Birmingham : an economic asset

   I wanted to visit a big city and after some internet research I discovered that Birmingham was the second most populous city after London. I learned that the main interest of the city is its large shopping center , not very exciting. I traveled with a friend by bus , departing at 8 am back the next day at 3 am.

The Bullring mall by night

   The mall is called BullRing . It is distinguished by an unusual design: a huge capsule with wave-shaped curves covered with circles that light up in blue at night. Inside, the shops are spread over three floors. The Bullring is simply the largest shopping center in Europe . It boosts the city and enable to create a multitude of jobs especially in the service sector, which represents a very large share of economic activity of Birmingham.

Some french student from Monaco

The canal which crosses Birmingham

   In one day , I wasn't able to visit the town center. Everything seems new, the many construction sites dotting the city reveal a renewal of the urbanization. Everything is beautiful, everything is high. The library built in the city center is huge with an innovative and futuristic design. Not far away , a canal crosses the city . It is highlighted by restaurants accessible by small bridges that give it a Venetian look. The streets are populated , and occasionally French sounds catch our attention.

In the evening we ate in a restaurant and bar which broadcasted the match France - Brazil. After the match the atmosphere became more festive with a DJ and musicians.

The big library of Birmingham

In the Indi Lounge Bar

I liked Birmingham, and I plan to look for an internship here for the summer. I write my article at the station waiting for my bus, before  that my emotion evaporates, before I forget my best human encounter. That of Andy a Nigerian who lives in Birmingham for 16 years and working in the bar toilet.

Easter Holidays

Hi all!

   The first week of holidays, a friend who lives in the same city as me in France came to visit me in Stoke. I was really happy to see her because I didn't come back in France during the holidays. She arrived on the Thursday, she took a hotel so we stayed in Stoke from Thursday to Saturday morning. I showed her the city centre of Stoke and also our huge campus, she was really impressed by this considerable campus.

Then, the Saturday morning, we left the city to go to Liverpool by train. We visited the city centre of Liverpool which is really interesting because there are a lot of shops and restaurants. After, we visited few museums, I saw the sea, I was really happy because I used to see the sea every day in my city in France and I miss it!

In the evening, we went to a restaurant that we chose on a website because it looked really nice. Indeed, when we arrived at the restaurant we were really surprised of it because we had the impression of being in a French restaurant! It was a really good meal and we enjoyed it! Then, we visited the different place where you can find bars and clubs and actually, there is a street which gather most of the clubs and bars of Liverpool. We were really tired and we finally found a quiet Irish bar a bit more far away from this street where we could enjoy our beer without noisy music.

She came back to France the tomorrow really early in the morning and I came back to Stoke. I passed my two weeks of holidays in Stoke, working my assessments because we have a lot of work to do and I visited some friends who live in Manchester on a Friday night, I was happy to see them because there was nobody on the campus during the holidays! I finally found again my French friends who came back from France and we all hope to pass a last good month in Stoke-on-Trent.

Welcome to London

Hi every one! 

This week-end I went to London with the other French guys. We left Stoke at 12:50 by taking the bus to go to London, it took such a long time because the bus to go to London takes 5 hours! Finally, when we arrived in London, we discovered our hostel and we went to the Piccadilly centre to eat something because we were so hungry after this long journey! We ate in a Chinese restaurant and after we went around Piccadilly. It was so nice, lights everywhere, bars, restaurants. I also discovered the famous red buses and the English taxis because I’ve never been to London before.

The next day...

 

Blue zone

Green zone

The next day I went to the Natural History museum which is free. There were several zones and I saw a lot of beautiful things like the dinosaur skeletons in the Blue zone, the minerals in the Green zone …etc. It was really interesting.

On the afternoon, I went to the Buckingham palace which is the official residence of British sovereigns. It was really nice! I couldn’t imagine how big it was and how beautiful it was.

 

Finally I went to the famous Big Ben which is situated at the north end of the Palace of Westminster. It was really impressive because the clock is huge! 

 

For the last day, we went to the parade in Trafalgar square for the St Patrick’s Day which is an Irish celebration.

The trip in London was really cool, I discovered a lot of things and I hope I’ll come back in soon because there are a lot of things to do in London and I think that a week-end is too short to do everything. 

See you later !

Hanley park

An interesting location I have been to recently is Hanley Park which was developed in 1896. It is situated over a large area of 63 acres.  The park is cut in two by a canal called the Caldon Canal passing through it from east to west. To the south of the canal is a lake whose maginificense is breath taking.

The lake at Hanley Park

The book house on the shore of the lake further adds to its beauty with classic style of architecture along with the islands and the fountains in the lake. There are also several Ducks and Geese swimming and flying in and around the lake. One can also see the occasional Kingfisher and Coal Tit. Feeding these birds gave me an exquisite feeling as it allowed us to get closer to them and observe their beauty.

The park also boasts a wide range of sports facilities which include two basketball courts, two pitches for football, a bowling green and two tennis courts. A multi use area adds to the list of sports facilities and its uses are numerous.

There are also several play areas within the park. The areas offer a wide range of equipment like slides, monkey bars, hamster wheels etc. However these are only for children. Sneaking in and playing here is a fun filled affair. I felt like a child again when i was enjoying myself here. 

However, something that really surprised me was the sight of children on leashes. I was literally shocked when i saw parents putting a leash on their children to keep them from running away.

SPORTS IN UK UNIVERSITIES

Sports in the UK 

Sports are an important activity for UK Students and form an important aspect of life in UK Universities. An organisation called British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) oversees university sports in the UK. This organisation organises about 50 inter-university sports within the United Kingdom for about 2.3 million students attending various universities.

The activities of the organisation include the BUCS Gatorade Nationals which in 2013 replaced the BUCS Championships, hosted in Sheffield since 2010, and BUCS Bug Wednesday, a championship final of 14 sports that takes place at Leeds Metropolitan University Campus over one day. These new competitions were organised due to a very high demand for high level student competition.

Staffordshire University

Here at Staffordshire University, large areas are dedicated for sports activities including facilities available for Gym activities (open to both students and the general public).

 At the Stoke Campus, there are:

• More than 30 student-run sports clubs and societies
• Students’ Union sports clubs and societies
• Regular weekly fixtures
• Staff and public sports teams and clubs
• Floodlit all-weather sports pitches
• Four-court indoor sports hall
• Extensive sports fields
• Athletics training facilities
• Well-equipped fitness suites

Opening times

The Pitches and Courts are open:

• 7am to 10pm Monday to Friday
• 9am to 6pm Saturday
• 9am to 8pm Sunday

Membership

Membership of the Gym is £10 per month. Additional fee further gives access to:

Full-sized floodlit Astroturf pitch large enough for 11-a-side football and hockey games

• Two smaller all-weather floodlit Astroturf courts  - ideal for 5-a-side team games
• Traditional grass pitches including a football pitch, rugby pitch and training areas
• A great venue for birthdays and sports parties
• Health Connections – fully equipped gym with 35 fitness stations
• Sports Hall with 4 badminton courts, 5-a-side football, volleyball, netball, basketball, tennis, table tennis and viewing gallery
• Wide choice of group exercise classes led by qualified instructors
• Activities Room for yoga, aerobics, dance, keep fit and pilates

The general price of using these facilities are much cheaper than in France.

The Sports activities at Staffordshire University are grouped under the following categories:

·       Dance and cheerleading

·       Extreme sports 

·       Indoor Sports Clubs (Basketball, Cricket)

·       Martial arts (karaté,Boxe,Judo)

·       Racket sports (Tennis)

    ·       Outdoor (Football, Amercian football,Horse riding)
    ·       Water sports

Personal Experiences

I had joined the Basketball team whose level of play was high and significantly different from what I had experienced in France. Practicing with the team allowed me to find and make new friends as well as experience new styles of play different to the ones I have experienced before.

```