Beginning of the second academic year

I started preparing for the beginning of my second university year in early September. Having spent the holiday months in a lovely way, I flew back on the twentieth of September. I was really looking forward to seeing my university pals again, walking the quay and settling into my new dwelling. I know I was in for a lot of work still before the beginning of the year, as we were supposed to introduce the Chai Society at a student club and society ‘trade fair’ as part of the Freshers’ Week.

The preparatory first week and the “Freshers’ Week” were excellent. I saw all my friends from last year and met many other people. I found out how to turn the heating on, found the shortest way to the University, and obtained my schedule. This semester, I will not have a single free day in the week, as we have five subjects. My mandatory subjects are Operations Management, Managerial Accounting, Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management, and Principles of Marketing. When it comes to optional subjects, I chose Spanish Fast Track Beginners, which will continue into the next semester. I plan on taking up Spanish next year as well, as it will let me become an advanced learner, and I believe that this will open up many more possibilities for me.

When the first week of classes was over, I found that the teaching and evaluation approach has changed from last year. Overall, I’d say that as far as the business modules are concerned, our lecturers introduced us to the principal theories and concepts last year, whereas this year they place an emphasis on practical application. They show us how theories are applied in the real world and point out when theories fail, in order to show us alternative approaches. We look at case studies during lectures and as part of group assignments. Most of our lecturers publish, work in the field, and are active in research. They show us both the basic theories and the latest studies. They refer to both the principal and latest academic texts. They keep on emphasizing how complex today’s world is, whether you take the Organizational Behavior, Operations Management, or Managerial Accounting viewpoint.

The Spanish teacher is just as competent as her business school colleagues. Spanish is the official classroom language – English is rarely heard, even when explaining grammar. Despite a personal tragedy that recently struck her, the teacher is very optimistic and energetic – her lessons are a joy to attend. She constantly points out differences between Spain’s Spanish and Latin American Spanish. She studied in Spain, and she tells us a lot of real life information about the country. We go through stuff real quick – we have four contact lessons a week and many hours of homework. I feel the entire group learns really fast – they all either learned Spanish long ago, or are brilliant in Italian and/or French.

For accommodations, I, as a majority of second year students, live in a typical English terrace house. I share a flat with Ondřej and an Englishman, Alex. We’re really lucky when it comes to flatmates – we basically didn’t know Alex, yet a few days later we know a lot about him. He is from Brighton, likes boxing, loves diving, studies Arabic Studies, has spent a year in Syria, and wants to be a soldier. Plus he’s really civil and helpful – so we can use ten plates instead of three, and six bowls instead of one. Another highly positive development is that there are now three people sharing the kitchen instead of six, so there’s always room enough. It might not seem important to some, but since I tend to eat 90% at home and 10% out, and I love cooking, it’s quite an advantage for me. In terms of location, it’s great too – we’re located some fifteen minutes away from the university as well as from shops, which is great.

In my leisure time, I pursue any one of the following five activities:
1. Sports – I go play squash and badminton several times a week; I have volleyball practice every week and often a local volleyball league match on weekends too.
2. Working for the Chai Society – we prepare socials and workshops, bring teas from the Czech Republic, maintain a website etc. Primarily, though, I’m in charge of two projects – organizing a trip to Prague, and the Exeter Teahouse (planning, and later implementation – likely during the next semester).

3. Meeting friends – this year, I finally got to know a bunch of people from different years and programs – including Animal Behavior, Sport Science, and Engineering – mostly thanks to volleyball and the Chai Society.
4. Passive relaxation (films and walking).
5. Planning the future.

Where I thought that time was flying last year, it holds even truer for this academic year. I really value time and pay attention to using it well at all times. I am convinced that I am going in the right direction – when I go to bed every night, I am tired yet happy about myself and my life, and that’s a good sign for sure.