Monthly Archives: December 2017

The Family Comes to Visit

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You might be planning already for your family to visit you while you are studying abroad at Reading. If you need some ideas for what to do with them, here’s what Collin got up to when his family visited!

One of the great things about Reading is that it provides an excellent place for family to come and visit while studying at the University. Being so close to London my family was able to fly in during Thanksgiving break to come explore what England has to offer. Being their first time to Europe I was very excited to show them around. The first item on the agenda was to explore the town of Reading. The whole family was keen on doing some shopping, so the Oracle center provided the perfect opportunity to cross that off the list.

The next item on the list was Stonehenge. Stonehenge is only about an hour south of Reading, easily accessible by car. It was a wonderful experience and very informational. Stonehenge is one of those things that you have to experience first hand to truly appreciate the beauty and history it has to offer. On the same day, we visited the town of Salisbury, a small medieval cathedral city with tons of shops and restaurants. The next couple days were spent in downtown London seeing places like Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, and St. Paul’s Cathedral.

There are so many other exciting places to see in England that are close to Reading. Other excellent places to visit within a short distance are Oxford and Bath. Oxford is home to the world famous University as well as a city with unique shops. It is quite a pleasant sight and definitely a must see for anyone travelling to England. Bath is another must-see city home to the Roman baths and museum as well as a Christmas market in the beginning of the Christmas season. Overall, it was an awesome experience having my family come into town and Reading provided the perfect opportunity to make that happen.

NB: for students joining us in January (and those continuing from Autumn 2017), we’ll be organising a Study Abroad Programme Trip to Stonehenge and Winchester, which will take place on Saturday 10 March 2018. More details will follow in February 2018. Save the date!

One World at Reading

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Reading is proud to have a diverse community of students and staff. Coming from a diverse campus at University of Texas at Dallas, Kiara was able to get involved with activities to celebrate this diversity while a member of the Study Abroad Programme at the University of Reading!

I am racially ambiguous. Being multiracial is a huge part of my identity. It’s kind of hard for it not to be a huge part of who I am, considering it generally means I look different from my peers–regardless of wherever in the world I happen to be. I really do love being multiracial, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Growing up in a multiracial family meant being surrounded by diversity all the time. The older I got, the more I realized that diversity is not always the norm; moreover, diversity is something to be celebrated and appreciated. Diversity is so near and dear to me that it played into my decision to attend my home university, The University of Texas at Dallas. My university has been ranked by U.S. News as one of the nation’s most diverse campuses. I was so fortunate to become a part a community that values diversity in all forms. For example, administrative departments like the International Center, the Galerstein Gender Center, and the Multicultural Center are a few great resources that schedule many popular student functions throughout the school year. In my second year at UTD, the Multicultural Center founded a student group specifically by multiracial students for multiracial students. After spending a year on this committee, I left to study abroad at the University of Reading.

When I got to campus, I was in awe of how much Reading has to offer their students. There is a student organization for anything you could think of: surfing, quidditch, archery, Bollywood, Disney, and the list goes on and on. I had no idea where to begin! As luck would have it, shortly after I got to campus, I got an email from RUSU’s [Reading University Students’ Union] Diversity Officer. She was promoting Black History Month and a student committee dedicated to celebrating the diversity that exists on campus. I jumped at the opportunity to join the One World Committee!

In the initial interest meeting, we had representation from seven countries. It was incredible to see such a large, diverse turnout, despite the university being primarily white, British students. We began to plan the first event of the school year–an event to showcase how cultures from around the world celebrate winter holidays. The event was scheduled for early December, and I was really excited to see how everything turned out. I’ll be working the welcome booth, but other Reading students from all across the globe were setting up booths to show how they celebrate Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and other winter holidays with traditions, clothing, and food. I mean, who doesn’t love cultural learning and free food?

As part of the One World Committee, I also had the opportunity to help design a video campaign to promote One World Committee and its events. I even get to be in the video! The video is still in the works, but keep your eyes out on RUSU’s social media pages for updates!

Even though I am only at Reading for the fall, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to meet and work with some great people. I am so happy to have found a community that values diversity and works to promote it. I’ve enjoyed my time working with the One World Committee and I cannot wait to see how it grows and develops (even if it is via social media). One family, one people, one world, one love!

NB: for more information about how diversity is acknowledged and celebrated at the University of Reading, please see https://www.reading.ac.uk/diversity/. For more information about the One World campaign Kiara was involved with, please see https://www.rusu.co.uk/campaigns/2017-18/one-world-reading/. 

The Reading Aesthetic

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There’s a special something about the University of Reading and the town of Reading that really appealed to Collin, who joined us on the Study Abroad Programme from the University of Rhode Island. Read on to get a taste of that aesthetic!

Coming from a small New England town in the United States, I grew up appreciating nature for all the beauty it has to offer. At first glance I was a little skeptical about the urban location of the University of Reading and how many cities these days are more focused on buildings than plants and animals.

It only took me a few hours to realize the University of Reading has both the benefits of an urban setting while still keeping its natural roots. It’s amazing how the University is able to combine modern buildings, historical buildings, and a vast amount of biodiversity all on the same campus. It is safe to say Reading has surpassed my expectations and continues to surprise me.

Another great thing about Reading is the downtown area. There are so many stores, restaurants, and events that its almost impossible to visit them all even though it is only about a 10-minute bus ride. The streets have a very old-town English feel to them, even though they are stocked with all the latest stores (many of which can only be found in England). It makes for a great place to adventure with friends for shopping and other activities such as getting coffee or tea.

There is an overabundance of different types of restaurants with food from all over the world. Its quite remarkable how much culture and diversity they have jammed into one small city. There’s also numerous festivals that take place during the year like the Oktoberfest celebration that is held in town every year. During the winter term they even have the town decorated with Christmas decorations with a large tree in the town center. It is a very beautiful setup and rivals even some of the larger European cities.