UEA International Student Ambassadors

Many species existing today have been named due to their fabled relationship to a person of high stature. My previous post on King Alfred's Cakes is one such example. Another example is Judas' Ear, a fungus found growing on both living and dead wood. It has a shape and soft 'jelly-like' structure that resembles that of a human ear and is most commonly found growing on elder trees.  Auricularia auricula-judae  is its Latin name which follows the folklore behind its initial naming. The unusually hyphenated species name  auricula  means ear and  judae  means Judas. Judas Iscariot is believed to have hanged himself from an elder tree following his betrayal of Jesus Christ; the fungus found to resemble a human ear believed to be reincarnations of his own as a reminder of his suicide. This fungus is known today more commonly as the Jelly Ear and can be found quite easily in the UEA forest. It is edible though is not known for tasting very good nor havin...

Hi everyone! Being back to Norwich after being in Kolkata for the holidays feels like going through  another change of season from autumn to winter! It's chilly in Norwich now with the occasional frost, a flurry of snow (or was it simply ice?) and the trees are all bare with their skinny arms raised to the sky. And just so that it does not seem depressing to those coming back here after the holidays,  I thought I'd do a little looking back at the lovely Christmas spirit of Norwich. The streets in the city were red, white, green and gold. Tinsel and tiny Santa Claus sparkling at every nook and cranny. There was also various avatars of Christmas trees made from books, treats, and other innovative materials. Take a look yourself: Oh, I already miss the red, green, and white decor on the streets! My favourite was the giant Macaroon Christmas tree!  Wonder who was around when it was brought down... Hand-making Christmas cards wa...

I got back to Norwich last Monday, and I couldn't help but notice how weird it was to be in the five bedroom house I share with my friends all by myself. Getting back caused some problems, as I had forgotten how to do food shopping (After going to the nearby Coop, I came home with only fruits and crisps, which I lived off for five days), which bin is recycling and how cold wind is! The wind was by far the worst. I stayed in Norway over Christmas, and we did have -10C, but I honestly think that Norwich is colder. Nevertheless, it was nice getting back. Meeting up and catching up with friends you haven't seen over the holidays is great,  and you can really find differences in how people spent their Christmas. Although I do love the traditional Norwegian Christmas and everything that goes with it, I did feel a sting of jealousy when my Kenyan housemates Snapchatted pictures of her lounging by the pool. Getting back into the habit of studying is also a challenge. Lectures star...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! Like you haven't heard that enough already. However, I bet what you don't hear that often is: Happy Old New Year! :) And it is a real thing as well, celebrated in Russia on the 13th January. While it may sound like an oxymoron or a paradox, for many Russians the winter holidays aren’t finished until January 13, when they celebrate Stary Novy God: Old New Year. In fact, tradition dictates not to take down the Christmas tree until then. Old New Year marks the changing of the year according to the old Julian calendar, instead of the Gregorian calendar that the world officially uses today. According to recent polls, more than half of all Russians celebrate Old New Year in some way. New New Year is an official holiday, and the one that Russians celebrate most heartily. This leaves Old New Year as a more relaxed time when Russians celebrate as they please. Some see it as a nostalgic holiday and spend it at large family gatherings where th...

Hello everyone, Patrick here (North American Ambassador). I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year celebration and an awesome 2014 holiday season! In the US, we've had a major shift in politics, with a complete change in control of both the House and the Senate. Congress is now under the control of the GOP (aka Republican Party) and we are seeing a renewed interest in politics in the US. Interestingly enough, this will be my first time in the UK during a general election. It's all very exciting, as I've never really witnessed a major political event that is UK wide. I was here for the Scottish Referendum and had a ball rooting for ... in the Grad Bar until 1am. It was fun and interesting to be a witness to such a monumental and historic event. What is interesting about this upcoming election is how UK politics have changed since I arrived to Britain. It is interesting how polarised this country's political system has become; yet it is not. There is an underlying an...