My Interview

Blackpool was brilliant. It was a trip that my dad helped organize- it came to a point where over 400 people signed up so we were forced to stop taking people in. (I don’t usually mention my dad in my blogs, so here is some info on him- he’s the chairman of the Yemeni Community Association of Birmingham so he does know a lot of people, and like me, he likes to get involved in different things. He made a school for example which has been successfully running for over 5 years, and works closely with internationals). Off course we (all 400 of us) did not all ‘hang out’ together for that would be awkward! Haha. Instead I spent the day with my closest friends and some of my family. It was a long 3 hour coach drive! It was mainly spent by speaking to others, reading, eating, singing nursery rhymes to my nephew and playing charades. And then as the trees and fields gave place to the shops, beach and town I knew we had arrived. We spent some time on the beach, then went on some rides, explored some galleries and went shopping.

At one point in my past blogs I mentioned that I wanted to gain some experience in a different school, I absolutely loved my last one, but I knew it would be good for me to try somewhere different. Therefore I decided to apply. The applying stage was really easy as learnt from my pervious experience at Newman. I sent an email to about 5 schools and waited for a reply. I got two unsuccessful replies one saying that they only offer post graduate placements, and the other saying that they already have the full amount of students they can take in, then I got another email offering me an interview in one weeks’ time.

The interview:
I was told to meet at 8.30 at the school. I’ve never been to this school before- or the area (on my own), so first I spent some time on google maps figuring out the route (it was two busses away and a 10 minute walk). Once I’ve figured this out I prepared the things I was told to bring- Id and getting two references ready. I never really prepared for the interview like I would do for an exam- I didn’t sit down and research etc., it was just something I briefly thought about as I was hovering, or making my way to my brothers junior school to collect him. I feel that it was something I could easily talk about, and admittedly I like the attention you get in an interview.

It was the day of the interview, I was on the second bus there and it was 8.18. I wasn’t sure exactly where to get off, the bus ride seemed to take forever and I was sure that I missed my stop. I went to ask the driver about the school, but he wasn’t sure as there were a lot of schools in that area. I sat back down hoping, really hoping that I would soon recognise some road names from google maps, but I didn’t- and it was 8.22.

It was only until the bus stopped to let people off that I recognised a road name; it was a road close to the school. It was weird, the roads weren’t where they were supposed to be according to google maps, everything was backwards (ok I got to admit Geography was not my best subject at school). So rather than walking forwards and turning right (how I imagined in my head), I had to walk the other way and turn left. Anyway the school was still about 5-10 minutes away but I managed it in the end- after turning left you just walk straight straight straight.

It was a short informal interview- felt more like a chat. I spoke about why I wanted this placement and my experience so far and provided my references. I also found out that the person who was interviewing me is an ex-Newman student! I was shown around the school and absolutely loved it! I now desperately wanted a place here.

Fortunately the wait was not long. 2 days later I checked my email and saw the subject ‘placement’ as the title- I quickly opened it before the worry starts. I didn’t get the place. No I’m joking I did. (Yay )

I am still continuing with my university preparations by getting everything I need and reading as much as I can. Also, after changing my mind numerous times I finally have a dissertation idea that I am happy with…I think.

There is still so much more I want to talk about, but this blog has gone long enough! So in my next blog I will tell you about my secret Rabbits, my scary first day experience at school, and the fun I had meeting the Erasmus students: D

Tahne

Meero the zombie penguin!

Towards the end of the last academic year my laptop broke. Not sure if broke is the right word. It was still working fine but the lighting went all funny- turning red and green. The only way to use it without it being annoying was to move the laptop screen up and down until the colours turned back to normal (it had to be positioned in a particular way). Anyway I was really busy then so that’s how I used it for a while. One of the things I wanted to do during this summer was to get it fixed. So now my laptop is with my brother (I figured he’ll probably sort it quicker than I will, he also knows people that can fix it that I don’t). Therefore I decided to blog downstairs- using the main computer.
This was fine until my 10 Month old Nephew (Meero) came over. He has recently learnt how to walk- though he still falls over sometimes and stretches his arms out a lot (picture a penguin). That reminds me of a post I have read recently where it said something like the first word you should teach a baby is ‘brains’. That way until they learn their second word you will have the cutest zombie. if only I had thought of this before, it would have complemented his stretched-out arms so well!
Anyway Meero has also recently realised that he has a particular fondness for computers…amongst many other things! It has now become impossible for me to write on the computer without him kindly offering his input by smashing the keys and eating the mouse. After realising that the mouse taste horrible he tries it again as though it will now miraculously have a different taste. Therefore I have had no choice but to wait until he falls asleep to write this.

August is almost over, despite having done quite a few things; one word I would use to describe this summer break is relaxing – which basically means waking up whenever I want and having none/minimal tasks. Therefore the thought of going back to university and having 6 modules, a dissertation, keeping up with the reading, directed time activities and assignments whilst balancing two jobs and two work placements is…erm…scary? However with the exception of a dissertation it’s not too different to what the last few years have been? I think…
Anyway I wouldn’t be doing what I do if I didn’t enjoy it, and Newman is brilliant with offering support whenever needed.
Recently I have also gone out with my friends to Merry Hill and we got a few things that we needed for university. It’s important to prepare for university by getting the things you need before term starts. I suggest making a list and taking it with you. For instance project book/folder and paper- depending on how you want to make your notes, bag, stationary, sorting out travel, books on reading list etc.

In 6 hours a coach is leaving from Birmingham to Blackpool that I am expected to be on. Therefore it’s probably a good idea to sleep now.

Tahne

Congratulations and Welcome

Hi Everyone!

First of all CONGRATULATIONS are in order for all new Newman students! Coming to Newman was one of the best things I have ever done, and I am sure you too will have a fabulous time here!
This time last year I wrote a blog about achieving your A-levels (or equivalent), including things to do after results day

and another blog about ‘things to know before starting university’ , I picked these two as I am sure they will be of relevance to you now so you can check them out if you want to 😉

If you’re like me then I am sure that your results have been in the back of your mind since the beginning of the holidays, and now that’s over you deserve some time to properly relax before preparing for university.

I have just come back from my holiday in wales, but before I left it was my cousin’s 6th birthday party/Family reunion. The kids played their usual game of pass the parcel, musical statues… but the only thing I was thinking about  was the Pizza. No I’m kidding i was also thinking about the cake. Ok fine it was also good watching the kids have fun (and the adults making a fool of themselves- wearing tiny hats and thinking they can dance).

Thankfully I have lots of relatives in Wales, so it was great to be able to see them all. When we first arrived, the whole family gathered together and we had a BBQ. Every day we tried somewhere different, and even if it was just town it was nice to all go together.

I enjoyed going to Cardiff Bay the most, we went on speed boats and relaxed on the sand. The kids also loved going on the rides, I didn’t go on any because they were for kids…ok maybe just one, and I took my little cousins with me so technically I was looking after them…from a distance.

 

On the ‘not’ so bright side, upon returning home the Birmingham Rain greeted me with a cold; a non-refundable gift.

Tahne

The End of Small Things- Part 1

So I was just about to write how I am in my room, enjoying the cool breeze coming from my wide stretched out window-when suddenly my mum comes in hey have you got any clothes for charity?  I answered I will look later-adamant to finish this blog, so now my mum is comfortably sitting opposite me looking at each of my clothes items and judging whether they should go in the charity pile or not.

Up until recently I have been going out a lot (I’ll say more about this later) however now I’m glad that I can finally just be at home. It’s the best time to spend a lot of time at home because it’s Ramadan-The ninth month of the Islamic calendar where we focus on restraining from everything bad, like lying and cheating. Not being able to eat between dawn to sunset shows us that if we can avoid something as essential as food then surely we should be able to restrain from things far easier (and we have 29/30 days to get into a good habit to continue for the rest of the year). This is my favourite month-the whole family is together most of the day. There’s just something about it that’s so spiritual, it’s difficult to put into words, you can only feel it I suppose. You just feel calmer and more relaxed, you’re reminded that yes life can get so busy at times, yes we all have our own little problems, have things to do, plans and deadlines… BUT none of that really matters-because there is something far far more important…so why stress or worry about these short worldly problems.

(My little brother has just walked in asking why mum is packing loads of my clothes, I told him I am going to Italy forever, he replies can I keep all your things –it’s nice to know that he loves me. )

There are times when it is necessary to go out- like today. I had to go to see the doctors as my shoulders turned an unusual red- usually I would just ignore it- but I’ve recently read a war story when a man called Geoffrey had the same problem, he didn’t see the doctor and it spread to his arm- so I couldn’t take the risk. So this early morning I made the 15 minute walk to the surgery. They were only two other people waiting- an old man sitting close to the telly, and another middle-aged man hugging the seat closest to the widows.  As I was waiting I had a sudden nostalgic moment, like Raven has in ‘That’s so Raven’ if you have seen it on the Disney channel- only looking at the past not the future. There opposite me was the 9-year-old me sitting with my back to my mum- annoyed that she dragged me here, not giving a care in the world that she had to miss her ESOL class that day plus stay up half the night with me. I decided to look outside the window instead – the seat beside it now being empty. When I was younger I could jump over the cracks on the pavement because they were deadly, walk on the wall when we reached the park with my arms stretched out -showing off in front of the younger kids who had to hold their moms hands, press the traffic lights and have the power to stop the cars, then walk the walk of fame.  Now all I saw was mess. Anyway I saw the doctor in the end, turned out it was just an insect bite nothing serious, I was given a prescription and made my journey back home.

 

The reason I am free a lot now is because a lot of the things have ended…

Come dine with me

In my last blog I wrote down my friend’s recipe, she was the final ‘contestant’ so below are pictures of the food she made- she did absolutely amazing! (I’m fasting now and could do with a mini Pizza or 2 or 25)

 

Her dress code was Greek mythological figures and I was Helen of Troy! We’re so fun (!) 😛

 

Weekend School

The school I teach Arabic in at the weekend has also broke up for the summer. In the final weeks I wrote them a test paper, this was quite difficult to do as unlike in the other classes, my class was of mixed ability and age- so it would be unfair to give them the same paper. In the end I wrote two different versions- higher and foundation- and their certificates would acknowledge that. I still need to mark them- I’ll wait till after Ramadan.

On the final day we had a small party, with lots of food (the best bit of course) and I was given flowers and cakes and cards- which felt awesome.

Test Papers

 

To be continued…

But First, Let Me Take A Selfie!

Hi everyone!

So I finished my last blog by leaving for my nephews reading workshop, I really enjoyed attending and I somehow managed to help lead the following reading workshops for the next set of kids-so that was a good experience.

I also cooked my three course meal!! Coincidently I ended up going for a multicultural meal with a Mexican starter, French/English/Italian main and an American dessert (more info on pictures below). It turned out to be a really good day; I enjoyed cooking for everyone and loved spending time with my close friends 🙂

Starter- Original Mexican Tacos

Main: Caramelised onion, Mediterranean tuna, pepper & courgette tart. Served with wedges, spaghetti, and fresh cut salad and Mint sauce.

Dessert: Boston Cream Pie

 

Now there’s just one of us left to cook. This is her menu:

Can’t wait! I’ll show you the pictures of the food in my next blog 😀

 

Choosing modules/dissertation

After I handed in my last assignment I started to look at the module choices for year 3. Unlike for year 2 where I purposely chose the same amount of modules in each semester (which I strongly recommend), for year 3 it’s a little bit different. You see this year we are doing a dissertation. A 10, 000 word dissertation (which by the way I still don’t know what I am writing about!) and although the dissertation is a module that takes place throughout the year, it is handed in in semester two. Therefore for this reason I decided to do more modules in semester one. I know how I work-though I will start my dissertation ASAP I will be doing most of the writing in semester two, so I would rather have less modules happening then so I could focus more on it. Also in terms of credits, semester one and semester two is balanced- 60 credits each. Time will tell how wise that decision was! (And I’ll keep you updated).

 

SAP SAP SAP

So I’ve recently had a SAP meeting with the other ‘sapers’ and got the opportunity to speak with them on how they are doing, it was great finding out about the different ideas and with the help and advice provided I feel even more confident to finish of the project (we’re coming towards the end!). I’ve also assigned myself to join the school of education development day on the 10^th July where I will be able to provide some feedback on some of my important findings on internationalisation at Newman.

 

So what’s coming up in the next few days-

Tomorrow (1^st July) is an open day for the Oaks Sixth form so I will be helping out at the university and I look forward to meeting everyone!

2^nd and 3^rd July I am helping out on in the ‘Writing West Midlands Original Writing Day’ working with years 10 and 11, it also means I could meet some amazing writers! I did this event before and it was really exciting, so I know it will be a good day! 😀

 

#NewmanSelfie

Our last open day was Saturday 28^th June and those who attended really benefited, they got the opportunity to speak with lecturers and current students, have their questions answered, find out about student life, able to have a tour of the campus and much much more.

During this day we also started an exciting new activity! It is called the NewmanSelfie and it is a competition where the person who takes the best selfie with Cardial John Henry Newman (picture given out on the day) and then post it on Twitter, will win a pair of gold Circle Weekend tickets to Fusion festival!! How can you not enter!

Fortunately if you have missed last open day, we have another one coming up really soon on the 9^th July! So do attend!

Thank you for reading,

Tahne

Beans on Toast

 

Hi everyone!

Hope you have all been enjoying your holiday so far! It’s been 16 days since I gave in my last assignment and it’s been going great; I just hope the time doesn’t start to fast forward (It always does!)

I ended my last blog saying I’m going off to water world so let me just tell you – it was amazing! It was the first day of the holidays and prior to that I was constantly cooped up in my room working on my assignments, so it was great that I was finally out and doing something active!

Since then I have been doing other fun things. One of these was getting the chance to finally go back to the barber institute to help out. I worked with the children and we made fruit baskets from papier machee. It was so messy and so much fun!

 

Going back home past the city centre I also came across a stand with different kinds of owls inside. It was actually my first time seeing an owl! (I think?), so I was really fascinated. They didn’t look that wise though. My whole childhood has been a lie!

You may also remember from one of my previous blogs, that my three close friends and I are playing the come dine with me game. So we would each take it in turn to cook a three course meal for the others and organise some sort of entertainment. Two have already done theirs (which was amazing by the way) and now it’s my turn! My turn is tomorrow…and…wait for it… I have no idea what I am going to cook! I don’t think beans on toast will cut it so I’ll spend some time today to get that ready. (I need to figure out what I am going to make so I can buy the ingredients and think about how I’m going to present it, then what activity we’re going to do, and what dress code…)

Right i’m off now to my nephews reading workshop, then when I get back I will need to get started on that recipe for tomorrow! I’ll let you know how it goes in my next blog- probably on the 22^nd June.

If you have any ideas on some good recipes comment down below or on the Newman Facebook page. Thank you!

Tahne

The End of the Tunnel!

Well hello guys!

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged, so I’m happy to be able to get the time now!(Missed it!) Most university students would have finished their assignments/exams now and boy what a relief!

I, for one, am glad! For the past month or so my mind has been occupied with deadlines and now that it’s all over I feel so free! I don’t even know what to do with my time anymore! (Having deadlines really does make you appreciate your time, and teaches you how to get the most out of it!)

Some students are unsure about how to receive their assignment results; you will get your assignment back in the same way that you gave it in. whether it being online or hard copy.

Online: You will receive an email to alert you when it is back and you will find it in the same place that you submitted it.

Hard copy: You will need to collect if from the hub, the same place you gave it in. Here is a link to find out when your assignments are back for collection: https://sharepoint.newman.ac.uk/supp/examasses/Lists/ModuleCollection/AllItems.aspx (You will probably have to log-in first)

You will usually get your results back no later than 3 weeks. Good luck!

You might be reading this as a student planning to come to university next year (or later), therefore if you’re still doing your exams/essays then good luck with that, work hard now and you will feel good for it later!

You would enjoy your summer a lot more knowing that you tried your best!

–
So now that it’s officially holidays I could start doing the things I really want to do, plus make the most of the time. (Making a list of this would help)

Here is my list of some of the things I want/need to do so far:

1. Have fun- got to prioritise! (Travelling- might go abroad/try different things, catching up with friends…)

2. Gain more experience- Volunteer/ work

3. Catch up on the books I want to read!

4. Continue with my SAP project

5. Continue with marketing + school placement

6. Start thinking about my dissertation!

7. Prepare for next academic year.

For my SAP project, I am looking at internationalisation at Newman University! Something I enjoy and I’m really interested in! I think it’s great to develop a multi- perspective understanding of the world, and I really want to integrate that more in Newman. However I’m interested in hearing your thoughts regarding this, so I would really appreciate it if you take a minute or 2 to fill out this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=eErqTxJBTZxXMMFjH2nn9Q%3D%3D

Thank you to those who already have!

Nevertheless number one on my list is to have fun, and so I best start with that! I am off now to water world!!! 😀

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Until next time,

Tahne