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.