ONG, Nicole (120543496)

Stage 3 B940

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Dearest mummy,

How have you been? I hope that you are in the best of health. As for myself, I am fully recharged from my Easter break in Amsterdam and am looking forward for the start of my last term at Newcastle. I can’t believe it has been three years since I first came! Do you remember how nervous and excited I was when I first received my offer letter? How scared I was to leave home and study at a university thousands of miles away from home? Well, your little girl has survived and hasmetamorphosed into a confident young lady! And yes, I’m writing to invite you to my GRADUATION!!! And also to share some of my amazing experiences whilst studying at Newcastle University. So, enjoy!

My first memories in Newcastle was during the university’s International Welcome Week. At that time, I was still quite nervous because I wasn’t sure whether I made the right decision to study here and whether I would be able to fit in, but the events lined up during that week completely amazed me. Do you still remember the time when I told you I’ve made friends with people from Spain, Germany, France and Japan all in one day? Well, that was during the day trip organised during the welcome week. We bonded over the beauty of the English landscape when we visited Holy Island and Bamburgh and over Harry Potter when we were in Alnwick Castle (the place where some scenes in Harry Potter was shot).Besides that, there was also a walking trip around Newcastle, where we were guided around the city and shown the essential grocery stores like Tesco’s and Sainsbury and Grainger Market. But I was most excited when they brought me to Chinatown in Newcastle, where there were many restaurants ranging from Chinese to Malaysian to Thai, and also two oriental supermarket to boost,I was sure I wouldn’t be missingfood from homeanytime soon. The talks on how to manage our finances, how to use the facilities in the library and an introduction talk on the local dialect in Newcastle known as Geordieduring the course of the week also helped me to settle in more easily. Remember ‘Ah love yeemutha’? It’s ‘I love you mum’ in Geordie.

Mummy, although Newcastle does not have the antiquityof Oxford or Cambridge, Newcastle holds a certain charm that I can’t really describe and I can’t wait for you to come and experience it for yourself during my graduation. The academic buildings are all quite close to each other which is a plus for me since I’m not a big fan of walking. Our library is also open 24-hours during term time which was very useful for me as I study better during the night.Before you start telling me that walking is good for my health, let me remind you that I’m a member of the university’s sport centre. I joined because I was so impressed with their facilities because not only do they have machines like the rowing machine and treadmill, they also have a netball, badminton, squash and basketball courts. Furthermore, there are also a range of exercise classes offered like Pilates, Zumba and Aerobics. I also joined the dance society so when you come, you’ll definitely see that I’m fit, if not fitter than before I came here to study.

For my extra-curricular activities, it was really difficult for me because there are over 140 societies to choose from and I wanted to join most of them! But, as I’ve told you before, I’ve joined the Malaysian Society which holds lots of cool events like the welcoming dinner during the first week of term and the annual Malaysian Night which showcases Malaysia’s culture to other students. I’ve made a lot of new friends and some even live in the same city as me which made me feel less home sick. I also joined the Christian Union which helped me develop a better understanding of my faith as well as provide me with an environment to build friendships with people of the same faith. Lastly, I joined the Dermatology Society which made me learn more about my skin and enabled me to have a try at suturing the skin. I guess my enthusiasm showed as I am currently the treasurer for the society!

Mummy, I hope that you’re not worried that I’m having too much fun here. As you know, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Besides that, I also have several accomplishments to boot during my time here as I was not only chosen as a student mentor,but was also accepted a summer placement at one of the research institute at Newcastle University, the Institute of Ageing and Health which was funded by the University Vacation Scholarship. This placement was very helpful as it provided me with the opportunity to apply the techniques I learnt in practical sessions like gel electrophoresis in an actual research lab. This placement also prepared me for my dissertation project as now I have the experience of working in the lab and therefore am more confident in my work.I also have two of my articles published as issue theme for React Magazine, the university’s science magazine.

As you know, I have been travelling around during my Christmas and Easter Breaks since I love experiencing new cultures and visiting new places. Newcastle has an airport which is only 30 minutes away from campus, a train station and several bus stations. This makes travelling very convenient for me, and I’ve managed to visit France, Spain, Netherlands and Germany all via the airport here.Besides that, Newcastle being next to Scotland and at the edge of England also makes travelling around the UK easier as it is only an hour away from Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland and three hours away from London.

As for Newcastle, there are also many interesting things to do here. The quayside,as the name suggests, is located beside the quay, and not only does it have several beautiful bridges running along it, but there are also many restaurants located there. During the weekends, my friends and I will go there for a meal just to admire the amazing view. Furthermore, there is also a museum of contemporary art called BALTIC which houses some amazing exhibitions and an equally amazing music and art centre called The Sage which hosts amazing concerts just opposite Quayside.

These past three years have been a great learning experience for me. I can confidently say that I have become an independent adult, able manage my finances and pay my bills on time, carry out house chores and cook. So, thanks mummy, for pushing me to study at Newcastle when I was about to give up because coming here was probably one of the best decisions I’ve made and I’m definitely going to miss Newcastle, my second home.

Well that’s all I guess, I can’t wait to see you soon and bring you around Newcastle in July. Talk to you soon!

Lots of love,

Nicole