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“American girl in London: beyond the language barrier”(Lapo Interviewing Eloise)

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“American girl in London: beyond the language barrier”(Lapo Interviewing Eloise)

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It has been more than 30 years since Sting was singing the story of  an “Englishman in New York”
Thankfully, due to a  progressive world internationalisation, the times of feeling  like an alien when being  in a foreign country are coming to an end.
Nonetheless, how does it feel to be living in a  different country where the same language is spoken but where culture has had a different progression throughout time?
“I always wanted to leave home to go to university, why not come to the UK?” said Eloise Creith, an american student from Los Angeles who recently started her university path in London.
(No, we are not giving you ideas for a new song, Sting.)
“I find that just the simple act of hanging out is different here. In the UK there is a drinking culture and good transportation which makes it easy for a young adult to move around.”
Slangs, the internet and memes are quickly shaping our way of speaking.
Without noticing we absorb new language terms and use them in our everyday lives.
A boy growing up in Los Angeles will most likely not fully understand the wordplay of a girl grown in the suburbs of London.
In this fast paced reality Eloise affirmed that “the UK has a lot more culture and it's a lot older. I feel I fit better here, but crossing the cultural barrier can be hard sometimes.”

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I’ve had the opportunity to interview Antonella Langella, a 31 year-old, international English Language Teaching student at the University of Greenwich. She comes from Italy and was raised near Bologna, in the North side of the boot-shaped country. Prior to moving to London, Antonella studied History and Philosophy in Italy. “I did it for fun.” she said, because she never intended to work in that field. Now, Antonella works part-time to make her dreams come true.

After the formalities and a little small talk, Antonella opened up and revealed her quite unique perception of being a teacher: “I think it is the most wonderful job. It’s not only about teaching a subject, it is about being in contact with the new generation. I believe that if you want to see change in the world you need to teach the new generation how to do it.”.

So far we know that this young lady is very interesting and ambitious, but there’s more to her story. Antonella chose Writing for The Media as her optional class for this course. Some might ask “Why?”. Her answer was very thoughtful: “I love writing and I think it is important for a teacher to know how to write. Therefore I also think this class should not be optional.”

Antonella is the kind of the person who has everything planned out, even if only unconsciously. All of her study choices seem to connect on a higher level and will most probably help her in the future. She is a kind soul and I think it is safe to say that she’ll be a dedicated teacher. Best of luck to her!

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December 2019, Wuhan, China first Covid-19 case was detected. At first, it was a regular new type of virus witch probably be gone in few months. Unfortunately, no one predicted that this mystical illness would change our normal life.

After one year of cultural and physical change, we finally could be a little release because the vaccine is already found and the vaccination process beginning.  Unfortunately, most people are skeptical of the vaccine's effectiveness. Fake news portals are bombarding media with articles about vaccine disadvantages. More and more people are rejecting to take a shot. Because of the lack of relevant information citizens have a lot of doubts about vaccines.

19 years old Tereza Jelínková, University of Greenwich Languages and International Relations first-year student from the Czech Republic has her strong opinion regarding this worldwide problem. Despite her family being skeptical of the vaccination process she still bases her thoughts on facts. She strongly believes that people who create fake news are doing a negative influence on society ‘I feel sad and sorry for those who create this type of article. It makes the situation even worse.’ Unfortunately, quick vaccine discovery is creating a lot of doubts for those who understand the situation ‘I would say that this is a good way to get out of a pandemic. Unfortunately, this vaccine was found in a small amount of time and we cannot be 100 percent sure what side effects would be in a long term. Yes, it could be a perfect solution for elderly and sick people, but if someone suggests me to take a shot right now, I probably think of it twice.’ said the interviewee.

A lot of people are tormented by these doubts. The media should pay more attention to give basic information about the vaccine and its side effects. We are all in the same situation and we should all collaborate to fight against that.

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From Drama to Writing it: An interview with Madeline Salter

‘From a young age I already knew that I didn’t want to go to university, that I wanted to go to drama school.’ Maddie started acting and telling stories from a very young age. She recounted her childhood and how she would walk around, notepad in hand, writing and telling stories. When Maddie got older, she transferred her love for telling stories to acting, and re-telling stories through that medium. ‘I had always been a loud and extroverted person.’ This made Maddie passionate about acting, becoming fully invested during high school/sixth form.

Maddie discusses pursuing acting further after compulsory education, taking on a year foundation course at the Guildford School of Acting. ‘Acting is hard.’ She reveals. ‘Only 1% of people get in.’ This even shocked me, but it is understandable. The Creative Arts are very competitive. ‘I lost my love for acting at that school. The tutor would give me such unreasonable critique. I didn’t take what he said to heart, but his criticism didn’t make any sense!’ Maddie then mentions moving to London, where she would occasionally go to scratch nights at pub theatres. ‘One night was particularly fun.’ She recounts. ‘The theme of women’s anger was explored. There was spoken word, poetry, acting in scenes… it was all very moving.’ When asked if she connected with anyone there, she told me about the two girls who set up the night and how they were setting up their own theatre company called ‘Be in my Beanie.’ Enthusiastically, Maddie says, ‘they asked me if I would you like to write a piece for them and perform it at their theatre. I said yes, of course!’ Maddie stayed in contact with them and met people who went to the same drama school as her, who were a couple of years above her. ‘It really is nice meeting and getting to know people with similar interests to you.’

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Creative writing- something many people admire from the outside, looking in, wondering just how do writers spin thoughts and ideas into something tangible? Another question that comes to many people’s minds is- can it be taught?

According to the 86 universities who offer 349 courses that include creative writing, apparently so. Sade Wynter, 18, a student of the Creative Writing course at the University of Greenwich, agrees -  to a point. She states, “[the tutors] can give their advice and share their experiences to help you become a better writer… but in terms of your skills and your prowess… I think that comes from within you”. It seems creative writing courses could shape raw talent, but the real leg work comes from within.

Even with guidance, Sade- like all writers- has moments where the words don’t come. Her advice for these times is something simple, yet brilliant: “write. It doesn’t have to be perfect, [you] can always get rid of it. Try again.” Maybe it’s a level of unteachable ‘prowess’ within writers that makes them able to continue persevering.

Some time in the future, Sade, like her tutors, could guide other writers herself; “I want my writing to inspire others”. Writing, although an independent pursuit, is upheld by its community; the members of which constantly sharing their ‘advice’ and ‘experiences’ to aid others in realising their dreams.

Perhaps the tutors on these courses are, in a way, like mother birds. They know their chicks have the innate ability, but realise they need guidance- and perhaps a little nudge- to reach their full potential and really fly.

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A piece about Raimonda Jankute: What makes my classmate an individual?Despite all the circumstances the pandemic has brought, the education life cannot be interrupted. International students moved to another country and although there are things in their lives to be shared, yet each of them is individual. However, not every person is as driven and fiery as my interviewee Raimonda Jankute from LithuaniaHer passion for changing the environment is evident, even though the questions went from the UK to Lithuania and answers vice-versa. Studying a degree in Politics and International Relations, Raimonda finds being an international student a great challenge and opportunity to learn from the best ones. Because of the coronavirus restrictions, Term 2 is about studying remotely. At least at this moment, when Raimonda stays at home. From the beginning, according to her words, motivation was missing. Once setting up a routine, things were about to change, and now she easily copes even with the time zone. “I can see people desperate every day because almost everything in my country is now restricted.” Her talking about hopeless entrepreneurs who cannot sell their goods is only one of the realms of politics that she wants to delve properly. Her career highlight lies in helping and changing the environment for these who need it. This nineteen-year-old girl, who was a math exam away from being accepted to UCL, has undoubtedly a view. Surely there will be enough effort and sacrifice to find a way to transform this view into a reality.

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A piece about Raimonda Jankute: What makes my classmate an individual?Despite all the circumstances the pandemic has brought, the education life cannot be interrupted. International students moved to another country and although there are things in their lives to be shared, yet each of them is individual. However, not every person is as driven and fiery as my interviewee Raimonda Jankute from LithuaniaHer passion for changing the environment is evident, even though the questions went from the UK to Lithuania and answers vice-versa. Studying a degree in Politics and International Relations, Raimonda finds being an international student a great challenge and opportunity to learn from the best ones. Because of the coronavirus restrictions, Term 2 is about studying remotely. At least at this moment, when Raimonda stays at home. From the beginning, according to her words, motivation was missing. Once setting up a routine, things were about to change, and now she easily copes even with the time zone. “I can see people desperate every day because almost everything in my country is now restricted.” Her talking about hopeless entrepreneurs who cannot sell their goods is only one of the realms of politics that she wants to delve properly. Her career highlight lies in helping and changing the environment for these who need it. This nineteen-year-old girl, who was a math exam away from being accepted to UCL, has undoubtedly a view. Surely there will be enough effort and sacrifice to find a way to transform this view into a reality.

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Tereza Jelinkova