UEA International Student Ambassadors

Hi! I hope everyone is having a great time back home. I am still at uni and it is very quiet here, which is not very good :( I've got 4 course tests right after the Christmas break and on top of that, I've got a lab report, an essay and another course work to do. Now you can see this break is not really a break to me. It is a break for revision and and coursework!! How about you? Have you got much to do during this Christmas time? Even though the amount of studying that I have to do is staring and laughing at me, I am going to enjoy the Christmas fever :) I will be back in 2013, yes, 2013! Have a wonderful Christmas and Happy new year!!!!xx Saem-UEA Korean Student Ambassador

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The UEA Ambassadors joined together for some Christmas Cheer last Wednesday.  We swapped names a few weeks ago to play "Secret Santa."  This is a game commonly played in the UK around Christmastime.  Members of a group (a student society, colleagues in an office, etc.) will pull names out of a hat.  Everyone is responsible for buying a small present for the person they have been assigned.  At a group party, the big sack with everyone's presents is distributed...but the gift tag only says who the present is for, and is only signed by "Santa."  Depending on how you play, you can either guess who bought your present and have some laughs as people guess wrong, or it's just a permanent mystery! I got a really fun container from my "Santa" - which is perfect, because I was actually about to buy a tin for my tea!  So thanks to whichever International Student Ambassador bought my present... And there are a few presents yet to be picked up in the of...

Hi everyone, It's official! The first semester of my second year has come to a close, and its amazing how quickly it's all gone by. The last week and a half has been a blur of all types of activity. First of all, this marks the half way point of my law degree! There was quite a buzz about it, as everyone prepared to attend the Law Society Christmas Ball (I'll post a link to the pictures below). Being on the law society committe, we were all pretty busy the past few weeks selling tickets for it, organising the transport, food, entertainment and venue (at the very classy Dunston Hall). In addition to this, the other societies I'm a part of also organised all sorts of christmassy events, ranging from dinners to socials at clubs in town (one of which I attended last night at Tau, by the African-Carribbean Society). Us international ambassadors also got together two nights ago to exchange secret santa presents at the Union Pub and then joined in on the ch...

Hi guys,   Christmas is coming!! Have you all done your Christmas shopping yet?! Are you planning to going back home or travelling to some exciting places? Yes, it's time to relax now...haha. Most of the students will finish everything today. I have submitted my coursework and also got my computer test done yesterday, so now I can plan for the holiday..haha. Found some nice photos of London Hyde park's Winter Wonderland, it looks soooo brilliant! I might stick it in my Christmas plan!!     Merry Christmas everyone!!!! UEA Chinese Student Ambassador

Did you know that there is a group for UEA Korean students including current students and alumni? If you are not aware of this, check the link below. It's a great chance for you to get connected with other Korean students. https://netcommunity.uea.ac.uk/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1400  Christmas is coming. Merry Christmas everyone!! :D Saem - UEA Korean Student Ambassador

The clock is ticking away and Christmas is in 13 days. What are you looking forward to? Is it getting away from university, seeing family and friends, opening your Christmas presents, shopping on boxing day, staying up all night on 31st of December to watch the fire works or singing your way into the new year. Whatever it is you are looking forward to, I hope you have the best of it and enjoy Christmas the best way you can because it is a season of joy and celebration. Have a very Merry Christmas everyone and see you back in the new year. Josephine, UEA Ghanaian International Student Ambassador

There are so many interesting things going on at the UEA campus and in Norwich. For all jazz lovers and people who are passionate about music, UEA Music Society presented two concerts 2 weeks ago. It was amazing! The first one was an annual tradition event- Jazz in the Hive, where the musicians played well-known songs. The second one took place in the church and theme was Chrismas. We enjoyed a mix of lovely songs, like "We wish you a merry Chrismas" and "Let it snow" and even joined them in singing! If you are interest in similar events, check out our blog or Facebook page :   http://www.facebook.com/uearussia?ref=hl#!/groups/191617244294615/?fref=ts  to take part.

Hello everyone! It is already the 12th week of university, which means that the first semester is coming to its end and most importantly the Christmas break is insight! A lot of the UK students are going home, but there are also a lot of international students that are planning to spend their Christmas in the UK, or travel around Europe. For some it is the first experience of a cold (and maybe even white) Christmas. Some students who can’t go home might even join friends to celebrate it with their families. As for me I am not going home for Christmas, which some people might find sad, but I am going to spend my Christmas in Portugal and I can’t wait! One of the greatest advantages of studying in the UK is meeting people from around the world since there are a lot international students at the university. I love hearing stories of how people celebrate Christmas in different countries. And being friends with people from all over the world can give you some great vacation addresses! ...

Now that Christmas is getting close, it was time to have a "Mexican Posada". On Saturday 8th of December some friends from Mexico and myself organized a Mexican party, we made some traditional Mexican dishes, and of course a piñata. The trick of a piñata is filling it with candies so in the moment it breaks, candies come out. Most of the guests were not familiarized with this game, so it was really interesting and fun. This event was very special since it gave me the opportunity to meet more Latin American students and make new friends. With delicious traditional mexican food and a little bit of the Mexican culture (which I truly miss) it was definatly an evening I will never forget. Harlen González Mexican Student Ambassador

  Streets, shops and falling snow (finally!) are telling us that the biggest winter celebrations - Christmas and NYE are coming. For a first time during my university years I am not going home for holidays. Never thought I could handle to celebrate Christmas away from home. Final year in University with many deadlines in January and dissertation which I have to write next semester were the main reasons for me to stay.   The fact that student will not go home for holiday might sound a little sad at first but my Christmas in Norwich will not be so bad at all. Many friends of mine from different countries who were graduated from UEA last year or a year before are coming to Norwich to celebrate Christmas and NYE so I believe we going to have a great time all together. Also I am planning to escape home for a week or two in the end of January so it makes things even easier. Talking about Christmas this is Christmas Tree we bought and decorated last week:   It is q...

Do you know your look alike? As we are apporaching the end of this lightning fast Autumn semester at UEA, I am pretty sure now many of us have encountered different type of people, be it your friends, friends of your friends, house/flatmates, work colleagues or any casual stranger you came across in the library or lecture theatre. I happen to come across these fantastic student-describing pictures and I confident many of us will suit these. Do not forget to comment below to share which one is you. Please practice your sense of humor when looking at them. :{D Enjoy and have fun! It is Xmassy time peeps! :) P.S: These drawings are not mine. They are owned by Chuck Dillon ( http://blog30x30.blogspot.co.uk/2009/06/which-student-are-you.html ) Hussein Wahedally UEA International Ambassador

No matter what religion, ethnic background, heritage or traditions you have you cannot deny that Christmas time is the perfect opportunity to shed some light on some rather dark days, and spend some extra time with friends and family. So take a break from the books, get together and get into that Christmas spirit! Last week will be the end of this term, and many of you might be going home for christmas or do some travelling. But before you leave there are lots of great events going on around Norwich. First of all, if you have not been out walking in the city centre lately - do it! The streets are beautifully decoratet with lights and pinetrees, which definetely lightens my mood when doing some Christmas shopping! Other Christmas events include: The Xmassy LCR, Wednesday 12th of December Dress up in your most festive Christmas outfit and dance the night away to all those Christmas classics! UEA Choir Christmas Concert, Thursday 13th of December, St John the B...

It's funny to notice that I've learned more about Latin America in the UK than during all the years I lived there. Being born and raised in Brazil, I have never visited any of the neighboring countries; maybe just cuz Brazil is so big that you can travel and travel and always still have a new place to go for vacations within it. There are still many places I don't know in my country, but I was surprised as to how little I knew about the countries around us. When I came to the UEA, however, I finally met my first Venezuelan, Mexican, Colombian, Equatorian, you name it; UEA has a little of them all. I've been having a vary rich cultural experience here, and it's cool cuz when I go back I won't only just know a little more about the UK and Europe, but I'll even know more my own neighbors.  Jonathan C. B. Macedo Brazilian Student Ambassador http://www.facebook.com/ueabrazil

Hello everyone, In these times of essay writing and exam study I thought it would be nice to give you a little tip to improve your concentration skills. I know some of us cannot start writing or studying without a good funky sound in their ears... The problem is that the brain gets easily distracted by lycris. The best option is therefore to listen to instrumental playlists. Here is a link to a cool one I found on the internet! http://8tracks.com/sarahtheotaku/the-science-of-studying Hope this will help you guys! I am sure we will all do very well! xx Charline Student Ambassador for Belgium Belgianstudents@uea.ac.uk www.facebook.com/ueabelgium

With all the rush and stress involved in the last weeks of a semester, it's easy to forget that life exists beyond academia. But as we try to cope with submissions left and right, it's good to remember that end-of-the-year holidays are a time for family, friends, and energizing oneself for the year ahead. I  am personally very excited for my flight back to the Philippines. England has been fun, but there's nothing like home, especially for Christmas and New Year. There's still a bit of stress involved, what with booking flight and coach tickets and the prolonged agony of a 15-hour flight, but it's definitely going to be worth it. Even Norwich is sending blessings from above in the form of snow and hail. Brrr. Remember to cover up and keep warm! I hope we all enjoy our holidays. See you all in 2013! Michelle Student Ambassador for the Philippines filipinostudents@uea.ac.uk http://www.facebook.com...

The temperature's approaching freezing and the library's packed every day, this can only mean one thing, the end of the Autumn Semester and all the stress and eventual relief that comes with that. The last couple of weeks of term can be a stressful time with deadlines, exams and assignments mixed in with the Winter blues and people being ill due to the cold weather. The shining light at the end of the tunnel is of course the one month of holidays that comes after this and I'm sure everyone is looking forward to either going home and being with their families for Christmas and New Years or travelling or just generally having a break from the stress of last minute essay writing and exam preparation.  The universal sign that the Holidays are coming!! The best way to deal with the stress and worries that come with the end of term is to not let it take over. Try and do things that aren't to do with school or work for at least a couple of hours a day just to keep y...

I can not believe we're already 5 days into December. It seems like 2012 started only a few weeks ago but December comes with a lot to look forward to and a lot to celebrate so am getting into the celebration mood and enjoying the season. I hope you are all looking forward to Christmas. Josephine - UEA Ghanaian International Students Ambassador

I have decided have a sustainable Christmas this, I'm going all ' local ' I have ordered my turkey and ham from Crawford the butcher , (his sausages are great, he has black pudding, but sadly no white pudding) and have put in my request for all the veg, the usual, carrots, spuds, cabbage and turnips. Most exciting of all was my visit to the Christmas tree in Cawston , I was so excited on Saturday that I went back to where I'm staying and put up the tree. Looks great! (I think) Finola - UEA Irish Student Ambassador.