Life at Bellerbys College

An Unusual Day

Posted by Sam

Life is boring, I would say.  In order to make it much more interesting, you can do something to discover the hidden and abnormal things in usual days.  Here are some examples.

While you are waiting for the bus in the morning, close your eyes, listen to different car engines and try to recognise the modes.  If you are interested in cars, that is.  You can try others like birds and that sort of things.

Then, you can read a novel on the way to the college.  Currently, I am reading ‘Atonement’ and falling in love in Cecelia, played by Kiera Knightley in the film.  It is not good for your eyes though.

During the lesson, you can anticipate the gestures and tunes made by your teachers and classmates, provided your brain can handle them simultaneously.  On the other hand, it can be found the abnormal things through different time period, especially in some particular days.  Apparently, the students are happy to meet the holidays when they having the last lesson at Friday.

It is inevitable that we must respect others in the library.  Fun can still be found though.  Through the observation and making eye contacts, hidden things are shown.  How to manage a library I think may require a variety of skills.  For me, it seems that the library is a laboratory where I can apply the theories I learn in my mind.  (I forgot to write it in my personal statement…ha ha)  You may think using different motivation theories to manage different people so as to keep the environment quiet and harmonious.

After school, you can listen to the BBC radio.  This is beneficial to foreign students beyond doubt.  Afterwards, why not turn on the television and watch a Euro football game with your roommate.  Football is so famous in United Kingdom that it is always a topic between the guys.  I haven’t had the chance to watch a match in a stadium yet though I hope to one day.

Cultures of Valentine

Posted by Shiny

A couple of weeks ago, there was a questionnaire from Psychology coursework spreading around Bellerbys collecting information about love.  Love may have become an inevitable topic in our daily life.  Today I would like to talk about a hit topic which is about different cultures of Valentine’s Day and what love means in different ways.  Although I am not an expert on love, I have attempted to exchange ideas about love with some students in our college.

Above all, let’s talk about marriage.  Students from different places have different opinions about this.  For instance, in China, one man mustn’t have more than one wife, although in the ancient China, some wealthy men could.  As for the culture of some countries, a man can have more than one wife.

A few days ago, I saw a piece of news telling that Muslim people in the UK can have up to four wives although this is illegal according to the law.  It is said that the British government would subsidize those who are legally having over one partner within Britain.  Obviously, the British culture is so tolerant and humanistic, even the law would allow moral cultural issues to happen. 

I once had a chat with one of my Nigerian female friends in Bellerbys whose father has got “dozens of” wives.  I was shocked and I asked her whether she though this is kind of discrimination.  What she said did make me give in.  She told me that, “Of course I don’t think it is.  Who makes money and earns the living for your whole family?  It’s your dad, right?  That’s it.”  It is indeed a fair comment if we think in terms of contribution to a family.  Yet some casual empiricists may argue that women also devote themselves to their family to a large extent.  Whilst what men and women do were different, it is not sensible to compare with each other.  No matter what people think, as long as there is an agreement between women and men, everything is fine.

Studying in Cambridge

Posted by Jag

Hi, I am Jag from India, studying at Bellerbys College, Manor Campus, Cambridge.  I am doing IGCSE (International GCSE) this year and then I will be moving on to the A Level course which is taught at the other Bellerbys Cambridge campus called Queens.

I would like to share some of my experinces in Cambridge.  I think Cambridge is the best place for studying because it has got everything that students need, for example, clubs, cinema, arcade zones, branded shops, a really good library and lots of different types of restaurants.  It has also got lots of historical sites which are pretty interesting to check out.

Soon I will be getting back to you about what students do outside classes. Get ready for it... lol... as there are so many things which we do!

"Noi" in Italia...Posting in Order Not to Forget It

Posted by Shiny

为了忘却的纪念 (written on 1st-6th March 2008)

Sometimes I enjoy writing hybrid entries with both Chinese and English as I find it easier to express my feeling to an optimal degree.

写下这篇日志，不是为了记忆，而是为了去纪念，为了短暂地忘却这段不堪回首的壮丽诗篇。 Memory is a knife, it always hurts me.  But I still cherish it.  That’s why I usually put it down and keep it inside a box.  Perhaps in a few years later, it will not hurt me again after I’ve learnt how to handle it.  By then, it would be a souvenir to me from life.

“兄弟姐妹就像天上飘下的雪花，本来谁也不认识谁，可是，一落到地上，结成冰，化成水，就永远也分不开了。”这句话用来形容意大利之行之后的感想就再合适不过了。在那所学校里，据说是专业的问题，三分之二的学生都是女生，我想，在那些欢乐的日子里，我们都已经成为了其中的一员，想起来，我们应该亲切地叫他们“姐妹们”。

There were so many things going on in my head these days and if I didn’t write them down, I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on something else.  I should at least put a full stop on the journey.  After all, it was really an indispensably pleasant experience and I don’t want it to fade out in my brain by any means.  好想有一部带有时间留驻功能的神奇照相机，也许，在未来的一天里，真的可以凝固时间。人们都说照相机是记录人们美好一瞬的记忆天使。虽然这位天使总是给人以片面和局部的回忆，也许，这已经足够，相外之人与事也许会在记忆深处随着岁月的蹉跎而逐渐模糊和褪色，但我们依然能想起她们大概的轮廓和音容笑貌，想起与她们一起经历过风雨，一起看过很美丽的彩虹，想起来却也充满温馨。Therefore I've decided to write every piece of memory that I can remember so that it fits my own perfectionism.

Chinese New Year 2008 @ Brighton & Hove

Posted by Shiny

I've mentioned the Chinese New Year before but it was actually just the beginning of it.  What I came across later tended to be much more eye-catching.  This is a marvelous day in my life.  It was supposed to be a simple Chinese New Year performance, but then we’ve made it into a great success.

Before I start talking about what happened in Brighton, I would like to recall the memories about our trip to the London School of Economics.  On Sunday, 3rd, Feb, we went to LSE for a Chinese New Year performance.  There were three cars taking us to LSE from Brighton.  It took us approximately two hours to get there due to the traffic congestion in London even though it was Sunday. (If we can by any means improve the traffic condition in a city, it would definitely make a big difference to people’s life. Travelling is inevitable in our daily life.  Sometimes we travel for fun while sometimes we travel for work.  No matter what the reasons are, transportation is extremely important.  That’s one of the reasons why I would like to study transportation engineering of Civil Engineering).  The traffic was a bit annoying as I had car-sickness.

After arriving at LSE, we paid a visit inside the Confucius Institute of LSE then we went for our performance in the campus of LSE.  Many volunteers from LSE, Imperial and UCL were working with us. As we were in a new circumstance, we unprofessional actors didn’t do as well as we did in the rehearsal. But we have tried our best.  And after dinner, at about 7p.m. we went to the Old Theatre to prepare for the performance.

Bella Italia...

Posted by Ksenia

 

Hello!

Hope you all have had a great half-term.  Personally, I’ve had a fantastic one.  As I’ve already mentioned in my previous post, we went to Italy as apart of the Europa+ project.  Initially we were planning to go via Milan to Bari and then travel by bus to Rodi Garganico, which is a small city on the coast in the south east of Italy.  However, there was a strike in the airport in Milan so we decided to change our tickets and flew via Rome.  Веcause of that we had some problems on the way back they just could not check us in.  But now I am in Brighton, continuing my studies, so finally we could get on the plane (some of us would prefer to stay in Italy I guess).

The journey was quite long and tiring but we did not lose our optimism.  On the bus we were inventing a fairy-tale where each person was telling only one phrase at a time.  Actually, it is quite a good and funny way to kill the time.  We ended up with something so stupid that it was even hard to imagine where such a strange ideas have come from (I believe the journey was really too long for us).

When we got to Rodi the Italians were waiting for us.  We all were in different host-families, and we even lived in different villages.  The first evening was quite strange.  I quickly found out that the English of the girl with whom I was staying (her name is Francesca) was not much better than my Italian (and I do not speak Italian at all!!).  Fortunately she could speak some French which I adapted a bit to make it sound more Italian (I am afraid to imagine what my French teacher would tell me if she heard me at that moment).  Her mum knew several words in English, but her father spoke nothing except his mother tongue.  Nevertheless I was surprised by the amount of effort they all made to try to say something and understand me.  It made me think that i should try to learn some Italian as well.

Half-Term Holiday

Posted by Sam

Hello everybody.

I am Sam from Oxford, currently studying Business Foundation.  Let me introduce myself, I am from Hong Kong, finished my HKCEE half year ago and 18 years old.  I have been in England since September 2007.  Recently, I am awaiting offers of a place from universities in UK.

As mentioned, I am a Foundation student.  I am going to study at one of the top universities in United Kingdom.  I don’t think I will study in Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland though.  I am going to study a pure Economics course (L100) next academic year.  I sent my application to UCAS (if you don’t know what it is, use Wikipedia!) on 15th January.  I'm hoping to get three offers but haven't received anything for nearly three weeks.  I am becoming obsessive about checking UCAS. 

I have just finished my half-term holiday.  I changed my accommodation because I really want to have a quality sleep.  My previous roommate made the unwanted sound which is snoring during the night.  It is a drawback of having a shared room.  Nevertheless, it is a really good excuse when you are late in the morning.  Normally, no one would accept it though.

I had my IELTs test during my half term.  It is not a piece of cake and a bit unfair as there was echo in the hall when the candidates having the listening part.  Anyway, I exerted myself.

Apart from that, I was invited by Department of Economics and International Development of Bath University to go its open day.  I cannot say the campus is very modern.  However, the lecture theatre and the sports centre are the best in UK I have ever seen.  The sports centre can reach the national quality I suppose.

The lecturer gave a presentation about the department and the university.  Boring as it seems, the information is valuable.  As usual, some representatives guided us on a tour in the campus.  All in all, the trip was worth it.  There are scholarships available for Bellerbys Foundation students at Bath University I heard.  I am still thinking about it.

So, the mid-term results have been released. They weren't great but what I really want are just the marks for the English subject and IELTs.  There's no point worrying about the others too much. Whatever, prepare for the worst situation!

Last but not least, a point which is considerable is that the questionnaires for the teachers must be written truthfully and with the best hand-writing if you can.

One thing I want to share is the slogan hung on the wall in sport centre in Bath:

Vision without action is just a dream
Action without vision just passes the time
Vision with action can change the world

- Team Bath, University of Bath

How Hard it Can Be to Get a Visa

Posted by Ksenia

Happy Valentines Day everyone!  Hope you all had a great time!!

This week was marked by our short trip to London.  Actually me, three Chinese boys, and three girls – from Ukraine, Moldova and Russia are going to Italy this half-term as a part of United Nations Association of Bellerbys.  Our final destination is Rodi Garganico but we are flying through Milan and Bari.

Rodi (I believe you have never heard of it) is a small city on the cost in the south east of Italy. We are going with Mrs Arulraj and will be having a great time with Italian students from the local fashion college.  I will tell you everything about this trip in my next post (something to look forward to during the half term…. Ok, I understand you have some more exciting plans).

So we went to London to get our Italian visa.  And of course it was just impossible for me to go without doing something stupid.  Firstly the night before I did not bother to check my documents thoughtfully. As the result when I was already in lift ready to ran to the station (as usual I was “a bit” late) and I decided to check everything just to be sure… I realised that I forgot my passport (what may be cleverer? To go to embassy for a visa without a passport!)  So I ran back home, took my passport…and then I was not “a bit” late anymore, I was very seriously late!!!  (It was me who said to others not to be late in the first place).

That morning I made my personal record – I reached the Brighton station in less then 15 minutes. Usually it takes me about 25.  Finally I was just a “bit” late again.  Luckily we had already bought our tickets so we caught our train and everything seemed to be fine.  We all were a bit sleepy because we had to get up really early (our meeting at the station was arranged at 7 o’clock). We were happily chatting all the time and the train arrived on time. But it was just a beginning of the story…

Celebration of Festivals – Chinese New Year and Christmas

Posted by Shiny

6th February is the 2008 Chinese New Year.  Last year, the Chinese New Year was at weekend, so we had time to play and had dinner with Mr. Qin, the teacher who works in the Chinese Cultural Centre.  However, this year is quite special.  The Chinese New Year’s Eve is on 6th which doesn’t allow students to play truant.

After class, the Chinese students and Vietnamese students all vanished from college at a “thunder speed”.  After making a couple of phone calls back to China, I decided to go back home to cook my own dinner.  In the past, I usually spent the Chinese New Year with friends and classmates, but I think I gotta try a new style of life.  Some students decided to go to London for karaoke whilst some went for a dinner together.  Like us, other students just didn’t have a plan.  So instead, we spend our time at home.  We could go to CC (the Chinese Centre) to have dinner with some other people, but I just wanted to go back home to have a rest.

Compared with the Chinese New Year, Christmas seems to be much more popular.  This New Year reminded me of the all the Christmases I’ve ever experienced in the UK.  In 2006, we had a fantastic Xmas lunch with our host-family.  It can be seen from the photo that we had vegetables, stuffing, turkey, champagne and dessert for lunch.  We opened crackers and the housemother gave each of us a box of chocolate. 

One Week and a Bit More of My Life

Posted by Ksenia

Hello my dear readers!  Hope you are enjoying your time as much as do!  Before I forget – if you have something to say or to ask – please to not hesitate to leave comments.  I will be very happy to answer you!

Ok, last time I wrote that my mum was coming.  It was great!!  She was in Brighton for few days and every evening after college I went to meet her, we had a nice dinner in a restaurant and a long chat, of course!  Obviously I did not do much work, but my teachers were real angels – very understanding as usual.  On Friday we went to London by train.  That is very convenient, only 50 minutes and you are in London Victoria!  What did we do in London?  I think the answer is quite predictable…  Like every female human being, me and my mum love shopping!

But London is much more than just great shops – after visiting our favourite places we decided to find an unusual restaurant to eat.  I’ve been to London so many times but I could never find China Town, do not ask me why.  I am absolutely hopeless and never know were to go.  But this time we were well prepared, we followed the map and finally succeeded!  That is really a great part of the city which does not look British at all and there were so many restaurants there, that the choice was extremely difficult.  But the food was really worth it!

We also visited Tate Britain Gallery (something for our cultural development).  I was very pleased to see some paintings of Brighton.  One of them was done two centuries ago on the exact place where Brighton Pier is situated now.  It was such a strange feeling to see it…  I also really liked several pieces done by artist called Rossetti.  Surprisingly he was born in England, even though his family name sounds Italian.