My Chevening month: November in Cardiff
Two months already in the UK. Wow!
November for me started with three days in the Welsh countryside with my classmates. The purpose of the trip – organised by my programme – was to discuss our dissertation topics and come out with a solid idea to work on over the year ahead.
Beyond the academic sessions, it was an amazing opportunity to engage with a very diverse and multicultural group of people, which actually enriches our MA in International Journalism. Cardiff University’s School of Journalism, Media, and Cultural Studies was just ranked in the very top of the last Guardian’s ranking. What a privilege to be studying here!
As a journalist, my experience so far has been priceless. Having access to key people in my field has been one of the things that I have been enjoying the most. From the former BBC political reporter, Nick Jones, who gave a public lecture addressing recent news coverage of the UK Labour party, to the inspiring work that Ros Russell does at the Thomson Reuters Foundation commissioning the under-reported stories.
A compelling insight into the dynamic world of financial journalism at Bloomberg by Anne Pollak and the challenges that our colleagues face regarding cybersecurity by Ela Stapley (who graduated from the same MA as me ten years ago). When I applied to Chevening, I was looking forward to getting opportunities just like these.
Discovering my new home’s surroundings has been a great adventure. Although it is the capital of Wales, Cardiff is very quiet, but it has everything that a large city can offer. For the first assignment in my documentary class, I had to create a portrait of a place in town. My idea was also commissioned by the Telegraph which was running a contest with Visit UK at the same time.
The task was to uncover the UK’s best holiday experiences from a foreign perspective. I made it as one of the winners with a short film about a bakery that not only sells a surprisingly large variety of traditional Welsh cakes, but also employs staff who are ambassadors of what Welsh culture is. You can watch here:
If you come to Cardiff, you must try a Welsh Cake!
The first weekend of November we got a lot of fireworks – and for sure it was not New Year’s Eve yet – but Bonfire Night. The event marked the historic moment when Guy Fawkes and his motley crew attempted to blow up the House of Parliament in 1605. We watched the show at Bute Park in the heart of the city.
During this month, I also had the chance to visit Birmingham. Beatriz Buarque, a Chevening Scholar from Brazil, and I led the first Words Heal the World’s Talk for Peace with Nicola Benyahia, the mother of a foreign fighter who joined ISIS and died in Syria in 2015. Now, she shares her pain with other families that are facing the same problem and founded a counselling organisation. A moving story indeed.
Being in Birmingham, we made it to the Frankfurt Christmas Market, the largest German market held outside Germany. Fun fact: most of the people who work at the market are Germans from Germany – they don’t speak English! However, we enjoyed a hot cup of mulled wine and a bratwurst (a German hotdog). Too festive for November, but who cares? Christmas is coming.
Speaking about Christmas… and winter, I must cover Britons’ favorite topic: the weather. I should not complain at all, to be honest. Wales is treating us fine, just slightly cold, with not much rain, which is good.
I am looking forward to seeing what is coming in December. Christmas of course, and hopefully a white one. Also, I got tickets to see Les Misérables on my birthday; definitely the original version in the West End is the best – sorry, Broadway. I cannot wait to see what surprises and experiences are coming in the New Year as a Chevening Scholar in the UK.