All entries for March 2018

Term 2 in a nutshell

One of Warwick's attraction is its wide range of societies and at the start of term, I wanted to challenge myself in picking up something completely new to me - and I did! I picked up horse riding, I stuck with it and dedicated myself to weekly lessons for the whole term and I absolutely love it. Aside from the taster session last term, I had never rode on a horse in my life so I had to start from scratch. Besides that, everyone else in the beginner's class already had a term to work on the basics of riding so I was lagging behind. Despite being clueless and terrified of falling off the horse, I kept coming back for classes and a term later, I can now confidently say that I have made a world of improvement. I went from not even being able to steer the horse accurately to cantering confidently. One of the reasons I kept coming back was because of the escapism horse riding provides. The horse feeds off your energy as a rider, so you have to be completely calm and channel your entire focus on nothing else but the horse. Its incredibly destressing and as an animal lover, its amazing being able to create a bond of mutual trust with the horse. Cantering also feels extremely exhilarating as the horse goes fast enough that it almost feels like flying.

Meet Sammy, your everyday British horse waiting for his tea to cool down!

Beyond horse riding, I have made a conscious effort to invest more time in a society that has piqued my interest from the very start - Women for Women International, Warwick (WFWI). WFWI is a platform that aims to campaign and fundraise to help female survivors from war-torn countries rebuild their lives through training them with marketable job skills, educating them with knowledge about their health and helping them realise their rights as women. I went for a few of their fundraising events, one of which was a Valentine's bake sale!

Standing by the president & treasurer of WFWI Warwick!

I also attended their conference on international women's day where they invited various guest speakers to share their triumph in situations of adversity. I love the message of this society and I wanted to contribute much more than I already was. I have been constantly involved in volunteering exploits all of my academic life, but they have always been at a somewhat micro level and the impacts of my volunteering are not necessarily lasting. For example, in 2014 I spent 10 days in Vientiane, Laos, volunteering at a local primary school where we gave English lessons and worked closely with the kids throughout the trip. In 2015, I did the same but in Baray, Cambodia. Last year, in 2017, I did the same once again but in Kathmandu, Nepal. Across the last 2 terms, I have also been involved with Warwick Volunteers' program named Conversation Club where we tutor refugees living in Coventry on their English and I get to see individuals improve over the course of the lessons. While these involvements were each nothing short of amazing and I could see the impact I made immediately and tangibly, I feel that it's time to step it up and help on a wider and institutional level that will facilitate long term and sustainable results. Through the greater platform of WFWI, sustainability is assured. Beyond that, the specific aims of WFWI - fundraising and campaigning appeals to me because it does not simply benefit the women we are fundraising for, but also helps to spread awareness of the society’s message to others within my immediate community.

One of the reasons why I took a heightened interest in this society, is because it is an intersection between all of my interests and I resonate with its message and goals. I stand for women empowerment and I love volunteering and participating in charity fundraising efforts. My mother is a single mom, and growing up we got a lot of help from different foundations for which I am eternally grateful for. Even just by being on this scholarship, I am receiving the opportunity of a lifetime from the goodwill of others and I want to reciprocate that altruistic spirit and give back in all the ways I possibly can. While the circumstances of the women benefitting from the WFWI is clearly different- the ethos remains and I want to extend a helping hand, the way my mother and I were given help when we needed it. As such, women empowerment and betterment is near and dear to my heart, and I knew I wanted to be a substantial part of the movement. Hence I decided to run as president of WFWI, and I am pleased to say that I got the role! So for next term and the following academic year, I will be leading my new executive committee and be very much involved in the progress of WFWI and I am so thrilled and excited for what's going to come next.

One of the fun things I did whilst participating in the law society this term was to attend the law ball held at the Belfry Hotel in Birmingham! It was a good opportunity to dress up, have good food and bond with my course mates over a casual setting.

Part of the spread made available to us!

The past academic year has been my first experience dealing with seasons and what a year it has been! The UK was hit by a sudden snowstorm, Emma, at the start of March - just as everyone anticipated Spring to begin and the weather to heat up. Lessons were cancelled due to the university's adverse weather policy and it got as cold as -7 degrees at one point. Despite the weather being really harsh, it was actually such a magical and fun experience and it brought out the kid in me!

Meet Bob! :P

Thankfully, the weather has since cleared up and Spring is in full bloom, making the campus look so vibrant and pretty!

This Easter holiday I don’t plan on doing much travelling - instead I will be spending some downtime from the intense term and preparing for the summer exams ahead. I can’t believe the bulk of my academic year has flown by, but at the same time it has been an immensely satisfying and novel experience and I am so appreciative of the opportunity to experience this.

Hayati Kamaludin : 16 Mar 2018 17:43 |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem