UEA International Student Ambassadors

  As we’ve entered into a second lockdown, there’s (even) less to do these days. That leaves more time to watch films and tv series! Here’s some of the things I’ve been watching in case you need some recommendations. I also study film and TV so surely that gives me some extra credibility? No? Oh well.  Gilmore Girls   See, I don’t think this is the kind of thing most people expect from film and TV students, but I’m not snobby with this stuff. Gilmore Girls is the holy grail of re-watching, and if you haven’t seen it before, then this is the time. It’s as autumnal as it gets, so snuggle up under a blanket with a cup of coffee and prepare for some wholesome viewing. As soon as I hear the intro song to this show I just feel fluffy and soft. It’s like a mental warm blanket. As for plot it’s following the lives of a single mum and her teenage daughter, the quirky little town they live in and the many fascinating characters they’re surrounded by. This show takes me from cry-lau...

Hello! My name is Ekaterina and I am an international student ambassador for Russia at UEA. At the moment due to quarantine measures I am staying at home with my family in Yekaterinburg in Russia. Since we are all sitting in our houses most of the time now, I thought it might be interesting to share how the lockdown measures are held in Russia. At the moment we are the second country in the world for the amount of confirmed cases, however, recently it was announced by our main Health Ministry and government that we have reached the plato. And this is such a great news! For the past few weeks we were blessed with a beautiful sunny weather, which is why many people went out to the parks to breathe some fresh air and sunbathe. Everyone was keeping social distancing which makes me feel very proud, because, despite the amount of people on the streets, the rates in our region haven't grown drastically! In general, for almost two months now we are having "non-working days...

An international student from the University of East Anglia (UEA) has been distributing face masks to the elderly after he felt so welcomed by the community while studying in Norwich.    Student Songze Chang who is from Shanxi in China began to distribute face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, after he was stopped while wearing one in the supermarket by an elderly man who had been looking to buy them in shops.   He said: “In that moment I felt that I really needed to help him” said Songze. “Later on, I bought 100 face masks from China online and packed them up including some positive messages and an image of my national flag.” “My friends and I started to give them out in Norwich, many of whom told us they didn’t have access to the internet to buy them. People were surprised and receptive to our offer and thanked us, many putting them on straight away as they entered supermarkets.” The student who is 24 years old, posted his efforts on social media site...

Hellooo, No matter where you are in the world at the moment, there’s definitely something we all share: BOREDOM!  Though I have occasionally felt bored during this period of time, I’m super grateful to have the time to do all the things I’ve been wanting to do for soooo long. It’s so sad to thing that it takes me a whole pandemic to actually start doing these things. Here’s a list of activities I’ve been doing for the past few weeks and hope it’ll give you an idea on what to do next :D 1)     Reconnect with old friends: It was so fun talking to friends that I haven’t met in years. Learning about someone’s new life is always fascinating and it’s good to have another friend to talk to  J 2)     Practice English: I’ve been helping some friends to practice their English (and mine too of course). Even if you’re confident in your English, practice still makes perfect you know. 3)     Work on my Instagram: Since everyone got...

Hi y'all! Hope everyone's doing well, staying safe and healthy. I know most of us are stuck at home unable to meet friends and family because of what's going on at the moment. So I thought I'd share some ideas to help you enjoy your time at home! If you have a fairly good-sized garden like mine, you can use that to your advantage and enjoy the sunshine in your garden without breaking the social distancing rules. Some people prefer to do garden workouts to maintain their fitness and improve mental health, and others who aren't quite that into exercise like me, have garden picnics (with my own household)! So my partner and I decided to have (YOU GUESSED IT!) a lovely picnic in the garden yesterday absorbing all the vitamin D we could get. It feels like summer already and I don't know about you but I'm so here for it! I feel like it makes the quarantine situation a little bit more bearable, lifting up the whole mood. Without further ado, here's wh...

I’ve been going back and forth between the UK and Norway for a while now. Some differences are very big and obvious, like the language and the lack of brown cheese. However, as you live in a different country you discover lots of little differences – here are just a few of the ones I’ve noticed so far.  1)      The Post Service Look, it seems like a tiny thing, but it’s really quite handy to be get basically anything by the next day, often for free. That’s pretty rare at home.  2)      The Amount of Tea It’s obvious, I know, but the amount of tea my flatmates go through is honestly slightly concerning at times. I feel like I have many hot drinks when I have two cups of coffee in a day…  3)      Grocery deliveries This kind of ties into the post thing. It’s just so practical to get everything delivered, and it’s easier to resist sweets and unnecessary things when you don’t have to see it all in...

Norwich Market is one of the most popular attractions within the city of Norwich. It represents the best side of Norwich in my point of view: Fresh, artsy and bustling. It was titled the ‘Best Large Outdoor Market in Britain in 2019’ and it is definitely worth a visit whilst you are in Norwich.  Now, since there are wayyyy too many stalls in the market, I reckon I can introduce you a few of my favourites to help you navigating around better the next time you visit it. 1)      Fresh:  A lovely place where you can sit down and enjoy a hot bowl of fusion noodles. They offer vegetarian options as well and they are WONDERFUL! Price ranges between £5-6, but most things are available at £5.5. My go-to is the Thai BBQ Pork Ramen and the vegetarian noodle. 2)       Lucy’s chips:  No word can describe how amazing these chips are! The portion is generous and I recommend switching to a healthier option -    the sweet ...

Every year UEA arranges Do Something Different week. All classes are cancelled, and the students are encouraged to try something new instead. There are lots of different events on and it’s a great time! Here is a condensed version of everything I did during DSD, including meeting my parents in London and showing them around the university.  Monday  10am – Introduction to British Sign Language 11am – Lunch with some friends at Blend 2:30pm – Worked as an accommodation representative, meaning I showed people around my flat 5pm - Dinner Tuesday  10am - Filmmaking workshop 12pm – Lunch with another friend at Zest  1:40pm – Spray painting/ stencilling – we made colourful owls! 4pm – 2 hour nap (sometimes that’s just what you need) 8pm – course reading Wednesday  10am – Office hour for international office 3pm – Work training  Then packed for London! Thursday 9:30am – Bus to the train station (which only takes 20min, I ...

Making -and maintaining- friendships at university can be a big challenge. If you're looking for activities that could help build bonds and allow you to meet new people, why not try board games? And no, I'm not talking about Cards Against Humanity for the fifth time this week during pre-drinks. How about something a little more engaging/ challenging? Here are some of my personal recommendations to folks who are looking to get into board games, or introduce your friends to them. I've left games like Cluedo and Monopoly because, let's admit it, we're probably all a little sick of them at this point in our lives, 1. Catan This one is probably going to be instantly recognisable to a lot of you folks, and it's fame is well deserved. Catan is unanimously regarded as one of the best designed, engaging, challenging and yet simple to learn board games of the past two decades. It revolves around building and expanding your territory on an island and emphasises ...