Monthly Reports
一个比较严肃的题目 – A More Serious Topic – Jonathan Ferguson, Beijing – March 2020
本月的博客题目比以前的严肃得多，可是作为住在中国，学习中文的学生，我认为我应该提取最近几个月的疫情。幸运的是，中国疫情愈来愈好但是欧洲的疫情每况愈下。 This month’s blog topic is much more serious than normal, but as a student living in China and learning Chinese, I thought I ought to raise the issue of the recent coronavirus situation. Luckily, the situation in China is ever improving but in Europe the situation is getting worse and worse. 当新型冠状疾病爆发的时候，没有人知道这个病毒如何严峻。不过，不久英国外交和联邦事务部发布警告说，他们推荐英国公民不去中国大陆并推荐已经在大陆的公民及早离开。我们的学校，北大，禁止了学生提前回北京，也延期了学期的开始时间。届时我们需要立刻离开大陆，没有告别朋友的机会。我的手提电脑，书，大多数的衣服和其他东西还在北京，我无法将它们带回来。我的中国朋友说很多人因为害怕被感染而一直足不出户，这令有些人觉得闷闷不乐。我们的英国学校决定我们应该因为北大的学期被延期了而搬到台北上课。现在我很想念北京 – 我想念我们的学校和我的公寓，让我口水流下的饭馆和去旅行的机会可是毫无疑问，我最想念的是友善的北京人和我在那里交的朋友。…
Read MoreStarting my second placement: Mia Marchant – March 2020
This month I have been settling in to my new placement and getting to know more about the education system and the issues faced by children in the favelas. Many children are forced to repeat grades at school due to the police operations in the favelas causing classes to be cancelled. Their are often bullet…
Read MoreOlivia Pettitt: Madrid en el encierro/Madrid in lockdown – March 2020
Estas últimas semanas Madrid, conocía como la “ciudad que nunca duerme” europea, se ha visto obligada a hibernar. Hemos visto desde nuestros balcones como las terrazas se despejan y la gente en las calles desaparece. Las persianas de las tiendas se bajaron, para no volver a abrirlas al día siguiente, y la atmósfera cambió completamente.…
Read MoreViaje a Viñales: la otra cara de Cuba : Noah Merrin, Cuba – March 2020
Spanish A lo largo de mi primer mes en la Habana, los habaneros iban diciéndome que la ciudad no es una buena representación de Cuba como un país. Decían que para experimentar la ‘Cuba real’, yo necesitaba ir al campo; allá, donde los bueyes siguen siendo más populares como herramientas agriculturas que los tractores, vería…
Read MoreAarun Ilyas: Last Month in Granada, Spain – March 2020
March marks the end of my internship and my last month in Granada. I have left Spain having completed my year abroad but many others have not been as lucky as me. The COVID-19 pandemic being so prevalent right now has reminded of the similarities and differences Spanish society has with the UK. From personal…
Read MoreGabrielle McKenna: Церкви и прочие красоты! – Churches and other beauties!, Russia – March 2020
Этот месяц был одним из самых насыщенных: я осмеливалась посещать церкви, музеи и ранее неизвестные уголки Санкт-Петербурга. В первый же выходные я посетила ‘большую тройку”: Исаакиевский собор, Храм Спасителя пролитой крови и Эрмитаж. Я приехала в Санкт-Петербург с семьей в 2016 году, однако теперь, когда я могу понимать и читать по-русски, это был совершенно другой…
Read MoreSam Styan in Tajikistan – БИСЁР КАЛИМАҲО БАРОИ СИПОСГУЗОРӢ – SO MANY WORDS FOR THANK YOU – February 2020
Хостам фикрамро дар бораи фарқият байни форсии эронӣ, афғонию тоҷикӣ баён кунам, чунки ҳозир як баҳс вуҷуд дорад, ки агар форсию тоҷикӣ ду лаҳҷаи стандартӣ аз як забон (муқоиса кунед: англисии бритониёию англисии амрикоӣ) ё ду забон ки иртиботи наздик доранд аммо фарқкунандаанд (муқоиса кунед: шведию норвегӣ). Бо истифода аз ду хатти тамоман гуногун чизҳо…
Read More« Les conférences à Sciences Po » : Phoebe Gittins, Paris, France, February 2020
Comme si avoir la possibilité d’étudier à Sciences Po Paris ne suffisait pas, on a aussi la possibilité de fréquenter des débats pertinents avec des intellectuels et des personnes extraordinaires. Surtout, les deux événements qui m’ont le plus frappée était la conférence donnée par Bruno Patino sur l’actualité française et le débat entre le Président…
Read MoreGirl in Gwada! (Guadaloupe) : Rhoda Yaa Assah Manu, Guadaloupe – February 2020
The journey to Guadeloupe was LONG. It was weird because in terms of hours travelling to Reunion took longer but I felt so TIRED during that whole voyage. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that I had to catch a flight from Luton Airport at 7am and then take a coach from…
Read MoreAu Revoir La Reunion: Rhoda Yaa Assah Manu, Reunion Island – January 2020
Remember how excited I was for Fete Kaf in the last entry? Well, I was not let down in the slightest! It was incredible. I feel like I’ve over-used the words “incredible”, “amazing”, “breath-taking” in these blog entries but they are the only words that have the ability to capture and convey the magic and…
Read MoreLorenzo Webster: Sevilla, February 2020
The history behind the city’s walls – my 5th month in Sevilla As 2020 got underway it was time to pick my new modules for the next semester. As a politics student in London I searched out for any modules with political aspects and what I found was an interesting mix of early and contemporary…
Read More'¡Socialismo o muerte!': José Martí's Birthday in Havana – Noah Merrin, Cuba, February 2020
Spanish Llegué a La Habana, Cuba, el 25 de enero. La ciudad no tardó mucho en sorprenderme con una festividad muy particular. Solo dos días después de mi llegada, por la noche del 27 de enero, la ciudad empezó las celebraciones para el cumpleaños de José Martí. Nacido en el 28 de enero 1853, Martí…
Read MoreMia Marchant – Medellin: Never missing opportunities – February 2020
This is the year for new experiences and trying new things. Because of that, I have been saying yes more often and being more open to new ideas. So far this has already resorted in me doing my first paraglide and waterfall repelling. Paragliding above the Andes was a great experience and my pilot was…
Read MoreMás allá de lo superficial: Harvey Moon, Granada – February 2020
Más allá de lo superficial Habiendo estado en Granada durante casi 6 meses, estoy empezando a darme cuenta y a notar ciertos aspectos de la ciudad que están por debajo de la superficie. Por supuesto, vivir aquí como un lugareño tiene su belleza y me ha proporcionado un lado nuevo e integral de mi identidad…
Read MoreLa Albufera: George Illingworth – Valencia, February 2020
La Albufera refiere a una gran reserva natural en Valencia. Hace poco menos de 2 millones de años se formó, durante el pleistoceno. Se formó por el cierre del golfo existente entre Valencia y la actual población de Cullera, más o menos unos 30 kilómetros de distancia de norte a sur, con los sedimentos del…
Read MoreOlivia Pettitt: Un viaje al pais vasco – A trip to the Basque Country, February 2020
Este mes, fui a San Sebastián y Bilbao, dos ciudades en el País Vasco. Como no he viajado muchos lugares en el norte, y me intrigó ver los contrastes entre el norte y el sud de España, especialmente en el país vasco, que es una región autónoma que se enorgullece de su cultura distinta. En…
Read More在内蒙过年: Sandy Perkins, China – February 2020
为了去我女朋友的故乡内蒙古过年，二月二十一号我和我女朋友坐了高铁从北京到呼和浩特。当时即使新型冠状病毒的疫情的严重性还没有进入大家的注意力，我们还是戴了口罩，因为我们从新闻上已经知道了关于这个病毒可能会人传人。在呼和浩特市我女朋友的姐姐接了我们，然后我们就开车去了牧区。我女朋友的妈妈住在牧区，她们家有很多羊和马。 在牧区过年很有意思，我学了很多蒙古族的习俗。除夕前夜，我们一起包了很多饺子，将近有四五百个饺子。这一大批饺子我们从除夕开始一直在吃，直到初五。我领略到了中国人为什么这么爱吃饺子。这一批饺子也有一个很重要的功能。因为从初一开始我女朋友的家庭有很多客人来拜年，每次招待客人的时候他们就会给客人蒸饺子。我自己也跟我女朋友一起去了一些她亲戚家和邻居家串门拜年，这是蒙古族的习俗，他们会相互串门拜年，致以新年的问候。串门的时候每家主人都会给你一碗奶茶和一些饭菜，当然还有一盘饺子，必须尝一尝他们的饺子和菜是礼节，也要把奶茶喝完，然后他们会请每位客人喝一杯白酒或马奶酒，他们管这个叫敬酒。因此，串完门回家时，有个又吃饱又有点儿喝醉的感觉是不可避免的。 初五我们回到了我女朋友的小镇。本来我打算在这天开始为期一个月的旅游，但是在这时候新型冠状病毒已经严重蔓延至全国各地，疫情把我所有的计划都弄坏了，初六这个小镇开始了封闭式管理。值得庆幸的是，初五我们去了一个很美丽的藏佛教寺庙参观，那里很美很神秘。那是我们最后一天的自由活动。。。 Last month my girlfriend Sargai and I went to her hometown in Inner Mongolia to celebrate the Lunar New Year. On February 21st we took the high-speed train from Beijing to Hohhot. As that time most people were not aware of the seriousness of the Coronavirus epidemic, but we nevertheless wore face…
Read More我一辈子最冷的生日- The coldest birthday of my life! Jonathan Ferguson, China – Feb 2020
每年冬天处在中国东北的哈尔滨举行冰雪节。哈尔滨国际冰雪节是世界上最有名的冰雪节，每年吸引无数的中外游客。冰雪节最吸引人的胜地是冰雪大世界。在那里，游客可以欣赏被彩灯照明的壮观冰雕。我的英国学长学姐和中国朋友都告诉我参观冰雪节真是个很难忘的体验，所以我决定跟同学一起去哈尔滨过生日。 Every winter, Harbin in North East China hosts the Ice Festival. Harbin Ice Festival is the world’s biggest ice festival which attracts countless visitors from China and abroad every year. The spot that attracts the most people is Harbin Ice and Snow World. Tourists can admire magnificent ice sculptures illuminated with multicolored lights there.…
Read MoreAarun Ilyas: La Alhambra, Spain – February 2020
Español: La Alhambra es un antiguo palacio situado en Granada, España. El sitio fue nombrado por sus muros rojizos y torres que rodeaban la ciudadela, en árabe significa castillo rojo. Es la última ciudad palatina sobreviviente de la Edad de Oro Islámica. No conocía la Alhambra antes de llegar a Granada, lo cual es sorprendente…
Read MoreПервая неделя в Санкт-Петербурге! – First week in Saint Petersburg! Gabrielle McKenna, February 2020
Я приехалa рано утром в воскресенье в очень серый, мокрый Петербург. Я живу в районе за пределами исторического центра-можно сказать, что в этом районе есть какая-то “советская” атмосфера. Думаете себе большие серые многоцелевые здания – я живу над “супермаркетом-баром”, хотя еще не осмеливался исследовать его. Люди, кажется, более дружелюбны, в западном смысле, чем люди, которых…
Read MoreSam in Tajikistan – РОҲ БА ҚАРОҚАЛПОҚСТОН – THE ROAD TO QARAQALPAQSTAN – January 2020
Ин достон аст дар бораи чи хел аз Ноҳияҳои Тобеии Ҷумҳурӣ ба Ҷумҳурии Қароқалпоқстон сафар кардам. Бале ин ду ҷо ҳақиқиянд! Ноҳияҳои Тобеии Ҷумҳурӣ номи тарснок аст барои вилояти Тоҷикистон ки зиндагӣ карда истодаам. Баъд аз ду бор мошинамон қариб мешикаст ва баъд аз чанд пиёлаи чой бо бибиҳои ӯзбеку тоҷик нӯшидан, ману дӯстам дар…
Read More« Noël à Paris » : Phoebe Gittins, Paris, France, January 2020
Ce mois-ci, on a vécu une période des grèves sans précédentes et monumentales à Paris, même partout la France. Des milliers des personnes ont manifesté pendant le mois de décembre (et maintenant, de janvier), contre le projet de réforme des retraites. Ils ont annulé la majorité des transports publics à Paris, sauf les lignes 1…
Read MorePolitical manifestations in Spain: Olivia Pettitt – Spain, January 2020
Apenas un par de semanas antes del 2020 y ya han comenzado las protestas en Madrid y en toda España. En Madrid, casi 4.000 personas marcharon el domingo en ‘defensa de la Constitución’. Las protestas fueron convocadas oficialmente por el grupo ‘España existe’ con el mensaje general de rechazar a Pedro Sánchez y su Gobierno.…
Read More一个充满反差的国家 – a land of contrasts: Jonathan Ferguson – China, January 2020
从上海的摩天大楼到黄山的山清水秀，从杭州风景如画的西湖到南京的热闹市中心，中国是一个充满反差的国家。上个月，我去了这四个截然不同的南方地方。这次旅途使我思考中国的一些反差。 From the modern skyscrapers of Shanghai to the the beautiful scenery of Huangshan, from Hangzhou’s lake which is as beautiful as a painting to Nanjing’s bustling city center, China is a country full of contrasts. Last month I went to 4 completely different places. This trip made me consider some of China’s contrasts. 上海是一个很多不同的文化的熔炉。到了上海，我的第一印象就是这个都市跟我以前去过的中国城市很不一样。除了有很多西方风格建筑以外，魔都还有很多外国居民。如今，很多外国人住在帝都，特别是在离许多名校很近的五道口和侨民枢纽的三里屯。不过，从我所看到的，上海的外国人数远远超过北京的。另外，上海也有各种各样的食物。比如，我有点惊讶于看到黎巴嫩菜和土耳其菜。在我在上海吃过的食物当中，我最喜欢的是那里的生煎和法国长棍和可颂。上海真是一个国际城市。…
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