Uganda. I saw different animals: lions, zebras, giraffes, baboons, vervets, red-tailed monkeys, crocodiles, hippos, elands, water bucks, Jacksons, oribics, buffalos, and several elephants. I listened at night to the lions roar and the hyenas laugh . In one National Park near Sudan one buffalo visited in the night ate grass and I didn:t move when the buffalo came because it is an dangerous animal. One male baboon showed his teeth. In another National Park : I saw one snake eagle and crested hard eagle Jose Santiago

My stay at OISE Bristol:

So I think I would like to begin at the beginning. Why did I choose OISE Bristol?

First of all I wanted to participate language course as soon as possible because personally I would like to going to an International university for myself and of course for my parents. It's really really important to learn English and I think the English in school is not enough! So I looking for a school in England and I chose OISE because when i was looking for a school I sent a lot of E-mails about what I wanted to do. And OISE had the best response.

Therefore 6 months later I’m in Bristol! When I’m arrived at the OISE school I was very impressed because I’m a younger student and there were people from all over the world. I really enjoy to work with for example the Italians or Russians or Japanese students. It is really rewarding for young people like me and it is for this reason is that I am very happy to have participated in OISE.

Arthur Leroux 

How to avoid culture shock.

Nowadays a lot of people suffer from the culture shock. I'm sure that if you want you can avoid it. I hope the following advice will be of some help for you.

First of all, you should know that the culture shock includes the shock of a new environment and the shock of being separated from your home country.

 If I were you, I would look information about the place before I' ll go to it. It's a good idea if you know about customs, tradition, rules of behaviour and cuisine of the destination country.

Moreover, I believe you should take something with you. it can be a toy, a photo, anything. Besides, it's a good idea if you keep in touch with your family, friends and native speakers of your country. You can do it through social network or your mobile phone.

I also suggest you to eat dishes from your country or to eat food which is similar to yours. If you do it, you won't  feel sad and homesick.

All in all, don't be scared to travel abroad! Don't be afraid of culture shock! You can get through it with the help of this advice.

Review of "The Last Days of Mankind", by Virginia Bianchi

Last Saturday evening I went to Bristol Old Vic Theatre to see "The Last Days of Mankind". Here's my review of the play.

"The Last Days of Mankind" is a play written by Karl Kraus in 1922. Bristol Old Vic has adapted it, as it originally required an enormous cast and its script had 800 pages. However, it has not lost its original satire and its criticism towards the world of war.

This play hasn't a well-defined plot, as the main idea of the writer was to report aphorisms, conversations anche speeches heard during the First World War. The play is set in Austria from 1914 to 1918, from the start to the end of the war. At first everyone is bored, the jurnalists don't know what to write about, as nothing seems to happen, until the Archduke of Austria is murdered and Austria declares war on Serbia. That is when every citizen in Vienna becomes proud of their country. They finally have something to chat about, newspapers are again full of news (even if this is usually "half-true") and women wish to have a son in order to send him to the front line. The only man who seems to understand what war really is and what its consequences will be is a playwright, who represents Karl Kraus himself. The play is based on the destruction of mankind by war, and the audience is quickly swallowed up into the events.

The play is clearly a powerful satire of the world and society during war time, and of war itself. The audience witness the destruction of humans and of society, usually by laughing, because of how events are presented in the play, but in the meantime they become more and more aware of what the playwright is really implying, especially during the last part of the play, when the real brutality and violence of war are show in details.

In addition, the actors, the direction and all the technical aspects, such as lighting and music, contribuited to making the play a powerful and high quality piece of theatre. It is gripping, moving and funny at the same time, and certainly a must-see play.

What can individuals do to combat climate change… and How can we encourage people to take these actions ? By Luca Wermelinger

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It is really hard to make people change their habits because in many cases people prefer to take their own car to go to work because it is more comfortable than taking the bus. They are on their own, they are not reliant on the bus’ schedule.

So we might find out ways to change their habits by little steps, not radical ways like forcing them to take the bus for example.

Regarding transport the government could subsidise public transport more than nowadays, so that tickets are cheaper or even free. One of the problems which might occur is that the buses could be overcrowded then. However it would be a great progress in the fight against climate change.

But the problem isn’t just with car journeys but also flights. For short-haul flights the price should be much more expensive than by train. People might think it is worth taking the plane instead of taking the train for short distances even if it is more expensive just because it is faster and more comfortable. Indeed, when you’re taking the plane you don’t have to carry on your luggage, you know it is in a safe place.

Although I think that people are  less concerned with their comfort than saving money when there is a huge difference in the prices. After all, I think that the government should introduce an obligation for airline companies to increase their prices or to decrease train trip prices.

The other aspect of the climate change we are responsible for is our difficulty to sort out our rubbish, and that’s a big problem these days. The solution could be that we have to charge more for the trash bags to make people thoughtful about recycling as we do in Switzerland. Another aspect of it is to get a free access to the recycling centre, so that people are encouraged to sort out their rubbish.  

Moreover a huge topic in the fight against climate change involves steps any person could take to reduce their water consumption. 

I am amazed at the  number of people who have a daily bath. I agree that in some cases it is the only  moment of relaxation in the day but when it is too often it is a disgrace and disrespectful. I mean that a shower is as effective as a bath and uses much less water.

Besides we should establish a prevention morning in every school once a year to make children aware that they should turn off the water while their brushing their teeth as we do in the primary school in Switzerland.

As a conclusion I would say that it is more a matter of education and lifestyle. If you grow up as a respectful child, you will be more aware and concerned about the environment than other children. As it’s my own opinion it won’t work for every situation and it won’t make any big changes in our unforgivable attitude towards climate change.

What Can Individuals Do To Combat Climate Change? By Quentin Bollé

Several individual decisions could be taken in order to fight global warming. Firstly, we should reduce our water consumption, turning the tap off while we are brushing our teeth is a good decision. Many people leave the lights switched on when they go out of a room, as a consequence it uses more energy. That's why we shouldn't forget to switch off the lights. In addition, people should do recycling: organic waste, plastic and glass. It's a relevant means to avoid more consumption of oil for example, elements have in this way a second life. Not to mention, public transport, cycling and walking constitute alternatives to the car, if people choose to avoid the car as much as possible, CO₂ and NO₂ emissions will significantly decrease.

Anyway, we can buy energy efficient cars, why not electric cars?

How Can We Encourage People To Take These Actions?

To get people to be involved, we can impose a fine if they don't follow the new rules, which will be very effective. On the other hand, people who take positive steps to protect the climate will be subsidised by the authorities. Even so, governments may establish televised campaigns in the goal to say realities about climate change, even if some of them don't want to see the situation facing them. But then again, public organisations such as councils, cantons and states have to develop their garbage recycling systems with more gathering-points near people's homes and with logistical facilities.

My time in OISE Adel last post

My time in OISE

I have been studying here since 8^th October 2012. In my first day I found it so difficult to adapt with the school environment because I was just graduated from high school and suddenly I found myself surrounded with new experience. I asked myself “how could I survive here with people from different countries and cultures”. However, I dealt with the situation in short period. The solution was I should have been confident.

I began my course as a lower intermediate student with Adriana. She helped me to improve my language so quickly. She used lots of equipment to assist us to learn. I liked here lessons for two main reasons. First, she smiles all the time. Second, I liked here style of teaching.

If I would start again

if I could begin again I would practise in basic things first and practise step by step until I reach my point.

What to do next

I just finished my main aim (improve my English), which is assist me to begin my second aim. My second aim is to join university. Thanks god I finished and I accepted in Aston University and my course or my new experience will begin in September 2013. 

Farewell Speech-by Jonny Liang

Time usually passes quickly for feeling, especially when you have spent a colorful life and it's the moment to leave there. Unfortunately, I have to say goodbye to all you oisers. Fortunately, I have realized how considerably I do love here.

I still remember when I first came here, I could just understand the accent of two Korean girls Hyejin and Jiyoung but couldn't talk normally with non-Chinese guys. I didn't know the differences between written English and oral English exactly. Also I was not accustomed to speaking a foreign language all the time, which made me overwhelmed in the first two weeks. However, I have gotten myriads of help from OISE. I don't wanna talk how much I have improved, but now English has already become more friendly to me and I'd like to communicate with others by English.

Thanks for all the teachers. Thanks Hannah, who has taught me around 50 percent of the whole classes. You have given me much guidance about grammar, vocabulary collocations and reading skills. Thanks Tony, who has taught me adequate knowledge of idioms and phrases, which are really pragmatic and useful. Thanks Paul, who helps me a lot of preparing for IELTS examination and offers relevant training regularly. Thanks Anna, who is always affable and usually encourages me. Thanks Margaret, who is patient all the time and does me a lot of favours in SAC. Thanks Helen, who is my coach and usually helps me correct mistakes I've made. Thanks Andriana, who is always smiling and supportive in speaking classes. Thanks Jenny, who did lots of assistance in my daily school life. Thanks Gwen, who has found a really comfortable host family for me. Thanks Jo and John, who give me plenty of instructions both in school and outside. All of you dear teachers are not only my teachers, but also the sunshine in my life road.

Farewell, my dear classmates. I have enjoyed a happy life with Ibra, Smiling Heralds, Adeldel, Abdu , Playboy Fabrizio, Herald II , Jiyoung, Hyejin, Aseel, Shoug, and my little Chinese brother Owen and David. I will never forget those days we spent time together in classes and social activities. By the way, thanks Jose for teaching me Spanish. Besides, someone although I had met for just one or Two weeks but have a pleasant time together such as Gab, Fran, Stephan, some French guys, Henry, Emmanuella, Lauren, Clara, Martin, Anne( the difference of our definition to beauty is like the distance from Beijing to Paris). Also many other students, I still have a nice time with all of you. It's my honour to recognise and make friends with you guys, thank you very much!

Finally I didn't get and ideal score of IELTS, but nothing is perfect. The experience from here will be never delible and always memorable. Time and space can't really separate us from each other. In the future, we can also contact with one another. Of course, welcome to China if you have a time and I'm glad to accommodate absolutely. From now on, in less than two hours, I'll be 23 in China time. What a special and unforgettable birthday! I'm gonna invite you my dear teachers and friends to have some Chinese desert and tea. Jonny Liang, is happy to be at your service!

How does social background affect a child's prospects in life- by Jonny Liang

People born in different circumstances have various social backgrounds. Some people argue that social background has a remarkable effect on a child's prospects in life. For instance, wealthy parents, a high social status and a privileged education can dramatically influence a child's future development. In my opinion, I think it should be understood more completely that social background has an impact on a child to a large degree. In the next paragraph I will provide more details.

Firstly, social backgrounds give children their experience. That means, a child grows up in the environment which is determined by his or her social background. Take Bill Gates, the former CEO of Microsoft as an example. He was born into an IT family and his mother was a manager at IBM. Therefore, he had ample opportunity to practice computer programming before he established his company. Furthermore, he received his first order thanks to his mother. Suppose Bill Gates was born into a poor family, he wouldn't have had the chance to be exposed to computing early owning to the prohibitively high price of the hardware at that time so he would not have been able to show his talent when he was a child. Besides, without the influence and support of his mother, he would not have found his clients easily because of the lack of business contacts. In fact, all these factors were given by his social background. There are also many other examples and we can see how they influence a child considerably.

Secondly, social backgrounds give children their knowledge and form their value systems. A perfect student group called Skeleton at Yale University, is a perfect example. All the members come from rich or powerful families. Those young people get together and exchange knowledge regularly. By communicating, they form their own methodology so that their value system will becomes fully established. When they grow up, the majority of them become the elite in different occupations in America.

However, I will not go so far as to say that social background can determine a child's whole life because it is clear that the individual's endeavour is also crucial. We cannot change our social backgrounds when we are children, but we are able to change them when we grow up.

The Languages in Belgium - by Thomas

In Belgium, we have three different languages – we do not have only one official language. Belgium is divided into three parts: in the north of the country we speak Flemish, the same as in the Netherlands, in the south we speak French, the same as in France, and on the east side we speak German, the same as in Germany. Moreover, we have plenty of different dialects for the three languages.

In Europe, no matter which country, we write from the left to the right. French is a “Romance” language, as are Portuguese, Italian, Spanish and Romanian.

German and Flemish are called “Germanic languages”. Germanic languages include Flemish, Dutch, Swedish, Danish etc. In the European alphabet we just have 26 different basic letters.

In Brussels people speak French and Flemish. For the government French people speak French, Flemish people speak Flemish and German people speak German. However in the European Commission, people speak their own languages or English. The road signs are just a little bit different, only when something is written.

Many people say, “I speak French because I live in Wallonie” It's the same with the Flemish people but because they live in Flanders. In Belgium we do not have many bilingual people. I'm not bilingual because I can't speak more than one language very well, even though my mother speaks French and my stepfather speaks Flemish, I would say that French is my mother tongue. 

Revision without stress - by Khaled I

'I am not only the person in this world who has to do it'

Always remember this sentence every time you are going to do something difficult. People face many difficulties in this life; finding a job, a life partner, friends, passing exams or how to deal with them and so on. There is a solution to any problem and we will focus on dealing with exams in two ways; nerves and how difficult is the subject it self, there are many ways to solve these problems as mentioned below.

Of course, subjects should be studied thoroughly if the student wants to get high-marks. There are many easy ways to get the highest marks, for instance: the student should focus in lessons, organize his time, not ignore anything even if is it less important than the rest. To set an example, one of my relatives got a first class in his bachelor's and I asked her about the secret as she always stay with us, chatting, playing and so on. She told me that she made a timetable for herself and keeping to it without forgetting herself by relaxing, playing or having fun.

Dividing the subjects into small parts will help the student to concentrate more and finish faster. To set an example, if you have a maths exam, firstly you should study chapter by chapter starting with the easiest one. Taking at least 15 minutes break after each hour of studying is necessary to refresh your mind and prepare for more information. Some research I read once showed that if you are studying using a computer, every half hour you should take 5 minutes break concentrating on a spot on the wall to let your eyes relax.

Many students do not suffer from difficulties with the subjects themselves but they feel nervous the night before the exam, they think that they will fail. Sleeping well is one of the solutions. In addition to this, the student should enter the exam with confidence. Furthermore, the student should always remember that it is not only him who has to take the exam.

To sum up, you always have to remember that others are not better than you. Try not to stop the time you made a mistake because you should know that this mistake is only the beginning your new road to success. Finally, always remember Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are not better than you because they built their own lives themselves after failing at school. I hope that all my tips will help you.

Revision without stress - by Abduallah Hadi

To be honest with you, I couldn't care less if I pass the final exams or not. I always do my best to chill out and not to let tension and stress overwhelm me as the time of exams approaches. The method I usually follow to do so, is to repeat these philosophical words of wisdom such as; everything will come to an end, death is inevitable, so relax, you will not get anything but your fate, and so on.

In order to be relaxed, there are some preparations that need to be considered. First of all, you need to break down and simplify the subject you will revise into small parts. This will really give you a boost towards being a more confident and relaxed candidate. Secondly, make a plan that consists of the following;

place: where you are going study

tools: what you are going to use (pens, highlighters, dividers, etc.)

time: when you will do it

subject: what you are going study and in what order, for example for maths, first read the daily notes, then solve the book exercises, after that test yourself using the previous module's answers.

Thirdly, make sure before starting to revise that you have your brain switched on, and that can be achieved by imbibing natural drinks, like an orange juice or a banana milkshake. Finally, try to vary the methods you follow to study, writing, repeating, oral memorising, or even linking, using heuristic techniques.

The practical tips mentioned above will help you to avoid stress and feeling depressed. However, sometimes you cannot avoid it, so you should deal with it: many students just cannot find a way through to get rid of the stress that climbs on their shoulders as the exams approach. Well, here are some things that could wipe out the tension on your way towards success. One major piece of advice I would highly recommend is to play some kind of music whilst studying, just try and you will see the difference. Most importantly, you should get enough sleep before start revising. What is more, choosing the ideal room to study will be a great help to be even more focused. Last but not least, be optimistic, be happy, it is just an exam, not the end of the world!

Don't let nerves ruin your chances of exam success - by Adel Albloushi

People all over the world have a problem with stress during or before exams. But some of them use stress as a motivational force, to make themselves focus and work harder, whereas some of them can't control their anxiety and they forget what they prepared instantly, unless they find a way to deal with it.

To be honest, I myself have a problem controlling my nerves during tests. For example, in my first IELTS speaking exam, I was so anxious and my whole body was shaking. My friend told me that I looked like a zombie. When the speaking review started the examiner asked me “What's your name?” and because I was so nervous I forgot my own name!!! The examiner stared at me – I was so embarrassed that I didn’t answer her question. After this horrible day, I tried hard to relax and I gathered lots of tips from different people which helped me to control myself and they worked. I hope they will work for you dear readers.

Obviously, the final exams are coming up and here are some tips to help you to revise for them. First, make an overview of what you want to revise and break each subject down into manageable chunks, then make headings and allocate each subject on a monthly or weekly planner. Aim to break your revision with five minutes rest after every hour. Develop a technique for question analysis and planing answers to use in the test. One tip could be to make answers in funny way to make them easier to remember.

There are also some tips which can help you to deal with stress. You shouldn't drink a lot of coffee, tea and energy drinks because the caffeine will hype you up and make your thinking less clear. Try out some yoga, tai-chi and relaxation exercises because they help you to keep feeling calm and balanced. Try to use stress in a a useful way, i.e. to help you to focus more, work harder and prevent you from making mistakes.

All in all, you are not the first or the last person to do exams. Therefore, don't let your failures and mistakes slow you down: you should learn from your mistakes and try to not do them again. This will make you more successful not only in your studying, but also in your whole life. Finally, if none of the above tips have helped you, see your doctor.

Revision could become a good time - by Clara Gans

I will begin by telling you a story that I will never forget. I have a friend who is studying medicine, the hardest degree in France, and her dream was to become a surgeon. However, in order to achieve her goal she worked all the time without taking a break and she did not sleep or eat enough. If she had slept she would haven't fainted. I think that if she had slept and eaten more and if she had taken more free time she would have felt better during her exam and she may have passed it. I am going to give you advice in order to do productive, and not boring, revision and to arrive in the best condition for the exam.

First of all, I am going to give you practical advice about organising your time and to be productive

If you want to work usefully, do not work more than eight hours a day, have a break, of five or ten minutes, every forty five minutes because you cannot concentrate much longer than that. During the break you can eat and drink a little in order to be full of energy but you can also phone a friend to talk about things other than work.

You can also make index cards with the principal ideas for every subject and read them before going to sleep trying to remember what every main idea refers to. Another good way is to revise with friends. For example, every day meet your friends in a quiet place and ask each other questions about one subject you had chosen from a common timetable. You can also share out the work and the making of the index cards between you in order to work faster.

You have now some principles to organise your work. If you want to come to the exam without any stress don't work all the time and take free time every day

Drawing on my own experiences, I advise you to sleep eight hours a night and to eat three meals a day because you NEED energy. Try to eat food from different groups everyday with vegetables and proteins.

To my mind, it is a good thing to go outside once a day for one hour to see friends or just to walk on the street to alleviate stress. You should go to places that you like or to see people who are not going to take an exam. Because if in your free time you see people who are stressed it will not be a good thing for you to think about other things than your exams.

If you have to remember one thing, remember revision should not be a torture for you. Try to organise your time between working and relaxing. If you work all the time, you will not come to the exam in good condition because you will be tired and you may not remember all you have studied. However if you take free time you will arrive at the exam relaxed and ready to use what you have learnt. My friend is now studying medicine to be a physiotherapist and she passed her exams because she changed her working habits. She slept and ate more, took more breaks and went outside once a day to see friends. You too can learn to manage to organise your time and then to pass your exams.

Revision without stress - by Jonny Liang

My cousin, like many students, suffers a great deal from stress before examinations. Although he usually tries not to be nervous, he can't help being really stressed out the night before the exams or even classroom tests. One day, he actually passed out in the examination room because he couldn't fall asleep the night before. In fact, I find more and more Chinese students have experienced exam stress so I would like to give some advice to help you.

Timetable

One of the main reasons which makes students feel anxious is that they don't revise the subjects thoroughly before the exams. Making a timetable and keeping to it can be helpful. First, a student should determine to review relevant knowledge before the examination. Then come up with a plan and put it into a timetable. Finally, you should stick to the timetable without delay or abandoning it. If you prepare for the exam according to the timetable, you can finish the revision by the end. Moreover, you would feel more confident or even the pressure could be removed entirely. Of course, it is more likely for you to have a satisfactory performance.

No tea and coffee

In the past, before an exam, sometimes I drank some coffee or tea in order to refresh myself in the day time. However, when I decided to go to bed, I found it hard to fall asleep quickly. If this lasted too long, I felt quite nervous because I was afraid that lack of sleep would have a deleterious effect on my performance. According to my own experience, I strongly recommend not drinking tea or coffee the night before exams or tests.

Encouragement

If you are not confident enough, just try to encourage yourself. At the same time, try to make exclusively positive comments about your achievement. Just remember one thing, you don't need to worry about uncertain things, keeping calm and enjoying examinations are the best ways to fight against challenges.

It's my pleasure to present my opinions and I hope it could help a little.

How to cope with stress - Aseel's last post

Every time, the day before the exam, I spend the whole night vomiting!. When I go into the exam room, turn the paper over and read the difficult questions, suddenly my mind goes blank. This is a really horrible moment when I always feel desperate and lost, I wish I could be somewhere I didn't have to worry about the exam, somewhere far away from worries and stress!

I suffered a lot with this problem for many years, so now I'll tell you some tips in how to cope and deal with stress before the exam. First of all, don't miss any sleep!. Many studies show that the human body needs to sleep 7-8 hours a day so the body will be able to carry out all the vital functions and be ready to work hard. Once in the exam I saw my friend was very tired and she felt sleepy during the test and when the teacher asked her why, she answered that she hadn't slept at all the day before, so it affected her badly. Secondly it is important to do some physical exercises like having a break every 40 minutes while studying because scientific research has found that the brain cannot understand and receive more information after 40 minutes of studying the same subject, so the brain should take time off and to relax each part of your body, from your head to your toes. Also its important to eat three meals a day. Here's a good tip: eating nuts will lead to better concentration. As well as eating a dark chocolate or drink a cup of tea while you are studying or revising which helps to keep on taking in information and concentrating. Also be careful of drinking red bull or coffee as they are unhealthy drinks for the body. Always you have to think positive and to be optimistic. You should put in your mind “YES! I CAN DO IT” and this will encourage you to study hard.

There are also some practical tips you should follow to avoid stress before the exams. Firstly, make a timetable and keep to it, it will help you to revise your subjects in the right order. Secondly, it will be a good idea to choose a quiet, comfortable and organised place to study in, where your concentration will be stronger because no one can study in a noisy and messy place. Before starting to study, bring and prepare everything you need, the pens, the notes, the books and your brain! Also, when you start studying, try to write the main points and information in notes and summarise them to make it easier for you when you are revising them. Finally, revision is the best way to make the important points stick in your mind.

Once in the exam, my teacher told me when I feel panicky and my mind goes blank, I should take a minute to do a breathing exercise and to give myself time to calm down. After the exam is over, I have to try to forget about it and to focus on the next one. She also advised me and told me: “facing up the to worst will enable you to look at how you might cope and what you could do next!”

To sum up, everyone has different qualities and skills, so everyone can achieve at different levels. No matter what I achieve today, the important thing is what I'm going to do tomorrow.

Stressed out? You can do it! - Shoug's last post

Two years ago, I had a final mathematics exam and I was so confused about it because I was so bad at maths, while studying I was always thinking that I’d fail and everything would be difficult. I cried and told my mother that I wouldn't go to the exam. Anyway, what I did to get rid of this tension was to just sit in a quiet place saying to myself that failing an exam wouldn't be the end of the world and a lot of my friends were bad at maths but they tried their best; that really gave me confidence that I could do it and be better than the others. Trying and not being afraid has always been and still is a solution to achieve what you think might be too difficult for you. Fortunately, I finished the exam and I passed!

If you have a similar problem I feel your pain, so here are some practical tips to be prepared for any exam. First of all, it'll be really good if you avoid studying in an area where there will be distractions, so try to find a quiet place. Secondly, set out a timetable for your subject and break down each subject into small parts, that will reduce anxiety. Also try to stick to your timetable which will help you to finish studying all the subjects on time. An important tip is, while studying don't only read, but write down what's relevant, because writing will help you to remember the information and never forget it during the exam.

For sure dealing with stress is another problem for many students, not only me. So what can we do to avoid being stressed out? In my opinion, having enough sleep is the most important thing. Also it's good if you break up your study time, because studying for a long time won't help you to remember all the information and you'll get bored quickly. For those who are addicted to chocolate, medical research has shown that eating dark chocolate will give you energy, let you concentrate more and it's healthy too. The most important thing is always think positively instead of being negative during your study and remember that you can do it no matter how difficult the exam is.

To sum up, it's normal that all students have that feeling of being stressed and confused while studying, so you should always be relaxed. Failing in exams will always the right thing which helps you to learn from your mistakes. So my advice to you is try doing the above & I am sure that it'll help.

A football match I saw last year

The football match I saw last year

Last year I went to a football match in Santiago Bernabeu. Before the football match the footballers exited the tunnel in dark blue shorts and white t-shirts.

I remember the people were excited, and I heard loud trumpets and cheering.

I went to the match with my best friend and his father.

The atmosphere was happy and friendly and.the final score was 2 -1 to Real Madrid.

The people were interested in the football, and they were well-behaved.

 

Jose Santiago 17.04.2013

Survey report

 A survey was carried out in OISE Bristol, to find out how green people are.

The results of the survey show that most people have used public transport in the last two weeks but some people have travelled into town by car.

 Most of the people interviewed have bought a hamburger in a plastic container and everybody has picked up litter and put it in a bin.

 Half the people have taken bottles to a bottle bank or recycled paper but most people have interviewed has paid more for something because it is environmentally friendly.

 Half the people have worn a fur coat and most people have used plastic bags for their shopping.

 Everybody has bought organic fruit or vegetables in the last two weeks.

 The results of the survey suggest that the inhabitants of OISE Bristol are quite green.

JiYoung Moon

Alienware: The best performing computer in the world.

The Alienware company was established in 1996 with the aim of assembling desktops, notebooks, and workstations. The name was chosen because of the television hit series the X-files. This company mostly produces laptops, desktops, keyboards, mouses, head-sets, and finally monitors. This means that they are in the industry of computers hardware, moreover they have only been in the computer hardware industry for a short time.

In my opinion if you are looking for a high performance computer for any kind of tasks and furthermore if you desire to keep it for a long time, the best investment you can make it is to buy Alienware. All the products of this high-tech company are composed of the best quality components and what is more, even if the computer costs quite a lot of money you will save on the other hand all the money needed for updating the software. This is because the company has its own anti virus system, work tools, and the customer support can be done by ringing them from the computer or laptop (skype) and have it online and free!

Being one of the users of this product, I might say that I highly recommend it because of all the advantages it gives, such as speed, a comfortable keyboard, mouse and screen. Plus the guarantee is for 3 years which allows you to test it for long time before you decide to keep it! Finally if the computer or laptop has any kind of hardware or software problems, the company will refund the cost or repair it.

David Esteban Carmona,


Banksy: Art or Vandalism? - by David Chatal

Banksy is a graffiti artist from Bristol. He is mostly a political activist and above all, he is against capitalism.

According to Banksy, big companies use advertisements in the street to “attack” people.

Nevertheless, his favourite place to practise his art is the street. Effectively, using the street as an art gallery, his productions are exposed in everyone's faces and he can explain his point of view in this way. In fact, he use the same methods as the big companies which he hates to follow his own advice!

So, should we consider his work to be art or vandalism?

It is true that the quality of his works is exceptional. His paintings are really well realized and the details are generally well shown. His messages are often clear and almost vindictive with lots of realism.

However, he practises his art without any authorisation and this fact is not acceptable. The owners of these walls are generally not responsible for the capitalism that he fights against so I think he is mistaken about his intentions.

If everybody started to paint anything anywhere, it's going to become a real mess in the street. In this case, society should support the cost of the cleaning and that would be counter-productive.

It could be better if some places were allowed in order for people to express their point of view. In this case, all artists like Banksy could practise their art legally. Unfortunately, this activity could not have the same impact!

In conclusion, I think painting on walls without any authorisation is definitively vandalism even if the quality of some of these graffiti is sometimes exceptional.

Letter to Farah - by Shoug

 

Dear Farah,

I'm very glad to hear that you're thinking of visiting Kuwait this summer. You can see amazing countryside in some parts of the country .

Unfortunately, in Kuwait the weather is really hot so don't even think of bringing warm clothes with you. I advise you to go to route 290. There you'll find a resort called Kheran where you'll enjoy seeing the beautiful scenery the nice weather. Moreover there are many breathtaking places like Alabdly and Alwafra; these places are full of farms and you can do a horse riding too. I'm not so sure about the wildlife in Kuwait but if you're really interested in this I can tell my friends to take you to their chalet to see some of their wild animals such as huskies, cheetahs, lionesses and wolves.

If I were you, I'd hire a car to get around instead of riding a bus or taxi. The best idea would be to hire it before you come, but don't worry about this - I'll rent a car for you, just tell me before you come. Make sure that you're ready for our HOT sun, dude.

I hope you enjoy your holiday and the hot weather.

Best wishes,

Sugar

The environment will change dramatically in the next 50 years - an essay by Hye jin Kim

The environment is intimately connected with the activities of human beings. It is like a chain because if one part of the ecosystem is destroyed, other parts which are linked with it will also be corrupted. Because of this, many movements for protecting the planet are appearing around the world; nonetheless, many people have no awareness of this problem. For these reasons, I think that our environment will be dramatically changed and our generation will face a worse situation than us. There are two main aspects to the problems people made and will make destruction and pollution.

The first thing is the destruction of nature. We survive in a country by developing the land and people think that it is a normal thing that we can easily do; however, the land has a limit to how far it can be developed, that means that if it is within the range of recovery, the planet can return to something approaching its original condition. However, if it does not have the power of restoration, the soil will become infertile in a very short time. For example, the extent of Sahara desert is now so great because residents and nomads in this area excessively use the land by raising animals and cultivating grains. Furthermore, people are also developing the rainforest and other natural areas for their profit. As a result, the planet will lose the capacity for recovery and people will also lose the land which feeds them.

The second aspect is the pollution of air and water. For example, many cars emit exhaust fumes, and factories also use chemicals which harm the earth's air system. In addition, water is also affected by trash and things like food waste, which can cause the fish in lakes, rivers and seas to die. As a result, people can not breathe fresh air or drink enough water, and sometimes they will need other facilities to make oxygen and purify the water.

In my opinion, if we do not make an effort to solve those problems, our planet and future human beings are facing a situation which will be really different and even more difficult. There are some suggestions that people can do right now: doing cooperative projects such as recycling or reducing trash, and restricting excessive construction work. To sum up, if we do not make a significant change to our activities, the future will be entirely different, and rapid environmental change is not good for all living things including our children.

Adel's Dream House

Everybody dreams of living in big house or mansion, and I'm no exception. So I will give you the details of the house that I'd like to live in. I think most of you will think I'm strange and crazy. However, everyone has his or her own dream.

To begin with, I'd like to live in vast mansion, and I want it in the countryside as the Hollywood stars do. To be more specific, I'd want to live in the countryside far from the city because if it's near I think my wife will waste our money on shopping!!! I hope my friends would live nearby because my friends are mean and they wouldn't visit me because they care more about the cost of the fuel in their cars than me.

I need a large mansion because I'd like to bring 22 blonde maids to take care of me and I wish my future wife would give me freedom to bring them. The mansion would consist of 7 deluxe rooms and 10 bathrooms because the most important thing in the house is the toilet and bathroom because now I live in small house in Brislington and my host family contains a father, a mother, 4 kids and a foreign student (me). In this house there is only one bathroom!!! because of that sometimes I get to school late. Furthermore, I would like to have a big garden with my own lake where I could sit on sunny day and sunbathe.

Outside the mansion, I would need a lot of space for a garage because I would like to have 10 limousines, 7 luxury cars e.g. Maserati, Ferrari and McLaren.

If I had all these things, I'd be happy forever.   

Aseel's Ideal Home - a blog article

The house I would like to live in should be located in a suburb of Zurich, Switzerland and be only 20 minutes drive from the city centre. I would like to have a villa with a big garden overlooking the Zurich Lake with a BBQ area for the summer where my family and I can gather and chat together.

I wish my villa to consist of five bedrooms on the first floor, to be enough for all my family members and each room will have its own en suite bathroom and jacuzzi!. Because I adore cooking, I would like to have a large kitchen like the ones in hotels and to be well-equipped.

If I could I would design the roof to be glass so the sunlight would be able to permeate into the house. In the basement, I would like to have a large indoor swimming pool and a corner for a spa and sauna otherwise I would need to go to the gym.

On the ground floor, I would design a room to make a home cinema because I am addicted to watching movies. The living room I want to be decorated beautifully in the American style with paintings by famous artists hung on one wall.

Letter to Valerie

Valerie has written asking for tips on where to go to see the wildlife in Pedro's country. His reply:

Dear Valerie,

I'm very happy to see that you are going to visit me in summer. We have a lot of different possibilities to choose. I recommend that you go visit Asturias. It is located in the north of Spain and is a very particular region.

I have planned some activities: first of all we can go to see the Cares River, the panoramic view along the canyon that we are going to walk is really fantastic. You will need to bring with you some warm clothes and comfortable shoes for walking.

Next day we can go to the Corrubelos National Park where we can see bears, wolves and a lot of different kinds of birds. Is a very nice and safe visit.

Another interesting plan is to go by bus to the Covadonga lakes. There are three at the top of the mountain and it is something really interesting to experience.

Finally we will go to have a rest at Llanes, it is a small sailors' village where we can eat very well and also relax after our long walks.

You must try the sidra. It is very good indeed and it tastes great but it could be very dangerous for your headache.

Take care and hope to hear from you again soon,

Pedro

An Essay on the Gap between Rich and Poor - by Victor

Wealth is inequitably distributed. Many rich people keep it for themselves and they are quite greedy. I think that since the beginning of the 2008 financial crisis, the differences between rich and poor people have increased and the middle economic class has vanished.

Then we can use wealth better than we are using it now. If some of the rich people accept the idea of giving some money and not going out of the country when we increase taxes that will be easier. Then we can distribute money more fairly. We should help poor people perhaps not by creating more organisations but by helping public places such as hospitals, schools etc. That will help students and people who do not have enough money to pay for treatment.

Secondly some wealth is just useless for the rich but will help poor people. They take too much food and they often waste it and if you look, for example, at Africa, many people need food. If we cannot give that food to them, they will surely starve to death.

The vast majority of people really need money: some of them do not do anything to obtain more but others work really hard for it and they still do not get anything. While the richest people do not need to work and they still earn more in a month than I will earn in my entire life. That is why I want the wealthiest to give a proportion of their money to the lower economic classes. It is just unfair that the government does not tax rich people more than poor people.

We need to increase taxes and distribute the wealth more evenly which can help more poor people than rich.

We can tell third world countries that they can keep the food they produce instead of selling it for ridiculously low prices. For rich people wealth can be shared by giving and not taking.

Anyway we have to change economic issues for poor people. Evidently, in order to bring about the more equal distribution of wealth which we all desire, two things are necessary: firstly, that the minimum wage shall be raised, permanently, far above the level at which it now stands; and secondly, that willing hands shall always find remunerative work; and this must be done, not by charity, not by individual or local action, but by social rearrangements which will be self-acting and self-sufficing. I firmly believe that such changes are not only possible but comparatively easy, for I hold with Henry George, that at the root of every great social evil will be found a great political wrong. Let us seek out the wrong thing, and fearlessly put it right; and we shall then find that man is not so completely out of harmony with the universe in which he exists that thousands must starve in the midst of plenty, and that the actual producers of wealth in the wealthiest countries in the world must continue to live without enjoying a fair and adequate share of the wealth which they create.

SMOKING

Why doesn't the government insist that manufacturers specify all the components in each cigarette packet?
In each cigarette there are components that we don't know about (e.g. sugar, cocoa) and these components increase the addiction. In my opinion, the government doesn't do anything about this issue because it makes a lot of money to raise taxes. Fast food and alcohol are unhealthy and it is socially accepted.
What do you think?

Carmelo Mendoza.

Smoking

What I think about smoking

In my opinion, smoking is not healthy. because, on the one hand cigarettes have a lot of bad things. for example smoking causes disease. But on the other hand it makes people happy and calm. It reduces the stress. and also cigarettes are addictive. because they have nicotine. But actually I think smoking is bad. because, it is not good for your health and very expensive.

JiYoung Moon

Spanish Languages and Culture

In Spain we have a vast mixture of cultures, influenced by Arabic, French, and Portuguese cultures . All of them have a part to play in the different languages or dialects which are spoken by people in the country nowadays,

The most widely-spoken language in Spain is Spanish.It is also sometimes called Castilian. Spanish is the official language of Spain and it is used all over the country, also by the central government, the media and in education, although the regional languages are also used in schools and universities. It is the mother tongue of about three-quarters of the population but most people can speak it and understand it. Spanish it is also spoken in parts of South-America, and in the USA.

In addition to Spanish, there are several other languages or dialects in Spain. Some people in the north speak Catalan (Cataluna), Basque (Basque Country), Gallego (Region of Galicia) ,Valenciano (Region of Valencia and nearby in the South), and finally the Andaluz (Region of Andalucia).

On the one hand we have The Catalan, Basque, Gallego and Valenciano which are kinds of "Languages " that are approved by the region but not by the government which means that even if people want to change it to their Principal language or become independent it is completely illegal!(even if the politics of this regions most of the time is done in their " Language " when they meet the Spanish President they all must speak Castilian).

On the other hand we have Madrileno , Aragones , Malagueno, which are dialects approved by the Government because they are derivations of the Spanish Language. By this, I mean that they speak Spanish but the accents may vary a lot.

Castilian is a very old language, but it has changed over many centuries.

Nowadays, our alphabet is composed of 27 letters and we also have different words from other languages as well as English, Arabic and French. For example la Tilde.

David Jesus Esteban Carmona

Essay: Our children will live in a worse environment than we do.

I think there is no doubt about this statement. Because of our pollution the greenhouse effect is increasing the climate changes and especially the global warming. This causes the glaciers to melt and so the sea-level is rising. We pollute our soil, our groundwater and we deforest an incredible amount.

Although the situation is so alarming, globally we are not changing our habits. The Kyoto protocol was a nice piece of paper but not much more. The three biggest pollutors which are China, USA and India do not want to become greener due their thought it would be detrimental to their economies.

Since the great polluters do not want to change and discourage the smaller countries to, these problems will increase in the future. There will be less arable land because of desertification as can be seen in China for example and therefore less food while the number of people around the world is increasing. Owing to the rise in sea levels there will be less arable land on which to live.

All these issues will surely cause violent wars in addition to natural disasters. It is late but we could try to reduce our ecological impact to salvage what we can.

Luca Grossu

Happy New Year to Oise's Students and Staff!!!

I've not made my Resolutions for 2013 yet, but this is a good opportunity!

However, my year will really begin when I go back home... So, some things I'm continuing to do in Bristol.

I'm certain that some things require more discipline and change in my behaviour.

My resolutions for 2013:

1. Definitely, became more punctual;

2. Study English every day and go back to classes with a particular teacher;

3. Read one book per month, alternate the language: Portuguese and English;

4. Manage my accounts every month;

5. Do exercise with more discipline and regularity;

6. Don't look at Facebook with frequency

7. Watch fewer soap operas;

8. Continue to eat healthier food;

9. Keep in touch with my friends;

10. Make two trips to another countries, at least.

At the end of 2013 I hope to come back to write here again and say that I made all resolutions! This is my promise :)

Carol Luna

Happy New Year everyone!

How did you ring in the New Year? Have you thought up any resolutions for 2013? Have you already broken them?    :  )













Here are the most popular New Year’s resolutions for 2013:

1. Save more money – 31%

2. Get out of debt – 22%

3. Get fit/lose weight – 18%

4. Change job/career – 16%

5. Quit smoking – 13%

6. Give up alcohol – 11%

7. Spend less time working – 9%

8. Spend more time with family/friends – 7%

9. Give up chocolate – 6%

10.  Move house – 2%

http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/01/03/the-most-popular-new-years-resolutions-for-2013/


By the way, if you missed the big countdown, follow this link:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2012/dec/31/new-years-eve-countdown-2013