UEA International Student Ambassadors

It has been a year since I moved to Norwich and started my PhD degree at UEA. It has been an amazing and eventful year, and I got really attached to both the university and the city of Norwich. So I thought I would share my favourite places in Norwich with you. Riverside walk This has to be my ultimate favourite place in Norwich. You can walk for miles along the riverside, as the river circles almost the entire city. It's lovely in all seasons, and usually quite empty, so you can just enjoy a relaxed and peaceful walk. Norwich lanes These small streets with local shops and cafes remind me of Brighton, which I miss a lot. There are lots of different and often unique things on offer. My favourite shop is Lisa Angel, I am addicted to it! UEA... UEA is still one of my favourite places, as it has been when I just moved!! Not only for studying, but also for going for a walk or a run, as it is located in a beautiful place, surrounded by fields and a riv...

The English Summer has come to an end welcoming autumn. Was quite warm although quite wet in some instances.After visiting friends and family in Manchester,Crewe,Bradford and London I came back to Norwich end of July. With vast majority of university away you might think you my get bored. Having been back in Zimbabwe last summer i had no idea what to expect. So i found this as an opportunity to be a bit adventurous. Firstly the Union of Students organised a couple of activities that would normally cost a couple of pounds  for the summer at a bargain price. My personal favourite for the past few weeks has been swimming.After about 2 years without going for a dip in the water_of course not talking about bathing_I was dreading the thought of going to the pool.Surprisingly when I got there I realised I still got it, explains why I still go there weekly. It soon became an opportunity to improve stroke and meet new people although some of them didn't return my calls :( . ...

Mushroom picking (or mushroom hunting) is a huge thing in Russia and many other Eastern European countries. Our idea is that you have to take whatever Nature gives you and enjoy! And since it's September, the mushroom picking season has officially started!!! In Russia mushroom picking is a common family activity. After a heavy rain during the mushroom season whole families often venture into the nearest forest, picking bucketfuls of mushrooms, which are cooked and eaten for dinner upon return (mostly fried with potatoes or in mushroom soup) or alternatively dried or marinated for later consumption. When I lived in East Sussex I had no luck finding a forest that would be similar to that in Russia, with 'good' mushrooms on offer. However, Norfolk seems to be closer to Russia in terms of nature, and yesterday I have discovered a perfect forest for mushroom picking - Bacton Woods! It is a lovely place for a walk, very relaxing, with lots of wild blackberries to...

This is the third year that I've been in Britain for the 4th of July (note, it's not July 4th, even though that is how we might say a date normally; we say, in America, 4th of July). For my first year, I didn't put too much stock into celebrating my country's independence day (aka America's Birthday), because living abroad was still extremely novel for me and I was having too much fun. There was also the fact that the Olympics were beginning a month later, so I put more emphasis on that. I even got to hold the Olympic Torch in Chapelfield Gardens! This year, however, I was a little more aware of the goings-on in the UK and what was happening in and around London. Unfortunately, I didn't get the opportunity to go to the Democrats Abroad 4th of July Cook Out on the July 6th, but I am sure it was a blast. I did, however, celebrate with some of the visiting American students on the current running International Summer School on July 5th.  Every year, aro...

When I first move to Norwich for studying in UEA, initally I was struggling  to find halal meat in Norwich, so for the first few weeks I had to survive on eggs, fish and vegetable. Unlike London, Norwich was not very multicultural 4 years back(the situation has improved greatly over the years ) One day of sheer curiosity I asked someone in the UEA Mosque where can I find halal meat, he directed me to go to Magdalen Street , better known as Anglia Square (I have heard it was the old city centre of Norwich ). Entering Magdalen street I was able to find several butcher and grocery stores where halal meat is offered the most famous probably is Haider Butchers which is located opposite to the 99p store and also Al Barakah Halal butchers , there are other shops such as Shah Jalal Halal and a few other Indian shops.  Haider Butchers AL Barakah Butchers The Asda in Norwich also provides Halal meat and also other halal products such as kebabs , burger pat...

Hi everyone. I went to London last Thursday mainly for this buffet. As it is hard to have a decent Korean dish in Norwich, I tend to go to London whenever I miss proper Korean food. This restaurant that I'm going to introduce is in New Malden, London. I have already introduced you New Malden, a Korean town in the UK. You can get to New Malden by train from Waterloo and it takes around 15-20 mins. So when you get to New Malden, you need to walk straight towards a roundabout on the high street. When you reach the roundabout (there is a pub at the corner), you need to turn left and keep walking. After about 10 mins, you will see a light green sign saying 'Kimchi Village' and this is the place you're looking for. As you might realise as soon as you walk in, it is not quite a 'restaurant'. They sell Korean side dishes including Kimchi and some main dishes. During the lunch hour (as far as I know, it starts at 12 pm), they do Korean buffet. It's £...

On the 27th May, International Ambassadors of UEA were invited to an celebration event in regard to their contributions at the International Office. Part of the event comprised of the Potluck lunch, where every Ambassador was asked to bring a dish from their country. As a Pakistani, I thought it to be the best to bring Chicken Biryani, so that the International Office and the Ambassadors can have a taste of some authentic Pakistani cooking. As a request from my supervisors, who in particular liked the dish, I am putting up the recipe of cooking the dish. Its relatively easy to cook the dish this way, rather then preparing the dish from scratch. Ingredients required: (this list has been modified for the ingredients being available locally in Norwich and in the UK in general) Rice (6 cups; recommended type: Basmati, generally available everywhere in Norwich). Half Chicken in pieces, or 500 grams of Boneless chicken for continence (for those looking for Halal meat, it is avai...