Anqi Chen

Since I’m an international student myself, I’ve noticed the phenomenon that many Chinese students only socialise with Chinese students. In order to change this bad phenomenon, I’d like to look into what causes this and the opinion of the international students and the local citizens.

Based on the research I made, I have decided to use three design elements to address the challenges faced by Chinese students in immersing themselves in local culture and connecting with local classmates while studying in the UK.

The first element will be a very common icebreaker game, designed in a format similar to the well-known Monopoly game, but I will integrate the game board with landmarks of London, allowing Chinese students to familiarise themselves with the London environment more quickly. Additionally, some interactive segments within the game will facilitate communication between Chinese students and local classmates, enhancing their interactions.

The second element will be an online app design that differs from typical social apps like Instagram and WhatsApp; it will be introduced via the first game to encourage everyone to download it and serve as a platform for online communication and insights into local favourite spots.

The third element will involve an offline interactive design centred around phone booths. Users can seek out various phone booths through the app, which will feature introductions to current activities happening in London, guiding them to participate and meet more people. Given the significantly reduced usage of phone booths today, I will redesign the screens inside them and include sections with stories about local people, allowing international students to learn more about the lives of locals.

The main point of my project is the tension between departure and return—not as physical points on a map, but as states of becoming. Each chapter branches into a distinct phase: the pain of leaving, the vulnerability of beginning again, the quiet joy of connection, the ache of homesickness, the redefinition of self, and the realisation that returning doesn't bring you back to the same place, but to a new version of who you've become. The circular structure reflects how growth is not linear, but layered—how we leave, how we change, how we carry it all home. I want to use my story to convey a sense of empathy, the loneliness of being in a foreign land, the warmth of a different place, and the constantly reconstructed self, allowing readers to feel, ‘you are not experiencing this alone’, and touching more international students—reaching a broader audience, such as everyone who has been ‘on the way’ or ‘in transition’.

I didn’t plan to turn my life of studying in London into a book. These were just scattered moments—shared kitchens, silent train rides, tearful video calls, the long pause before answering “Where are you from?”

But over time, I realised I was carrying a story. Not just about living abroad, but about becoming. This book isn’t a guide, or a memoir. It’s a conversation across distance—between who I was, who I am, and who I might become. If you’ve ever left somewhere, or someone, or even a version of yourself—this book is for you. And if you haven’t yet, maybe it’s still yours to carry.

When I watch the news, I find out that more and more people are starting to have pets. But with the death of pets, there are no good pet funeral institutions on the market, and pet owners will be sad because of the death of pets.

In order to help with the pets owners to relieve their sadness from their pets’ death, I decided to make a series of designs according to interviews with users.

Experiments with materials are also the focus of this project.