I always saw my brother in a different light before I came to the LSE. We hardly ever had anything in common; I have always been very laid back in comparison to him. There had always been a rivalry between us, him being the only son, and has always been pampered by our mother. Little did I know that ten years later I would be joining the same university that he graduated from.
As soon as I received my acceptance letter from the LSE, I wasn’t entirely happy about it. University life was an experience that I had imagined to be a source of independence far away from home. Coming to London and living in close proximity to him was not my definition of ‘far’. I didn’t want to come and get stuck with an overly protective brother who wouldn’t fully let me experience university life.
However, these past two years have been a completely different experience than I had expected. Being an international student in a brand new place can be very hard as I have seen amongst my friends. Bouts of homesickness are very common and at times one feels as though one has made a big mistake in leaving home for the sake of better job prospects. At the same time, it is very easy for one to get caught up in either the hectic university life or the night life of London. Surprisingly I never faced these problems. I have had his support throughout in every way. Having a sibling attend the same university has proven to be very helpful academically and socially. Helpful to the extent that he even told me how I couldn’t completely count on the teaching at the LSE!
We have both been able to cover the age gap between us by living in London together away from the family environment and by sharing very similar university experiences even though he was never the party animal that I am! I have begun to know him better as an individual rather than the brother who always used to boss me around for not paying enough attention to my studies. He is much more open minded than I had pictured him to be and has let me take my decisions on my own. I have been given the space I would have had even if I ended up in some other continent of the world. But the biggest advantage has been of having a source of family in a place which could become quite isolated at times. He has been supportive when I miss home and my parents, and especially on occasions such as Eid and Christmas.
Having a sibling who went to the same university and who lives in the same city hasn’t been a completely disastrous experience – besides when I lie to him about working when I am actually out at a party, of course. I have been in much more control of my actions knowing that someone is watching over me. There have been no issues of tattletale and he has spoilt me to a greater extent than my parents ever did. Above all, I have had a completely different university experience to the one he had, one that I get to relate to him on a daily basis. This has strengthened our relationship and we have become even better friends. I have realized that things can turn out quite differently than expected and it is not embarrassing to have an older brother in the same city. In my case it has proven to be quite handy.
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