Derby Day!

So today (well yesterday, but I haven’t gone to sleep yet, so it still counts), was Derby Day. One of the biggest days of the UEA year and something that all students look forward to. This year it was at UEA. I’ve written about it before but this was the first time I had competed. 

I HAD A BLAST!!! I think it’s a great day and something every student should get the chance to take part in! And do you wanna know the best part… WE WON! UEA won overall, by a huuuuuuge margin, something like 54-9?! And also… THE UEA ANGELS WON THE DERBY DAY COMPETITION FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER! 

I’m not sure if that’s 100% accurate but no one on the team could remember the angels winning, so let’s go with for the first time in memory! 

It was an amazing day, with such a good atmosphere on campus, it felt like we were all one big team. People came to cheer on, even if they didn’t know anyone and there was a huge party celebration in the square. It will definitely be one of my highlights from my time at UEA and I can’t recommend it enough to new students!!

OH UEA IS WONDERFUL! 

Christmas at UEA

Christmas has officially arrived at UEA!! We break up much later than usual this year, because we started a week later than usual, so it’s so close already! 

There’s a Christmas tree in the square and lights all around! 

I love UEA at Christmas because they put so much on to make the most of the festive season! They do Christmas lunch in Campus Kitchen, and the last few LCR sessions in December are always Christmas themed. 

They also offer various Christmas outings as part of societies, so for instance the UEA Angels Cheer Dance society went out tonight and everyone had to wear some form of tinsel! 

And I think the bar also runs Christmas quizzes. And who doesn’t love a Christmas quiz! 

It’s just the right amount of festive cheer to make the deadline season that little bit more bearable! 

Oh UEA is wonderful 

X

Halfway update!

So I’m nearly at halfway through my first semester of the third year at uni! It’s been great so far actually! 

I’m much more involved this year, having joined Cheerleading Dance. And I’m even thinking of joining UEA Royal as well as I really miss dancing.

It’s much less stressful as well this year, only going in for a few hours and having more time for independent study. I’m still finding myself incredibly busy though!!! With volunteering twice a week, and work, I still feel like I’m rushing round from A to B to C to D all the time but at least I don’t feel stressed like in second year! 

I absolutely LOVE my modules this year as well. It’s amazing how much better you become engrossed in learning when it’s something you’ve chosen yourself to be involved in! Psychosocial Perspectives of Family Life is very similar to the Family of Sociology module I did in A Levels which I really enjoyed and I therefore find myself understanding the course material so much better. I love my lecturer as well. Kamena is great and so good with the students. 

My other module is my favourite of the two, purely because it’s what I want to do after uni! Forensic Psychology. I find myself doing so much reading and actually enjoying it, because it’s some i find so interesting! We have all sorts of guest lecturers as well, like last week we had an actual Forensic Psychologist from NOMS (National Offender Management Service) come to give us a lecture which was so interesting. 

My dissertation is going well also. I submitted my ethics form this week and it has been assigned to a reviewer, so hopefully that will be sorted quickly so I can begin interviewing! I am doing a Grounded Theory analysis of the way terrorism affects decision making in travel which will hopefully be soooo interesting! 

That’s about all I have to say about uni ATM. Basically I love third year! 

Goodbye Summer

I’m so sad, summer has finally come to an end! I say finally but to be honest, it feels like it has flown by!! 

The weather has been up and down like crazy this summer! However, I managed to avoid being too overly burnt so that’s a success! 

I’m glad I managed to do so much this summer! I’ve been to V fest, Rome, Venice, Florence and Cyprus. Gone away for a weekend with my parents and boyfriend and sister, gone to London for the day and Oxford for another. I’ve done volunteer work which has been super interesting and conducted an internship with a professor which has really helped me develop an interest for my future. 

I’m not particularly looking forward to going back to uni, simply because I have enjoyed being off so much! And of course, this year is going to be super hard with dissertation and all!

It’s also freaky to think that this time next year it’s all over and done with, and will have been for a couple of months. I have some ideas what I want to do after uni but I’m not fully clear yet and that thought scares me! It all seemed so much further away a few months ago when I had the whole of summer ahead of me!

I’m determined to make the most of my final year here.. I’m going to join the UEA Angels Cheer Dance team and possible get involved in some student rep activities! I want to make my last year count! 

X

I’m an angel!

Yesterday I went to my very first stunt cheerleading session with the UEA Angels! I had so much fun but man do I ache now. 

I hadn’t been to any taster sessions so I didn’t know what to expect but I went along and joined in! Straight after the warm up we got going and I was quite taken aback to go straight into the lifts and things! 

I’m disappointed I didn’t get to be a flyer but I think I’m too tall and not small enough for that! I’m a lot stronger than I thought I was though, as I acted as a base, which basically means you act with two others to lift a flyer off the ground and into the air and then you extend them even more so they are completely over your head. It is basically exactly as you see it on tv, I just never assumed I’d be doing it within 20 minutes of starting haha! I enjoyed it though! 

I’m not bad at it either, as I go to the gym and so have a fair bit of strength. The jumps and more dance themed bit are similar to how I’m used to with my old dancing I did as a teenager! 

I’m definitely going to carry on going, as I enjoyed it and I think it’s something I will be good at when I get into practice! One day I really hope I get to be a flyer! 

I can’t wait to be able to buy a hoodie or a top saying UEA Angels on, so I can wear it around campus! I’ve attached a link to their Facebook group so you can see one of the stunt’s we did last night!! Hopefully the link works!

https://m.facebook.com/groups/884945051589728

Stunt Cheerleading!

Ever since I was little and would watch American TV shows and read America themed books I’ve loved the idea of being a cheerleader! The girls just seemed so fun and lovely and perfect! 

Last year when I found out that UEA had not one but two cheerleading squads I was so excited! At the SportsMart the stunt cheerleading team looked a bit too full on for me as they were doing stunts (not surprising) and being thrown up in the air! So back then I looked at join CheerDance. Unfortunately due to my working commitments I couldn’t make the sessions which I was really disappointed about. 

Having seen pictures I know of people on the stunt cheer team and watched videos and seen them training when I went to gymnastics last year I decided that this year I was really keen to give Stunt Cheer a go! I’d heard so much about it and everyone seemed to really enjoy it and I just want to be a UEA Angel so bad! 

I didn’t make it to any taster sessions but I’m determined to go for it anyway! I’m going to go on Tuesday nights as this isn’t for competitions this is just for fun and for Derby Day so much more relaxed. Today I paid my membership and officially became a UEA Angel! I’m so excited to get going and I really want to buy a hoodie or something so I have something to show for it! The first practice session is next week and I can’t wait!