UEA International Scholars Celebration

Yesterday, at 5:00 PM on Thursday 1st December 2016, the UEA International Scholars Celebration took place in the Council Chamber. This event is arranged every year, and it celebrates the recipients of UEA International Scholarships. This year there were awardees from 47 countries!

When I arrived I was given a name badge and a folder, containing a diploma with my name on it, stating me as a ‘UEA International Scholarship Awardee’. I must admit, I allowed myself to be a bit proud in that moment.

I then entered the main room, and it was full of my fellow students. Everyone was mingling, the staff were walking around serving delicious canapés, and we were also offered a selection of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. I managed to find some fellow Norwegians, and we spent some time chatting, enjoying the rare opportunity to speak Norwegian. Then the head of International Recruitment, Karen Blackney, said a few words, introducing the Vice Chancellor, Professor David Richardson, who then gave a small speech, telling us a little about the history of the university and of the International Scholarships.

After his speech, everyone went back to mingling, and myself and the other Norwegians had a lovely encounter and chat with Karen Blackney. A few minutes later we were joined by the Vice Chancellor himself. Not too long after they both excused themselves, as they had to mingle and meet the rest of the students, at which point us Norwegians saw a photo op straight ahead. The room was decorated with the flags of all countries represented, including Norway, and so we could not resist the temptation of taking some awkward selfies with our beloved flag.

The rest of the event was spent talking to the other students, and, in my case, by eating tons of canapés; they really were delicious! At the very end we filled out a feedback form, and just a bit after 6:30 PM we made our exit after what in my opinion was a delightful, well-spent evening. I sincerely hope everyone who attended felt the same way!

We all owe a big THANK YOU to the International Office for arranging the event, and I would like to finish by saying CONGRATULATIONS to all the awardees!

Christina

Norwegian Student Ambassador