Term 2: Final Year

The saying goes, 'in a blink of an eye', and that is exactly how I would describe this spring term. In the past 3 months, besides focusing on academics and career plans, I found the time to travel and spend time with friends new and old, and all around had the best end to an academic term I could ask for.

In December, I was fortunate enough to get the chance to visit the city of ROme, as well as Naples (the birth place of pizza!). Being a massive foodie myself, I chose to go with friends who appreciated food as much as I did - it turned out to be one of the best experiences in my life to date. Rome boasted so much beautiful architecture, and Naples simply was home to the best pizza that money could buy. One commonality between both Rome and Naples was the kindness that our Airbnb hosts showed us. In Rome, Luca, an architecture academic at the University of Rome, was more than happy to put aside his work and check in on us or just chat with us about our day - he chatted with us for a couple of hours the first time he met us and and we did not even notice time pass by. In Naples, Jeanette redefined hospitality for us from start to finish. From accompanying us to the supermarket (even though she was in a hurry to get home to have dinner with her family), to negotiating with the pizzeria to get us our order earlier than others and giving us a mini tour of the area, she practically treated us like family. The lesson I took away from this, an impactful one, was that who you are does not matter so much as how you treat the people around you.

Throughout the term, I was also fortunate enough to be able to reconnect with friends, both new and old.

Since I attended Warwick's MNight last year, I decided to expand my cultural exposure by attending the MNight in Leeds instead this year. It was such a great experience to watch friends perform with their heart and soul. While watching the show, I found myself appreciating the effort put into the show so much more because of my involvement in the Warwick Singapore Society production for the past two years, both on stage and offstage. Without it, I doubt I would have recognized the beautiful nuances of the play, and for this I am thankful.

Further down the term, I took the chance to attend a close friend's birthday at a Michelin-starred restaurant in London. Between the ambience of the private dining room, the staff who waited on us hand and foot, and most importantly the exquisitely prepared dishes, Dinner by Heston proved to be quite the fine dining experience, especially since it was my first. The famous tipsy cake (a dessert cake with spit roast pineapple) and the triple cooked chips did not disappoint, and I would definitely go back for just those dishes, if nothing else.

Most importantly, I was happy to host a couple of close friends who were on exchange in UK/Germany and who came to visit me! I first met these friends through either JC/National Service, and it was nice to see all of them come back to visit. It made me think deeply about the quality of friendships that I forge in university as well. The networks I build here will definitely be beneficial for me in the future, because where else can I find people who are interested in extremely different things, yet be on perfectly amiable terms with all of them? If I ever needed to know more about a wide variety of subjects, my friends from university would naturally be the ones I would go to, and this has inspired me to continue building strong networks.

I mentioned earlier that I had the best academic term I could ask for. With a grand CNY celebration, a second visit to the scenic city of Barcelona to indulge in its food and people, and most recently the screening of Army Daze 2 by the Warwick Singapore Society, how could I describe it otherwise? Not only am I determined to not take this rich experience for granted, I am also determined to make the most of whatever time I have left in university and enjoy the peaceful campus/student life. This spring, I am truly looking forward to taking a break from the hectic pace, and then consolidating my knowledge for the summer exams. While it has been a busy yet fulfilling term, I welcome this break with open arms and am eagerly looking forward to graduation!

Chandra Dhanabal : 18 Mar 2019 18:40 |  Comments (0) |  Report a problem