15 Amusing things International Students find odd

So this term, as I've been becoming aware of more and more British things my international friends find weird. Now obviously some of these may be odd things I do, and it's likely more nationalities than I've mentioned think the things are strange, but you get the jist! Obviously plugs, which side of the road we drive on, binge drinking, North/South divide and queueing came up but that's nothing new!

1. Two Tap System (China, Poland, Spain, Cyprus, Italy, Germany)
2. We wait outside the room (at uni), whether it's for labs or a workshop, until the lecturer is there we'll remain outside. It just feels wrong after the years of school where it was a rule (Romania, Scotland)
3. How big the cucumbers are (Iraq, Cyprus).... and the size of the chickens (Poland)
4. This is a satsuma. (Lithuania, Germany, Cyprus)

5. Using multiple words for the same thing in one sentance. I'm very guilty of this in the case of America as my mum if from there. I can easily use USA, US, The States, America, United States all in one train of thought. (Spain/Germany)
(similar...)
6. Number of words we have to mean drunk (Hong Kong)
7. Ignoring each other in the street (Portugal)
8. How many accents we manage to have in such a small area (Spain)
9. Never seem to dress for the right weather (France)
10. The word "acknowledgements" (Lithuania)
11. Saying "maybe" or "We'll see" when we mean "no." (Germany, Hong Kong)
12. Using tea bags, not one of these! (Romania)

13. (my housemate was upset this came up) (Spain, Venezuela)

14. Our cuisine:
          Chips and Gravy (Cyprus)
          Love for Gravy (France)
          Eating eggs without salt (Germany)
and my favourite... "the pride the British have on their cuisine (is) a bit ridiculous considered by that it is not very varied and without any indigenous ingredients" (India)
15. TV is very strange, I can sympathise...

Now what's going to be really interesting, is if everything goes to plan, I'll be an international student next year!! It'll be amusing to be in this situation from the other side! 

Dos and Don'ts: Uni Packing!

It's nearly term time, so I'm back!
Here's a quick list of things I'd say don't bother, and things I would say are (almost) essential!
ps. some stuff may be tailored to York as, ya know, I've only gone there, but I've also asked around among friends

DO
- DOORSTOP: Kitchens get warm (if you're lucky enough to not have a kitchen door alarm), and being able to wedge your door open makes halls feel a little less like a hotel
- DRYING RACK: I can guarantee that you will get sick of paying £2.50+ just to dry/damage your clothes, I got very lucky and had flatmates who were willing to lend me theirs
- POSTER/WALL HANGING: You're going to want to make it your own, posters are the fast way to do this. Many rooms have premade pinboards or poster rails so you won't damage the walls! Whiteboard pens are a good shout for kitchens with whiteboards
- SHOWER BASKET: If you're in a room where the bathroom gets cleaned every few weeks, moving stuff in and out is a hassle, plastic baskets are the super easy answer
- (MINI) SPEAKER/AUX CORD: Pres in the kitchen are far better with music
- PREPARE COSTUMES: Especially with York Freshers week where there are pre-arranged themes, several people said to get these in order, even think forward to halloween as it'll be around before you know it!
- BOOK BAG: Yes it sounds cheesy like we're back at primary school, but a bag you can fit a folder and notepad in for lectures is an essential. Oh and a water bottle, freshers flu is real and coughing through lectures is not cool.
- LAPTOP: Came up several times in peoples answers, by far the easiest way to do your work, far better than a desktop computer as it takes up less space, and can go with you everywhere (I have an ASUS ZenBook and would recommend it if you're looking atm, it's the size of A4 and weighs about 1kg so perfect for rucksacs)
- COUGH MEDICINE: freshers flu is real, please be prepared for the sake of everyone else in your lectures 

DON'T
- PRINTER: Printing in the library costs very little, maybe 4p per page, and if you do certain feedback surveys, you can get free print credit. Connecting your devices to the university printers is usually explained on the IT Services page
- FUSILLI: So it's not something you'd take to uni, but when you do your first shop, don't go mad and buy the mega bag of fusilli, if you've seen Fresh Meat you'll understand (for those of you who haven't: you'll hate it and never finish it)
- EXCESS KITCHEN EQUIPMENT: It's likely you'll only ever use one mug, maybe 2 plates if you can't be bothered with washing up, and definitely no cake slices or place mats. Similarly with irons and toastie makers, it's likely you'll end up with several per flat, many of which will never be used. However, tupperware is v useful
- FANCY CLOTHING: Going out at uni is generally a pretty laid back affair, especially in York, heels are dangerous with cobbles
- BOOKS: Textbooks from 6th form are unlikely to be of any use, and a bit of light reading is something that you generally won't have time for. Unless you're an english student in which case it's not for relaxation. Recipe books as well, google holds all the answers for simple student food.

I hope you're all super excited to start your first term, and that this helps with any objects you're debating about taking.
All the best,
Bea x

Notifications

Bit of a jumble of thoughts today, but here goes...

It's a funny thing this technology age.
Part of me loves it, and part of me hates it. You see, there's something great about being able to go off the grid, but if you dare to do so, even for a few hours these days without telling someone, people seem to assume something is wrong. The stress that appears when a message is only showing as sent and not delivered, where could they be thats not on wifi, is their phone broken, are they okay?
Some people out there will try and convince you that wifi and the radio waves used are bad for your health. Personally, I find this hard to believe, but interpreted another way you could argue that it is. I don't think the waves are the harmful bit, I think it's the dependency. There's such a desire to be liked in society today, not in an emotional way, but in a click of a button way, this is what causes harm to people.
I went for a swim this afternoon, I was in the pool for no more than 45 minutes, 18 notifications waiting for me on my phone once I was back in the changing rooms. What's so beautiful about swimming is there is no wifi, no phone signal, no radios, no music. It's like putting yourself into airplane mode. It's just up and down, counting my strokes and my breathing, trying to line up the breaths with the markers on the pool floor, judging the distance for the turn. I guess it's a state of mindfulness. Focusing on nothing outside of that moment.
Last year when stress was coming from every angle possible, on my half days I'd drive out to the New Forest (Hampshire) and go for a walk. Often not planned but I always managed to find my way back to the car. Funily enough, there's no wifi there, or phone signal for that matter. Sometimes I'd take a camera, it's amazing how you find yourself looking so much more carefully at what's going on around you when you're holding a lens. Thinking critically about will that make a good photo. Not for Instagram, but just would it make a good photo.

A weird thing I've found myself doing since starting Uni is watching trash TV on my laptop everyday, often for several hours. Yesterday, even when I was hanging up my washing. What has this come to, can I not function without some narrative or noise going on at the same time, am I really that dependent on technology? I made a point of not taking headphones to walk to the gym, going to attempt to wean myself a little
I'm pretty sure I've gone about this in the most roundabout way possible but I guess I'm trying to say to take time out from technology. Whether it's setting up quiet hours on your phone (mine is 10pm-8am) so you can properly sleep, or just going to talk to a flat/house mate rather than messaging them (guilty of this). Find a place or activity where it's just you, no external thought or pokes or notifications or buzzes, whilst gadgets are popping up everywhere to do everything for us, it's important to take time off. You are an independent human being who doesn't need noise in your ear every hour of the day.
All the best,
Bea x

10 things every concert band member will know to be true

1.  Bandcest = relationships: Often contrasting sections, a very common one is upper woodwind and lower brass. Expect awkwardness 24/7 as there are always people breaking up and getting together
2. One drink down, and if there’s music there’ll be over-expressive singing and harmonising. God forbid there be a guitar nearby, let alone bongos. Key change? Everyone loses their minds
3. No rehearsal in the history of concert bands has ever started on time. It’s just one of those things that cannot physically happen
4. That one kid who never shuts up and we must all bask in their amazingness
5. The frustration that forms when you see an actor/actress/statue playing your instrument wrong
6.  Band kids freaking love biscuits
7.  It’s not considered even vaguely weird to listen to band pieces in your spare time, sometimes even while on the sesh
8.  Every band will have a different layout and note they tune to, just to screw with you
9.  Doesn’t everyone start Christmas in mid-November? Can’t forget sleigh ride! Let's not even start on busking...
10. Stereotypes and clichés were not created out of thin air 

The Evolution of Popular and Cool

It's been a while I know, but this has been on my mind a lot lately; the difference between being popular and being cool.
Back in primary school, it was so small that they were rolled into one, it depended on whether you wore the right clothes, watched the right TV shows, and played the right sports. Of course having a school uniform took out the clothes factor a lot (as it did at secondary as well) which I am so grateful for (massive believer in school uniforms).
Then you get to secondary school, for me this was going from one class per year, to eleven so quite an increase. With 6 feeder primarys and people coming from elsewhere, the cool/popular groups combined. It was here I started to see the difference between popular and cool. You were able to be widely liked and known without having to be cool. The majority of people knew each other so the cool groups stayed pretty steady from primary to secondary.
6th form. 2000 people per year (no that's not a typo). With so many people coming from around the country and around the world, many of these groups were thrown up in the air. It was too big for there to be a cool group. It was very refreshing. Your "social standing" if you must call it that was determined by which seating area/canteen/cafe you went to at lunch time. There was no uniform but unlike all of the non-school-uniform days in primary and secondary, there was far less competing to wear the right clothes, and dress the right way. In a way, it was a bit like St Trinians with everyone finding a group of people similar to themselves, you had the hippies, goths, varleys, rugby lads, and us average joes.
And then you get to University, for the majority of people, they have come without their friend group from school. Being cool is pretty much irrelevant. It's all about knowing more people, and that comes under popularity. Joining random clubs and societies and putting yourself out there is the only way to do it, dressing in the right clothes and treating people in a way that makes you feel "cool" is going to get you no where. You need connections these days if you ever want to find a job, and Uni is such a great opportunity to do this.
I think in general, it comes down to this; Cool is dressing the right way, acting the right way (often frankly cruel), and keeping to a small group of people. Popular is being widely known, and generally well liked for who you are. I feel like you could write a whole psychology paper on this but I have enough work of my own I should be doing!
Popular or Cool, you decide; I definitely know which one I'm aiming to be
All the best,
Bea x

What I've learnt at Uni so far

Hello again,

Haven't posted in a while but been a little preoccupied with going to Uni. I'm at the University of York and it is fab. Here is my list so far of what I have learnt already...

1. Napping is important.
2. You can go to lectures on no sleep
3. Introduction lectures are boring
4. Go out for the whole of freshers if you can make it
5. Freshers flu is real
6. Food is cheap up North
7. Donner Kebab Pizza
8. Cook 4 persons of food and freeze the rest - home-made ready meals
9. Take water to lectures
10. Don't expect the heating to be consistent between buildings
11. No one gives a s*** if you go to lectures in trackies and a hoodie
12. You will definitely meet someone who is desperately trying to reinvent themselves, but the real them keeps poking through
13. Whatsapp - easiest way to prevent awkwardness in groups where some people aren't on Facebook
14. DON'T SNAPCHAT STORY VIDEOS OF THE CLUB EVERY NIGHT
15. Drinking Game: Jammin by Bob Marley - every time he says Jammin, you drink.
16. Jager Bombs
17. Ask second years where the cheap drinks are
18. Get as much as you can at freshers fair (I got 14 pens, 1 sharpie, a whole bag of various sweets, giant marshmallow, free pizza, 4 key rings, 3 lanyards, 2 rubber men, tissues, wristbands etc.)
19. No one bothers with heels for a night out, cobbles and stilettos just don't mix
20. Make a lot of lists, it's the only way you'll know whats going on

There will be more student friendly recipes coming soon but until then...
All the best,
Bea x

My Top 10 Films you need to see before University

Hi There!

      So over the past week or so I've been putting together a list (in order) of My Top 10 Films I think you need to see before you go off to University. It's kind of a cover all bases, so you've seen the worst that can happen, before you're sat on the curbside of an unfamiliar city. They probably tend towards the more girly end of the spectrum, but that can't be a surprise? After all, I am a girl! Enjoy...

 

1. Pitch Perfect (2012)

• This is probably my all-time favourite film, and although it gives some pretty odd ideas about how uni life is going to be, it teaches a seriously good lesson about putting yourself out there, joining a random new club and meeting new people. Oh, and there are some gorgeous harmonies in the mashups…
2. The Inbetweeners Movie (2011)
• Be prepared for the level of awkwardness of their clubbing experiences – and for everyone to end up doing the dance when they have no idea what else to do. Everyone ends up knowing someone like each of the 4, probably not good to tell someone if they’re a Neil though!
3. Clueless (1995)
• Fun fact about this, it’s the basis for Iggy Azaleas music video for Fancy! Not gonna lie, I don’t miss quite a few of the fashion trends in this, but then again, we’ll probably say the same thing in ten years time. Forever glad my driving test didn’t go the same way hers did. I need a Josh.
4. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
• If you can watch Heath Ledger sing without breaking into a grin, I frankly don’t believe you. Another moral story hidden behind a chick flick, but it’s great fun all the same.
5. Mean Girls (2004)
• Every school has girls like these, or at least that think they are. But you’re done with all that petty politics (at least in theory) so take the time to celebrate the lack of people like this in your life anymore.
6. St Trinians (2007)
• St Trinians is everyone’s dream of what boarding school would be like, but oh wait, we’re going to uni, which is basically boarding school with no rules, alcohol, and more parties!! When the back to school themed club night comes around, you know what’s in store.
7. 21 Jump Street (2012)
• Pretty good way to learn how to party, and it’s not exactly like Channing Tatum or Dave Franco aren’t easy on the eyes. If you enjoy this, Bad Neighbors is a must.
8. The Breakfast Club (1985)
• It’s a classic. Quoted all over, even in Pitch Perfect.
9. Legally Blonde (2001)
• Just because people don’t think your smart enough, doesn’t mean you can’t do it. Elle Woods proves this. Oh and yet another moral story, chasing boys doesn’t mean they’ll like you, sorry, it’s the truth.
10. Accepted (2006)
•  For those of you who were bricking it for results, I’m sure at one point you even considered making a fake acceptance letter so you could just leave and your parents would never know. Well this guy did it, in an amazing way.

       I hope you enjoyed this, let me know if you did and there might be more film/recommendation lists in the future!

All the best,

Bea x