Something on Leicester/English life

Published by flag-it Federico Catocci — 12 years ago

Blog: About Leicester (english version)
Tags: General

 

Maybe it's better my Italian version (in my experiences section) so excuse for my bad English.. this is an ironic "article" about some cultural/tradition difference between my home Country (Italy) and my Erasmus Country (England) based on some Leicester experiences.

Enjoy (if you'll understand)

There are many things to do, things to do nearly as many, but the main rules to follow as an Erasmus student in Leicester, like other locations, is health rules (general health)…

Will you get sick? Want to begin to be a stupid student? Do you want to be too much English when you're not the English kind? Want to make your twenties when you can afford it? Where do you live, you are sure that everything works well? The fellow with whom you started the Erasmus period or you've met here, are you sure that are okay? And above all, Are you sure to clean your room? These are some questions you can first find an answer, there are maybe others that will come (oooh yes they will come!!), and this is a "guide"made of my direct testimony and personal facts, so it is not so important to consider a" general guide " because it’s made by my point of view, but ... better than nothing ....

As a general principle, especially if you're a chilly guy/girl and you see people here who runs T-shirt in the middle of December when maybe you have your coat on, the weather makes you cold and you're  thinking about going to buy a 20 meters scarf to live in, do NOT do the idiot. 10°C = cold for you and for those who wears shirt, do not put on that shirt! You’ll feel more cold! It’s obvious... I have seen people coughing on the streets... If you are cold, please, cover yourself; even if many Englishgirl are walking around with shorts and leggings, and some guys usually go around with T-shirt and shorts you have to think that those people are from here, maybe they are sick, they have fever and they have to lower the body temperature. If you are a woman, keep a little “good taste”, it’s not necessary hang out in underwear

After the issue of cold ... an important topic is the topic of food, premising that beer is a beverage to drink at all hours, here you have to anticipare your lunch or dinner time… sometimes if you have dinner at 8:00 p.m. you are already regarded as one that goes very late, and usually shops close early ... (05:00p.m.), and there's less people around after that hour.The pubs are among the most popular ones, and I strongly suggest you not to get carried away by “drink-drink-driiiink”. There are some surprisingly good beers. I want to say that I’m not a “super-drinker”, but I saw “super-giga-drunker”… I can’t get drunk to be sick, but I can eat! For example, ordered the "megaplate grilled mix" to try, where "megaplate" is: 2 eggs, 2 sausage, 1 steak, 2 slices plus chips, or peas. The waiter asked me if I wanted some sauces, because obviously, if you ordered the MEGAPLATE, the world want you to die there, surely they had already called the undertaker. Moral of the story, came to the end plate, I asked for mercy, and my friend eat from my plate a bit of potatoes, I finished with a huge effort, also a pint of beer ... we came back out ... and I wanted to try the beer that my friend was drinking ... and that things is not recommend! I returned home feeling like a barrel!!

The famous Fish & Cips is fantastic and a normal plate satisfies at all, without excess,  the fish used is usually the haddock, a fish that in Italy is practically unknown, but is really good especially for me, I hate the bones, and fillets with no trace of bones is perfect for me. Otherwise there are also specialty restaurants such as the one who does the handmade hamburger, of course nothing similar with Mc Donald etc.. This is something higher, which I had never felt... ... hallucinating ... the price is not much content, but there is a student discount, which normally is 15% and 30% on Monday ...

OTHERWISE, apart from these "tips" on health and on the schedules, there is something that sometimes can make a difference ... The FELLOWSHIP! Arrived in England, especially if you come iwith other student that are directed by your own University to Leicester, and you've got to see them and then maybe book a flight and together, of course, you'll see that a "target" everyone reacts in their own way, some people take it as a thing, some as a disgrace, who says with attitude "No I’m not able to do this", those who may contact you frequently to receive an aid, and who (the worst kind) explodes. People who explode are of two types, those that explode in a tragic way and those which explode in a way that lead you to suicide… the first kind seems to fall, however, you have a way to retrieve them, all is not lost and maybe you could listen he/she to cultivate a friendship with people of your university never known before, bring it back in your own country and continue it. The event which would become a constructive event. For the second case, unfortunately, personally, I found no medicine, because it happened to me directly. A person came here, broke out, he wanted to do everything, to go hither, thither, up and down, she also wanted to speak English well between us and then of course, she was part of multiple groups of students as possible, so that I could not really keep up with constantly ... sometimes you was speaking with her and she ran away tospeak with another person O.o .... I was speechless, I think the burn out bulbs can make you more sympathy. Friend from your Country/University can help you, you don’t have to speak in English only because you’re in England… But the dangers are not only hides among the people .. but also between the 4 walls of the room or apartment that you share with other students. In the freezer… you can not put anything because it is packed and is profusely full of stuff and you can’t put anything in it! But one of the most critical is the carpet! Do not have a normal floor (in a country where cars go in the wrong way, we had to wait for anything normal? NO ... maybe I'm not normal too that I wanted to go here .. I'm not for sure) but often, even in Universities Some classrooms have carpeting. I’m not an expert to clean a carpet and the question was: ... “how the f *** canI clean it?” Then the methods are 2.... 1. So, who was there before you certainly will have done some trouble, right? maybe there's an extensive cultivation of bacteria and mites on the ground faster than normal, so let the crumbs fall if they eat them. 2. Try cleaning With what you try to clean it up? maybe you’re looking for something that at home is not located between the desperately equipment that will provide you at the time of your entry. So for “general cleaning” you can usually use a vacuum cleaner. And maybe you find it at home. A new vacuum cleaner? Nooo

A somewhat 'dated that might not even make much noise, but ... you have that feeling that has never been emptied ... (things that happened to me) So… maybe you can have the brilliant idea to open it, see how it's done, take it apart ... See the filter and say ... “Mmmm can not end here” ... have the courage to see beyond is little, however… I removed the filter and "PUFFF"! A storm of dust came in the room, especially in the throat!  with a smell of chocolate exaggerated ... I had time time just to see that the lot was full and that there was even above the dust ... I do not know what was there that .. what .. nothing. For a night I had a little cough and then I got sick, colds which I had two weeks ago. Maybe I missed a year of life and I will be something bad in the future, who knows ... for now remains a big huge "WTF ..." and "Maybe I’ll buy a new bag" but I'm afraid to reopen ... However it sucked, I fear that this will explode as some Erasmus students. In any case the general rule for the Erasmus student is “Live quietly”, of course, once you’re here you'll see how things run, but a premise, is to prepare you to see strange things and to not be or surprised by certain things that can happen and that is normal here ... except of course the exceptional events like eating, and the vacuum cleaner ... I’ve also made an hole in a sink! (I can’t say how ) and of course I became the star of the receptionist, entertainer and minstrel of plumber!

Be “awake” that the damages are easy to come! ehehe Have a nice day

P.S.

Enjoy your Erasmus period wherever you’ll be, you can learn from teachers and from foreign friends.

Excuse for my bad English, I didn’t have enough time to auto-correct me, so comment with a piece of a correct translation if you want !


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