Huddersfield ISC Students - September 2009

New videos from the International Study Centre are now on YouTube.

Click here for the latest videos from the ISC including a welcome from international students and campus tours.

Listen to Sports Therapy student Nilesh Shah, from India, talk about how studying at Huddersfield is different to studying in India.

Nilesh Shah Podcast

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Listen to Thai Marketing student Chudee Suwanwong talk about how she is enjoying living in Huddersfield. She even likes the rain!

Chudee Suwanwong Podcast

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Listen to Marketing student, Ahmed Abdel Kader Mohamed from Egypt, talk about the accommodation at Huddersfield and his first impressions of living in the UK.

Ahmed Abdel Kader Mohamed Podcast

The end of 2nd term after the completion of exams and the stressful term, it was finally time to relax and enjoy.

The ISC was taking us to Flamingo Land which was at the north of Yorkshire approximately one and a half hour drive. We all were excited as usual for this trip and were looking forward to it. I can’t afford to miss that the trip was for free – the ISC was not charging us. I could not miss this, as I can recall Dionne our ISC head always pointing this out. I will be frank and say that I went on this trip as it was free, can’t miss these kinds of opportunities. Anyways, to carry on as I told you before, it was all exciting except that we had to catch our bus at early in the morning at 8.

I was up and awake, on my way to the university from where we were catching our bus. We were a bit early to reach the university so waited for everyone including the bus to arrive. It was so windy and cold that day though it was predicted to be that way by the weather forecast but we all were praying it to be warmer, as all the other days the sun was out and it was warm during the day time. Though, unluckily for us it wasn’t the way we would like it to be. So, finally all of us were there and seated in the bus. What can you expect us to do in the bus so early in the morning except sleeping? In no time most of us were fast asleep and the rest were peeping out from the window enjoying the beauty of the land. We didn’t realise how fast we reached our destination FLAMINGO LAND. We were almost shivering when we stepped out of our comfortable and warm cosy bus, as it was chilling cold outside, but the cold didn’t reduce our excitement of visiting the place. We entered the place and were just seeing around in amazement and thinking where to start from. There were various rides which seemed either scary or very scary. The place was not as big as Disneyland or Alton Towers but surely was no less than these places. It had most of the best and the scariest rides.

Ready to go!

Queuing for the rides

Do they look nervous to you?

I screamed the loudest

We started our journey of going to all the different kinds of rides, in the first ride there were 15 of us who went. But, after the first ride we had a competition of who will be the last person standing. One of my friends got so scared after the first ride he never got the courage to go on the other rides and he just sat and saw us going on to the rides. The rides were creepy and the amount of people after each ride kept on reducing. We went on almost all the rides but the worst two were still to go. We were all so tired and it was time for lunch.

We went to a restaurant named “American Dinner” it was looking a lovely place and the menu seemed interesting. But only when we got our food we realised only burgers are served here, we were damn hungry so ate whatever came our way and the food was good. The service was horrible and could not have been worse. When we were leaving the lights went away and they could not make their bills. Everything in and around us has become so computerized that it seems people cannot do anything manually these days. We were stuck there for half-an-hour. I left that place without paying the bill at first but I pitied them and went back to pay the bill.

Now, we couldn’t go on the other rides immediately after eating because otherwise we would puke. So we went and were playing video games for a while until the food had almost digested. There were only 4 of us in the end who were ready to go on these days rides by the end of it. I went on the last two rides as well.

The best part which I figured out on the ride was you could scream as much as you want let everything out from inside you!

On all the rides I did that the best, screamed like crazy, as this is the only place where people will not call you crazy if you scream. It is a fact, you don’t believe me then do one thing - shout at the top of your voice where ever you are right now and hats off to you if people don’t call you crazy.

By the end of there were nothing more left in that place for us to explore and it was time for us to leave. On our way out we got some souvenirs, though I didn’t buy anything on my way out except some cookies to eat. They were amazingly good and I could have bought and eaten all of them but I ran out of money luckily at that time.

Finally, all of us in the bus and again we all went to sleep, as our eyes were not keeping themselves open. We reached back to the university said bye to each other and rushed back home to sleep again. This bought an end to a wonderful day.

I didn’t want to leave my home again and come back to study in UK, far from near and dear one’s, but didn’t have any other choice. On my way back on the flight I was just scribbling on paper and trying to write as I had lost practice of writing, it is shameful. The vacations had been awesome and I could not have asked for a better break, I felt like spending more time out there.

I reached Huddersfield just one hour before the starting time of the first day so I rushed home dropped my luggage and was back in the ISC. It felt good but scary as again I had to start studying, doing assignments, so boring. The term timetable was given to us and it looked horrible with an entire day of English, physics and maths. All of them are brain cracking subjects. The time table even included some fun days like film nights and outings. It is good to have extra-curriculum activities with studies, always fun. Even the first week was a holiday for us and the next holidays for Easter were not far. In March end we are going to have our exams, which meant we hardly had two months to study and finish our course. It was known straightaway that we would be working very hard this term. This seemed scary.

This term I had decided I am going to play some game or the other. Last term, I was too lazy or can even be said scared to go interact with new people and new atmosphere of playing. I got a chance to play cricket and used that opportunity and started playing for the university team. It gives quiet a lot of relief after a stressful studies.

This term is completely different from the last term. There were a lot more expectations from the tutors from us. We need to put more of our time and effort in work. This term is more challenging than the last one. We needed to decide our course which we want to do in future do obtain a degree, and to decide that is very tough. We are scared to select a wrong course for ourselves but luckily we have the flexibility in universities in Britain that we can change our course after first year which I feel is really very good and helpful.

Ooop……. I forgot to tell you as soon as I landed back in the ISC I was handed my grades for the 1st term examination. I got pretty good marks in all the subjects but wasn’t happy with myself. I felt I could have done better but the way I had studied I guess I couldn’t expect more. I got A in all of the subjects. I just got one complement from everyone WELL DONE! I was like is that it nothing else do say. I came to know one thing that everyone else like me had expected more marks from me.

This made me to say myself to work harder this time and do well and come true to everyone’s expectations. Though I haven’t started to study till now but I am sure that sooner I will be immersed in my books as the exams are not far at all, they are already knocking at the door. So, I need to get down to serious studies as physics and maths this time around is not at all easy. 

:)

Poor me has to do so much work………

By the end of December we were all looking forward for Christmas break and get out of studies, I was so excited because I was going back home to India during the break and couldn’t wait to get back home with parents and family. But unluckily excitements or happiness is not achieved without hard work.

You might be wondering what hard work would be before going home in a Foundation Course? Yes, you have guessed it well examinationssssssss……… the most terrifying thing for all the students. For me, the first time I wasn’t that tensed or worried about the examination as the excitement of getting back home eased all the examination pressure. I would be wrong if I deny that I wasn’t tensed at all. Study who likes it ok! But don’t have a choice have to do it for our own good. I hadn’t studied at all before the examination week, who does? So I had to sit down with the books the entire time and try to get everything in my head it wasn’t that tough at all maybe because I had understood everything and all the concepts in the classes. So it wasn’t as tough to study as I had thought it would be though I wished I had studied earlier rather than last moment studies.

Anyways the examinations started I shouldn’t forget to tell you about the time me and two of my friends spend just before our maths examination. We needed to practice in maths as it can’t be studied so we decided that we will meet up order food from outside and study together. Now, we had decided that we are going to study first, eat after that and then go to sleep. So we tried to do as we had planned and we started studying. Who can control himself from eating when delicious mouth watering pizzas are lying in front of you? I couldn’t so studies went up the drain and we all were hogging like dogs until our stomachs were over flooded, had to sleep then because it is practically impossible to study after eating so much so by the end of it we had done nothing. I got up the next morning thinking about studying a little bit which I did as I wanted good grades in the examinations. I guess if I had worked harder I would have done better in the paper. The same way I wrote the other papers which all went pretty well, but I wasn’t bothered much about it as examinations were over :) yeah!!!!

It is party time.

No, it was not much of a party as I had to pack my bags and get ready to leave for India the next day. So was busy with the packing after that but in no time I was in the Manchester and ready to catch my flight back home. It was so fast I had just come and was going back home, time flies away. But I couldn’t be happier the way it had all gone it had been so perfect nothing could be better. This time in the flight I knew the reason why I was and where I was going. It was a relief for me personally. I was back home as the same person but a bit transformed in the way I think. When I reached back home I felt I had been on a vacation in Huddersfield. Though, I didn’t think anything except relaxing and having fun with family and friends.

The classes were going on from what I heard from the other students in the bus, seeing the wonderful snow around me I was not wanting to attend the class but I didn’t want to miss it as well. So, I went for the class and was surprised to see that except for few tutors and me there was no one else around in our centre. I got a chance so while I was waiting for others to come I started playing in the snow and started making a snowman. The snow was so cold…….it froze my hands and I could not feel anything they were numb for most of the time after that. Slowly more of my friends started coming and after a few minutes there were almost 7 of us playing in the snow and almost covered in the snow while we were smashing the snow balls on each other.

Our snowman

Snow everywhere!

I’d never seen snow before

There was another group of students who were also playing in snow so we started throwing snow on them. Then one of my friends got hit badly so there was a small fight which was solved in no time as it was all for fun. We stopped fighting with the snow after that and all of us got involved in making a snow-man. We were rolling the snow from all over the place to make huge snow balls which would later result in a snow-man. It was so tiring to make a snow-man. At last we managed to get his body in the right place and the placed his head nicely. But our snow-man was not at all stable we try to make it a bit stable made its eyes and mouth. We weren’t finished making the snow-man but we were called inside for our classes, the purpose of us coming to the university. Not many students had turned up and the classes had also started late so all there was only a little bit of studying because we were asked to go back home as it had started snowing badly. I rushed and caught the bus to my home as i didn’t want to get stuck in the town with no were to go.

My way back to the house I just relaxed in the bus as i was already so tired making a snow-man and playing with the snow. I was back home and I was not at all surprised to see all my flat mates out in the snow. I hoped in and joined them. It was wonderful time. My flat mates almost buried me in the snow. It was horrible I was shivering most of the time after that but didn’t leave them in peace and took my revenge with all of them. It was really starting to come down badly so we all decided to go back to our rooms. I was so cold and tired that as soon as I entered my room I was under my blanket and fast asleep it was hardly 3 in the by then. The next thing I know was when I got up it was almost 10 at night and it was still snowing and freezing. I had my dinner and was again off to bed. I can’t recall how long I slept for that day but it was another wonderful day and my first experience in snow………it was lovely.

It was just another day when my alarm was first rang… It was the start of a new week, it was Monday so as usual I turned off my alarm and went to sleep.

To my surprise at 7:45 in the morning I got a phone call from one of my friends who were near my house partying, and I guess this was just after I had switched off my alarm. I picked up my phone and said, “Hey, don’t you think it is a bit too early?”

He replied to my words, “yap it is, but I guess you have your class today.”

Then the bell rang in my mind and I jumped out of the bed to get ready but he stopped me and asked the time for the first bus to town, and he added that I should open my curtains to see outside. It didn’t click to me that time but after a quick shower I thought why was he asking me for the first bus to town? Is he still here? What is he doing here till now?
I got ready as fast as possible because I had my classes and didn’t want to miss them.

I even opened my curtains then and… I was surprised to see the condition outside. Now, whatever my friend said was starting to make sense to me. I called him up and asked him if the bus were functioning and hearing his reply I asked him to come to my room. All the roads had been blocked and till the roads were cleared the buses could not come. I was so excited like a child as this was my first experience… of…???? SNOW

Snow outside my window

It had snowed the entire day the night before so the entire Huddersfield was covered with snow all around; it seemed like a white paradise. So, now I’ll tell you what exactly happened with my friend he was here partying the last night and couldn’t get a taxi back to his house as it had snowed badly and all the roads were blocked so he had to stop over at my friends place, he got up early in the morning as he had to get to his house he also had classes. He was waiting for the bus from 7:30 in the morning until I called him to my room.

I was so thrilled to see the snow for the first time in my life but it was tooooo cold. It is a part and parcel of snow.

Anyways, when my friend came over to my room we tried to find out if there were any buses coming or not… but we didn’t get a answer from any one. My friend’s was desperate to get back to his house and I was too excited so I didn’t mind walking down the streets for 10kms with the entire area covered in the snow. I just wanted to go out there in the snow. So, we asked other friends of ours to join us but they all said we were mad and went to sleep. We didn’t bother much with them just started walking down. I was all prepared to take quite a few photos throughout our journey. BUT as we just went out of the gate we found a bus and it felt it was waiting for us only, to my despair we did get on to it.

All my excitement came to an end for that moment.

I had to satisfy myself by seeing the snow from the bus window… though it was just the starting of a wonderful day…

Coming to the UK was so tough to decide and reach to a conclusion to come here to this beautiful place even after hearing a lot about racism, I was brave enough to take a decision to come here and not even bother to believe in what I had heard. After landing here indeed my thinking was right and I could say that as the first English person I met was a cab driver and he was so good and friendly it was awesome. I can say the first impression was awesome and it is rightly said, “First impression is the last impression”. I was all excited to experience the new university with complete different style of studying and lifestyle.

As the university started it was lovely and I can not ask for anything more from this lovely place. This pace has developed me a lot to become a better human, in only 3months of my stay here. I have learnt to live independently and do all work on my own without being dependent on anyone and I feel it is very important for an individual to learn to be independent. Everyday here is exciting and new when we really don’t know what lies for us ahead. I have really learned how to cook which I never used to do before its so exciting to learn how to cook. I even came to know how to manage money and live life on the right track because we have all the freedom her e that we can imagine. This is where my control over myself was tested and this helped me realize my weak points, which is really very good. Life over here is so different from back home their culture and every thing is so new for me but it is fun to know about it. Over here almost every day is hard work in the university and then relaxation and party, I really like this as back home it was only hard work and that is all I could do. I even get time to carry out my hobby that is drawing I love doing it. It is going very well till know I have made quiet some friends but very few English friends as they don’t communicate much with the non-English but I would never call this racism. I guess they are shy or to engrossed in their own lives. I would love to make more English friends and it will happen as I spend more time in this place.

Huddersfield is so beautiful!

The university is good I am actively involved in all the activities. I have even been lucky enough to become the student representative of my course. I write blogs for the university website. I have been up-to-date with the work and have got good results.  I like to involve in all the work and be an active student. I would not deny I am pretty naughty as well but that is a part of it isn’t it? My course is really good and we are taken for excursions very often. It is a lot of fun in the university.

My thinking has not changed much but I feel I have become more open to options and I grab all the options which will help me in future. I have become more open to life and always ready for challenges. So, this is the biggest change that I have observed in myself otherwise I am the same. I am sure I will learning more about the place, the people and I would change in many ways in the coming years that I have to spend in this beautiful and clean place.

I wish to change one thing over here and that is the amount people drink and smoke. Many of them do so to beat the cold and relax themselves but I feel it should be in limit as even the underage people start all this.

I would my experience so far has been excellent and I am enjoying every moment I spend over here from the university hard work to all the enjoyments.