Life at Bellerbys College

Facebook - Connecting People! (part two)

Posted by Ksenia

In one of my posts I have already mentioned how important is Facebook in the life of young people and the only thing I can add is that this importance becomes more and more significant – at least for me.  At first all the endless applications, silly quizzes, requests, flowers, kisses, hugs or whatever from people I have never seen before really irritated me.  But while the number of my friends - English-speakers was growing I realized that Facebook is really doing a great job.  It made possible for me to meet people who otherwise could never become my friends and, the most important; it gave me a chance to help some of them.

Answering a few simple questions was the best I could do for those who contacted me but seemed to be a good way to make them a bit more calm and confident about themselves and their future arrival to the UK.  It is a hard decision to make – to come and study in another country where you do not know anybody and leave your friends and family behind.  But at the same time it’s a big step up – a chance to get the top-quality education, meet new people and become more or less independent.  So I hope that I have helped a few people to make the right choice. 

On the 9th of September a new term started at Bellerbys Brighton.  Dozens (if not hundreds!) of new students will be joining ELPP, GCSE, A-level, Foundation programs.  One of them is Zuzka, a girl from the Czech Republic who I have introduced to you in one of my previous posts.  Before her arrival she asked me a few good (as usual) questions which some of you might find interesting if you are thinking to come to Bellerbys.

Zuzka
Well I wanted to ask you about bank accounts in England.  Because I think I will need a bank account over there.  I read that Bellerbys helps students with registering with a UK bank.  Do you have any idea about which bank do they register students with?  Because I would like to have a bank which is like close to school so I could easily access it to get some cash.  Is there any need of my parents signing some documents since I am not 18?  Ha-ha, I know, too many questions, but that is just what I am ... ;)  But anyway thanks a lot for all of your help :)))

Me
Banks are easy.  College prepare a letter for you (just go and ask in Student Services) and arrange an appointment.  You will need some kind of permission from your parents but it’s very informal- nothing to worry about - and can be done as soon as they will tell you what they need (I guess it was something like an e-mail in my case).  The easiest one to go for is Natwest.  It has an office very close to school (in the shopping center) and has a very easy to manage accounts designed especially for people like us (I recommend you sign up for on-line banking as soon as you get your account, then you do not need to go to the bank at all).  They will talk you through everything - but it’s really very easy).

Zuzka
Hey Ksenia:)  Thanks a lot for your answer - do I get it right that there's no need of thinking about the account now and it's enough to solve it in the UK?  And does Natwest have some ATM near school to get to some cash without paying additional fees?

Me
Sure that you do not have to think about it now - anyway international students do not get many options.  If you decide to go with Natwest they will open for you two accounts - Reserve (the one on which all the money from your parents will be) and Step (for everyday use).  This system is very useful - though you get two cards you can only use one of them - the one from step account - and even if it gets lost or stolen you still can use the rest of the money – it makes you absolutely calm about your card when you are going out, for example.  That is why online banking is great - you can transfer money from Reserve account on Step in seconds.  Of course all of that is absolutely free.  They will explain it to you again when you will come to open the account.  The closest ATM is at Brighton station (1 min away).  As most of ATM’s in the UK it’s free to use.

Zuzka
I'm quite surprised about the ATM being for free; in my country most ATM’s charge some small fee from your account if you use it... :)  Thanks a lot for your information :)  Do most Bellerbys students have the Natwest account or it varies?  The system of two cards looks truly useful, I feel like that would suit me well :)

Me
Most of them have Natwest because it is the one suggested by Bellerbys.  You can also have Lloyds or some others but I have no idea about it :)

Zuzka
Haha thank you for your advice :)  Surprisingly, I have more questions (you know, only ten days remain and I still feel like I don’t know what I am going to do)....  Well, in regards to my question...  It might sound stupid but I’m interested in Biology and Chemistry exams.  I mean, there are practical ones, aren't there?  Could you please tell me how does a practical exam in Biology and Chemistry look?  It's just that I'm still thinking about taking subjects from both humanities and sciences and practicals are really something I'd be worried about - I have never done anything really similar.

Me
I perfectly understand that you are worried even though I know that you have absolutely nothing to be worried about.  Well, now the practical exams will be a bit different to what I have been doing because the syllabus (the exact list of what we had to know) might have changed and the college has changed the examining boards as well.  But I can give you a rough idea - for Chemistry it is not at all difficult and is real fun - you are given a few unknown substances and instructions of what to do with them and at the end you have to tell what is the substance which is always quite obvious.

Then you will either have to do a titration (mix a base and an acid together to find the point at which is mixture is neutral by the change of colour of indictor paper -it is a way of finding a concentration of acid/base) or an experiment connected with temperature - either to measure the temperature change in a reaction and find out how much heat was released, or to find melting/boiling point of a substance.  You will practice all those things for the whole year so you will be absolutely perfect when the exam time comes.  For biology we have not actually done the practical exam - we have done a coursework (you have to plan and do the experiment) and a written alternative to practical (when the experiment was already done for you and you will have to analyze the data).  So I do not actually know what you are going to do.

But anyway most students have not done any practicals before coming to Bellerbys and it is never a problem - everything is made easy and explained very carefully and of course practice makes perfect!

I think you really should take some science subjects – it’s very interesting and respected by universities.  Of course it’s not the easiest thing to study but so rewarding!

Zuzka
Hey)))) Thanks a looooooot for your answer:)  I still don't know if I’ll take science - do you think Mr Corcut would advise me about it during the interview?  And, yeah, surprisingly, that's another one of my annoying questions) what is this interview like?  Should I somehow prepare for it?  Oh my God only 5 more days, I am totally excited, though nervous anyway ;)

Me
Oh, you know that you are always welcome!  First thing – interview are NOTHING to worry about.  I won’t even call it an interview – rather an appointment to discuss you future studies in Bellerbys.  Mr. Corcut (as you already know the head of A-levels) will just ask you a few obvious questions – what are you interested in, what are you approximate plans for the future, which subjects you are planning to take.  It is not to assess you in anyway – it’s to help Mr. Corcut to understand how he can help you.  The only thing you can do to prepare is to try and think of what YOU personally want to do.

You should understand that Mr. Corcut is a very experienced man, he knows lots of facts about universities and he will probably advise you to take “serious’ subjects like Math and Sciences, Economic, English Literature or History – the ones that are the most respected by the top places and he will probably be right.  But it’s your life, your future and your decision.  I can tell you that doing an A-level subject that you do not like only because the universities do is quite wrong (unless of course you change your mind when you will start studying it) – it will be hard and boring for you and you will be unlikely to achieve very high results.

Personally I have chosen Sciences because of one simple reason – I love it, and I hope you will be able to decide in the same way.  Good luck and remember that one of the greatest experiences is about to start!!!! 

And to finish off this post one more question from Ange Chandra, Indonesia who is also thinking to join Bellerbys College.

Ange Chandra
What do you think of ELPP?  Do you think it's important for international students to take that course?  Did you, yourself, take ELP course the first time you joined Bellerbys?

Me
Well, when I first came to Bellerbys my level of English was really poor.  So I urgently needed some help and took a 3-week course.  It was real fun and helped me a lot with my communication skills in English and raised my IELTS score by a few points) I do not think that you particularly need it - in terms of English.  As far as I understand your level is quite advanced and will improve anyway during your studies in Bellerbys.

In the first term you will have preparation for IELTS together with your other lessons so you could take the exam to get the grade required for the university (usually 7- 7.5)  But on the other hand it’s a great opportunity to see the college in advance and meet people.  So it’s really up to you - what you want)

This is all from me for now. I would like to thank Zuzka again for her huge contribution for this post and wish her all the best in future!  I guess you will hear from me quite soon and I will update you on the exam results and the university entry.  Good luck everyone with their studies in the new term and take the most of your time in Bellerbys College!!!

The Last Goodbye

Posted by Ksenia

I turn the page
My story ends
I say goodbye to all my friends
I know it's getting late
Now the light is on my face
I changed the clocks back again
And ask forgiveness for my sins
Cause I don't know where I'll go
Well this is all that I really know.

This is a part of the song by Alex Band which is called Last Goodbye.  I heard it for the first time sitting in my neighbour’s room and watching her putting last bits and pieces in her luggage. 

Just a few days ago this room was alive – full of various books, clothes and other stuff all in the perfect disorder.  So many times we were there studying at the last moment before a test, trying to finish a homework due in tomorrow morning, having a Chinese meal from our favorite take-away (I even leant to use chopsticks!), lying on the bed at night and talking about everything except the fact that we have to get up at 7 am next morning – and now the room is empty, faceless and looks very sad.

I loved the song from the first word – that was exactly what was on my mind at the moment.  Just in a few days our life has changed and nobody knows what is going to happen next.  But in this post I don’t want to think about future – I want to say goodbye to the past.

Firstly, I want to thank everyone in Bellerbys College.  This is the place that turned me into who I am.  Obviously I am quite different now from the girl that walked in the old reception of the college nearly 3 years ago.

 1st May Ball  Year 2  & year 3!

Now I can speak some English (hopefully!), I know what I want to do in future (you are probably already tired to read how fascinating is science and my favorite biochemistry), I’ve met people from all round the world which shaped my opinion about many issues, I’ve made so many great friends that I am even a bit scared to be so lucky, I learned so many new lessons – not only concerning my studies – and well, I guess I grew up ( do not worry, only a little bit!).

It’s hard to mention everyone who made all those things possible and I perfectly understand that I won’t be able to write well enough to express how grateful I am.  So I will just mention a few names.

Mr. Corcut – the head of A-Level department – an extra-busy person who always managed to find time to speak with me (and everyone else who needed him), advise what to do when I wasn’t too sure myself or just to say a few encouraging words.  He always seemed to be a person who knows all the answers – you only have to ask. 

I guess the whole operation of our college will be impossible without Paula Pocock – everybody knows that we can trust her completely – she is the one to help us with the UCAS application, announce the exam result, advise what to do with them and take care of all the important documents. It helps so much when you have someone to rely on!

My studies were, of course, the goal and the main reason for my stay in the UK.  My teachers in Bellerbys were the most special people, who everyday tried to put some knowledge into my head, answer my endless questions, read my horrible handwriting – and still be cheerful and happy to chat after the class.

My personal tutor Dr Andrews who was at the same time my biology teacher was the person to help me with everything – from personal statement to past paper questions.

Dr Webber who taught me biology just for a few last months helped me enormously with the exam preparation - she was the one to read piles and piles of my essays and she was always making useful comments.

Dr Cheng – a magician who could make maths clear even to me (which seems to be a pretty impossible task).  Always so extraordinary kind and patient she was ready to spend long hours with us doing extra classes before exams, answering difficult ( for us) questions even during the holidays – she was always filling us with her powerful energy which made even the most lazy students hardworking.

Dr. Cameron who understood straight away that I have no idea what is physics about – and still did his best to explain to me at least something.  His jokes made me feel much less miserable as well.

Mr. Loft not only made me love chemistry as I do now but even enlarged our English vocabulary and cultural knowledge.  He was always trying to make us think on our own and find the solution independently and, if we got completely stuck, was always there for us. 

I also want to thank all those teachers who taught me during my GSCE and AS course – without them my further studies would be impossible.

Surprisingly I also became quite attached to the college building itself – it seems highly improbable because the building is very modern – made of glass and concrete and usually such kind of constructions cause me nothing but irritation.

 Cromwell Road  The new building at Billinton Way

At the beginning I just started to appreciate its good location just next to the train station, modern laboratories and IT rooms, space in the library.  But now I realize that it is more then just this.  The round tables and white chairs where we always used to sit with girls and drink coffee, classrooms – each associated with a particular subject or teacher, the beautiful view on the town from the 3rd floor, the lift where we had lots of funny little conversations, the exam hall – place of big happiness and big misery during The May Ball and examinations respectively… Every single corner of the building is linked in my mind with some memories or people.

There was one more thing I found very hard to say goodbye to – Brighton & Hove, the place that was my home for 3 years.  When I went to the seafront on my last day I did not feel anything.  Well, of course I enjoyed the sunshine, light wind, the beach, the views on the town and the Pier but it did not feel like the end.  It seemed that tomorrow I will be there again and, even if I go, I will come back, come back to Brighton.  And everything will be like it used to be.

I think that I still did not completely realise what happened and probably this understanding will come later – when I will come back to the UK, but not to Brighton.  I know that I will always be able to catch a train at London Victoria and be back to the seafront and college, eat my favorite ice-cream, say hello to all the teachers and my host mum.  But then I will only be a visitor.  All of this might seem a bit sad but actually it’s not.  When I am writing those lines I am smiling.  Yes, now its time to move on, but the happiness that was given to me by Brighton, my college, my dear friends will always be with me.  Together with all the experiences, thoughts, people I’ve met and the various things that happened over those three years.  Because there are in my memory.

 Who I was  ...and who I am now!

The May Ball and The Award Ceremony...again!

Posted by Ksenia

The last few day of May always seemed very odd to me.  There is no homework, no tests, nobody cares about reports but still everyone studies much harder then during the rest of the year.  People often miss classes but not because they were on a great party last night but because they prefer to follow their own revision program in the library.  Library, revision, past papers - those are the key words for the end of the spring term.  Really, if nobody forces people to work but they still do - there must be some very important exams coming up!  Why don't we always have this enthusiasm for learning?  It would make our lives much easier ...  But we are not looking for easy solutions anyway!

Even though everyone is so busy the fact that May Ball is coming soon just could not be ignored.  The ball is always associated with the end of the year - and this time it also reminds me that's my last year at Bellerbys College.  But there was no time for sad thoughts - on the 22nd of May we all get our dresses out (which we discussed so many times before) and went to college anticipating something very special (surely between those two were hours and hours of preparation for most of the girls!). 

 

This year's theme (every time it is different) was Venetian masquerade - so we all have to bring our masks.  Here the public opinion separated exactly in two - some absolutely loved the idea but others imagined how silly we all would look like on the pictures (which are always made in huge quantities on the ball and this year is not an exception!).  I and most of my friends were in the second group so we prefer to carry our masks around, however you may see that we decided to take several pictures with them to have a laugh in future. 

Even though I did not particularly appreciate the idea of the masquerade I really liked how Bellerbys was decorated - obviously I rather prefer to see a mask on the wall then on my face!  There was so much to do during this few hours so I was constantly running around the college - that's just some of the top priorities - see the performances by our most talented students (singing and dancing this year was better then ever), take lots of pictures with all of my friends and members of staff, dance in the exam hall and of course eat some of the traditional chocolate fountain (May ball is just impossible without it!!!)

 

When at 11 o'clock the celebration was finished in college we all took our coats and the party continued!  Everyone went to the hotel which is just a few meters from the college - some students rented a conference hall there and invited a DJ from London - the music was great so there was lots more dancing to do!

After midnight people who didn't have enough fun decided to move on - and one of the Brighton's lounge was already waiting for us!  Here we stayed until nobody could move any longer and then we finally took a taxi and got home.  It was a long night but definitely one of those we will never forget!   That was very lucky that we all had an extended weekend in front of us - on the 25th of May it was a bank holiday Monday, so we all had time to sleep, look, exchange and discuss the photos and even study (how good and responsible we are!) before the new week commenced.

On the 27th of May there was another big event (well, at least for A-Level students) - the award ceremony.  Mr Addison and Mr Corcut said some very nice and inspiring words (including that we are the best group that our Vice Principal have seen during his entire career) and wished us lots of luck in the oncoming exams.  Then the best students were awarded prizes.  I was very pleased to see a few of my classmates to get the awards including the principal award, best economics student and special librarian award.  I was also very happy to receive the best science student award even though I think there are many talented students in our department who are probably better in science then I am.

I have barely noticed how the rest of the week went by as books were completely filling my life.  But on Friday afternoon I could not resist the gorgeous weather that once again came to Brighton and went for a walk with my friend who came from London.  She has previously studied A Levels in Bellerbys so it was fascinating for her to see everyone in college and talk to her old teachers.  We had a great time on the seafront talking and drinking frappuchino (have I told you that I love Starbucks? Sure I had - if not I am telling it now!). 

Most of the Saturday was also spend on the beach - me and several of my friends took our books and were hoping to study but not we were not too successful as the sun, the sea and a company of your great friends may be very disruptive.  That is why (and also because I got sunburns - as usual!) I decided to stay indoors on Sunday.  Hope you all are having great time and taking most of your summertime - I have to wait for 3 more weeks until the exams are finished and then I will definitely join you!

The School Trip

Posted by Ksenia

For the Sunday 10th of May a trip to Seven Sisters was planned.  Basically it’s a huge country park on the south coast situated between Seaford and Eastbourne.  The sisters are a series of chalk cliffs formed where the South Downs meet the sea.  That was all I knew about our destination when our little group (Mr. Loft, Dr. Andrews and a few A2 chemistry students including myself) was getting on the bus at 2.55 pm.

The idea was given to us by Mr. Loft – my chemistry teacher (who I have already mentioned in my blog so many times so it’s absolutely unnecessary to describe how brilliant he is) – and he was the one to organize everything including the bus journey and even the entertainment (how great it is when at least someone is organized).  We played something which is called Salami Game (do not worry if you never heard of it – I didn’t have a slightest idea about it as well).  Originally it was played in some TV show and involved slicing sausages in five pieces.  Obviously we didn’t have any sausages (which some people regretted a lot) so it was suggested to play with 100 coins (imaginary as well – or do you carry a hundred identical coins in your pockets?).

We were all given a pen and a piece of paper – then everyone should play with a partner and write a number to show how many coins he is willing to bet.  At the same time the partner also writes a number.  The biggest one wins.  The trick is that you only have 100 coins and you have to win 3 rounds (so it doesn’t make sense to bet 95 in the first round – even though you are going to win it, you will have only 5 coins let and your partner will beat you in the next 3 rounds and will win the game.  So you somehow need to guess what the other person is going to bet.  Clever, isn’t it?).

Talking to each other and playing we did not even noticed how an hour went by and we arrived at a small bus stop not far away from Seaford.  So our discovery of the English country side has begun.  Everyone was very enthusiastic to know the names of all the plants we were seeing on our way (we were extremely lucky to have a professional biologist – Dr Andrews – with us) and when we suddenly saw a field with lots of sheep everyone started running around and taking pictures (this joy was quite understandable as one of the boys from Hong Kong has never seen a sheep before).

 

It was quite a while before everyone got together again and we continued our walk.  When we finally reached the seaside we took our cameras out again – the landscapes were absolutely fantastic and we did not know at that moment that the most breathtaking views are still waiting for us (or could just guess). 

The walk was not the easiest one – we had to almost run down the hills and then climb the next one, again and again – of course they were not that steep but it was quite challenging for people who are used to spend most of the time in their rooms (That was actually one of the reasons Mr. Loft decided to take us out – some of the Bellerbys students are simply not getting enough fresh air as they are studying so hard – poor people I really feel sorry for them – I obviously do not have this problem!).  But as the conversation we were having been so interesting (and quite an odd one sometimes – I guess people who would hear us accidentally would think that we were completely mad.  Imagine what a group of science teachers and students can talk about on Sunday afternoon – well, about everything including ecology, genetics and flame tests!) I have barely experienced any difficulties.

 

We were extremely lucky with the weather – it was warm, sunny and slightly windy – ideal conditions for a walk (to be absolutely honest I expected it to be quite the opposite - rainy and freezing - not because I am a pessimist – just trying to look at life and English climate realistically) so I took a warm coat with me – and I was absolutely right at the end!).  Our plan was to watch the sunset at one particular place from where the cliffs looked particularly beautiful – and we even reached the required point on time, taking lots of picture of the stunning landscapes surrounding us on the way.

 At first the plan was to go back to Brighton on the 8.30 bus but as anyone was in a hurry and were all a bit tired (we had walked around 10 kilometers by then) so we decided not to rush for it but to have a short break on a particularly picturesque top of a hill and then slowly walk to Seaford. 

As the night approached it was turning quite cold (that’s when I was so happy to have my warm coat!) so we were all extremely pleased to get on the bus and used our time to look through all the pictures from the different cameras taken that day (the photos you see here are mainly by Mr. Loft – besides his other talents his a very good photographer). It’s only when I finally got home I really felt how totally exhausted I really was – the only thing I could do is to say hello to my neighbour, set my alarm clock for a bit earlier to collect everything I would need in college on Monday and fell asleep immediately.

And the next morning, even though my legs were refusing to go anywhere I realized that it was the best school trip I have ever been on.

Two Weeks Full of Sunshine

Posted by Ksenia

Straight after our arrival back to the UK we had to get out our books and go back to study as soon as possible - which was quite a shame taking into the account the gorgeous weather in Brighton (after Moscow it was such a pleasure to go out and just enjoy the sun, flowers and spring smells).

The reason to work hard was simple - all of us had mocks in the first two weeks of the term.  But even though the piles of papers to read and things to learn was still huge on Sunday (my first mock was on the next day) I still could not ignore the Russian Easter.  Personally I am not particularly religious but I just love this celebration.

We got together with several other girls and started to prepare a variation of the traditional Easter meal.  As we did not have almost any of the ingredients we had to use all of our imagination to do it.  The easiest thing to do was to cook the eggs and to color them.  Then we wanted to buy something similar to Kulich which is a kind of Easter bread but we could not find anything so we just bought pancakes and put some sweetened condensed milk on it (“sguschyonka” - essentially cow's milk from which water has been removed and to which sugar has been added, but believe me it tastes much better then it sounds!  You can find it in Europe but the best one is definitely made in Russia - a can of it was brought by one of my friends from home) forming some kind of sweet sandwich and then decorated it with multicolored icing.  You can see the result on one of the pictures!

 

The next three days seemed just like a very long one - write one mock, come back home, find the notes and read, read and read again until you just cannot keep your eyes open.  But then on Wednesday, after the last test was finished I felt a great relief and was very happy that everything was over already (some poor people still had mocks on Thursday and Friday).  And that was also a very good reason not to do any work for the rest of the week - I was comforting myself with a thought that I really should get some rest before starting studying again.  But the real reason was a bit different - the weather was still fantastic and I much more preferred to spend the time outdoors.

On Saturday there was a big event - Bellerbys Football Cup.  We met up with friends next to the college and then went to the Preston Park all together (mainly because the majority of us could not remember the way even though we all have been there several times).

Some of the teams were already there doing some sort of exercises.  We were the first supporters to arrive but very soon the space around the football field was full of Bellerbys students. The cup started at one and when we left around five o’clock it was still not finished.  11 teams took part in the competition (even though every game only lasted 15 minutes the choice of the winner was a very long process as everybody took this Football Cup very seriously) and in almost all of them we had our friends playing.  So me and other girls who came to watch the Cup had a big job to do – we were shouting, singing, jumping around trying to support our favorite teams as best as we can.

 

In the breaks between games we were taking lots of useless pictures of ourselves lying on the grass in all the possible positions, eating ice-cream and chatting.  For the whole day it was very sunny and warm but in the afternoon it became a bit chilly due to the cool wind so we decided to leave earlier.  But it was still a pleasure for us to know that a team Ragazzi won and we all went out that evening to celebrate the victory (I think you can guess that we would do this irrespectively of who wins and who loses – all the teams played fantastically and we were very proud of our boys and had a great time – isn’t a good enough reason to celebrate?)

 

The next day was full of sunshine as well though I wasn’t particularly happy about it when I looked in the mirror first thing in the morning.  It may sound very improbable but I got sun-burns on my skin.  That reminded me once again of how special is the place where I live – in the middle of the spring the sun is strong enough to make your face totally red!  But despite this fact I went to the seafront as soon as possible – I just could not resist the Brighton beach in such a gorgeous day.  And even though my face was even redder when I came back I did not regret any single minute spent in the sunshine – I was filled with energy, enthusiasm and infinite love for Brighton.

A Place Called Here

Posted by Ksenia

(Even though the heading was inspired by the novel by Cecilia Ahern I am not going to talk about missing people – luckily everyone important in my life can be easily found).

For most of my friends in Russia two weeks of spring holidays seems a real luxury – they do not get any rest at all.  But for me it was still not enough – I wanted to get so much done, but as usual left everything (especially the revision for the mocks) till the last moment where I had to pack my bags again (I am becoming a real professional in that – practice makes perfect!).  Nevertheless I had time to do a few things in Moscow.

When our plane landed on the Russian territory and everyone started to switch on their mobile phones (even though it is strongly prohibited till the passengers leave the aircraft – but we won’t be Russians if we would listen to rules!)  I was sitting there totally shocked.  Even though I expected it to be colder in Moscow then it was in Brighton, but snow at the end of March…  I got so used to flowers, sunshine, 15 degrees Celsius and wearing light shoes so almost forgot that spring in England and spring in Russia are not the same things.

It was quite cold – around 0, cloudy and terribly messy on the roads.  At the same time I heard one Russian woman speaking on the phone and being very surprised that it is… so warm in Moscow!  Suddenly I felt a bit foreign in my own home country.  The feeling disappeared very quickly though when I saw my father waiting to pick me up in the airport and speaking to my dear mum and grandparents on the phone.  I was still welcomed and loved here – isn’t it the definition of home?

On my first weekend we went to the theatre with my mum to see “Dangerous Corner” by an English play writer J.B. Priestley.  The action takes place in a house in London (since I went to the UK everything seems to be connected with London – people, films, books and even plays!  Someone, very long time ago said that all roads lead to Rome.  Well, I guess all my roads lead to London). 

It was a detective story which totally captured my attention from the beginning to the end.  The ending was sad (a suicide of one of the main characters which was the only predictable event in the whole play), but an important conclusion could be drawn from it – sometimes its better not to know the truth (So do not ask too many questions – you might not like the answers.  Let sleeping dog lie!).  The other one was that if people spend too much time together in a close circle of friends the relationship between them may get very complicated – and its better not to be married in that case!

An alternative ending was suggested at the end where all the characters were safe and sound so the story did not make us depressed but definitely made us think.  Should we tell lies?

My ex-classmates are already on their first year at university (sometimes I feel a bit jealous about that but I remember straightway how lucky I am to have a chance to study in England) and they had lots of new experiences to share with me.  So I spent hours and hours seating in our favorite café listening to all kind of stories – funny, romantic, sad and sometimes quite odd.  I really appreciate my friends from Moscow – even though I left two and a half years ago and we do not have much time to communicate while I am in the UK, we get on together as easily as we did when we studied in the same class – always happy to see each other and discuss everything from studies to boys without any secrets.  I only feel pity that I cannot take them with me to Brighton.

Anyway, those people make my stay in Russia even more enjoyable!  On my last week we went to see an exhibition devoted to Christian Dior.  All sorts of photos covering the history of this fashion brand from the beginning in 1947 to present were shown together with the videos of the recent fashion shows (those are real performances – it almost impossible to get your eyes off the screen.  An extraordinary combination of colors, shapes and cloth, beautiful music created a magical atmosphere.  There you fully understand that fashion is real art and people who created those amazing dresses, shoes, accessories and make up are geniuses.  It is almost impossible to imagine somebody wearing these clothes in the real life – they are so complicated and unpractical but every detail seems to be exactly on its place to transmit what designer had to say.)

It was very interesting to have a look how the style of the collections changed over years but I was particularly impressed by modern photographs made by world-famous photographer Demarchelier who worked with the best models and chose dresses from the Dior collection inspired by the Asian culture.  Full of color, exotic themes and ornaments, sensual and mysterious at the same time, those photos were the real representation of the merge between the East and the West.

The other photographers also used the masterpieces by Dior to express their views, feelings and emotions in their own creative way.  Surely, it’s just impossible to describe them - you just have to see it!

I hope that everyone had a very good Easter but now its time to go back to Brighton and get on with our studies.  See you there!

Time Out in Brighton and London

Posted by Ksenia

So here we go again –the last week of the term, spring sunshine with showers and Easter eggs (the fact that the Easter day itself is still more then two weeks away does not really make any difference – it's just one more good reason to enjoy some extra chocolate!).

Bellerbys College is half-empty as all the Foundation students and quite a lot of people from other programs have already gone back to their countries or somewhere else to have their extended holidays. The ones who stayed (including myself) do not seem to work really hard – the tests were done last week, the homework is already finished and its quite hard to get out of bed on time especially if you are the only person who is expected to come to the class.

The teachers, very understanding as usual, do not demand too much but give their students piles of past papers to do during the holidays.  I feel I will have to persuade myself to work at least a bit during the holidays which I always find very challenging to do.  I will really need to train my will power to succeed in my June exams!

The last week was quite busy as well – between the preparations for the end of term tests there was a cultural evening at Bellerbys.  By 8 o’clock on Wednesday the 18th of March the Exam Hall was full of people – those who came to present their country and have done lots of preparation and all the others who have just come to enjoy the evening and get to know a bit more about other cultures. Some people even organised a table representing their country with some local food dishes (which was for others to try and absolutely delicious!), musical instruments, pictures, souvenirs (one of the tables was even selling postcards – business skills learned in college applied to practise!) and even a hand-made model of a house (Kazak people were as usual the most hard-working to praise their country).

Then the concert began with songs, poems, computer presentations and very hot dancers from Turkey and Nigeria.  At the end nobody could stop dancing so the disco began and the evening went on for much longer then I was expected.  Thank to everybody who put in their efforts to prepare this fantastic event – it was lots of fun!

After the celebration of the end of Foundation exams on Friday (if I am not a Foundation student does it mean that I do not have anything to celebrate?  Definitely not, at least my friends who were leaving the next morning did not think so) my dream was to have an early night but life is too short to spend the time sleeping.  So on the Saturday evening we went to see a play “Woman in Mind” in Vaudeville Theatre which is right next to the Charing Cross tube station (I guess that there is no point to mention that I was in London again?).

 

The main character is Susan, a middle-aged housewife who after a minor head injury starts to live in two different worlds – the real one full of unpleasant duties, annoying people and family problems and the imaginary world with a perfect husband, house, child and everyone constantly drinking champagne (probably she had a hidden drinking problem as well as schizophrenia?), wearing white clothes (which never get dirty apparently) enjoying themselves and loving each other.  Susan finds it progressively harder to distinguish between the two worlds and imaginary characters start to affect her behaviour with the real ones.

The play is full of witty dialogues; the jokes are funny even for non-English people (no comments about English humour!) so we found this comedy really amusing.  However the end is not quite what you might expect, and a rather sad one as well – Susan gets completely mad and as one of my friends said (who studies psychology so really approached this problem from a professional point of view) probably commits suicide.  Nevertheless we were all in a perfect mood and decided to go to see something else after our return back to the UK from holidays.

Well, I’d better go and start my packing now - I always leave it for the last minute and at the end forget lots of things (hopefully excluding my head, passport and mobile phone).   I hope you all have a fantastic holidays and happy Easter!!!

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!

Unexpected Half-Term

Posted by Ksenia

Usually just before every holiday or half-term I write a post to wish everyone to have a nice time and wondering how quickly the time goes. As I am writing this blog for quite a while it has become some sort of routine. But this time the half-term arrived so unexpectedly so even did not realised that it was time to write the post. And when I see that there are only five weeks left before the Easter holidays I feel that there is definitely something wrong with the calendar.

I guess the feeling is so strange because of the January exams – at first everyone was too busy with revision and taking the actual exams, then everyone was getting back to the usual studying regime (which was quite a difficult task as nobody could stop celebrating the end of this horrible period), then we were very busy again because our teachers gave us plenty of tests and homework to enable them to write the reports.

Even though I was too busy to notice that the half-term is coming I was still able to take part in some of the fascinating things that usually go on in Bellerbys Brighton. For example, we found out that one of the College's economics teachers plays guitar in a band called "No Sweat" and we even had a chance to watch and listen to him live (and take pictures of course). 

     

We were taken to one of the Worthing pubs by a coach where we had a very nice dinner (home-made food is delicious - even though it is English) in a great company before coming downstairs to a small concert hall where the band was ready to perform. As soon as they started playing it was no longer possible to imagine that we are on a school trip. The musicians and the singer in particular were full of drive and energy that instantly passed to the audience. Everyone was just having so much fun!

At first I felt a bit strange to see my teachers (there were a lot of them in the audience) in such an informal atmosphere - it was like becoming a part of their private life - but it was definitely a pleasant feeling. But as the evening progressed the difference between the students and their teachers was becoming less and less significant - people were chatting, dancing, singing and shouting and totally enjoying themselves. It was a pity to leave - but we all agreed that it was a fantastic evening.

On Tuesday we went to the Booth Natural History Museum during our Biology double class. We have just started classification and as there wasn't any practical work to do so our teacher decided to show us different species of birds, insects and other animals. Not alive though - the birds were stuffed, the butterflies dead and the monkeys were looking quite evil as we could only see the skeletons (which as you may have guessed resemble the human ones a lot).

We also had an insight in British history of the Victorian period as we learned a bit about the style of living at that time. The rich people didn't have to work so to entertain themselves they were collecting things - that's where the birds and butterflies come from. Quite a strange hobby from the modern point of view but very fashionable at the time (what can be better than a cage of coloured stuffed birds at the middle of your drawing room?)

The next week the Biology class was quite entertaining as well – we went to the Preston Park (the one where the college photo is usually taken) to do some ecology studies. We spent quite a while trying to find anything that wasn’t just grass or flowers planted by men to do our quadrats – technique used to find the distribution of plants in the area.

As we didn’t quite succeeded in our search due to the time of year we decided to do the percentage of the area covered by grass. The rest of it was like a real study – using random number tables to generate the coordinates of the place to put the quadrats, tabulating our results, plotting the graph and even taking the soil samples. Later in the laboratory we did lots of tests including heating, burning and trying to dissolve our samples. It was much fun though I do not think that the results obtained were really reliable - which is not a problem as long as we are not going to publish our study.

This half-term I was particularly lucky because my mum came to see me. We met in Brighton, had a very nice meal in Havana – a very beautiful place which surprisingly has no connection with Cuba except for its name. We went to London on the next day and I was really happy to be there again – usually I go to the UK capital every other week but after the exams were finished there was so much to do in Brighton veryone was getting together every Friday and week-end so I just could not leave. So after a break I realised that I really missed the place – something I would never believe two years ago. It took me time to get to know the city, to try to understand and appreciate it but now I am definitely in love with it and as I have already mentioned (so many times!) hope to spend my university years there.

I was not doing any studying at all this half-term – too many other things to do and to see – like waking in St. James and be pleasantly surprised about the great weather (I did not carry my umbrella at all and it was raining once only – there is something wrong with a climate of this country!) or revising the English history in the National Portrait Gallery, enjoying tiramisu in my favourite Italian restaurant which I consider even better then those I’ve been to in Italy (a paradox I really cannot explain!) or even finding out about the origins of the Russian orthodox church in the Byzantium exhibition in the Royal Academy of Art.

People who know me will be surprised to know that I did almost no shopping at all - I was a bit sick of the shops after the last time so I tried to convince myself that I don’t need anything at all. However we still went outside the central part of London to see The Westfield shopping centre which can be considered as one of the biggest malls in Europe. It was quite an interesting experience for me because I have never been to places like it before even though there are several of them in Moscow. I found it to be quite a convenient place to do your shopping especially if you need lots of things (which most women usually do even though their men think that they are totally crazy)

Well, bye-bye for now because I see my posts getting longer exponentially so I am really scared to bore you now)

The Crazy Days

Posted by Ksenia

So much has happened recently so there was completely no time to write about it)

On the Monday morning (the 2nd of February – I guess many people will remember this date for a long time), I was as usual regretting the end of the weekend and realizing that I haven’t done the majority of the stuff I planned to do (getting enough sleep was the first one on my list and obviously the goal that I haven’t achieved).  It was snowing the previous night but I still was really surprised to see a layer of snow lying on the ground. It wasn’t too big compared to the amount of snow we can get in one night in Russia but I’ve never seen anything like it before in the UK (and I wasn’t alone – it has been 18 years since it snowed as heavily in England – the fact I didn’t know at the moment, of course).

My host mother had already woken up and asked me if I had to go to the college.  At first I even didn’t understood her question.  Even the idea that Bellerbys can be closed because of several centimetres of snow seemed ridiculous and totally impossible.  It’s an international college – it’s always open!

Now I feel that after spending two and a half years of my life in the UK I really should not be surprised about anything.  One phone call suddenly changed the whole picture - a friend of mine was also saying that there is no college that day.  As I still was thinking that those people are simply making fun of me I called one of my friends from the residence – her voice was sleepy and told me to forget about the lessons and go back to bed.  I was still too excited to do that so I switched on the TV and realize that the whole country was paralyzed – no train service, planes cancelled, roads blocked, taxis, buses and even London tube (!!!! How can snow prevent underground from working? In that case I guess the cold was to blame) were not operating so a lot of people just decided to stay at home.

The ones to really enjoy this force major were the children – the lessons were cancelled everywhere so there was plenty of time to play snowballs and built snowmen!  Students around the country celebrated the weather conditions and made the most of their extended weekend.  I was very happy as well, both for seeing the snow which reminded me of my home country and to have a day-off. 

But even though the feeling was a bit strange – Monday without college is definitely abnormal!  So thanks to the weather I finally got time to write this post (a bit long for an introduction isn’t?) So now I will start to write everything in order (as far as it possible for a girl who has a complete disorder in her head).

The 18th of January was my birthday.  The temptation to have a great party with all my friends who I absolutely adore was huge – but I had to resist it.  The problem was that it was Sunday and the next week (even on the next day) we all had lots of exams.  And I knew from the start that even if I will try to organize a quiet evening and have an early night I will sill disrupt everybody (including myself) from the revision (can you imagine me going to bed early on my own birthday if I am surrounded by friends? I certainly not)).  So I stayed at home and tried to concentrate on my studies. 

But there wasn’t a moment for me to feel lonely - everybody was constantly calling me and leaving messages and all those kind wishes and lots and lots of attention from my friends and relatives made this day very special and happy for me. The words cannot really express how much I love and appreciate all those people!  And then, on Thursday, the exams were finally over so I went straight to London where my parents have already arrived to celebrate my birthday (finally!).

We had just a few days together – I had to go back to college on Monday and they had plane tickets back to Russia but we had a fantastic time.  Even though my mum was a bit ill we still had the most of our stay – a bit of shopping of course, but also lots of walking, meeting people and we even had a chance to visit Victoria & Albert Museum (but not to explore it all obviously) which I highly recommend to everyone who has never been there before.  There is something for everyone – from temporary exhibitions to collections of objects from different époques and counties.

So on Monday I went back to Brighton, but not for long – on Tuesday straight after lessons several other girls and I were on the train to the London Victoria.  We were really excited as we had a great evening in front of us – The Pussycat Dolls concert.  The fact that Ne-Yo and Lady Gaga were also taking part in it was making us even happier!  When we go out of the tube it was impossible not to choose the right direction – everybody was heading towards the O2 Arena. 

Personally, I’ve never been in such a huge concert hall before so even the look of it was really impressive. The energy and excitement that everybody felt was absolutely amazing – the audience was singing and dancing – we all felt like a part of a big whole in total euphoria.  It was so great to see the people whose songs you are passionate about and listen to those idols singing in front of you.

When the concert was coming to the end the audience still didn’t want to let the singers go asking for more and more.  Nobody wanted this unbelievable evening to finish!  I was singing and shouting with everybody else and when we went out of the Arena I felt almost deaf and my voice has gone – but I was still absolutely happy.

It took us quite a while to get back to Brighton but the next day even though I was really sleepy I was (almost!) on time for my 9 o’clock lesson –very proud of myself!!  My voice didn’t quite come back to me during the week – I guess I somehow caught a cold as well.  But we decided to go out on Friday well in advance – to celebrate the end of the exams (some poor people still had them that week) and the birthdays that have past – I wasn’t the only one to miss mine.  No excuses were allowed so I went out as well and had a great time but went back home quite early and spent the rest of the weekend trying to recover from my cold.  Not completely successful yet – but feeling much better now!