{"id":15480,"date":"2024-08-30T14:51:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-30T13:51:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=15480"},"modified":"2024-08-31T22:46:10","modified_gmt":"2024-08-31T21:46:10","slug":"finding-love-in-the-uk-how-indian-students-found-the-freedom-from-society-to-love-and-rediscover-themselves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/finding-love-in-the-uk-how-indian-students-found-the-freedom-from-society-to-love-and-rediscover-themselves\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding Love in the UK: How Indian Students Found the Freedom from Society to Rediscover Themselves"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Thousands of Indian students head off to the UK every year to study, many hoping to find romance and excitement during their time abroad. Just how much freedom do these students find miles away from home and societal limitations?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sonakshi had been away from her home in India for over a year and was confident that her old self would not recognise what she had transformed into after coming to the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overcoming her shyness, she was now freely meeting and interacting with new people in clubs and exploring her preferences among different British men she was coming across.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was very introverted and uptight back home which changed miraculously after I came to Bristol. I now enjoy interacting with boys and getting intimate without being scared of them,\u201d said Sonakshi. Coming from a conservative society, the 22-year-old had attended a girls-only school when young and was made to \u2018stay away from boys\u2019 by her strict parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Sonakshi, finding love in India had been rather disappointing because of the fear of her parents finding out or an \u2018auntie\u2019 spotting her with a boy. She was now free to meet new people without feeling judged by her elders or peers about her choices. \u201cI used to maintain my usual image and was content with a small group of friends, never experimenting with dating or exploring,\u201d she said, realising that she could now try new things while doing her MA in Bristol without having to explain anything to anyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe new me was more comfortable in her skin with wearing outfits I was not allowed to wear for being too flashy and trying my hand at alcohol which was absolutely forbidden by my folks,\u201d she said. From dressing more expressively to trying a pint or two, being away from home had given her the confidence to explore things she had been curious about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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