Life at Bellerbys College

The New Spring

Posted by Ksenia

The first day of the spring met me in London (is anyone still surprised?).  As usual we were having a marvellous weekend with my friend who is lucky enough to live there.  This time I discovered a new to me part of the city – on the Saturday morning we went to the Notting Hill heading to the Portobello Road – home to the largest and world famous antiques market Portobello Road Market.

At first it was quite hard to appreciate how big it is - even though the road itself is definitely not the short one.  Once you walk in one of the shops which seem to take just a tiny amount of space from the outside, you find yourself in an infinitely long gallery full of little shops or just sellers with a table of various staff in front of them.  Here you can find absolutely everything from jewellery, cutlery to sculpture, paintings and furniture.  Every single corner is full of beautiful and very often bizarre things that once were a part of someone else’s life.  You never know what you might see in the next moment so everybody tries to look very carefully in hope not to miss something special.

The market and the nearby streets are extremely crowded and of course not everyone is there to buy – there are lots of tourists or people who definitely enjoy just hanging around in this peculiar place, looking at objects and having a chat with the owners.  Personally I found the market fascinating and was very tempted to buy a map of one of the regions of France.  I‘ve never seen such a beautiful piece before – it was more then 200 old, hand-painted with images representing the agriculture and the crafts of the region and even with some geographical and historical data written on it.  But I really had to listen to my reason telling me that I had absolutely nowhere to put it. Well, hopefully in the near future…

Surprisingly I felt the arrival of the spring in Brighton much more then I did in London.  When I went to college on Monday the weather was just great - warm and sunny - and a very pleasant surprise was waiting for me in the St. Ann's Well Gardens – even before the land was fully covered by grass the first flowers started to appear forming an amazing multicoloured carpet.  This was so beautiful so I even decided to take some pictures.  From one of them you can actually see the house where I live.

 

The following days were as busy as they usually are for A2 students – lots of revision, tests and homework during the week and then partying with friends on the weekend.  We had two great reasons to do it.  Firstly on Saturday it was 18th birthday party of a very good friend of mine.  We met each other on my first day in Bellerbys when I came to do a language course.  Even though our courses have been very different since then we are still very close so the majority of his friends are my friends as well and we had very nice time all together.

The Sunday, the 8th of March is the Women’s Day in Russia and several other countries.  This is a great day when girls can do whatever they want and boys are always nice to them (that’s a pity that such a day is only once a year!) 

Even though we had so many thing to do one date on the calendar was just impossible to forget about – the 12th of March – the day of the announcement of January exams’ results.  I was doing my best trying not to think about it but about a week before the big day everyone including our teachers was constantly reminding us about it.  So when I walk in the exam office on Thursday after my last lesson (the exam results were available after 2 o’clock so some people already knew theirs) I was feeling pretty nervous (however I have to admit that it was nothing compared to how nervous I felt in August when I was trying to contact Paula Pocock for my results from Russia).

Everything was on the same piece of paper and when I saw that my results are absolutely fine I was so fulfilled with happiness and excitement that I was nearly jumping outside the exam office for a few minutes.  It was really a great pleasure and a huge relief as well – of course the main exams will be in June (which will eventually decide everything) but at least I won’t need to retake anything!  Some of my friends got absolutely fantastic results getting full marks in several modules.  Congratulations everybody!!!  We did it!)

On Saturday I was in London again (no comments!) seeing my friends, walking around the city and expanding my knowledge of art.  There is a very interesting exhibition in National Gallery called “Picasso. Challenging the Past”. It's on till the 7th of June so if you interested in this unusual artist this is the one you cannot miss.  Personally I am not a fan of the modern art, I much more prefer more classical paintings and, as I've already writing in this blog, I am particularly passionate about impressionism.  However it was fascinating for me to have a look at something very different for a change, see how the Picasso’s style of painting was changing dramatically during his long career.

I was especially impressed by his variation on the Velazquez masterpiece “Las Meninas” which I had a chance to see in Prado museum in Madrid.  In his variation Picasso presents all the figures in the same arrangement but the feeling from the painting is completely different.  The image is monochrome but seems much brighter and sharper then the original creating the atmosphere of artificiality and hidden danger – which is probably the best way to describe the Spanish court at the time.  However it was almost impossible for me to understand the way Picasso has painted his wives and lovers – to me they do not even resemble to human being not even mentioning women. 

The other thing was that they all looked very similar (and equally scary – I won’t like to have one of those images in my bedroom even if I had the fortune to buy it!) independently of how they looked in the real life.  Anyway, I hope that this spring will be enjoyable for all of us and it will definitely one to remember!

Debates at Bellerbys College Oxford

Posted by Theresa

Have you ever been to a really attractive, interesting and an argumentative debate before; I mean one in which has those four components, not just one if at all?!

Bellerbys College has the privilege and honour to have all the four components and even more.  I have and I would continue to repeat; it is like being in one of those gatherings where Rev. Martin Luther King is taking " I have a dream". 

The topics of the debate alone would draw your attention to come and watch and participate in the debate.  Topics of world arguments like the Environment, Military Intervention, Euthanasia and the latest which is about the Death Penalty.  Both sides, the supporting and opposing sides, have serious arguments with each other with much displays.  Then the debaters also draw the attention of the audience, the debaters consists of Conservative, Liberal and social thinkers, so there are varieties and different intonations or tones (high and low but mostly high).

In addition, the audience adds to the chemistry by asking confusing and intelligent questions, in order to question the debaters believe - this actually lightens the atmosphere.  Finally the debaters each speak with great passion and they are always there to convince the audience and not to confuse them.

Did I mention that we have electoral system in the debate; "Majority carries the vote."

All those doubting Thomas-es come and see for yourself;" seeing is believing"!

Happy Red Nose Day!!

Posted by Linh

Hi everybody!

Today is Friday 13^th – also the Red Nose Day, so what do you guys feel?   Unlucky?  Lucky?  Fascinating?  Boring?

Oh well for me I have a wonderful day!  I have gained more knowledge about this special day when people unite to help and support poor children in Africa (i.e. as far as I am concerned).  Then later of the day, I have had a look at the official website about Red Nose Day, I believe these facts might interest you.

·     Comic Relief was launched on Christmas Day in 1985, live on BBC One.  At that time, a devastating famine was crippling Ethiopia and something had to be done.  That something was Comic Relief.

·     The idea was simple - Comic Relief would make the public laugh while they raised money to help people in desperate need.

·     Before too long, Red Nose Day was created and the first ever event in 1988 raised a staggering £15m.

·     The eleven Red Nose Days have so far raised more than £420m.  That money has helped, and is helping, to support people and communities in dire need both in the UK and Africa.

·     The most important thing to remember is that Red Nose Day changes lives - thanks to the money you raise.

I have also found out that in the Red Nose Day in 2007, the iconic London Eye turned red, the entire nation went Red Nose Day mad. (lol)

   

At lunch time, I and my friends met a group of children wearing pyjamas and some had a red nose on … well, of course… their noses.  Also at the end of the lesson today, our kind and handsome teacher - Steve has dyed his hair for this special event to raising money for donation.  It was such funny that I still can not stop laughing now (sorry Steve, no offence, it was very nice of you.  Believe me, I even want to do the same too).

Could you believe that when I started to write this blog, the total raised so far in the official website of RND was about 30 million and now it is 41,799,343GBP? 

Oh, I almost forget this.  Next week will start the beginning of Foundation exams for this term.  So WISH YOU LUCK and TRY YOUR BEST!!!

Economics at Bellerbys College Oxford

Posted by Theresa

Economics in Bellerbys Oxford is the best with teacher, Laurence Parker Brown. I conducted an Interview with one of his students, Anthony Emeka Belonwu (my twin brother!).

Theresa - "Hello, dear. How are you doing?"

Tony - "I am very well!!!"

Theresa - "Tony, if you are to pick your best subject; what would it be?"

Tony- "Economics.  Why?  Because it is not just interesting; the teacher Laurence is a great man, very funny and equally encouraging."

Theresa - "Well, I agree with you. You need to see the way everyone is itching to be in his class. Everyone is always in his class early because they do not want to miss a second of him.  What would you tell those aspiring to come to this College to study Economics?"

Tony - "The Economics you study before coming to Berllerbys College is going to nothing compared to studying Economics with Laurence.  Economics in Bellerbys College is so practical, interesting; you cannot even yawn, talk less of sleeping.  If you there sleep; you have missed 2 weeks lesson!!!"

Theresa - "Well, Tony; the time is 12.00 am; I need to go home!!"

Tony - "In fact, if I should keep talking I would never stop."

Theresa - "Thank you.  Looking forward to your Economics presentation."

So my dear readers, come to Bellerbys to study Economics, you would never regret your decision.  Every Economics student in Bellerbys Oxford has said it is the best subject compared to Law and Politics. Even those that do not study Economics say it is interesting because they like Laurence.

Lots of credits to a Professor in Economics!!****

The Lowdown #3

Hello readers, how are you all doing?

It snowed majorly at the beginning of February here in London and I loved every single minute of it!  Apparently, it was the heaviest snowfall in 18 years.  We had a "snow day" and everyone was thrilled! All of us came out and had snowball fights everywhere on campus. 

Most of the public transport in London were not operating due to the "harsh" weather condition.  My friends and I had lunch in a tiny cafe in Greenwich before going to the park for an afternoon of snow-packed activities. Some people even took their snowboards and sleighs to the park.  We also saw snowmen varying in sizes and styles everywhere we went.

Perhaps the funniest thing I saw when I was out was kids stuffing snow into cones and placing these "snowcones" in the middle of the roads. The oncoming cars tried to avoid them but inevitably drove into them.  I wish I had the chance to take a picture of them but unfortunately, my hands were freezing so I didn't bother taking my camera out of my bag. 

I came up with a few ideas on what to do on a snow day though if you ever encounter one.  Besides having the regular snowball fights, building snowmans and "snowcones", you could:

1. Watch back-to-back episodes of Friends.
2. Blog about your last summer vacation in Italy.
3. Eat instant noodles (the more unhealthy, the better).
4. Read Cosmopolitan.
5. Colour co-ordinate your socks.

Since I've been back from my Christmas break, which seems like ages ago, I've done some stuff that's worth mentioning here.  Let's take Bodyworld for starters. 

Bodyworld is an exhibition that depicts and describes a person's life process starting from fertilisation in your mother's womb until the day you die. Professor Gunther used plastination to preserve all the real corpses and twist them into different poses.  There were about 10 bodies shown in this exhibition.  The one that I liked most was the "Basketball Man".  It was of a man, holding a basketball in his hand, in an eagle-spread pose.  It's such a powerful pose.  The power and strength it embodied completely took my breath away.

The entrance fee costs £9.  I thought that it was worth every single penny.  I don't want to reveal too much about the exhibition because it's something that one has to see for oneself.  There are many other Bodyworld exhibitions being shown around the world as we speak.  This exhibition shown at the O2 is only a fraction of the whole project.  Our visit ended with receiving a piece of certificate, indicating that we've been to the awesome Bodyworld exhibition!  Vonderful, Professor Gunther.

Besides staring in awe at dead bodies, I've also taken some ice-skating lessons.  The decision came about when I signed up at the Reebok gym in Canary Wharf.  There was a skating rink situated right across the gym.  I was so fascinated.  I thought to myself, I've lived in Canada for 3 years and I still can't believe I don't know how to ice-skate.  Shameful!  Therefore, I signed up for lessons on the following day.

The lesson started out a bit wobbly. I felt extremely uncomfortable in those skates.  After "walking" on ice for the first 10 minutes, alas, I could relax myself and actually started to move in a slightly smoother movement.  My instructor - Jamie, was nice (and patient!) enough to put up with my nervousness and paranoia.  I kept thinking that I would fall and someone would skate right across my fingers.  Yes, not exactly a pleasant scene. 

Then - a miracle occurred.  I could actually skate!!!   After many attempts and Jamie's effort to distract me from my scary thoughts by talking about our backgrounds, I found myself sliding and gliding happily round and round the rink!  Of course, I'm not saying I've turned into an ice-skating genius overnight.  But I'm quite shocked (and proud!) that I could skate now!  It was an amazing and liberating experience. 

All the boys and girls out there, one other tip: take your significant other for an ice-skating session the next time you're planning for an interesting date.  It's romantic (when you don't fall) and if you do fall, you two can share a laugh!

I'm out for now. See you!

Busy Week

Posted by Linh

Nihao (Chinese) / Ahoj (Czech) everybody!  How are you?

Thanks for your comments in my last blog, now I know two more ways to say hello in Chinese and Czech.  Isn’t that great to study among many international students?

It has been such a long time since my lazy mind has had some brainstorm and enthusiasms to write another blog.  Fortunately, as many interesting events have happened, I don’t have to spend much time for thinking what I should write.

First of all, did you guys have a good half term? (Oh well sorry for who don’t have that lucky chance-having 5 days off and do whatever just God knows)  For me, I enjoyed it so much that I even have planned fully for the next holiday after this term ending.  And what did I do during those wonderful, shiny and lovely days? I went to London to … know the feeling of getting lost again, again and again and suddenly “wooooo, I have been in this place 10 minutes ago”. (Sometimes you need to do some crazy stuff to know that you are normal in other normal days, you know, lol).  Anyway, I finally managed to visit Big Ben and Buckingham Palace which is totally awesome.

 

After enjoying the first day in London, I went to Nottingham to see my friends. Well this trip is a little bit more boring as I had a tour guide, who was my friend, so I could not get lost anymore (I don’t know about you but not getting lost in your first visit is actually an annoying feeling for me).  Except that pity tiny problem, I found Nottingham quite exciting too (but can not as good as Oxford and London, dude, heh I think I fall in love with these places).

The rest of the holidays, I enjoyed myself in an ocean of comedy, thriller and also documentary films.  And guess what, I believe this fact possibly surprise most of you guys: Five billion years more, the sun will run short of hydrogen.  Thus it will start to expand from a diameter of 1.4 million km to 200 times more than that size.  As a result, the nearest planets will vaporize, such as Mercury, Venus, and Earth.  Then the convulsion begins.  After that, only Mars will survive in lonely orbit.  Our sun will expire as a dead black dwarf. 

So if you are interested in that, could you give me your opinion or may be extra information about this unavoidable problem?  Thanks in advance!!

Secondly, thanks to the homework Susannah (our English teacher) gave us about note-taking during half term, I had to choose any reading and listening to take notes, so for listening I chose about the Sun (that’s why I know about that fact above :D), and for reading, I chose “Facts you do not know about Charles Darwin” as 12th February was the 200th anniversary of his birthday and also the 150 years of his famous book “On the origin of Species”.

I have found that Darwin had been known as a crazy insects collector.  Once day when he got two special beetles on each hand, he saw a new one.  In order to catch the new kind, he put one beetle in his mouth.  Unfortunately, the one he put in his mouth was poisonous so he got his tongue burnt and had to split out (lol).  Therefore, he lost two kinds of beetles – the one in his mouth and the other he was unable to catch.

Another fascinating fact is Darwin was born in the same day as Lincoln.  Although they never met each other, they had many in common, such as they both lost mother in early childhood, wrestled with religious doubt etc.

Thirdly, I have decided to be a bit more active in my boring social life so I went to the first meeting of Economic club. I have met some new students from different courses in our school, some from Foundation like me and some from AS Level.  After a warm welcome and introduction, we watched a film together called Counterfeiter, which is pretty good.  What is the content?  Oh, watch it yourself, curious people.

And finally, a memorable event happened last Thursday. All the Foundation students have an unbelievable chance to go to Bellerbys in Cambridge.  We met different people representing different universities there.  It was such a great opportunity for us to get information about which universities we want to go, the information of the course we want to study, tuition fees, accommodation, scholarship etc. I mean everything we need to know about our next 3 or 4 years in England.   That was the most valuable trip I have ever participated in as it did not provide only knowledge among different universities but also memories among close classmates and new friends from other classes.

  

The last thing I want to say in this blog is a little bit for my own feeling: It seems like time flying when I think about 17 years of my life have passed, two months I have joined this course, three weeks I have left until exams, three days more for some small tests in class.  But it seems like time frozen when I think about two weeks more I can meet a good friend from Vietnam, four weeks more for a trip to Germany to meet my uncle, my cousin and my older brother, six months more for a long flight back to Vietnam to breath the air which was so familiar just two months ago; to see somebody standing, waiting, and welcoming me with a hug although how naughty I used to be or whichever kind of person I will be; to know a place or a part I belong to, a precious place which give me the most peaceful feeling I could ever have. (Lol, just having a bit emotion today so wish that ya guys don’t feel annoying :D) 

Have a good week with full of enthusiasms my dear friends!!!