Romanian Society

At Coventry University there are about 500 Romanian students, or so our Facebook groups states. Due to these numbers, about 3 years ago, the Coventry University Romanian Society was founded.

The main purpose of the Romanian Society is to promote the nation’s culture and values (all the good ones). The idea to create the society came with the need of having a meeting place for Romanian students at Coventry. Most first year students needed information regarding many subjects and although the University can provide some help, the society can reach a bigger audience at one time. The society tries to help the Romanian first years to fit in and to get to know their way around the University and the city.

In the past, the society has brought the idea of the Fresher Ball (Balul Bobocilor) – a fresher year event where the newcomers have to take part in the Miss & Mister Fresher - as we have in Romania. Also, a small concert has been organised with the participation of the CIA (Craiova Independent Artists) band and it might not be the last concert the society organises.

As for future plans, the Romanians want to organize more sports, cultural and musical events. There are football and basketball tournaments and parties to be announced in the near future and the Fresher Ball should take place again.

Also, this year we want to organise a bigger event for the 1^st of December, Romania’s National Day and invite other nationalities to learn about a wonderful country.

The great thing about Coventry University that there is a society for everyone, including sport societies, interest societies and societies for your religion or country.

Irina,

Studying BA English and Spanish

Learning to Love Cov!

From a personal point of view as well as a that of a lot of people I have come into contact with, one thing stands out; being an international student is definitely an entirely different ball game. For most people, factors including the difference in lifestyle, cuisine, lack of friends (initially) and the predictable unpredictability of the British weather combine to produce a culture spasm. You will find it normally takes quite a while to getting used to how things work and for some others quite a while longer but fear not, hope is here. I’ll share a few tips about Coventry and how to be rid of this stigma.

1. Keep Warm.

A new start. That is what mainly dwells on the mind as soon as you move into your accommodation, followed closely by coming up with cheesy pick-up lines or laughing them off (largely depending on your gender……….. and nota bene I never did any of that) or  trying to find and purchase the latest piece of tech for the sake of trendiness. All the above seem fairly natural but one of the more pressing natural things to consider is the weather. You will find that the academic terms begin in both September and January and unless by a stroke of luck or even better by divine intervention there is sunshine and warmth in these two months, your understanding of the word ‘cold’ will be altered. 

Temperatures swing and most at times fall below the 0̊ mark with the UK being one of the coldest places to be in; especially during this time-frame  However, there are an adequate number of stores located all over the city’s shopping centre where warmth can be bought in the form of clothes, duvets or bed spreads and footwear. The weather should not be a problem if you stay warm.

2. Food.

I find that a lot of international students instantly miss home dishes as soon as they taste foreign food. Some, on the other hand, do not mind as much and to be honest and I agree with the notion that a full stomach cares not what filled it, it only revels in satisfaction. For the people who share different views and others that fancy a gastronomic adventure into other food cultures, Coventry provides an assortment of multi-cultural food establishments that serve anything from daoxiang paigu to calulu mufete.

Dishes that will make your eyes drool and your mouth cry. From personal experience, the special fried rice meal from the Chinese Kitchen is enough to liven up my mood in most circumstances, everyone should try it. Or do you prefer to have something African? You’ll find Nigerian restaurants like Calabash and Solace with meals that are really really good. Fancy Lebanese or Indian food? The Habibi and Aqua restaurants combined the Rupali and food from the Bombay Palace will leave you wondering why you’ve been missing out on Middle Eastern dishes.

Greek, Romanian, Icelandic, Turkish, Egyptian, Angolan, anything you can think of to satisfy your mouth and stomach’s pleasures, Coventry has it and I have made the most of such delicacies; everyone should.

Jerome Garbrah from Ghana

Studying Communications, Culture and Media

The Add+Vantage Scheme

The Add+Vantage Scheme. As a fresher you will hear a lot about it, how it is the star of the Coventry University syllabus, how it can improve your diploma in ways other universities can’t, how it can help you enhance your employability and so on. Very true, the scheme is important and it just adds more skills to what you gain through your degree. The scheme has been regarded as one of the biggest initiatives in the UK and lets students choose from over 60 courses (wow!!) and involves the University, the city and the various companies around Coventry. I know it is hard to choose your Add+Vantage when you have so many options. What is it that you are looking for? What would be best for you? Well, you don’t have to choose something related to your course, that is the beauty of it. You can go for something that can help you on your career path, something that you find interesting or something that you want to explore. For example, I’m studying Spanish and English and I have taken as an Add+Vantage module Project Management. It has nothing to do with my course, but I think that together with my language skills it will help me gain a job as a project manager.

The Add+Vantage module is chosen each year and it has some restrictions though – only one per year, some courses and Add+Vantage modules combinations are not allowed, some need you to have taken a similar module in the previous year so think about how you want to tackle things. So if you are a 2^nd year student with an Add+Vantage in Doing Business in Emerging Global Markets (what a title) I’ll be seeing you there.

Irina Griga, BA Spanish and English

First month of university as an international student

Hello freshers,

Welcome to Coventry University! You're almost there, uni is about to start. The first month is always overwhelming, there is so much to take in, many new places and people, responsibilities and rules you need to know and follow. Here are some tips on what to expect during your first month of university.

First of all, if you feel lost, don't worry there is an orientation programme during Freshers Week – besides the Societies Fair, freebies and parties. Don't miss it, you'll discover everything you need to know in the campus: the library, the hub, the main buildings and how to use all of the available resources.  At the same time, use this week to make friends and to get to know your new lecturers. Don't forget to always have with you a campus map and the timetable, as it changes during the first 2 weeks and you don't want to be late for lectures. Talking about lectures, don't panic if you don't understand everything from the beginning , use the first month to get used to  the teaching style of each professor and keep in mind you will always need to do your own research afterwards. Independent learning is very important as the lectures cover only a basis from which to understand a particular subject. Even though during seminars you will deepen your knowledge of  the  subject, doing your own research is always good.

Make the most of every semester, have fun learning new things and making good friends. Explore what you enjoy and make the most of all opportunities. Try to be open-minded, you will meet many different people from all around the world, you will have to adapt to a new place, new culture and perhaps a new language, all at the same time.

There are many social events and activities organised by CUSU (Coventry University Student Union) where you can socialise and enjoy university nightlife. Also, Culturae Mundi organises regular events for international students promoting different cultures. As I like to say, if you spend your time wisely, you will have time to study and party.

Enjoy your stay at Coventry University!

Irina Griga, BA Spanish and English

Packing for University

Thinking of what to pack for university is hard for all students, especially when you are travelling internationally and you have limited suitcase room and luggage allowance AND you don’t want to forget any essential items!

The important thing to take note of here is that you want to bring as little as possible. You can always purchase items in the UK, so you must remember to bring only what you need.

The key items to bring with you when you travel to the UK are: 

• The address of Coventry University and the telephone number
• The address of the accommodation you will be staying in, as well as their telephone number and ideally an out of hours contact name and number
• Make sure you bring warm clothes with you on your journey. The weather can change quickly in the UK in September
• A small amount of cash or traveller’s cheques to buy food or pay for transport upon your arrival. Do not carry with you any more than £300 cash if you can avoid it
•     Even if you have your student visa already the Border Force officer may still check your purpose of entry to the UK and your language ability. It is a good idea to have to hand:

o   Valid Passport (with visa or entry certificate as required)

o   Admissions correspondence confirming acceptance onto your programme

o   Evidence that you can pay your fees and support yourself for the duration of your course (letter from sponsor/funder or bank statements)

o   You TB or Health Certificate (if required)

• A English Language dictionary (either paper or electronic)
•  Photographs and items to decorate your new accommodation
• Laptop and other valuable items should be in your hand luggage. Your hand luggage should also contain the items you need  for your first night in UK
• Some comfy shoes to walk in

Top Tip – Make sure your bag is light enough for you to carry comfortably. If it is too heavy to carry, consider whether you need to bring everything!

Do not bring: 

• Lots of house hold or cooking items. It is easy and reasonably cheap to buy these locally in Coventry
• All your course books. The Library at Coventry is well stocked and you may also be able to buy additional books second hand much cheaper
• Any fresh food as you will not be able to bring these through customs

If you have any questions before you arrive in the UK, you can contact the Welfare team on welfare.io@coventry.ac.uk.

Alistair, International Student Adviser

Do you fancy a cuppa? - Sorry, what did you say?

When I arrived in the UK I knew English, but honestly it felt like I didn’t! British English is slightly different than the American English we learn at school and by adding the accent it can be difficult to understand at first. Nevertheless, this shouldn’t scare you because you will be surprised how fast you will adjust.

 Just to give you a heads up, here is a cheat sheet that you might want to learn before coming to the UK. 

Mira from Bulgaria

More about Coventry

As you look to make your decision on coming to Coventry University, you might have done extra research into what the university campus consists of in terms of the buildings and other infrastructure. You might also have looked on Google Maps or IOS maps using the street view function to look around your prospective campus and the city. If not, do not worry!

I never get tired of too many pictures as I feel having a knowledge of your surroundings, especially through images, never hurts. I for one did not have as many photos of my prospective campus and ended up constantly looking around and doing more research than I had expected.

To help you in making your decision, I have decided to present to you a sideshow of a few places on campus and some Coventry landmarks that will help you find your way around so you know this place even before you are here.

Trust me, it does help.

Peace.

Jerome from Ghana

Studying BA Communications, Culture and Media

The MexCo Intercultural Exchange Project

Hi everyone,

If you are interested and you want to be involved in university life, the university can offer you many intercultural activities and experiences. As I’ve told you before, I just can’t sit around and do nothing so when the opportunity came to me, I joined the MexCo Project. And I wasn’t alone. With 5 other students, we worked as a team – spending time to get to know each other and trying to complete our task. We had a great time and we talked to many Mexican students – I’m already planning my trip there. Don’t forget to take a look at the pictures below.

Have I got your attention yet? If so, let me tell you more about the MexCo Project. It was part of the module 100DEL Introduction to Studying English and Languages at University and a team of staff from DEL (Department of English and Languages) worked together to make this project happen.  They got our attention from the beginning by pointing out the most important thing: we’ll have the opportunity to learn about the Mexican culture and society directly from the source.

And it was like this: First we chatted with students from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México – they presented themselves, their city and they showed us pictures from their favourite national holiday, and we replied by describing our university, the city of Coventry and anything that the Mexican students wanted to know about the UK. I became good friends with a girl – Grecia Cristobal, and I was really happy when she accepted my invitation to talk to our group on Skype. We discussed for about an hour many subjects, from the way the weather is in our countries to specific modules from university. I enjoyed every second of it. Secondly, our group had to create interactive guides to Coventry and Coventry University for the students from Mexico, using the e-portfolio Mahara (http://mahara.coventry.ac.uk/view/view.php?id=12549) . We put together a guide which includes topics such as: the history of Coventry, the student life at Coventry University. We tried to equally divide our work, therefore every topic was written by one of the team members. We met twice a week to discuss our progress and we kept a group journal in order to prepare ourselves for the next task – the group presentation. Once the guide was done, every team member wrote their part for the presentation which I carefully put together in a Prezi presentation (http://prezi.com/tdbl-bgw-qhg/mexco-life-in-coventry/).

The entire experience was great, it helped me to improve my relationship with other students, to learn more about the Mexican culture and society, to make friends abroad, it helped me to practice my Spanish language skills even more, and I gained experience for future projects. It was a very good project and I would do it all over again if I would have the chance. I have to thank the team of DEL staff: Dr Marina Orsini-Jones  (Italian), Elwyn Lloyd  (Welsh), Zoe Gazeley (English), Gwenola Bescond (French), Inmaculada Gonzalez (Spanish), and Holly Vass (American) - a truly international team for giving us the opportunity to participate at this project. And the Mexican tutors: Felipe Bustos and Beatriz Vera Lopez, who did an amazing job. So when at Coventry, don’t just stand there looking at people, try to get involved!

Until next time,

Irina Griga, English and Spanish student.

Finishing University

Hey guys!

I have just finished University and I’m graduating with a first class degree! You cannot imagine how happy I am and just can’t wait for my Graduation ceremony in November! It turns out that my hard work and dedication have finally paid off! I am not only excited because it is the highest degree you can get but because I am an international student. English is my second language and achieving more than some native speakers makes me proud.

This degree will definitely open more opportunities in the future. Don’t get me wrong, education is not the only thing you need to get a good job after you graduate, you need experience as well.  As I may have mentioned before, after my first year I started working in the University. I was part of the Marketing Team and my main responsibility was taking care of the Social Media presence. My responsibilities constantly increased, but instead of overwhelming, it was exciting.  The job was relevant to my degree and gave me experience that would be useful in the future. And vise-versa, from my course I gained knowledge and skills that helped me with finding the job.

During my third year I got an internship in an advertising agency, called MJD Consultancy. I based my final media project on my experience there and built a portfolio. Right after I finished my studies I was employed by the University and already have two more jobs on offer! 

Working and studying at the same time is not easy but is manageable if you are a hard worker and know what your goals are! So don’t you ever use the fact that you are an International student as an excuse for not doing so well - if I can do it, you can do it too J

Mira

Xx

Little surprise from my collegues, which I found on my desk J

Why I chose Coventry?

Raised in Arabic culture and Muslim country, I found Coventry to be an ancient city that respects all religions and backgrounds.

I chose to study at Coventry University for several reasons.

First, while researching courses I found that Accounting and Finance is a very well structured programme featuring a wide variety of modules. These not only provided an extensive coverage of Accounting and Finance, but also an exposure to concepts in Business Strategy, Management Decision Making and Business Economics.

Second, the University has a reputation for having an excellent business school which was recently ranked the 12^th top UK university for Accountancy and Finance studies.

Thirdly, the profile of the teaching staff seemed very impressive, they were highly experienced and qualified, and therein most of them had several research publications. I wanted to ensure that I study at institution with leading academics such as Paul Gower, Graham Sadler, Karl Shutes and Philip McCosker. 

Finally, Coventry is a very beautiful and peaceful place, and the university contains different nationalities which make it a multicultural city.

When I first landed in the UK, one of the many thoughts running through my mind was ‘how will I cope with this culture?’  I assumed that coming from Jordan would be a big challenge for me. However, to my surprise everyone was very friendly and welcoming and they made me feel at home.

The city of Coventry itself is located in the heart of England, and therefore a good central location with good transport links.  The university campus is situated in the city centre, which made it ideal for me as everything that I needed was within short walking distance.  As well as being a vibrant place, it also has a quiet aura which is a great for studying time.

Mohammad Oqeili
BA Accounting and Finance

Accommodation

Hi readers,

The last time I posted, it was about the university and things I found interesting about the city. This week, I thought I would focus more on something that worries most people when they move somewhere new; accommodation.

I have compiled a list of things you should look forward to when you join us at Coventry.

Liberty Point

UNITE has a plethora of accommodation sites available for use to any Coventry University student. What I find quite pleasing is the fact that more than five of these sites are located around the university campus and the city centre itself. As you might have realised, I prefer things to be in a network as it allows for easy accessibility. To be honest, I wish I had my bedroom on the top floor of the library with a bathroom and kitchen at my disposal. Well, it appears you can actually have that if you want!

The accommodation service has plenty of wonderful rooms and provides the best service. With your own bathroom right in your room, the thought of whose turn it is to clean or who used up all the hand sanitizer is eliminated. You have your own privacy and all the peace and quiet you will ever need.

Apart from the above, these accommodations have parking spaces for vehicles and bicycles alike, not forgetting providing a service for your mail to be received. Every resident receives a personal private mailbox which is under lock and key at all times. With common rooms at your disposal also provide an environment for socialisation. There are pool tables, giant television screens and the best couches you will ever come across. Fancy watching a football premier league match on a Saturday afternoon? The common rooms are the right place to be.

Having a quick and constant internet connection is one of the many other things that stand out for me. I particularly like this because downloading a film or uploading an assignment is not a problem anymore. Trust me, the internet connection here is really quick. From asking around, I managed to find out that their internet speeds are going to be increased for the next academic year and considering how quick they are already, it would be an absolute steal to live there since I never run out of things to do and especially on the internet.

More, there is so much more I could tell you about what these places have to offer but you can find out even more on the unite websites. Find them at https://www.unite-students.com/

Check out my photos:

До свидания Ковентри Здравствуйте Москве! Goodbye Coventry Hello Moscow! - Elena & Catalin

Greetings from Domodedovo Airport in Moscow from the Romanian correspondents at the Rugby World Cup 7’s in Russia.

Let us introduce ourselves a bit:

Catalin Boier - first year Sport Management student from Coventry University

 Elena Vasile - second year Event Management student at Coventry University

Day 1

All suited and booted in our new TEAM SEM uniforms we arrived on a lovely summer’s day in Russia all excited about our stay here, eager to know what our roles will be over the course of the tournament.

We were speechless as we got to see the first glimpse of the city, with massive historical buildings that somehow reminded us of our capital, Bucharest.

Staying at the Landmark Hostel in central Moscow has its perks, one of this is being very close to the Red Square, which Catalin totally took advantage of today as you were able to see in the above photo.
Even if Moscow is a great place to visit at least once in your life, we had to get down to business and do what we came here to do, volunteer for the Rugby World Cup 7’s. We took our accreditations that provide us with great access inside the stadium and we got to the fixtures during the last minute preparations. We are happy to say that they look great and we are excited to see how the rest of the week will continue.

Keep an eye on this blog for daily updates from #RWC7s

Day 2

Добрый вечер! (Good evening)

The weather is very hot here in Moscow, 32 degrees Celsius, and our excitement is growing along with it!

Today we got to meet the captains of all the men’s and women’s Rugby teams when they came to Red Square for the official photo shoot. I got to take a picture with my favourite team of the tournament New Zealand’s All Blacks and myself and Catalin managed to take some photos with the World Cup 7’s Trophies.

The day gave us a bit of taste of what is to come, the excitement is growing about the day we actually startworking. We finally know our roles; I get to be a Match Tracker and Catalin a RNS, which we will be trained on tomorrow morning. Exciting!

Having the afternoon off we had quite a lot of time to do some sight-seeing, so we visited the Kremlin and finally got to take photos of St Basil’s Cathedral, the most touristy thing you can do in Moscow.

2 more days to the tournament and only just 4 days until we find out who the winners will be, keep reading our blog for more updates! 

Day 3 – Moscow’s hottest day in the last 100 years

Today was the last day before the tournament starts and the organisers did the final touch-ups before the first match kicks off.

We found out our roles during an official meeting with the organisers and we have also received training. I will work as Commentator Assistant and Elena will work as a Match Tracker. Sounds exciting, doesn't it?

We also got to see the main stadium, Luzhniki, as the last coats of paint were applied. We had the stadium to ourselves to familiarise ourselves with it and, of course, take some pictures.

Finally, we had the exclusive opportunity to watch the England men’s team last training session before their debut at the tournament.

After finishing the day quite early, we had a last chance to look around Moscow’s sights. I chose to relax in the Gorkogo Park, even though it was the hottest day in the last 100 years in Moscow! Elena chose to visit the Saint Basil’s Cathedral, which, by the way, looks amazing during the night. Fun fact: Basil is the English translation of Elena’s surname, Vasile, the saint, not the spice!

Day 4 - We declare the games officially open

Preparations done! Sightseeing completed! Late nights over! Work is starting today!

The time of the first match, Samoa versus Zimbabwe, was 3 o’clock and everything had to be up and running for kick off. Myself and Elena viewed the matches from two opposite positions. I worked as a Commentators Assistant, which meant I spent most of my time in the commentators’ boxes, right on the fifth floor of Luzhniki Stadium. My duty was to liaise between the commentators and other IRB officials. This position gave me the opportunity to meet people like Scott Hastings, a former Lions player who is currently working as a commentator for the International Rugby Board.

Elena is working as a Match Tracker, which basically means that she is staying at the referee’s table by the pitch and records all player substitutions and keeps record of all of the match sin bins. The highlight of her day was watching the All Blacks New Zealand’s Team and receiving the ball they played with. I am very jealous of her , to be honest!  And also having her photo taken with the tournament’s mascot!

The view from Elena’s position

The opening ceremony also took place today and we got to see a beautiful choreography performed by Russian dancers! As you can see from the picture, my view of the opening ceremony was amazing. Lucky me!

Tomorrow will be a very long day for us, as the Women’s tournament starts, too. However, we are very excited to be part this event and it will be a great experience for us, even though we have to work hard. Keep checking the blog for further updates from Moscow!

Day 5 – The hard work continues

After having a chance to get the hang of our roles during the first day of the tournament, we woke up nice and fresh, ready for the 36 games waiting to be played.

   

Catalin:

At 8 o’clock sharp  I was in the commentators’ box preparing the team sheets for the first match of the day. It was a long work day, from 8am until 9pm, but a very productive day at the same time. I had the opportunity to watch and learn from the IRB commentators, Scott Hastings, Keith Quinn, Karl Te Nana and Melodie Robson.

I have to say that after this experience my perception of this profession has changed. It requires much more preparation, skills and sport knowledge than I previously thought to deliver a top quality commentary. Watching those people working not only changed my perception about their jobs, but also made this profession more appealing to me – I would definitely love a career in sport media.

Elena:

My day started equally early as Catalin’s with the first match of the day starting at 9am, however many preparations are needed before that. My role became more intensive during the second day, keeping records of all substitutions and filling the appropriate paperwork for the referees. Many games later, a few yellow cards were issued, and I got to see how the games are monitored and what sort of paperwork needs to be filled in for any change in the match.  I must say I appreciate the referees and their supporting staff much more than before, they run as much as the players, they have to pay attention all the time and last but not least to be objective.

It’s been a long shift and the sun kept on shinning the whole day, which made it difficult for players as well as everyone else on or around the pitch, however everyone had a great time and enjoyed the rugby.

We are  very excited right now knowing that the final is tomorrow, so in less than 24 hours we will know the winners of the World Cup 7’s.

Day 6 - And the winners are…

While writing this last entry we already know the winner and you probably do too, however let us tell you all the other great things that happened  on the last day at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

The day started early and the tournament was in the knock-out stage, with semi-finals, Bowl finals, Plate finals and the most important Cup finals to be played.

After a nice morning, the afternoon brought a heavy thunderstorm that stopped the games for about 45 minutes, right at the beginning of the first men’s semi-final between New Zealand and Fiji. The play was continued as the rain got lighter, and not even  an umbrella and waterproofs kept us dry on the pitch. However it was great fun trying to keep all the papers dry and usable.

The rest of the afternoon it kept on raining so the matches got more difficult for the players and very interesting to watch for the audience.

The women’s final was played between New Zealand and Canada and the men’s final between New Zealand and England, ending in a double victory for New Zealand, which made their fans very happy.

TEAM SEM was there from beginning to help support the IRB and the organisers, from the top floor media boxes to the referees table on the side of the pitch, we were everywhere delivering great customer service, quality work and building a great reputation for future opportunities. 

#TeamSEM in Moscow - Matteo

TeamSEM in Moscow – Day 1

It was an early start for TeamSEM students on our first day in Moscow. We slept no more than 5-6 hours but we were all (some more than others) ready to start our adventure in Russia working in the Rugby Sevens World Cup. Obviously wearing our TeamSEM branded clothing.

The planned schedule today was to visit the area of the location where the players will fight for the title of the best National Rugby Sevens team in the world: the Luzhniki Stadium.

We all had the accreditation at the start of the day and they gave us the red uniforms to wear during our work time. The sun was shining over Moscow and we had a walk to go and visit the rugby pitch where the female National Teams will play in the next few days. The stadium was not too big, but looked very nice and we took some group pictures that would make the whole department of SEM proud!

Coming back we had the opportunity to see the players from the USA National Team and the Springboks training on the pitches surrounding the area of the main stadium. It was impressive to see those players close up and hearing them motivate each other to work better as a team.

After no dinner the day before and a small breakfast we really needed to have a proper lunch today and most of us decided to try some Russian meals and to drink a fantastic and fresh strawberry juice called ‘Компот’ (highly recommended!).

Even if we haven’t really worked, we decided to come back to our accommodation and relax due to the tiredness of the day before, we need to restore all our energy to give the best for this world tournament!

Once we have seen our ‘workplace’ we cannot wait to start!

Day 2

Today was first day of work for some of the students. Most of the TeamSEM has been involved in a photo shoot in the Red Square. But not me, I was picked to do medical service with the students from Sports Therapy.

We had a free morning that I spent sleeping and started our shift at 2pm at the Luzhniki Sport Complex. Here we had the amazing opportunity to watch some players and the coach of the New Zealand’s All Blacks, practising ahead of the rugby sevens. Luckily, during our time on the training pitches there were no injuries and so not much to do.  So we spent our time talking with a doctor from Georgia and watching the national teams training for the tournament.

We have seen the players from the women’s teams of Tunisia, Ireland, South Africa and Spain and the men’s teams of Tonga (funny guys), Japan and Australia working hard to be in the perfect shape the day of their debut.

Me and Edoardo talked a lot with  Spain’s management about rugby in Italy and about football, seen that Italy will face Spain on Thursday for the Confederations Cup semi-final!

Moreover we had a surprise, one of the Wallabies’ staff members, the coaching coordinator and former captain of Australia Sevens Tim Walsh, finished his career playing for Petrarca Padova and so we had fun speaking Italian with him. What a legend!

Tomorrow I’ll be again on the pitches of the Sport Complex hoping to make other experiences!

Day 3

There is only one day left before the beginning of the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens.

All the teams were focused on the training grounds where I was working in the morning.

Today I've seen for the first time the England men national team. They looked confident and ready for their debut.  I watched the training of New Zealand’s All Blacks women’s team in their maroon shirts, the USA and Canadians women’s teams , Samoa men’s team and Fiji (both men’s and women’s teams).

But the team that impressed me the most were the Argentineans. Me and my friend Edoardo met the head coach Andres Romagnoli (who played also in Italy) when he was unable to find the pitch where his team had to train. He invited us to their training ground where the atmosphere was very friendly and all the players looked relaxed. They were making lots of jokes and having fun before and during the training session. I think this is how sport should be, even at the highest level and the day before a world cup.

At 2pm I finished my shift and due to the high temperature (the hottest day in Russia for the last 100 years!) I went to relax in Gorki Park with other SEM students. Here I met some members of the Australian women’s team that told me they will try to do their best to win the trophy and suggested to bet on their team!

Want some tips for betting on RWC7s? In the female tournament New Zealand and England are the favourites and probably the winner would be one of these two.

In the male tournament New Zealand’s All Blacks will have a great contender in the Australian team.

Day 4

Today was the day of the tournament. Finally the Rugby World Cup Sevens begun! The Coventry University students were all excited about starting their jobs at Luzhniki Stadium.

For the first time in my life I watched a rugby sevens match and I loved it. I am not a rugby lover, and even if my brother plays rugby in Italy, I do not usually watch it.

But rugby sevens is different; faster, more exciting and last less than 20 minutes per match. I really enjoyed it!

I also watched the Opening Ceremony that consisted of dance performances, presentation of the teams and speeches from authorities.

Day 5

It was the second day of the tournament. Today the men’s teams had their 2^nd and 3^rd match and the women’s teams had their debut. Watching the women play I realised that they are amazing athletes!

After I spent the first half of the day at the small arena watching the women, I started my new job helping with Anti-Doping. For this role I had to watch the matches and stay with the players randomly chosen to take the test till they completed the procedure. I had the opportunity to talk with players and go in the players’ village and in the changing rooms! One of the players I had to look after was a Spanish guy and we talked a lot even if he was not in the mood after the defeat against Tunisia.

As I did yesterday I enjoyed the matches and now I cannot wait to see who is going to be the new world champion!

Day 6

Last day of the World Cup, last day of work in Russia. My job in the anti-doping department allowed me to enjoy all the matches at Luzhniki stadium. It was really emotional to see the faces of the players once they lost a match and to see the smiles of the players when they have won a match,  hugging their friends or parents who were in Moscow to support them.

After having hot and sunny weather for the whole week, during the men’s semi-finals thunder storms brought rain and some fresh air (and stopped the competition for 45 minutes)

In the women’s tournament, the USA won the bronze medal after beating Spain 10-5 and New Zealand won the final against Canada 29-15 showing their superiority on the pitch.

In the men’s tournament semi-finals Fiji lost against New Zealand’s All Blacks and Kenya was beaten by England due to the wet pitch.

This resulted in New Zealand and England competing in the final, England was dominated by New Zealand who scored 33 points and the English team unable to score.

An historical double for the All Blacks, where both the men’s and women’s team were world champions in both tournaments! After the ceremony both teams finally did the Haka, the moment we were all waiting for! Incredible!

The player chosen for the anti-doping control was Gillies Kaka (also nominated best player of the tournament) and so I had the chance to spend some time with him and the team, even in the changing room where all the players were dancing and singing. I had lots of fun with them! I couldn’t ask more from that experience than to have fun with the world champions!

This week has been a fantastic and I will never forget it, as nobody involved in the world cup would ever forget the work done by TeamSEM from Coventry University!