There are seven of us, four guys and three girls. With it being unisex accommodation I’m glad I share my bathroom with a girl. I’m from Myanmar and she’s from Thailand, so we’re neighbouring countries. We also share the same kind of vibe—she’s also very clean and tidy.

Amazing. Do you hang out together, cook together, eat together?

I cook but she says she can’t so she mostly just buys ready-made food. I barely see her, we’re both quite introverted, but we talk a lot with other flatmates. We don’t go out or do things together as a group, though. Everyone’s happy doing their own thing.

And does your flat feel like home to you yet? Or would you want to personalise it more?

My room is small but I find it impressive. The layout is very systematic with the bed, the cupboard, the desk and the chair, it’s all arranged very well.

At first, it felt like a hotel because I didn’t have many things, but now it feels like home because I put things in my room exactly like I have back in Myanmar. I looked at Pinterest for interior design ideas like lighting and indoor plants. I want to buy those things to make my room more lovely and cosy.

Social spaces and building community

Have you found it easy to meet people and make new friends here?

The first two weeks I struggled a lot, maybe because of home sickness and getting used to a new country. But then I found it’s easy to make friends because everyone here is very helpful and kind. We all smile at each other, even if we don’t know each other.

When my flatmates are together, we usually invite our other friends too. I sometimes invite classmates to my kitchen and we cook together and eat together. A friend from Myanmar also lives in Purdown View. The buildings are close, so when I have nothing to eat I go to her and she comes to me too.

Ideal! And do you use the communal spaces in Purdown?

I don’t actually know many of those places. I only knew about the library, my classroom, and my room. I don’t hang out in the university, so I don’t know the other buildings. We do have table tennis but I don’t like playing, but when I do laundry there’s always people using the tables.

Life on campus

What about outside, have you found things to do and places to go?

I barely balance my work and my study time, so on my days off I just study. I don’t go out much. I hang out with friends in the university library.

I prefer being inside anyway. But I do think it’s lovely when I see people sitting outside, talking and laughing together. It makes me feel like I am more engaged in society, even though I am not part of it. Just seeing the people makes me happy.

That’s lovely. You mentioned before feeling a bit homesick, has that settled now?

Yes. I feel like I’m used to my new routine as well. In my country, my mother cooked and washed the dishes. Now I have to do everything on my own, like the dishes, cooking, and buying the groceries. It’s very tiring but I like the independence.

What’s the best thing about living on your own?

I feel mentally and physically stronger and I feel more mature. Since living here, I’ve taken better care of my health. I feel very great living in this clean space.

And what’s the worst thing?

It’s very tiring.

Ha, welcome to every day for the rest of your life.

Studying

You talked about balancing work and studying. Have you found places where you can be productive?

At first I studied in my room but since my desk and my bed are very near, whenever I study there, I just end up going to my bed! So I normally go to the library to study with my friend now. A lot of people use the communal study spaces and when they talk it can be distracting for me.

So you like a quieter space. Is there anything else you look for—lighting, warmth…?

Yeah, lighting. In the UK, they use warm tone lighting but in our country we normally use a bright, white colour. The lighting in my room makes me very sleepy. It feels cosy, that’s probably why I keep going back to bed!