Big Steps!

Posted by Sebastian, studying Law Foundation at Bellerbys Oxford

Hello dear readers!

I have just decided that it is time to give a little update on what has happened recently.  There was quite a lot going on.  Time is really passing quickly these days and so is the Law Foundation course.

Our teacher Ian always knows perfectly well how to keep us going and busy, also over the weekend – even if we claim we need a little break to recover he insists on giving us our weekly research homework in Politics.  But if I think about it we should thank him for doing so as he is not only testing our stamina and how much pressure we may take but also it is an excellent preparation for University life.  So the sooner we learn how to deal with such situations the sooner we will get used to it and the easier we may find it later or at least we will not experience any evil surprise.

Surely I will never forget how he described Foundation as a three stage course.

In the first term, everybody sits on his lap. In other words, he is going to tell us everything.  In the second term, he is holding our hands which means that he will tell us most but some things are left to ourselves and in the final term he will more or less wave us good-bye because, especially in Politics we are bound to conduct our own research and find out things ourselves and then compare it in class.

Speaking of research, I am really happy to say that I finished my first draft of the extended research Essay everybody has to do in Foundation English Skills 3.  As I said it was not easy to convince myself to do some extra work and go to the library and read books about the Industrial Revolution and trying to understand them as some were written in a very sophisticated way but somehow I did that and it makes me a little bit proud now that I was able to be so disciplined.

I struggled in the beginning, first finding a title – it changed I think three times but then I became better.  Well it is not finished yet completely but the basement, the foundation exists and basically editing and improvement is required now.  In addition it means a relief of stress to me because it had been flying somewhere in my head all the time and I can now focus on other things, for example writing the blog or learning my cases for law.

Studying cases in Law in the third term is also taken to a new dimension compared to the second though they might stick to your mind easier because the situations are more likely to imagine.  However it is possible that the number of cases so far is more than all the cases added together in contract law and there are three more topics to study.  It is another hurdle that has to be taken.  And it might help to think in smaller steps and not to try to see all at once as it sometimes happens to me.  If I do so I sometimes begin to struggle and think I will never be able to finish and I feel unconscious.  Then I always remember what my mother used to tell me: “Think in small steps, do one thing after another!  Then you will see, things will become much easier and after you finished some of your tasks, the mountain you thought you could never beat, is almost climbed!”

In addition I just remember that the course will finish in about a month, so I like to describe this last bit as the grand finale in which we should mobilise all our energy to bring it to a memorable end and we can say that we gave our best and we deserve our break before we are heading to the next stage which will be University.

As I said before much was going on in the last weeks and something rather stupid happened to me the last time we went out to play football at Oxford Brookes University.  Either I lost my wallet or it got stolen.  When I realised that I was quite shocked cause it felt like I lost everything, identification and the way to receive money. As it was an emergency, a good friend borrowed me some money for the bus. 

By the time I reached my home it was nearly midnight and so I had to try to wake up my parents to explain and let them block my card.  I felt a bit disturbed and confused and I also called the police the as well as the bus company because I thought, maybe I left on the bus but they did not have it nor did anybody hand it over to the police.  So during the last week I was rather limited but luckily for every problem there is a solution and so during the coming week I should be able to continue my normal routine.  I never expected that something like that would ever happen to me but it seems that it can happen to everybody and the timing when it happens is always wrong, for instance in that turbulent time when there is a lot to do and you do not need such obstacles in your way.

So, finally everything is now more or less sorted out and things are getting more positive, also because I received a new letter from Brookes, my firm choice, about applying for living in a student hall.  For me it is another big step towards University and a sign that soon it is not only a dream but it will become reality.  But for now, although it can get quite stressful at the college with all that endless tasks, I try to enjoy the last month as much as possible.  Like the saying “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” suggests that it is not only about hard work but also about having a good time with friends you make and enjoy the international experience.

Unfortunately this time I do not have any pictures to support my blog but I promise that the next time there will be some along the text.  I should have some good ones as the next bigger event featured by Bellerbys and Embassy will be the traditional spring ball to which I am really looking forward.  It should be fun and I am excited how everybody will dress up.  For me I decided to wear a black suit with a white shirt accompanied by a red patterned tie.  My only problem is that I have no idea how to tie a tie, so this will be my task until next weekend.  To give myself a crash course in how to tie a tie.

I think that this should be enough for now.  To, sum up, the course is progressing in big steps towards the end and sometimes it is good to take a break and reflect what was going on and to recall the past.  In that sense, I hope you enjoyed this entry and stay tuned for more!  Thanks for reading, you may also leave a comment.

Comments

[Abigail]

Hello Sebastian,

This post has been really helpful. :). I might be considering to enter the law foundation in Bellerby's College. I was wondering if you could share some experiences about the course? And how have the tutorial sessions been? Has the teacher been very helpful if you have anything that you are unsure about. It would be great if you have given me some advices about the law and politics course over at Bellerby's. Thanks :). Cheers.