by Samantha Holden
Warwick could be said to encompass the globe in a few square miles.
Since moving to Warwick I have gained friends from all around the world from Mauritius to Singapore to Luxembourg. Warwick is a highly international university; gaining a degree here is recognised all over the world making Warwick very multicultural with 37% international students and over 140 nationalities. Warwick Uni. facilitates a variety of events to include everyone and their individual cultures; great for me to be able to try as many of these cultures as possible. One of my favourite events that promotes multiculturism is the University’s food market, held twice a month on the Piazza. The food is delicious and incredibly popular. The market is a “vibrant mix of stall holders selling mouth-watering street food and local, fresh produce” food from around the world ranges from Greek souvlakia and halloumi fries to Mexican or Spanish quesadillas and lots in between. My personal favourites are the samosas, brownies and souvlakia (not always together!). The next market is on 24th April – make sure to check it out. Be aware that not all stalls take cards, so ensure you have some cash to spend and get there early as it gets busy very quickly due to the great food, reputation and the general buzz. Please see the link for dates and which stalls will be there: <a href="https://warwick.ac.uk/services/retail/eat-drink/foodmarket/" target="_blank">https://warwick.ac.uk/services/retail/eat-drink/foodmarket/</a>
This term I celebrated Holi -Hindu spring festival where colour powders are thrown at one another as part of the celebration. The event was run by the Global Student Experience Team in the International Student Office. It was a great opportunity to have some fun and was like being a kid again; having a massive colour fight. The tickets were reasonably priced at £4, which included all the powder, bottled water and white jumpsuit for protection after the event preventing furniture from getting dirty. It was definitely a highlight of my time at Warwick- see cover picture.
Warwick also provides you with support so that when you graduate, you can be a global citizen. This support is always there, particularly from the World at Warwick team. They work closely with the language centre; where you can gain qualifications in another language or the more casual library language exchange; where you can practice the language over tea and biscuits in the library. They also help facilitate sharing research across the world through workshops. If you are an international student and want to see more of the UK they offer various trips at reasonable prices at weekends to enable you to get a better experience whilst studying in the UK.
For more information about how to get involved see: <a href="https://warwick.ac.uk/students/opportunities/worldatwarwick/getinvolved" target="_blank">https://warwick.ac.uk/students/opportunities/worldatwarwick/getinvolved</a>