Life after Bellerbys College

So This is Goodbye

March. April. May. The months just went past at a ridiculous pace. Assignments were showered on us and the final project was well on its way. Through nights and nights of sleeplessness, I was finally done with first year. 

The inaugural year of the road towards obtaining my degree has come to an end, the year where everything is new and where everyone is more experienced than you.

More will be expected in the following year and then the final year. The journey towards graduation seemed not that long after all and as much as it has scared the world out of me on what to expect upon receiving my welcome letter and booklist at the start of last year, university was not as impossible as I had once thought. It is, as most students quote, the best phase of your life. 

My first year in the University of Sheffield coming to a close also means the end of my time here as a Bellerbys alumni blogger. It has been quite an experience initially assuming the role of a student blogger on behalf of Bellerbys Brighton, then onto the Life After Bellerbys blog.

More than a year and a half have passed since I first took on this opportunity and I must say that I have always enjoyed penning glimpses of my experiences as an international student in the UK, both in college as well as university.

To start a whole new life in the UK is rather challenging if not for all the guidance given by Bellerbys. I hope that my blog has successfully acted as another form of media to reach out to similar students in need of similar guidance.

It is rather encouraging to see a good number of people contacting me through emails, Facebook and Twitter for advices on various issues concerning different phases throughout college and university life. Having direct contact with these readers gave me such a sense of gratification, knowing that my effort has actually not been wasted.

Doing this for quite a long time now has made it seem almost second nature to me, thus the reason why I will dearly miss this routine. I would love to continue sharing my experience until I graduate from my course, though I believe that it is only right to spare this wonderful opportunity to a successor, a new student who may have even more to share or a more interesting insight of tertiary education.

I thank Bellerbys College for giving this platform to speak to prospective students and simply for prompting me to record my own university experiences here, building something I could always look back and be proud of.

I would have to acknowledge Miss Louise Courtney, for being patient with my entries, proofreading and uploading them in very timely fashion. You have always given me words of encouragement, keeping up my enthusiasm to write even more entries.

And lastly, I thank you readers for allowing me to help you and for the occasional comments on my blog. It has been quite a ride and I wish everyone all the best in their future endeavours.

My email is davidkam09 at gmail.com and I am still more than happy to assist you in any way.

For the last time,
I’m signing off!

Thank you!
Have a great summer!

David

David studied Engineering Foundation at Bellerbys College, a university preparation college for international students

A Gesture of Willingness

“Hello David! Congratulations! You have been nominated to run for MASSOC’s presidential post.” (As mentioned in my earlier posts, MASSOC is the University of Sheffield’s Malaysian and Singaporean Society). The text message blinked on my phone. Slightly dumbfounded from the hours of immersing myself into the pile of Architecture’s workload, I had to read the text message repeatedly for the notification to sink in.

I would be lying if I say that presiding a society has never come across my mind during my time in the university. What I never thought would happen was the fact that the opportunity has come so soon! Bogged down with the seemingly bottomless pile of academic work as well as my current secretarial involvement in the departmental society, not to forget all the dance competitions and performances, I thought it was rather impossible to spearhead a society alongside my other commitments.

People around me have been giving me so much advice; both encouragements and discouragements. Of all the people, I should also be clear of what I would be getting myself into, based on my involvements in high school. It can be extremely stressful at times, but mostly very rewarding as well.

Not just that, out of hundreds of societies established in the Student Union, why preside my national society when I could have attempted to preside the Dance Society or the Architecture Society?

Involving myself in a general society such as the Dance Society and the Architecture Society certainly has given me the opportunity to work with students from different cultural backgrounds and countries, whilst it only seemed like I would just be in my comfort zone, dealing with people of a similar background as me. With that said, I cannot forget that it should be my pride to lift the name of Malaysia and Singapore in the UK, promoting our cultural identity and caring for the welfare of our fellows Malaysians and Singaporeans.

I pondered about running for this presidency for quite a while, and literally decided on the night before the Annual General Meeting. Well, ‘I shall leave it to fate’ is my master plan. I was thinking of delivering a speech just out of spontaneity, prompting my sincerest feelings towards the society and the prospect upon my presidency. Whether or not the members of the society agrees to my vision, it would be for them to decide. I went in with no expectations at all but a simple gesture to show that I would be willing to contribute to the society.


Little did I know, in a split second, all the candidates were lined up against each other, waiting anxiously for the results to be announced. The short moment of awkward silence, prompted by the host to invoke suspense amongst the crowd (as always), seemed just lengthy.

And all of the sudden, I heard ‘David Kam’. To be honest, the next few minutes were the normal congratulatory gesture, with me giving me a short speech of appreciation and hugging everyone I know there.

Right, glory time over. It was the time where reality really sunk in with the fact that I am now responsible for the welfare of hundreds of people in the university. Not really a nice fact to know, but I shall not succumb to the pressure.

I am simply glad that I have not allowed my academic studies to restrict my interests. I just made a decision to expose myself to knowing more people, learning more things, and above all that, spice up my CV. Talk about killing two birds in one stone!

By now, it has already been a month after the elections. The new committee was technically meant to take over in the next academic year. Despite that, we are already buzzing with excitement, overflowing with a plethora of interesting ideas to be executed during our tenure. My board members seem like a truly dedicated bunch, thus causing me to make sure that I do my part and spearhead the team well.

I am definitely unsure of what lies ahead in the distant future, but I am definitely looking forward to unfolding this interesting new chapter of my university life.

Take care!

David studied Engineering Foundation at Bellerbys College, a university preparation college for international students 

Dining and Dancing Through Easter!

The Easter holidays kicked off with the annual Malaysian and Singaporean Dinner and Dance Night, a formal event I have volunteered to help organise alongside a few other volunteers.

It definitely resembled my experiences in my high school prom as well the May Ball back in Bellerbys College Brighton.

After months of planning and scurrying around local shops for sponsorship, the night was finally here.

I was dressed up since early afternoon, heading straight towards the hotel for last minute preparations. Most of the organising committee were also there, looking extremely presentable and glamorous. That, though, has gone by very quickly as the hectic running arounds in the venue wore our hair and outfit down.

Cocktail drinks were set to greet the guests upon the arrival and certificates as well as prizes were cross-checked. Sound system for the performers and the emcees were examined whereas the final itinerary for the night has been clarified amongst all the organisers.

The clock kept ticking and it was finally time to usher the guests in. Bright artificial fire welcomed them into the grand ballroom of the Victoria Inn, then to their seats with specific hand-written greeting cards atop the scattered flower petals and the bucket of wine bottles waiting to be opened. Not to forget, the candelabras illuminating every table as strong centrepieces. It was generally an extremely English-like setting, only enhanced by the amazing outfits our dear guests have donned.

The night began with speeches from the outgoing president and our guest of honour. Shortly after was my first speech as the incoming president of MASSOC.

After all that I had been going through, giving a speech suddenly just felt rather effortless. Maybe I was just tired? 

Anyways, dinner commenced and we indulged ourselves in the delicacies graciously served by the hotel. Chicken with wine sauce, salmon with Hollandaise sauce, strawberry shortcake and chocolate mousse were some of the dishes being presented, mostly mouth-watering to all the guests.

We then had entertainment in store for the guests, starting from casual acoustic performances by fellow members, also an extremely saucy dance routine by the Malaysian girls and finally the highlight of the night, a Pasadembo band, singing popular tunes to get even our guest of honour singing alongside them, reminiscing the old times back when he was a university student himself. He is a Malaysian lecturer by the way!

A series of prizes were given away, starting with raffles then to the Best Dressed Prizes and the ‘highly coveted’ Mr and Ms MASSOC. The shortlisted few were told to catwalk around the stage to gather votes from the members of the floor.

Amazing (and some wacky and funny) prizes were given away, leaving the crowd to burst with laughter and elated from their lucky wins. The grand winners of the night, Mr and Ms MASSOC, were then prompted to start the dance floor with the help of merengue instructors.

In no time, the dance floor was filled with all guests, learning how to merengue while constantly switching their dance partners, possibly getting to know other attendees in the ball. Soon, the music switched to proper DJ music with fantastic clubbing songs for all the guests to keep the momentum going till the end of the night. Most people have stayed through the whole event, going back satisfied.

By the end of the night, people have dined well and danced well, also gladly entertained by everything that was prepared - all that we were asking for from them. We also broke the record of the number of attendees for this annual event through impressive publicity and we are sure that the event will only get even better in the coming years. It was certainly a great start to my Easter break.

Having experienced this made me think back about my time back in Bellerbys, dancing my heart out in the May Ball. If you are ever on the fence whether to attend this college event, stop thinking and get your tickets now! You will not regret it!

Lastly, have a Happy Easter everyone!

Thank you for reading!

David studied Engineering Foundation at Bellerbys College, a university preparation college for international students 

Dance, Dance, Dance... What Now?

We came back, slightly disappointed from the results in the most recent dance competition we participated in. Despite not getting placed in the event, we were extremely satisfied with our own performance seeing how we only had five hours of rehearsals and the judges have generally commended our expressions during the dances which was the primary aspect that we were working on.

Looking past it, we had a night out at the student bar to celebrate the end of yet another competition.


While mingling around, the president casually brought up the suggestion of having me to attempt choreographing some time. It was an extremely laid back mention, but it somehow struck me quite hard. One of my resolutions for 2011 is to bring my dancing experience a step further.

I thought about it quite seriously and started considering the possibilities of doing it in the future. Grabbed my phone and started browsing through random music while moving my limbs instinctively to hopefully capture some interesting movements. It is usually not too successful, which eventually made me resort to getting inspirations from dance routines posted on Youtube.

And then came the next competition: Sunderland, 12th March 2011. I went to the first contemporary rehearsal and was told that nothing was choreographed. Somehow, I started suggesting a lot of ideas and ended up volunteering to choreograph it. How in the world did I get the courage to take on this huge responsibility? I have no idea. I basically threw myself into the deep end, something I thought would be a long term goal than an immediate resolution. What now? I just had to suck it up and push myself like I never did.

The next few weeks were hurdles after hurdles. There were members pulling out due to other commitments, which led to tedious modifications in the routine. Following after, I experienced challenges most choreographers would have, to level the difficulty of the routines based on the dancers’ abilities. It was occasionally tough as I am a rather abstract person when it comes to ideas and usually, everyone looked puzzled whenever I tried to explain the concept of the dance to them, making them dance in a slightly peculiar manner.

Slowly, as the dance began to form a piece, parts of the piece looked odd or simply did not turn out as ideally as I have imagined it to be, leading to more and more changes. There were so many changes to the extent that I could not even remember my own steps! Thankfully, my dancers were diligent enough to aid me and support me through these untimely mind blocks!

In time, I eventually earned their trust and they earned mine similarly. We kept working hard, dancing through bruises and injuries (partly my fault due to the rather physically demanding routine). We worked on portraying our emotions in the piece, which was rather easy as it was frustration and confusion. I just told them to imagine their tutors throwing them three assignments to be handed in by the next hour. Piece of cake.

Competition day arrived again, this time though, I was absolutely terrified. Will people like the dance? Will I end up making the dancers embarrass themselves on stage? So many thoughts were running through my mind! The time literally flew by and then it was our turn. We took a deep breath and started performing, channeling the most of our emotions to the crowd. The music ended and a thunderous applause was given. I beamed, looking at all the other dancers with a nod of appraisal, then bowed to the judges and the crowd before exiting the stage.

By the end of competition, I felt tonnes lighter that everything was over. I watched the recording of my own piece and was immensely proud of it. I could not help watching it again and again. Never would I have imagined I would be able to choreograph a dance routine. This whole chapter of 2011 made me realise that it is never too early for anything. Or too inexperienced to do something. Just give it a go, with much effort and nothing will be impossible. Another resolution of the year ticked!

More of my university life coming soon!

Thank you for reading! :)

David studied Engineering Foundation at Bellerbys College, a university preparation college for international students 

Chinese New Year in the UK

Lonely? Daunting? That seemed likely as I was anticipating Chinese New Year in the UK for the second time, being apart from my family. Or at least, this is what the people back in Malaysia usually assume about the idea of spending the auspicious celebration while studying abroad. Well, they were completely wrong.

The biggest setback of celebrating Chinese New Year here is probably the lack of additional income from the red packets we usually receive, which my mum usually keeps for me to use when I come home anyways: the reason behind my out-of-control shopping frequency back in Malaysia.

Not forgetting the missed opportunities to see my distant relatives and my dear grandmother, but then with the greatness of technology like Skype and Facebook, even the biggest computer hopeless like me could get in touch with anyone easily.

While the people back in Malaysia get to spend Lunar New Year the conventional way, we Malaysians in the UK try to celebrate it amongst ourselves, seeing each other as our family. We ate dinner together. It was nice seeing everyone we knew there, eating hot and spicy Chinese cuisines.

Yet again, the benefits of joining the university’s Malaysian society. However, some unfortunately had to sit for exams on the first day of the celebration, some others like me just took the day off for a Chinese food hunt.

The year is starting out very well for me as I won the society’s lucky draw, winning a plush doll and free tickets to a giant Chinese New Year party. It was a good sign and I hope that my luck just continues.

The party was organised by Malaysians from different parts of the UK : Leeds, Nottingham, Birmingham, Manchester and Sheffield. It was an awesome night personally for me to finally be able to dance with people my height. You see, when it is a normal clubbing night, I barely stand past the shoulders of the locals!

During the weekend, I went to London to meet up with my other Malaysian family. Yes, the people from Bellerbys Brighton! Sweet memories that I undoubtedly appreciate.

It was really nice seeing them again, catching up with them, knowing how they have been quite worked up with their exams and their UCAS application. Having been in their situation, I was just thankful to have gotten over that period. Anyways, we went shopping around London and ended up in ChinaTown for some Malaysian food. Milo Dinosaur, Bubur ChaCha, Nasi Lemak are just bits of what I have consumed. A very satisfying meal in my opinion!

The remaining days of Chinese New Year went past as usual: lectures, projects, workshop, dance, cook etc. Until the very last day, we Malaysians gathered up in Crookes Valley Park to set up fireworks. It was a memorable night.

And just like that, the 15 days of Chinese New Year have passed. I figured it is not that bad having to celebrate it without my family. Resolutions during the Rabbit year? Leap like one towards success and happiness!

Thank you for reading!

David studied Engineering Foundation at Bellerbys College, a university preparation college for international students  

End of First Term Review!

The nights were quiet, with barely any silhouettes walking outside the village. I walked out my kitchen and it was empty as well. The usually wild and lively students have put on their serious faces to study for their upcoming exams, except for me, technically, the architecture students!

Upon returning to the UK, most students had to undergo their first series of examinations of the year. Architecture students, however, had to finish up their assignments and submit them by the set deadlines throughout the general examination period. Not to mention, the review day where all architecture students will attend a personal session with the tutor where constructive feedback is given.

It was rather awkward to the sudden quietness in the village, though it only meant that I could be more focused in completing my assignments. Social events were mostly cut down as well. Furthermore, the university had considerately kept their public libraries opened for a longer period of time to allow students to study. Perhaps this was another why I like the architecture course. Students are evaluated throughout the year based on practical design projects as well as occasional assignments. It seems much fairer than students graded in other courses who would be evaluated primarily based on their exams, in which they only have just one shot to impress.

With that said, I personally felt like I was struggling in my course as things were all very new to me. I am definitely interested, but it seemed as if many other students already know so much more than I do. It was as if they were born knowing that architecture is their future. Mine, on the other hand, was a rather recent passion.

Saying so, it was extremely intimidating to constantly work with them. I usually know what I am doing, always at the top of my game, but at this stage, I felt like the underdog, barely scraping through projects and assignments. I comforted myself, thinking that there are bound to be people better than me and that this only meant more to learn and more effort to be put in.

Distractions put aside and dubieties ignored, I just tried to learn as much as possible and executed in my projects using my instincts and as much research and feedback I could possibly get hold of. I was still unsure of my own performance as the comments we get from our tutors were rather general and seldom personal. It really helped that I am actually interested in architecture. Every single day felt like a learning experience and I tried my very best to absorb like a sponge.

Without much realisation, it was already the day where we had to attend our personal review session. I waited there patiently and silently. Deep inside, I was extremely nervous. People were coming out with B’s and C’s, some occasional A-’s. Senior students were commenting on how we should already be thankful if we could land B’s. Seeing how they were rather competent students, I had no idea how I would fair. At that point of time, I was just hoping to see improvements in my grades.

The door opened and it was my turn. I clumsily entered the room, holding my new giant-sized portfolio and my models as the tutors offered to lend me a hand. They asked me how I felt about my time in the course and I just decided to be really honest, telling them that I felt very intimidated. They shot me a startled look and I just was dumbfounded. Apparently, they explained that I always looked confident and seem to always know what to do. I thought to myself how great an actor I was!

Anyways, I took this opportunity of a lifetime to clear out all my doubts, asking the tutors my specific strengths and weaknesses, also advices on how and what I can do in future projects.

By the end of the session, they handed me my result slip. I looked at it, looked back at them and they were smiling. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Gradual improvements as I had hoped for and A’s!

Immediately, I thanked them, extremely grateful for their evaluation and thanked God to have answered my prayers. They have assured me that I was doing the right thing in the past semester and that hard work really does pay off.

It was the push that I needed to continue these remaining two and a half years that I have, knowing that nothing is really impossible if I put in enough effort.

I shall continue working hard and hopefully graduate as a confident architect. I have found my path and I am now sure it is the right one.

2011 seems to be looking good and I am excited to embrace what is in store for me.

David studied Engineering Foundation at Bellerbys College, a university preparation college for international students 

2010: What a Ride!

A gentle thud woke the others passengers up as I was already at the edge of my seat, waiting to get off the plane. I have probably gone through this experience for a couple of times now, but the hype of seeing my family and friends again always gets to me.

And then there they were. My mum and dad with anxious faces, looking here and there for me. As usual, we hugged briefly and made our way back home. We were all thankful for my safe trip back home, seeing how many students were stuck in the UK due to the harsh snow weather.

I came back in time for Christmas, being able to celebrate it with my family and friends. Something I see as the perfect Christmas gift.

Not only that, a reunion was conveniently organised among my childhood friends, giving me the opportunity to see how much the people I knew since young, have grown.

Indeed they did not disappoint as they all turned out to be fine young ladies and gentlemen, some still with a slight hint of their childish mischief. I never realised how much I missed them until I saw them in their flesh again. It was a great reunion.

Right after Christmas, my parents and I went on a getaway at Singapore in time to celebrate the new year. The last time I have been to the country was probably 6 years ago and I was impressed by how much they have grown.

Singapore is definitely one of the leading developing countries, showing exemplary progress. Saying so, I have done my part of contributing to their economy: shopping excessively down the endless block of shopping malls at Orchard Road.

Of course, I also savoured their food, though there are much more to savour back in Malaysia. The highlight of the trip was definitely the new year fireworks. It was a splendid display, with stellar sparks of various colours and formations, taking everyone’s breath away. While watching the fireworks, I prayed that my wishes for the new year would come true.

Back from my vacation, I finally had to deal with the assignments that have been hovering at the back of my mind. Yes, I had assignments due in the new year. I spent the last few days writing thousands of words and drawing on multiple sheets of paper, hoping that I am doing them carefully enough to land good grades.

In no time, I had to part ways with the people who meant home to me again. It was never easier every single time I had to bid farewell to them. But all I knew was that each time I faced this moment, I was a different person, constantly growing with more and more experiences gone through.

2010 has been quite a roller coaster ride. It was definitely not as ideal compared to previous years seeing how I actually had to start dealing with many other things like living independently, social networking, rebuilding a reputation from scratch and adapting to new cultures. It was nothing like high school where all you had to worry about were your grades.

A trying year I would say, but one where I have gained the most experiences about life through the new environments and occasional setbacks. It was the year when I started college at Bellerbys Brighton, with seven months of engineering education, then to where I am now: the University of Sheffield. All in all, I still appreciate it and am looking forward to an awesome new year. I just have a gut feeling that it is going to be good.

Bring it on 2011! Thank you for reading!

David studied Engineering Foundation at Bellerbys College, a university preparation college for international students

Expectations Met?

I twisted the door knob of the review room as mannerly and poised as I could after acknowledging the reviewers and my tutors, then closed the door. As much as I wanted to leap in the air and cherish the end of the first semester, I could not help but to erratically drag my feet out of the building while carrying my huge models and the thick pile of presentation sheets for my last project. I just wanted to sleep. I needed sleep. Made my way through the very frustrating layers of snow (and still piling up) and finally collapsed onto my bed at 11am.

Opened my eyes to notice the dark sky and looked at my clock. 11.35pm. I just started laughing at myself, disgusted by my bodily system which had been completely screwed up due to several sleepless nights prior to my last presentation and probably the heightened stress levels. Yet, it was my best slumber ever. I thought I could have slept forever. Having regenerated all my energy back, I finally felt the immense relief from completing the first semester of my university life. Realising that it also means I could go back home and see my family and friends again was the icing to the cake.

Looking back the semester, it was definitely an adventurous ride down my degree course. Architecture was something I was never too sure about, seeing how I had not much exposure to the field prior to coming to Sheffield. Maths, Physics and Art certainly did not give any kind of insight towards architecture. I practically dove into this pathway and prayed that it would be what I have expected.

It was not what I have expected, in every single way. It was generally miles better than I have expected for architecture.

In just merely a couple of months, I thought that I have already learned much more than I have in college. I was pushed beyond my boundaries and have accomplished what I thought I would never be able to do.

Architecture is still quite a mystery for me, but through every project, I acquired new knowledge and new skills which seemed like fractions of puzzle pieces bringing me a step closer to unravelling the whole picture.

Obviously, it was not just like some fairytale story. There were aspects of the course that frustrates me. For instance, those sleepless nights could really drain up my energy, owing to the endless pile of work for architecture. Plus, the occasional necessity to spend for art materials is rather upsetting. In fact, I have just spent £70 on a portfolio bag! (Still sulking about it.)

Not only that, the course occupies quite a substantial portion of my time so I don’t get to see my friends as frequently as before. Unlike other courses (putting aside medicine), architecture students are usually expected to work from 9am to 5pm everyday, including lectures and workshops.

On the other side of the coin, I have bonded very well within the architectural group of students seeing how we see each other every single day plus the fact that we have been doing quite a number of group projects.

Furthermore, we get the opportunity to go on field trips for some projects. I particularly like the fact that learning architecture also means learning to be versatile, being the jack of all trades, knowledgeable in many aspects which include plumbing, ventilation, stability, building regulation, archeology, acoustics, climate, topography, ergonomics, ecology, transport and the list goes on. Additionally, students are evaluated for their progress through projects and assignments throughout the year instead of a one-off string of examination, which I thought is a much fairer process.

Before going down this path, I envisioned my working environment in the future to be adventurous in the sense that I do not work in the office all day, but travel quite frequently instead. Also, I expected to deal with new things constantly than doing monotonous and repetitive work. Not to mention, frequent presentations, and management skills. Now that I am pursuing architecture, it seems very much like I am following the right path towards the future I see for myself.

It seemed like all the doubts I had before deciding upon the architecture course just vanished as I slowly gain more and more interest about the subject. Architecture is my thing. It is what I am looking for. I anticipate what is in store for me in the remaining two and a half years. But for now, I am just thrilled to head back home and reunite with my dear family and friends, enjoying a well-earned break before the whole ride starts again.

Goodbye Semester 1!
Hello Malaysia!

Stay tuned readers!

David studied Engineering Foundation at Bellerbys College, a university preparation college for international students

Feeling Like I Belong

I came here, feeling very alone, absolutely oblivious of who could potentially be my friends for the long term. Then appeared MASSOC, which seemed to be the life saver to solve this problem.

MASSOC stands for the Malaysian and Singaporean Society. Aptly, they put up a social gathering within the first week of university to assemble new as well as senior students in hopes of establishing new friendship and ensuring all students from these two nations feel like they belong.

Personally, this is a rather helpful occasion because, as much as we may be able to converse in proper English and mingle with the locals as well as other international students, Malaysians and Singaporeans are the ones which would probably have the most common topics of conversation seeing how we grew up in the same environment and being under the same influence and religious beliefs. Bonding closely with a fellow Malaysian or Singaporean is more likely than with other students. Not to mention, a very quick progression towards friendship as well.

Within weeks, we Malaysians and Singaporeans seem to have known most that have signed up for this society, be it old or new students.

The committee members did an amazing job in keeping us informed with the countless social gatherings and trips to different spots of the UK.

They are extremely hospitable from all aspects, considerate to the extent that they provide us with recipes of local meals that could be self prepared in the UK.

In no time, we seemed like one big family, comfortable to know that we have each other behind our backs.

One of the more memorable experiences in MASSOC would be the annual Nottingham games, where Malaysian societies from universities all over Britain assemble in Nottingham for a sports competition, something like a Malaysian Olympics.

We went and met up with many other Malaysians, some of which we might have already met back in Malaysia. It is indeed a very small world.

If you were there, you would be astonished to see so many other Malaysians just like yourself.

That day itself, Nottingham just felt like another Malaysia, being able to hear the very distinctive Malaysian accents again, with the ‘lah’s’, ‘ah’s’, and ‘mah’s’, though just way colder!

Not only that, national societies like these hold a lot of collaborative events together, organising global cultural evening, and world food fiesta’s. With these events, we were able to share the culture that we take so much pride on and at the same time, get to know all the other equally interesting and unique cultures all over the world. Most importantly, the various kinds of food we would be able to savour!

Becoming a part of my nation’s society in the university makes me feel like I am home and I am certain that this applies to societies to all of the other nations. It totally seemed like those fear before arriving in Sheffield was absolutely unnecessary seeing how gracious we would be welcomed into this new home of ours!

I hope, with this entry, international students would feel more confident and less intimidated towards studying abroad.

Until then!

Thank you for reading!

David is a graduate of Bellerbys College, university preparation college for international students

Dance, My Infinite Passion

The extension of emotion through movement, inches of detailed choreography to fine art on the dance floor. I quote this from my dear high school friend, one of the few reasons behind my infinite passion for dancing.

Being introduced to dancing two years ago, I could not get enough of dancing, desperately searching for dance companies in the UK which conduct lessons that could fit into my schedule. I had tough luck finding for one back in Brighton, almost giving up on this undying interest of mine.

Things certainly flipped in Sheffield, as a university with the biggest Student Union. I had no difficulties in finding for dance classes as there were a few specifically meant for students in Sheffield.

These are namely the Dance Society, DanceSport Society and the Hip Hop Society. Being an enthusiast in mainly contemporary dancing, I signed myself up as a member of the Dance Society and my dance experience just seemed to take off from there.

Choosing this society means that I have discounted access to dance classes ranging from Contemporary, Ballet, Tap, Modern and Street Jazz. They are conducted to suit students of all abilities and to fit in our schedule, with classes mostly after the university hours.

I chose to attend Contemporary, Modern and Street Jazz classes. They have slowly become moments in my week where I could completely relieve myself of possibly stressful workload or personal dilemmas. Dancing makes me happy and carefree. It became a place so personal to me.

The different genre of dances I have undertaken allowed me to work on different aspects of understanding my body and the range of movement I could do, as well as taking my mind off architecture and maintaining my fitness level. Not to mention, meeting new dancers and spending my time wisely.

I am naturally a person who constantly thirsts for more in things that I am passionate about. Getting used to these classes, I decided to take dancing to a new level by involving myself in competitions.

I went to Durham for an inter-university competition recently and very fortunately got shortlisted as the best male dancer! Not only that, we will be staging a few performances in different areas of Sheffield. Excitement is all that I am feeling, eager to relive the anticipation of performing on stage again.

Plus, I enrolled myself into a private dance company called Hype, which enables me to learn more about contemporary dancing, with more proper basics behind the dance. I have also attempted street dancing classes for the sake of trying something new.

Thanks to my unwavering passion in dancing, my schedule is subsequently filled full with dance classes and performance rehearsals which I never regret and am deeply grateful for.

In short, I learnt to not give up my other passion despite my time-consuming degree. They should not be put off due to projects and assignments hogging our schedule as they are just going to keep coming. Instead, proper time management will enable us to do what we want as well as finish we need to do.

Giving things a go is better than not trying at all and consequently allowing disturbing thoughts of ‘what if’s’ to hog your mind.

Stay tuned for more!
Cheers!

David is a graduate of Bellerbys College, university preparation college for international students