UEA International Student Ambassadors

  I feel like I do pretty well with this stuff, I stay up to date on politics and media and all of that as best as I can. Regardless, there are some things I just don’t understand about British culture.     1)      Who is Gemma Collins? She seems to be everywhere and nowhere at once. Does she even actually exist? I’ve heard her name a million times, but I’ve never seen proof that she’s a real person.  2)      Why do politicians boo each other? Even school children know not to do that! Watching any video from the houses of Parliament just shocks me every time. I get being angry about politics but just wait your turn.  3)      Being incredibly polite. This one is really lovely, so I guess it’s less confusing, but this still doesn’t come quite naturally to me. Waving at cars when they stop at zebra crossings, thanking the bus driver, calling people “hun” – all very sweet things, all still a bit strange.   4)      Ending texts with x. Why all the kisses! This still throws me off, especiall

Everyone is different, and everyone works differently. After all this time of online university, I’ve learned some tricks that work for me – maybe at least one of them will help, maybe not! If anyone else has tips, feel free to leave them in the comment section.   Image from Unsplash 1.       Time is an illusion  There’s this idea that you’re only “productive” if you go to bed early, wake up early, and start work early. If you have a lot of early morning lectures and seminars, you’re unfortunately stuck with that, but if you don’t, try to get out of that mindset!         We all have our own internal rhythms, and there’s no point in trying to stick to everyone else’s. If you’re a night owl and you’re able to, don’t feel bad if you wake up at midday and start uni work at 6pm! Do whatever is easiest for you.    2.       Make studying fun I know, this isn’t always easy. Just see if there’s something you can do that will make you want to study. Sometimes the content is exciting, but sometim

I'm stuck at home for a while longer (thanks, pandemic!) and I’m realising that there’s a lot of UK, Norwich and UEA-specific things I miss. Here’s a random and non-conclusive list, in no particular order!   1)      The free online streaming services! I miss the selection of tv series.   2)      Online shopping. Yes, there is online shopping in Norway, but it’s not at all the same. There’s something great about knowing that you could have basically  anything  delivered to your door in less than 24 hours.  3)      The supermarkets. The giant bags of pasta, the sweets offers, the near-constant sales on Ben and Jerry’s… No Norwegian grocery store can so cheaply accommodate the student diet.  4)      Everything about my house and housemates and friends  5)      The UEA campus!  Even in a pandemic, it’s so lovely to walk around the lake and see all the dogs, or sit in the library with the big windows, especially at night with all the lights when it’s all quiet.  6)      The cute little