Welcome week

2006-10-01 10:24 p.m.

Welcome Week at a glance (a “short” glance):

Sunday:

Moved into my residence, Tennis Courts (No, it is no a Tennis Court). Small room but that’s what I expected. Set up stuff pretty fast but there was a lot to be tidied and clean up. The bathroom um, shan’t talk about it. There aren’t any locks to that and the toilet but it’s an all male flat. Bumped into one roommate then continued setting up stuff.

By the late afternoon, everything was sort of up well, maybe everything. Lots of stuff came in (like a fridge and a freezer) then some tests were done here and there. Internet was up soon but there’s a catch (a very slicky one) which I will explain later.

In the evening I got to meet all the other flat mates. There are five of us in all and I wondered into the Common Room/Kitchen to meet a guy named Matt. He’s reading history and we chatted a bit. I must admit I was lost after a few sentences because of um the accent. It’s not that strong but a little tough to follow. Then came Rhys or Phil (I can’t remember who came first) and finally Paul. They are all big (well everyone is sort of big to me. Um almost everyone lah).

The ice was broken as Matt offered a glass of Moet to everyone. Like wow. We used normal tumblers but yes it was Moet and it was my first time I tasted it. It was pretty good but my stomach was grumbling by then.

Dinner was free as the Students Union or some sort had organized a BBQ for everyone at Tennis Courts. Paul and I headed up first and we got to know each other better. He read Politics for A Level and that’s something I definitely would have taken if Singapore had offered it. Ah well.

The crowd was like a thousand or more and it was just on a small hillock. Still, I managed to grab a burger and met Paul again who was chatting with one of his old school buddies. “Wow, you’re from Singapore and I thought I came fro ma far away place,” remarked someone who came from the South of England. Paul is from the London area by the way.

Thus started off another round of “hellos and where you from”. The majority of the Tennis Courts residents are British and from all over England. I stuck around there for half an hour or so before grabbing a drink.

Um, it was a drink but what was orange in colour turned out to be Orange Vodka. Like okay, second round of alcohol for the evening. Returned to the group and there was laughter all around. By now the queue has increased tenfold. “It’s like feeding the five thousand,” I told Paul who ended up eating only Coleslaw. I grabbed another burger in the meantime.

Then I bumped into some Indian girls who introduced themselves. Another gregarious Indian (or dark skinned guy) came over to. Some of them were Pakistani but are naturalized British citizens. Then I headed back to my flat.

The guys seemed to have stocked the fridge well with lots of groceries which included plenty of beer. But my head sort of feeling the “punch” from the two drinks earlier so I declined a beer. We talked a while more about our lives and such. They were sort of surprised and excited that I would turn 21 this year so um well…a party may be in mind.

I spent the rest of the night surfing for news from home when Chih Hung followed by Claire came online. Both are in America by the way and the time difference isn’t exactly that much. So we swapped news. Call it trans-Atlantic communications…

Monday:
Managed to set up a lot of stuff—Student ID, Bank, Mobile Phone and got my Economics and Political Science packages (well some of them). I must say that the University is super huge .I mean it. Ok, I’ve walked through most of NUS, a small section of NTU and most of SMU (the new campus) but darn it, that’s nothing compared to here. I’ve also been to The University of British Columbia and Oxford (well one or two of the halls) but the University of Birmingham is a giant. Ok, my standards again. I remember one of the Singaporean seniors telling me it’s about a ten minute from one place to another end. I took more than twenty minutes to head down to the University Centre from my Hall. This is not exactly the centre of the University, but it’s where the Bank branches, the bookshop and some Sandwich shops are located. The latter seems to be the only food outlets so far, so my diet during lunchtime may be quite standardized.

Back from lunch, I popped into a tent which was marked “for International Students.” Nothing much was there for me but I bumped into Francis, one of my fellow Singaporeans. We swapped some information there.

Oh, let me talk about the Economics and Political Science Departments. The former is like a cottage from the outside but the inside is supposedly a maze. Paid for my Econs Handbook and Notes which reminds me so much of NJC’s economics stuff. The Pol Sci Department is actually labelled as the European Research Institute(ERI). There are actually several departments inside. I spied my name on the notice board but hadn’t a clue where to go next until I met a great secretary by the name of Linda. She reminds me of Ms Champagne because of both her voice and character. She was extremely jovial and helpful and even understood my case since I would be reading more than just Political Science.

Dinner was Mexican Food. Who says you don’t have a variety when you live in a University Residence? Then my flatmates also prompted me about cooking. That reminded me that I also had to stock up for myself.

Tuesday:

Headed down to the main library to book a slot for a tour but it was full until Thursday. Then I went exploring myself. I headed to the Guild, which is the building for BUGS or Birmingham University Guild of Students is located. These guys almost pounce on you everywhere trying to sell items or promote campaigns. Inside the building are dozens of posters and signs encouraging you to join this group and that society. Much like Secondary School and JC orientation, except nosier and messier. There were some signs reading “NUS extra—get you tickets here.” Well, NUS definitely does not stand for National University of Singapore and I still haven’t deciphered what it is. The tickets were priced at ten pounds but I gave that a miss and headed upstairs to the Societies Fair.

It was indeed a mess with students and booths scattered all over the place. I navigated my way past some paint ball society, the rock climbing and drama club to the Econscoc (the Economics Society). There the girl rattled off a whole prepared speech of what the society does and so on and without out thinking I forked out five pounds for memberships. Ok, that was like ouch. I never had to pay for membership just to join Scouts or Debate but well it’s only for one year. And after all, it’s something directly related to my course of study.

I head to the end (the number of societies did not appear to be that many) where I bumped into the Christian society. I grabbed what pamphlets were available but no one could direct me to any Methodists. My final stop was the United Nations Society which had a cheaper membership fee (three pounds). That one seemed much more interesting given its Model United Nations Conference. I’ve always wanted to try out MUN. So with eight pounds less, I signed myself off to two societies. It is after all my first term. Will see how things go…

Lunch was back around the University Square area at a sandwich shop. Finished that down with a Capri-son drink and another two or three pounds was gone. As mentioned earlier, that place and its neighbour plus the Burger Van seemed to be the only eating outlets so far. Then at 1700, I was at some place called the Arts Building for a sort of welcome lecture regarding my type of course. It was pretty general but lots of jokes were cracked by the speaker.

Oh yes, the evening saw me don something that I have worn four at least five years—my ACS tie. There was so party going on at one bar a Shackleton, and the dress code was “your school uniform”. I misplaced my NJC tie a long while back but my ACS tie was still around, albeit a little faded and dirty. So for the first time in Birmingham, I “re-entered Singapore” by wearing that plus a long sleeve white shirt. I was deciding on wear to change to some formal trousers, but my flat mates wear stuck in jeans.

So we headed out but when we reached, the party venue had changed. Rather than walk another long track, we ended up watching a football game, Arsenal versus Porto (I think). Arsenal won with only two goals. Then as we exited, we bumped into a bevy of girls in their school ties. Talk about improvising school uniforms—they all wore super short skirts. Some of us chatted with them and then we headed home.

Wednesday:

I woke up late by my own standards. Yikes. Oh, ok, I must mentioned about the place where my meals are catered. It is called Shackleton, a five to eight minute walk (sometimes ten if you are slow or when it’s raining) but it might as well be called the Hilton. I mean it, the minute you step inside the main reception area, it is so much like that of a four class hotel. In fact, most of the accommodation running and administration is centralized there. The place for meals is called fusion which as I said lives by its name. Breakfast is a hearty meal and you probably can grab everything if you’re that hungry. Lunch , well I haven’t tried it for lunch yet. For Dinner you have up to five choices of food to choose from plus there’s a Salad Bar, soup, at least three kinds of desert plus takeaways. It’s no wonder there’s a human jam every evening.

Beyond that there’s a sandwich place called Rio’s and two bars, one for watching soccer (as explained above) and another for disco dancing. There’s also a small grocery shop and various machines for various uses. But yes, it is quite “high class”, even the toilets. Still, I ‘m not complaining about Tennis Courts.

Back to the story, I ran all the way to my venue and bruised my feet along the way. It was a small introductory talk by the Head of the Economics Department, headed by this chap named David Disckson. It was basically hello and a few points here and there with the various Economics related societies coming to recruit members. It ended as quickly as it started.

For lunch, I headed back to the same sandwich shop, adding a lovely veggie soup to my meal. I suppose it was the weather. I must say Birmingham (not just the Uni but the surrounding area) is a combination of Frankenberg and New Zealand to me. Lovely crisp weather (well, for now) and a scenic walk everywhere. I don’t me green grass everywhere but he architecture is well quaint and cozy to the eyes.

The afternoon brought me back to the ERI building and Linda introduced me to my Personal Tutor there, Steve Buckler. He looked like an older version of Mr. Brian Chirnside. (Sorry, this is my method of describing people). There are quite a number of people taking the same combination as me so that puts down the argument that Economics and Political Science is a rare oddity. But those whom I’ve met so far seemed to say “wow” when I mention the course I’m taking. It’s isn’t that weird a combination.

In the evening there was some Fresher’s stuff on but since I didn’t buy the package I couldn’t go. Instead I headed to Shackleton Bar One with Francis and his PRC friend. It was a sort of mini tour for both of them who were new to the place. We ended up with a beer each there and afterwards visited each other’s Flats to see what we could learn from each other.

Thursday:

I woke up super early despite the fact that my library tour was at 1115. Grabbed a hearty breakfast before that. After the tour, I headed past the Guild a spied a long queue of people lining up for free fries. (In the UK, Fries and well thick fries while Potato Chips are called Crisps). It was a promotion by Lloyds TSB Bank. But that wasn’t my objective; the building nearby was. It’s called St. Francis Hall and where the University Chaplains are. But when I stepped inside I discovered that all the religious heads were based there—Christian, Buddhists, Muslim etc etc. I followed the signs down to the Dining Area where a free lunch was being prepared. My aim there was not so much to grab the food but to find the Methodist Society members and get directions to the Methodist Church. However, everyone serving seemed to be from the Catholic society and the others seated were busy chatting with themselves. I grabbed my first round and wondered whether I was where I should be.

The crowd swelled in the next fifteen minutes. I suppose those who came actually came for the food and not to meet other Christians/religious groups. Chatted with a Welsh guy named George until I spied the Methodist Pastor (saw his picture). His face brightened up as I introduced myself and he gave me directions and the timing for of the Methodist Church service. He’s a really cheerful guy and um looks like a bit like Mr. Whitby. (or um Barry Gibb.)

That settled, I headed back out to grab some free fries. The queue snaked across the whole car park but then again free stuff always attracts people. So much that one lady behind me had already gotten my pack of fries but wanted another round. “More? Why do you think we stamp your hands?” ask the guy serving. But she tried to put on an Oliver Twist act much to the amusement of onlookers. Bu gosh, the fries were excellent.

At 1400 or so I met up with the Singaporean Seniors plus Francis and Emily. We headed to the City Centre (it’s called the City Centre although I don’t think it is the centre of the city) as they needed to shop for a whole host of items for their own flat. The City Centre is actually very near the Bull Ring which is a fantastic shopping complex. Even just outside there, shirts and jeans are even cheaper than back home. So after a while of window shopping , we headed to a phone shop as some of the seniors wanted to get a whole new phone and Mobile Phone (UK term) plan. The girls it seemed were busy getting some wind breakers.

That took another half to three quarter’s hour. After which we headed to St. Martin Market, which is like a non air conditioned market selling hardware. Think of a mass number of convenience shops merged together. (This is for Singaporeans reading this). Lots of relatively good and cheap cooking utensils and pots and pans there. Next stop was inside the Bull Ring where another round of window shopping was conducted. Then the seniors said, “We’ll introduced you to the best doughnuts in the entire world.”. this turned out to be the all so famous Krispy Kremes Doughnuts and Francis and I bought one each. Mine was the original glazed version and yes it was really great. Then was Chinatown where a whole host of Chinese groceries were bought. My purchase was only a bottle of Soya sauce. Ah, but I’ll start slowly with cooking. Final destination, another shop and the ninety-nine pence shop. Then back home.

Dinner was as crowded as always and I chose the pork chops with pineapple rings. Sat with two girls from Shackleton and a guy from Chaberlain Hall. The guy started off the dinner conversation and they remarked that I was brave to travel all the way here to study. Well, okay. Then they discussed their school days .The guy and one of the girls took the IB programme since both lived abroad in Belgium and Greece. So I listened in to them wailing about how hard the IB programme was. ACS IB kids, you hear that?

Friday:

Met up with Dr. Toby Kendall, my Economics Personal Tutor. The first impression I got was that he was as amicable as Dr. Emrys Chew. It was a rather detailed meeting. Then it was back home but not before buying a sumptuous burger from the van near the library.

Dinner was turkey but contrary to the normal turkey, it wasn’t tough at all. In fact it was a lovely meal. All the others choose the deep fried fish and chip but due to the long snaking queue, they quickly turned cold. We (Paul and Rhys) sat with others again and there was this guy who went around introducing himself and as he left he gave each girl at the table a light kiss.

The evening major event was Fresher’s Ball which cost a whooping twenty pounds a ticket and only Matt went. I was doodling around in my room when I popped my head outside and Paul and Rhys invited me to join them upstairs. See, the ground floor (which I’m on) is occupied by boys but the two had befriended the girls up stairs. So I trouped upstairs with them and met tow lovely ladies by the names of Heather and Stacey. They wheeled in a TV set, DVD and VCR recorder a huge box filled with DVD and VCR tapes. It was everything I wished for and more. There was Downfall (I always wanted to watch it), Schinder’s list, and a whole host of familiar movie titles. Plus the Lion King. There was like two or three Lion Kings tapes there and there are all different. I didn’t know they made sequels of the Lion King. So Stacey said “pick one”. We wavered between return to childhood—the Lion King or Brother Bear—or something with gore or something else. So in the end, for some reason I can’t remember, we settled on Ocean’s Eleven. Since we all knew the show by heart, we talked much although I let them dominate the conversation. Stacey had formed a nice bed for herself using to chairs and she fell asleep, waking up just as the show ended. Next up was a humourous talk show with Jamie Oliver as one of the guests. There was this female singer who gave a performance beforehand but I can’t remember her name. The compare of the show was really funny, cracking jokes every few minutes. There was a segment when Jamie dumped all the junk food served in British school on one huge piece of cloth (He’s been leading a programme to improve the standard of food in British schools). So I turned to Paul and asked him whether school food was that bad here. “No, he’s exaggerating,” and Stacey/Heather remarked that they’ve done away with Fries in school too. Well, what ever the case, thank God for the school food back in Singapore.

We stayed till 2340 then we made our departure. Lovely time there.

Saturday:

Still woke up early again. Had to feed myself on weekends so I made cereal and instant noodles. I then headed up to the Centre Court (this is the top part of Tennis Courts, not the centre court in Tennis terminology!) where supposedly the School’s Christian Union mentioned that there would be a BBQ. No one was in sight after a while, so I headed back to finish off my sandwich and then decided to take a walk around The Vale.

Tennis Courts, Mason Hall (under renovation), Shackleton Hall, Maple Bank Chamberlain Hall and Elgar Court all make up the North accommodation area called the Vale while they are other housing available at the Selly Oak campus in the south. Mind you, Selly Oak is a pretty far walk from the Uni Centre and thus an even further walk from the Vale. Anyway, the Vale is a better place to be simply because of its scenery. From Tennis Courts, people use to cut across the construction site of Mason Hall to get to Shackleton to eat. They’ve closed that area now and the new route takes us past this magnificent lake/park. It’s a lovely walk in the morning and a great place to jog. Supposedly people have been using the lake for various reasons thus explaining the various signs erected. My walk took me up one of the various slopes which they say will be covered in snow come winter and a great area for tobogganing. I head up all the way to Maple Bank and Chamberlain Hall then trodded down Church Road, trying to find the old Edgbaston (the name of the district I’m in) Church. After getting myself lost, I headed back and admired the look of the various Halls. Even still, I’m not complaining about Tennis Courts.

In the afternoon, I finished off reading the Economics and Political Science packages. There are extremely strict rules regarding Plagiarism. So I flipped through some of my IDSS work and found that if I submitted those articles, I would have committed the offence many times over. Yikes, I have to be extremely careful.

At around 2100 hours, I received a phone call on my room phone. Hmm, I thought, who knows my number. It turned out to be Tracy Wong, one of the fellow Singaporeans who was wondering whether she could pop by. Five minutes later, a girl clad in shorts and jacket came by. She definitely wasn’t at any of the pre departure meetings but she was really nice and it was certainly great to see another Singaporean face. There was a Malaysian guy with her and both are reading Medicine.

Sunday:

It rained almost whole morning and afternoon. Highlight of the day was the Church Service and group worship at Selly Oak Methodist Church. That’s like quite a far distance from Tennis Courts but luckily a blue car came at around 1820 to give me a lift there. The driver is Philip, a second year law student, introduced me to the other passenger, a Malaysian named Andrew. He’s reading Chemical engineering. As Philip drove, I sort of got the directions to Selly Oak. Looks like walks there and back will only occur on very free times.

The Selly Oak Methodist Church is a small one storey building as we enter the main congregation hall, the number of worshippers there numbered around thirty or so, many times smaller than the size of Living Waters and IBC.

The service is really much different from that style of LWMC or IBC. Its okay, quite traditional although songs like “Salvation belongs to our God” and “Come, now is the time to worship” were sung. There was several rounds of prayer in between and much on focusing on Jesus. The sermon was on what is Truth and it was pretty relevant for us Freshers. The band is really small, one organ, one pianist, on flute player, one electric guitarist and a Violin/Cello player. Due to the size of the congregation, offering took place pretty fast. The closing hymn was “How great thou art”, one of my favourite songs and we all said the benediction together.

Afterwards, I got to me the other new visitors and the Methodist Society members. There’s Dave, a really amicable biology PhD. student. Then came Sally, the President who talked to me about Politics and the various modules I would be taking. There’s also Kas, the Publicity head from Sri Lanka, then Sian, the music head and Frances, in charge of Social and social action. A common icebreaker of “tangled hands” was played. Brings back memories of those NS commanders engaging in such and act. It was easy to untangle when you’re in small group but when we all joined together, it was really a tightly woven lot of arms. We finally gave up and headed for dinner.

It was a simple pasta dish, but scrumptious nonetheless. We headed for a worship session next, which was much of a reflecting and praying session. There were four stations on the floor and anyone could look at what was there and reflect on it or pray about it. There was one on the Great Commission, another with the story “footprints” (the one which describes Jesus carrying the man), another on world events like the Middle East Conflicts and another on “Do not worry”. It’s indeed really different from Small Group worship/prayer back in LWMC, but a great idea to try.

That ended around 2130 or so and there was the option to join the Methsoc members at a local pub or head home. Andrew and I headed home.

Thus that is Welcome/Fresher’s week at a glance or so. Now, to start real work.

Even so….

Per Ardua Ad Alta!

previous - next