Life at Bellerbys College

Hitting The Restart Button - Back To College After A Summer in America

Posted by Maggie

I hope you haven't missed me too much.  I've just recently returned to London and I've never been this busy, ever, in my life.  College applications, writing personal statement, reading ahead for classes, running around getting all the necessities needed for a new school year, settling into a new room, catching up with old friends, meeting new students, trying to attend extracurricular activities, completing homework assigned, going to the gym, lending a hand at Oxfam outreach events, and planning my 18th birthday trip to Paris - enough to keep me fully occupied, if not, completely overwhelmed.

This is the time to hit the restart button.  September, when summer comes to an end, and fall takes over.  But before we hit the restart button, launching a whole new year, full of obstacles, opportunities, joys, challenges, and ups and downs, let's rewind time and I'll tell you more about my summer in America.

*

After I left London in June, I spent a week in New York City, discovering and taking advantages of what the city has to offer.  One of the nicest things about Manhattan is the fact that it is a walking city, like London for the most part.  The moment I touched down, I bought an unlimited travel pass that could be used for subway, overground, trains and buses for a week at $25 only! 

   

Not to mention, New York's subway does not sleep, like the city.  It runs 24 hours a day.  The first few days in the Big Apple, I walked around Times Square, Garment District, Upper West Side, 5th Avenue and Midtown; visiting the American Museum of Natural History, going to psychics, meeting random people in Starbucks, getting an American number, tracking down places with free Wi-Fi, sitting on the steps of New York Public Library devouring hamburgers and pretzels, participating in the walking tours of both Columbia University and NYU, bumping into the film set where Robert Pattinson was filming, watching films at Bryant Park Summer Film Festival and fell absolutely in love with NYC somewhere between the lines.

It seemed apparent that people simply meet new people on every corner of the city.  You could be a friend of the stranger who's lining up in front of you at CVS.  Everyone was open to new experiences and they were very helpful to the tourists, contrary to popular beliefs.  New Yorkers are not bitchy.  At least not in the summer.

   

For the second half of the week, I based myself in Greenwich Village, Union Square, Lower East Side, Chinatown, Little Italy, Wall Street and even Staten Island!  Yes, I took the free ferry ride to Staten Island after visiting Ground Zero.  It felt so strange, imagining planes crashing into the buildings that used to be right next to where I was standing.  I wonder how different this part of Manhattan might have looked today if 9/11 never happened.  Anyway, out of goodwill, I bought a magazine about the history of 9/11 on site whose profits will then go into the construction of new buildings around the area.

   

I saw the Statue of Liberty on my ferry ride to Staten Island.  I tried to envisage the immigrants moving into the Land of Freedom some 200 years ago, crossing the same path I crossed.  They were so brave, leaving everything behind at home, and travelled across the Atlantic Ocean to the New World, just so they could have a better life or in the earlier cases, in search of religious freedom.   

On the last day of my trip to New York, I further explored 5th Avenue.  I booked myself a hair appointment at the John Barrett Salon on the 7th floor of Bergdorf Goodman.  After leaving the salon feeling fabulous, I proceeded to the shopping floors and did some market research aka window shopping.  Well, not exactly. I tried some stuff on.  And bought some harmless things.  Hey, I'm only a girl!

   

I had a wonderful time in the city.  I'm considering living in Manhattan in the future.  The city is so amazing that they named it twice - New York, New York - I love you.  And I will be back for you.

After bidding the city goodbye reluctantly, I hopped on the Greyhound and I was Harvard-bound.  Yes, I was heading to Harvard to do a summer session there.  I was in the Secondary School Program (SSP) and took two courses - Journalism and Intro to Capital Markets and Investments. 

If anyone of you is thinking of signing up for Harvard Summer School, then I would highly recommend you to do so, because I had one of the best summers of my life there.  Seriously.  The university campus is situated in a nice spiffy little town called Cambridge.  It is about 15 minutes tube ride away from downtown Boston.  Cambridge has everything one needs.  Boutiques, Aldo, bookstores, kebab shops, J.P Licks (ice cream!), Starbucks, and Urban Outfitters!  Oh, I fell madly in love with Urban Outfitters.  They have these lovely Polaroid cameras, pillows, notebooks, shoes, and decorative objects for one's room!

 

   

The first couple of weeks at Harvard, I was trying to get to know different people.  The Summer School invited an array of multinational students from all around the globe.  One of my closest friends there this summer hails from Kenya and couple others from Hawaii, Greece, Brazil, Long Island, Singapore, Colorado, Nigeria, Spain, New Jersey, Paris, Norway, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico City and believe it or not, London!  In fact, one of the most bizarre incidents occurred to me there.  I actually met this Brazilian guy who went to Embassy London (Bellerbys partner college for students who want to study English) the same time I was attending Bellerbys at Harvard!  I mean, what are the chances?!  This is indeed a small world.

Now moving onto the classes... I enjoyed Journalism very much.  I loved doing all the assignments and going around town, writing and reporting stories.  I think I learned a lot about journalism this summer - the rapidly diminishing industry which has been replaced by internet blogs; the amount of work needed to write an effective story; the different types of writing like features, sports, reviews or just straight news reporting.  Did you know that obituaries are sometimes written before the regarding subjects even died?  How morbid eh?  For my obit assignment, I killed Karl Lagerfeld.  But hey, at least I got an A for killing him!  (Sorry, Karl.  In truth, I really admire your work with the Chanel House.  You're cool)

  

As for Intro to Capital Markets and Investments, I was mostly struggling (if not bored) to understand the mathematics aspects of the course - portfolios variance, alphas, betas, correlation, standard deviation etc.  Apart from that, I was intrigued by the social aspects of the course.  Learning about the stock markets, why they crash, bubbles, bonds etc.  I liked the intuition more than the actual mathematical side of investing.  Nevertheless, it was a very intensive and interesting course and I'm glad to have taken it this summer.  I got a preview of the investing world, and it looked pretty damn good to me.  (I do realize the irony, but hey, according to Warren Buffett, "Fear when there's greed, and be greedy when there's fear.")

Outside of the classrooms, we did tons of fun stuff too.  My friends and I went to Cape Cod and met gay couples, swam with seals and got tanned.  Then, we celebrated Fourth of July by the riverbanks and watched fireworks all night, then got lost in Boston as we didn't want to take the subway, knowing how crazy the crowds can get.  On top of that, we crossed two states and arrived in Maine on a Sunday morning, hitting the Kittery outlet malls, and visiting Ogunquit - which was a tiny seaside town. 

  

We also went crazy shopping on Newbury Street, finding a J Crew sister company called Madewell where the cutest boyfriend jeans can be found.  And what about the nights where we simply danced till we dropped?  The late night trips to Au Bon Pain for cinnamon rolls and orange juice?  The random excursions to Boston?  The time we spent at the Science Center, trying to convince the security man to let us check out the astronomy tower?  That one time where I almost died doing Bikram Yoga with a Norwegian friend? (where the room is heated while you do extreme exercises)  The days where we just lounged about on the lawn in front of our hall?  Jason Mraz's concert?  Trip to Andover, running after trains and passing by the hysterical fans of the Jonas Brothers?  Watching movies due to last minute impulses?  Ferry rides around Boston, visiting the historical sites and evidences the Pilgrims left when they first arrived at Plymouth Rock?  Going to my first Red Sox (baseball) game at Fenway, America's most beloved ball park?  Making fools out of ourselves (pole dancing) on the subway trains?  The good times were countless. 

Meanwhile, our Harvard dorms were huge - and we shared rooms with either one or a couple of room mates.  The bathroom was communal which meant that we had to share it.  (Something that I'm not too fond of - phew, thank God they've got ensuite bathrooms here at Bellerbys residence).

  

Our proctors were Harvard undergraduates and they were extremely nice.  We had study breaks once in a while and played games.  We had our meals at the Annenberg Hall, and I frequented the Starbucks on Church Road as well as this Italian restaurant called Uno where karaoke nights were held on Mondays.  I admit, my friends and I partied quite a bit this summer at Harvard.  But isn't that what you do during the summer?  Have some fun, let your hair down and who knows who you'll meet?  Maybe a Brazilian guy who went to the same school as you that you never knew; maybe an insanely hilarious guy from T&T (Trinidad and Tobago) who says "liming" instead of "hang out"; maybe a room mate who was named by the King of Thailand that you occasionally go to IHOP with; maybe a girl from upstate New York who has the same dreams as you.

The possibilities are infinite.  If anything, I believe the most important lesson that I've learnt this summer is to expect the unexpected.  Go with the flow.  Laugh.  Dance.  Sing.  Love.  And lastly, live.

My Busy Summer in Moscow and London

Posted by Ksenia

When I got back home from Kiev I spent about a week in Moscow mainly meeting various friends – from Russia and the UK (well, they are all from Russia to be precise).

One my very good friend from my Bellerbys GCSE class also lives in Moscow but it’s the first time the two of us found time to meet each other during the summer.  There was so many things to do in my home city - shops, cinema, cafes and even my first driving lessons (not really lessons – but my mum allowed me to try on her car – at first I was scared to death that I will run into something, but after a few times I began to enjoy it!) so as usual I did not noticed how the time went by.  But the next trip was already waiting for me – I finally decided that I don’t want to live in the residence during my first year at university so I had to start looking for some sort of accommodation - more precisely a flat to rent.

The best way to do it was to go the London and see everything on my own.  We went there with my father who was obviously the brains of our little group and the one to make all the important decisions.  We found the flat I’ll be renting this and probably the two following years.  It is unfurnished so my mum and I are going back to London for a week again on the 10th to buy all the important stuff.  The flat itself is quite nice, not too big, not too small (at least for London), just a few meters from tube station but the window are facing the other way so it is perfectly quiet up there.  This factor was very important for me - back home in Russia our family lives on the 13th floor and in Brighton my room was facing St Anne’s Gardens so I got very used to sleep with open windows without any noise.  It’s very close to Chiswick with all the shops as well and the kitchen is small but very modern – in other way it is a perfect match for me! 

 

I got back exactly on time for my best friend’s birthday party.  The celebration wasn’t a usual one.  My friend organized a car to take us (me and four other girls) to the countryside where we were going to fly on a balloon.  The traffic was quite heavy as it was Friday and everyone was leaving Moscow but we were chatting all the time so it wasn’t a problem.  It was a very special feeling when we got inside the basket and started to take off.  It was nothing comparing to what I felt in the usual plane – here we were really flying!  We reached the height of 720 meters and went up and down a few times – from there the views were really fantastic.

The duration of the flight was one hour but we barely noticed it as a few bottles of champagne were there waiting for us and everyone wanted to say a few kind words to the birthday girl and wish her once more a happy birthday.  The landing was fun as well – very smoothly we stopped on some field and continued to take pictures and drink champagne until the car arrived to take us to one of the Moscow lounges.

 

On the way back I even felt a little pity for our drivers – for an hour or so we were talking really loudly, laughing and singing all the songs that was played on the radio.  In the lounge we met up with a few other friends and continued partying till late.

The next day we went to a restaurant to celebrate again with her relatives (except, my friend, I was the only person to be on the two parties).  The place was nice and I really felt as a part of a family as I already knew everyone and everyone knew me.  A very special present was waiting for the birthday girl there as well – they made a video where her entire family was singing a song wishing her all the best in her future life.  That was very sweet especially to see her little brother and usually serious father rapping).

I am trying not to forget my own family as well and spend with them more time as I don’t see them for the major part of the year.  Every weekend we go to the countryside with my parents where I am mainly collecting berries (and eating them straight away) and reading books (the pastime I missed the most in Brighton – simply did not have time for anything excepting science books).  I even had a chance to meet my distant relatives from Ukraine who came for a few days - I’ve never seen them before and was very pleased learn that I have a cousin who is the same age as me.

Enjoy your summer everyone!!! UK is waiting for us)

The Real Summer Begins – From Tunisia to Ukraine

Posted by Ksenia

The next day after my arrival from the UK we had a flight to Hammamet, Tunisia.  After all the packing, exams, good-bye parties and flights sun, beach and sea were everything I needed.  Plus to this our hotel had a very good Talasso Center so while we were going to have different massages and wraps I was constantly feeling very sleepy (and I was falling asleep almost everywhere). But then I got enough, I felt much better and read very quickly all the books my mum brought with us so eventually I had nothing to do and started taking pictures of mum and myself on the beach, in the pool – everywhere.

At the same time I was obviously swimming (for me the sea was perfect – warm and very clean but for my mum it was a little bit cold so she preferred to spend her time in the swimming pool with heated seawater) and sunbathing – taking the most of my summer holidays and total freedom that I could not get completely used to.

 

As we already visited Tunisia we did not take any excursion but still got lots of sweets for our family – mainly baklava, halva and nougat which I personally find delicious (well, everybody already knows that I have a sweet tooth so I have nothing to hide!)

On my way back from the Moscow Airport I received a message from my friend – the girl that was my neighbour in Brighton, inviting me and one more girl from Bellerbys for her birthday to Kiev.  I was a bit surprised as I was not expecting anything like that but it was definitely a pleasant surprise – firstly I have never been to Ukraine (which is a shame as I have been to many other counties which are much further away) and really wanted to see Kiev one day, and secondly, even though I was having great time with my mother in Tunisia, I have already started to miss my dear friends. To see them earlier then in September – what else could I dream of?

I few days later I got the ticket and the present and was ready to depart.  Me and my friend - the other girl who was invited to Kiev, decided to go by train which is the most popular way of traveling between the two counties.  A lot of people in Russia have relatives in Ukraine as both were once a part of Soviet Union so now the travel is made very easy – we do not need a visa or even a foreign passport – we can travel with the Russian one.

It takes 13 hours to get from Moscow to Kiev – and train stops several times on the way.  My friend joined me several hours after my departure from Moscow as she lives in another city.  It was already very late when we got there so we chatted a bit but decided not to disturb other passengers who were already sleeping.  I could not fall asleep even though I felt quite comfortable lying in my bed so I was looking at the window and waiting for the customs (I could not read as lights were off). 

Then we came to the Russian and then Ukrainian borders and everybody was woken up so that their documents could be checked. Almost identical procedure was repeated at both borders though I was quite happy about it as people from customs were surprisingly nice and polite (I heard so many scary stories about them, so I was a bit nervous – that was probably the reason I could not sleep).

  

When the train continued its journey all the passengers fell asleep again and luckily I was one of them.  When I woke up it was already morning and we were arriving to Kiev.  My friend and her father were waiting for us at the station.  Her father took our bags so we could start exploring Kiev straight away.  From the station we walked all around the city center towards the coast of the Dnieper River.  I was particularly impressed by Independence Square and Khreschatyk Street – it looked a lot like Moscow (and the number of shops seemed even larger! ).

To tell the truth I was not expecting Kiev to be so European (one of the streets even reminded me of Regent Street).  I also liked that the central streets are pedestrian-only on weekends and public holidays.  Actually traffic does not seem to be a problem in Kiev at all.  During my stay I have not seen any single traffic jam which sounds like paradise after Moscow where it’s almost impossible to get anywhere by car.

During our walk we also saw The Golden Gate – the historic gateway in the ancient city's walls and a very beautiful building of the National Opera of Ukraine.  In the afternoon we took a boat and had a very nice time taking pictures of the Dnieper River.  As the right bank of the river is quite steep we decided to use the funicular to get to the top.  It was definetely a good idea as we were too tired to climb it on our own but the view on the city and the river from there was spectacular.

 

Then we walked across one of the parks and reached a very special bridge full of locks.  Luckily our Ukrainian friend explained it to us – in Kiev there is a tradition for the couples who just got married to come there and put a lock with their names on this bridge – people believe that then their love will be long and strong and the marriage successful.  The only thing that spoiled a bit a pleasure of walking around this marvellous city with my friends, chatting, and taking pictures was the weather.  Comparing to Moscow where it was cold, rainy and miserable (I don’t know why but it is always like it when I am coming back) – it was very hot and sunny in Kiev, so we had to stop every hour or so to get some cold drinks or ice-cream.

When we came home by the end of the day we were completely exhausted but full of new and inspiring impressions.  We were kindly welcomed by my friend’s family, shown the house and the garden and then fed with a nice dinner.  And even though everyone was feeling very sleepy we just could not stop talking.

 

The next morning we decided to go to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra.  The word pechera means cave and lavra is used to describe high-ranking monasteries for male monks.  The Kiev Monastery of the Caves is composed of a very complex system of narrow underground corridors, caves with the imperishable relics of saints who used to live there and underground chapels.  Ortodox people from all over the world come here to pray to those saints and ask forgiveness for their sins.

After the visit to the monastery we returned back to the central Kiev and visited a few more cathedrals - St. Sophia Cathedral (first Ukrainian patrimony to be inscribed on the World Heritage List), St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral and baroque-style St Andrew's Church.  Then we walked along the Andriyivskyy Descent where tourists can buy souvenirs and and see the full variety of local art including paintings, sculpture, carvings and etc.

 

After all of that we decided to take a rest in one of the Kiev cafes and end up spending 5 hours there eating and talking.  It was already quite late when we got back to our friend’s house and even though we planned to go out and celebrate her birthday that night we decided to stay at home.  But we still had almost no sleep that night – opening presents, listening to music, looking at the pictures and of course talking again – we stayed awake till the sunrise.

Around the noon the next day our friend’s relatives came to wish her happy birthday.  The whole previous day and the morning her mother and sister were cooking.  So when we were all intoduced to the whole family we started eating and drinking.  The party continued till the evening when I had to pack my stuff ready for my train back to Moscow.  I thanked everyone for my wondreful stay and received an invitation to come back soon.  I really hope that I will in the recent future!

Hey You! Try Your Best Ok?

Posted by Linh

It‘s already June - the month of exams (Help me God!!!).  But I still decided to go to Germany the second time.

The main reason of this three-day trip was my mother (oh….well…and some Vietnamese food she brought with her).  My mother went to visit my brother for two weeks.  It has been six months I have not seen her (Time goes fast, doesn’t it?).  My first impression was that she was thinner.  And the second impression was that she coughed a lot.  Poor her!  I sincerely felt scared of time, she looked older.

All the time I have spent in England, I always thought for myself, just focus on the study, sometimes scared that I was not as fashionable as other girls, sometimes calling back home to ask for money.  How horrible I was!  Yes, it was true I tried to ask about my parents through my relatives as well!  And now I knew how protective my parents were of me!  They have asked other people did not talk much about them to me and asked more about my situation.  And how stupid I was, believing in what they said, and thinking that everything was fine.

Now sitting here at the airport, waiting for the flight back to England, I still remember the wrinkles on my mother’s face when she was waving me goodbye!

The exam is coming!  Through this blog, I just want to say to all of you guys that: HEY YOU!  TRY YOUR BEST OK?  ‘CAUSE THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE SPENDING THEIR WHOLE LIFE FOR YOUR FUTURE, WAITING FOR YOU TO COME BACK!

Lol!!!  Sorry if you feel this post annoying!  Anyway, wish you guys best luck in the incoming exams!

Bonjour!!!!

Posted by Linh

Hello everyone!  How are you guys?  Hope you still doing well!

Oh!  This month is so great!!!  I mean we have two days which are bank holidays. That means we have 3 days off at the weekend!!!  Goodbye hard studying, hello traveling!!!  (Hey don’t tell that to the teacher ok? I promise I still keep up with school work :D (Crosses fingers)

The 1st bank holiday has passed.  It was on 4th May. We just had class in Friday morning, so I and Saray – one of my classmates who is from Venezuela, decided to book a flight to Paris from Friday afternoon till Monday evening (4th May).

The 1st day:

We bought the plane tickets from EasyJet.  The flight took just about 1 and a half hours but we got to the hotel at about 12 am.  However, the tiring trip did not make us stay in the hotel long; we woke up early next morning (or that morning) to go to the Museum of Louvre.  And that was the first time I feel glad that I was not 18 yet (c’mon, I was so bored of being 17, cannot sign the contract with the mobile company, can not go home late etc).  I did not have to buy the ticket to go inside the museum!

 

The museum was so large that we spent the whole day there.  I saw the original Mona Lisa picture and the statue of the Venus de Milo.  It was impossible to go near the ‘treasure’ because of security and it was hard to get a good place to take the picture as it was so crowded with tourists and people who wanted to have a view of a 77×53 picture which was at least 2 meters away.  Anyway, that was absolutely a great experience.  Besides, there were many other fascinating masterpiece I had not seen before (and by ’seen’, I mean really see in real life and touchable).  Here are just some in hundreds of photographs we took there.

I was quite exhausted at the end of the day, but we still managed to have a view of Cathedrale Notre-Dame and River Seine. Near there, we met a group of guys skating.  They are so amazing, their movements is no different, or even better than a ballet.  Admiring them too much, we finally took all our courage to ask one for a photograph.  That was an unforgettable memory.

 

The 2nd day:

Waking late the next day and still feeling a little bit tired of walking all the previous day, we spent half an hour to decide where to go because there were so many beautiful places.  Eventually, Disneyland was our final choice.

It was quite far from our hotel so it took more than half an hour to get there.  I was too excited about my first visit to the wonderland!  The trip made me feel like I was a baby girl again, nothing to worry, nothing to care, singing out loud in the middle of the park, watching Donald Duck, Peter Pan, Cinderella dancing, joining the dancing lesson with Stitch (it’s a famous character in a serial films in Disney Channel: Lilo and Stitch)…  Everything was great and perfect, except the rollercoaster which made my cry out loud later (it was scary, how come people can laughed and happy like that?).  And it took my friend a while to calm me down after she asked to try it again.

 

“Ah, it is the last day, there are still thousands places I haven’t visited yet. Where should I go now? Where? Where?”.  I screamed out loud the next morning, feeling worried, frustrated and confused.

“Hey girl, your life is still long.  You can go back to Paris later.  Don’t worry."  "But there are these places I’m not gonna miss today. So pack up and prepare!!!”  My friend smiled and it certainly made me feel better.

So the 1st place on the last day is a restaurant called Hard Rock Café.  It was nicely decorated with many guitars hanging thorough the room.  Later, I knew that they were all the guitars which had been played by famous singers.  My friend told me that Hard Rock Café was very famous and it appeared in many cities and countries around the world, such as Las Vegas in US, Spain, Mexico, and even in London. Hard Rock Café in Las Vegas even had a costume that Madonna wore in a show and then gave it to the restaurant as a gift.

Farewell to Hard Rock Café, we then headed to Louis Vuitton.  The trip was tiring and I had to carry the suitcase all the way because we had to return to the room at the hotel.  However, when I entered the shop, it liked you entered a suit life.  The stuff was expensive but there were still many customers there.

Next stop was the Arc de Triomphe.  The triumphal arch honours those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars.  On the inside and the top of the arc there are all of the names of generals and wars fought.  Underneath is the tomb of the unknown soldier from World War I.

 

There were four more hours until we had to get to the airport, so we decided to go to a place that if you did not go there in your first time to Paris, it would have meant that you were not in Paris.  And what I am talking about is: EIFFEL TOWER.

Lying under the sunlight in front of Eiffel Tower, I had a strange feeling.  It did not feel like the excitement in Disneyland; it did not like the mystery atmosphere in Louvre Museum. It was, how can I say, may be… peaceful.

The sun was shining, but not burning, the wind was blowing, but not violent, the cloud was floating, but not hasten.  You looked in the sky, and you knew that there was nothing to be regretted, nothing to be hurry because the time was like stopping there; you knew that you did not feeling lost because it felt like belonging, like… home.  (I don’t mean that I forgot my country or anything like that, it just a sudden emotion).

Unfortunately, that dream was too unbelievable to happen, the sky started to be darker, the wind blew stronger and it was time to go.  However, I already drew a picture which is a part of Eiffel Tower, so that I could never forget that precious moment in my life.

Adieu France! I will miss you so much!!!

The Lowdown #5 (Easter Break Sneak Peek!)

Posted by Maggie

Exams are looming and terrified pupils roam the school grounds.  One can’t help but feel the tension and stress students are experiencing now, especially if you’re one of the students. 

Life tends to go like this: a meal followed by a succession of revision periods then back to square one.  And the hedonist in me is protesting wildly.  So I compensate by gorging large amount of gourmet food while I flip through my Psychology notes.  This is to my disadvantage hence the graduation ball is coming up soon!  The dress I plan to wear on the night is already a bit too fitting on me and with the rate of my compulsive snacking, I’m not sure I’ll be able to wear that dress. 

Thank God for the invention of gym.  I am currently obsessed with the yoga hatha classes my gym offers on Sunday afternoons.  I am perfecting my tree pose as we speak.  Anyhow, I cannot wait for the graduation ball!  It is organised by our very own graduation ball committee – a group of highly talented and efficient Bellerbys London students. 

I sometime, just for the sake of it, hang out by the stall where the tickets are being sold and where my insane friends and I try to convince people to vote Khoa* for Queen (Khoa is an awesome guy, yes, guy, and so far, there are about 10 votes for him in circulation in the Queen box).  There will be a coronation of a King and Queen (vote for Khoa!) by the end of the night.  The ball itself will be held on a boat and there will be a casino running throughout the night (which is also where I’ll be pretty much all night when I need to take a break from the dance floor).  Of course, we’ll be using “fake” money but hey, it’s still good fun right?

People can get off the boat once we reach Westminster (which is on the other side of the River Thames) but unfortunately, the under 18s are not permitted.  The authorities believe that the fact that the grad ball ends at midnight is already pushing the limits since we normally have to be in our rooms by 11pm.  I’m not complaining though.  Hitherto, I rebelled against any restrictions placed upon me but I seem to understand why we have curfews now.  It is, believe it or not, really for our own good.  Plus, it’s not like we could go anywhere (let’s not get into the whole fake id dealio – they’re so phony).

On the other hand, I’ll enlighten you lot with my trip to Paris and Barcelona over Easter break but only briefly because I could go on for days if you want every single detail.  I hope all of you too had a good time, good rest or whatever endeavours you engaged in over the break.  My mom came to London to visit me and I took her around London like I was a Londoner myself.

It’s funny how time seems to creep up on you and bam! It has already been 8 months since I first set foot on the great British soil.  So after a couple of days spent in London, my mom and I flew to Barcelona where beautiful people and Iberico jamon coexist harmoniously.  My beginner Spanish came in quite handy and it seemed that the locals derived much amusement from my evident effort and struggle in trying to get my point across.  In Barcelona, architecture is its soul.  We witnessed Gaudi’s ingenuity.  Projects like the Sagrada Familia, Casa Batllo and Park Guell were flooded with waves of tourists ranging from China to Canada.  Gaudi became our friend during our time spent in Barca.

 

Here’s one tip from me to you when you travel to Spain in the future: Have tea in the afternoon because the Spaniards expect you to reserve tables after 9pm.  You must be wondering how I’d know this.  Well, when I tried to make a booking(s) at a restaurant(s), I asked for 8pm and all I got was a prolonged “uh” and “earliest is 9.30pm, Miss”.  It’s quite an interesting custom in my opinion.  I actually grew to enjoy having dinners late at night with a glass of cava in hand.

We found an amazing diner on a street called Escudellers.  Its name is Los Caracoles, which literally translates to The Snails.  Naturally, we ordered a plate of steamed snails and ate the snail-shaped bread they had baked.  We also ordered Osso Bucco and Paella on the second night (yes, we were there for two consecutive nights).  The food was great, the atmosphere was pleasant and the waiters were delightful (which consists of mostly middle-aged, bald men).  You have to walk past the kitchen where the chefs greet you passionately before you get seated.  We loved it there!  It felt like home.

We stayed at Le Meridian on Las Ramblas - a famous street (think Oxford street) that has abundant tourists and avid shoppers.  It belongs in the Barri Gothic district where old buildings that date back to many centuries ago remain.  Narrow streets are filled with shops and diners with an occasional cathedral and plaza appearing out of nowhere. 

I found out that the Spaniards have a penchant for fresh orange juice.  There were orange juicers everywhere!  The oranges were peeled and squeezed freshly right before your eyes in all the diners that I’ve been in.  Meanwhile, La Boqueria is a market where chefs buy their daily fresh produce from and where housewives gossip about the latest happenings.  Luckily for us, there were bars where fresh seafood were cooked and served promptly.  My mom also appreciated the fact that smoking is allowed.

Afterwards, we went to Picasso’s museum to satisfy our aesthetic cravings.  I fell in love with him after seeing his early works.  Picasso’s early works were intricately beautiful and he could really paint!  He’s not just anybody who took a stroll into the art world and decides to paint weird looking figures and call that art.  He was merely experimenting because one could only go so far with conventional paintings.  He also made sculptures, which were quite cute to be honest!

 

Now, we shall proceed to Paris.  We took an overnight train where we slept on bunk beds in a super crammed cabin.  I listened to the repeated and consistent rhythms of the grinding between the train and the train tracks.  It accompanied us for the night.  I thought that it was hypnotic and soothing.  My mom disagreed.  She swore she’d never take an overnight train again for the rest of her life. 

Once we got off the train (to my mother’s relief), we took a taxi and settled down in our hotel.  I absolutely love the cafes in Paris.  Their bread is… flawless.  The texture, smell and taste of the bread are the best in the world.  Of course, I’ve only been to a few places in the world so I can’t quite confidently admit it’s the best but as far as I’m concerned, it is the best. 

We did all the touristy shebang - Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees, Louvre, Musee d’Orsay and whatnot.  My favourite part of the trip was when we went on a cruise ride on the River Seine on a sunny afternoon.  We saw the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Latin Quarters, the old yet stunning bridges (some of them had gargoyles), a couple of Parliamentary buildings and lovers lounging by the steps beside the river.

 

That is when I truly found Paris a romantic city.  Has anybody seen the film called “Paris, Je T’aime”?  When I got back from the trip, I borrowed it from our school’s library (it boasts many wonderful films!  I am so thankful as I’m a huge movie buff) and saw the film again.  I duly enjoyed it and kept pointing out all the places that I’ve been to that were shown in the film.  There was this one part where the short film was shot in Porte de Choisy which is supposedly the Chinatown of Paris but there were more Vietnamese there than Chinese.  Anyway, I vividly remember this Vietnamese shop and it was in the film and I jumped up jubilantly when I saw it!  It’s quite an exhilarating experience to see the places you’ve been to on the silver screen.

Another favourite area of mine in Paris is Montmatre.  It is a tiny hill located slightly out of the central and it is lined with colourful stores and cobblestone roads.  It is such a photogenic area.  If I were the editor of Vogue, I’d definitely shoot a fashion spread in Montmatre.  Mind you, I applaud Carine Roitfeld’s work (editor in chief of French Vogue).  French Vogue is probably the best Vogue in the world now.  Russian Vogue is not bad either.  My mom and I rode on the funiclement, which means Merry-Go-Round in French and laughed a lot.  Did you know that Merry-Go-Round first appeared in Montmatre?

The next day, we went to Les Deux Magots, which means The Two Old Men in French, located in St. Germain du Pres (another area that I admire).  Apparently, Ernest Hemingway (or was it Oscar Wilde) used to go there.  We ordered blood-orange juice and salmon salad for lunch and chilled out for a while, with our new books in our hands.

 

Earlier, we went to a cool bookstore called Shakespeare and Co where they sell books in no order whatsoever.  You just venture into the bookstore and pick up any book that you’d like.  The floorboards were creaky and it was super dusty inside but it was such an interesting experience!  Don’t forget to stamp your books with the signature Shakespeare and Co stamp!  Later on, we went to the ultimate fashion store for the chic youths called Colette in Tuileries on Rue St. Honore.  I lost myself in there.  Lastly, one has to go to Laduree before leaving Paris.  It is possibly the best tea parlour in the whole wide world.  Their macaroons are delicious.  I just couldn’t get enough of their rose macaroons!

So you see, the good thing about studying in England is the fact that you could fly off to anywhere in Europe on a whim and quite cheaply too.  Paris in May, Barcelona in September and who knows where else!  Personally, the next few destinations on my list are Amsterdam and Prague.  Gather your friends and all you have to bring is an adventurous spirit!  Okay, maybe not but with a little more planning, you’d be screaming how fortunate you are to be able to live in a great city like London and the fact that it is so accessible to visit other European cities while you’re here.  I’m off now, until the next time, peace.

*We’re just kidding about the whole Khoa business. It is for entertainment purposes only.  No offense intended.  We love you Khoa, if you’re reading this. J

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!

Come Back to School!!

Posted by Linh

The two-week holiday has passed so fast that I feels like it just start yesterday (haha, or may be I am really getting lazy now, but I don’t think so =.=)

So how was your holiday? I bet that you have had a great time too.

As I have told you in the previous post, I went to Germany during these days off to visit my uncle and my brother. The bad news is that they were very busy so the trip to Switzerland was canceled (huhu).  On the other hand, I have had a great time with them.

I was living no differences like a princess there, you know, I can do stuff like going to bed late, getting up late too, watching films all day, just telling what I want to eat and no matter how hard to buy or find the food, my uncle always satisfied me (yeah me!!!) and the weather there is very hot and sunny.  But the most special thing was I have chances to talk with my brother, who is studying in Germany now and it has been nearly one year that I haven’t seen him.  Oh, I miss them so much now.

   

However, every situation has its advantage and disadvantage.  When I came back to Oxford, it was true that I do want to come back to Germany and I was very sad, but meeting classmates and sharing with them all the good memories help me to gain enthusiasm to start the new term.  Each of my classmates has had many interesting story, some of them went to their home countries, such as Kazakhstan, Turkey, Armenia, some were staying and travelling around England and some went to visit other countries like Canada.

Come back to the main topic which is about this new term, it runs from 14^th April to 12^th June.  This term, we have three subjects: English (Susannah), Economic (Rachel) and Business Studies (Hilai – hope I write her name right, I am not good at memory new teacher’s name).  All these subjects sound interesting so I hope we will have a good term (with a good report in the end ^^).

Hope you guys all doing well and having a good start!

Hallo Alle

Posted by Linh

Eventually, the exams for Foundation students have passed.  I hope you guys all doing well, or at least have tried to try your best!  :D

Now just put that aside!  It’s time to sing out loud: “What time ‘s this?  It’s time for vacation”

And guess where I plan to go!  He he, just take a closer look at the title! “Hallo alle” is how you say “hello everybody” in Germany.  Now you got it!  I decided to go to this country to spend Easter holiday with my uncle, my older brother and my cousin.

It took about 3 and half hours to go to the Stansted Airport.  Here you can check-in by yourself, it has an automatic machine which you just have to enter your reservation number and the airplane ticket will be printed out.  I found that very convenient and somehow quite interesting.  It seems to be a good start for my journey.

After 3 hours flying, I finally had my first step on Karlsruhe - a quite big city in the south west of Germany, located near the French-German border.  The weather here is a little bit warmer, I guess because it does not have that kind of wind which come in like a lion and go out like a lamb in March like Oxford.

We have a lot of plans for my trip here, going to Switzerland is included in that (yeah me!!! lol)

I think I will have more things to write for you guys after my holiday, so see ya!  Have a great holiday!!!