Tag: university of bristol

Global skills for employment – virtual workshop

Register now to confirm your place.

Develop skills to equip you for the world of work!

Join us Thursday lunchtime for a free interactive workshop facilitated by Kynfolk, an intercultural training consultancy. There will be no breakout rooms and you can attend with your video off – so feel free to bring your lunch!

In this session our fantastic trainer Jo will help you to recognise the importance of being interculturally literate in preparation for the work place. The training aims to deepen your understanding of the skills, knowledge and attitudes needed to be interculturally competent, and to help you think about how you can improve your ability to work across cultures while you are a student at the University.

We’ll look at the performance of global leaders and companies on the world stage, and also reflect on your own personal development.

Attendance of this webinar counts towards your Bristol PLUS Award.

Travel the World: Japan

Sit back, relax, and discover new places and destinations with our Travel the World series!

Every Tuesday from 1 pm to 2 pm for the duration of February 2021.

Experience different parts of the world as fellow student and staff volunteers share insightful stories about locations across the globe, from famous landmarks to local hotspots. This is an exciting opportunity to learn about new cultures, including local traditions, celebrations, etiquette, food and much more!

Join us for this virtual event.

On 26 February, we’ll be hearing about Japan!

Photo of Hop Spring

You will have the unique opportunity to be guided through Japan, exploring it through our speaker,

postgraduate Palaeobiology student Takumu. Brought to you as an interactive presentation, you’ll have the chance to ask any questions you may have at the end!

Fossil-fan Takumu was born in the Japanese countryside, but spent most of their time in Tokyo. Among other topics, they are keen to explore two locations with you—Hop Spring, a site near their hometown, as well as the city of Tokyo itself and the area of Asakusa in particular.

This is a fantastic chance to broaden your cultural knowledge, learn something new and be inspired to visit new places in the future and engage with students from all over the world.

Photo of women in traditional garb in front of a temple in AsakusaIf you’re interested in volunteering and sharing your knowledge of a particular place; be it a country, county, city or region then please visit our volunteering page to find out more!

The information presented in this event represents the personal views, observations and experiences of the speaker. We welcome your diverse range of questions with cultural sensitivity in mind.

View all of our other upcoming Travel the World events.

Travel the World: Lunar New Year

The University of Bristol Global Lounge is a cultural hub which invites all students (home and international) and staff, to come together to celebrate different cultures through community-building events. It aims to inspire social exchange, increase intercultural awareness and build meaningful relationships with, not only members of the University, but the Bristol community.

This year, the Global Lounge is pleased to be partnering with Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, who have an entire programme of virtual events lined up in collaboration with communities around Bristol, to celebrate Lunar New Year 2021!

Sit back, relax, and discover new places with our Travel the World series!

On 16 February, you’ll have the opportunity to hear all about, and celebrate Lunar New Year 2021!

Join us for this virtual event.

Whether you celebrate Lunar New Year annually, or know very little about it, this is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about other cultures and connect with others during this global festivity.

Our speakers are keen to share the Lunar New Year activities and traditions  of their respective home-countries as part of this Travel the World special. Brought to you as a live interactive presentation, you’ll have the chance to ask any questions you may have at the end!

Chinese New Year celebrations being held in London, 2021

Students Ellesse and Lee will be treating us to an exploration of the New Years festivities in Malaysia. Ellesse is particularly keen to share about the confectionary eaten during the New Year, including the meaning behind the traditional Malay cookies, before talking more about her Foochow (or Fuzhou, a diasporic community) family traditions.

Next Shi, a postgraduate Accounting & Finance student, will present on the Chinese New Year. They’ll be outlining the origins and history of Chinese New Year, what the festival means to Chinese people, and how they celebrate it.

Finally, we’ll be learning about Korean New Years performers in Seoul the meaning of ‘Seollal’ (Korean Lunar New Year’s Day), from Dr Young Kim, a professor of Korean at the University of Bristol and teaching fellow at UCL. She’ll be discussing how the appearance of the traditional celebrations of ‘Seollal’ have changed over time, and will look into the concept of “Golden Holidays’ in comparison to more traditional customs.

Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year is also known as the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year. As this festival is based around the lunisolar calendar it means that the dates change each year; this year it starts on 12 February and ends on 30 January 2022.

Chinese New Year is represented by the Zodiac, with this year being the Year of the Ox. According to the Chinese Zodiac people born in a year of the Ox are honest, trustworthy, diligent, dependable, strong and determined!

Which Chinese zodiac are you?

Volunteering opportunities 

If you’re interested in volunteering and sharing your knowledge of a particular place for a Travel the World event; be it a country, county, city or region then please visit our volunteering page to find out more!

The information presented in this event represents the personal views, observations and experiences of the speaker. We welcome your diverse range of questions with cultural sensitivity in mind.

View all of our other upcoming Travel the World events.

Travel the World: Peru

Sit back, relax, and discover new places and destinations with our Travel the World series!

Every Tuesday from 1 pm to 2 pm for the duration of February 2021.

Experience different parts of the world as fellow student and staff volunteers share insightful stories about locations across the globe, from famous landmarks to local hotspots. This is an exciting opportunity to learn about new cultures, including local traditions, celebrations, etiquette, food and much more!

Join us for this virtual event.

On 9 February, we’ll be hearing about Peru!

 

Rainbow MountainsYou will have the unique opportunity to be guided through the country of Peru, exploring it through our two Peruvian postgraduate students, Sally Fabian Llantoy (Environmental Policy and Management) and Christeen Cjahua Ramirez  (Learning, Technology and Society) from Lima.

Sally loves travelling across the different regions of Peru, such as the coast, highlands and Amazon forest.  She is a folk dancer and enjoys different forms of traditional dance, including Marinera, Saya and Festejo.Christeen is a foodie and her favourite meal is called “aji de gallina”. In their presentation, Sally and Christeen will talk about the Peruvian food, attractions and culture as well as travel advice.

To get you inspired before you join our event, the speakers would like to share this video that depicts the beautiful country of Peru. Brought to you as an interactive presentation, you’ll have the chance to ask any questions you may have at the end!

This is a fantastic chance to broaden your cultural knowledge, learn something new and be inspired to visit new places in the future and engage with students from all over the world.

If you’re interested in volunteering and sharing your knowledge of a particular place; be it a country, county, city or region then please visit our volunteering page to find out more!

The information presented in this event represents the personal views, observations and experiences of the speaker. We welcome your diverse range of questions with cultural sensitivity in mind.

View all of our other upcoming Travel the World events.

 

Travel the World: Indonesia

Sit back, relax, and discover new places and destinations with our Travel the World series!

Every Tuesday from 1 pm to 2 pm for the duration of February 2021.

Experience different parts of the world as fellow student and staff volunteers share insightful stories about locations across the globe, from famous landmarks to local hotspots. This is an exciting opportunity to learn about new cultures, including local traditions, celebrations, etiquette, food and much more!

Join us for this virtual event.

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Travel the World: Kenya

Discover new places and destinations with our Travel the World series, every Tuesday from 1 pm to 2 pm (during term time).

Experience different parts of the world as fellow student and staff volunteers share insightful stories about locations across the globe, from famous landmarks to local hotspots. This is an exciting opportunity to learn about new cultures, including local traditions, celebrations, etiquette, food and much more!

Join us for this virtual event.

On 1 December, we’ll be talking about Kenya!

 

Biology graduate Aneesh will be telling us about his life in Kenya. Currently working for the NHS, Aneesh is a keen scuba-diver and has a wide range of passions, from cooking to gardening. Since starting his degree, he’s been able to add travel to this list of passions, as he’s been learning more about different cultures, food and language from his trips around the world. This is what attracted him to present for Travel the World, as well as his patriotism and fondness for his Kenyan childhood.

Aneesh will be discussing the rich history of Kenya, from the hustle and bustle of Nairobi to the beautiful marine life off the coast. Moreover, he will be sharing with us the secret gems of Kenya, and how to see them; places to visit, food to taste and animals to see.

Come along just to listen on your lunchbreak, and if you want to know more, you’ll have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have for our speaker at the end of the presentation.

This is a fantastic chance to broaden your cultural knowledge, learn something new and be inspired to visit new places in the future and engage with students from all over the world.

If you’re interested in volunteering and sharing your knowledge of a particular place; be it a country, county, city or region then please visit our volunteering page to find out more!

The information presented in this event represents the personal views, observations and experiences of the speaker. We welcome your diverse range of questions with cultural sensitivity in mind.

View all of our other upcoming Travel the World events
.

 

Travel the World: hiking in Romania

Discover new places and destinations with our Travel the World series, every Tuesday from 1 pm to 2 pm (during term time).

Experience different parts of the world as fellow student and staff volunteers share insightful stories about locations across the globe, from famous landmarks to local hotspots. This is an exciting opportunity to learn about new cultures, including local traditions, celebrations, etiquette, food and much more!

Join us for this virtual event.

On 24 November, we’ll be talking about hiking in Romania!

First year Neuroscience student, Lorena Preda, will be guiding us through one of her favourite outdoor activities – the hiking trails of Romania. She will be sharing some interesting facts about her country, including traveling advice, culture and hiking tips:

“I want to be part of this event because many people have never even heard about Romania, let alone its mountains. This is my chance to show the good and beautiful sides of Romania. For me, my country’s mountains offer an escape from my day to day life. It’s like stopping the time to enjoy the simplest things in life, like a breath of fresh air, the surrounding nature and the opportunity to take amazing photos”. 

Brought to you as an interactive presentation, you’ll have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have for our speaker!

This is a fantastic chance to broaden your cultural knowledge, learn something new and be inspired to visit new places in the future and engage with students from all over the world.

If you’re interested in volunteering and sharing your knowledge of a particular place; be it a country, county, city or region then please visit our volunteering page to find out more!

The information presented in this event represents the personal views, observations and experiences of the speaker. We welcome your diverse range of questions with cultural sensitivity in mind.

View all of our other upcoming Travel the World events.

 

Travel the World: Taiwan

Discover new places and destinations with our Travel the World series, every Tuesday from 1 pm to 2 pm (during term time).

Experience different parts of the world as fellow student and staff volunteers share insightful stories about locations across the globe, from famous landmarks to local hotspots. This is an exciting opportunity to learn about new cultures, including local traditions, celebrations, etiquette, food and much more!

Join us for this virtual event.

On 17 November, we’ll be talking about Taiwan!

Student, Iris Ho, will be guiding us through a wide range of interesting facts about Taiwan, including popular food and drink, current affairs / important dates in Taiwanese history and things you can enjoy in the capital, Teipei. Brought to you as an interactive presentation, you’ll have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have for our speaker!

This is a fantastic chance to broaden your cultural knowledge, learn something new and be inspired to visit new places in the future and engage with students from all over the world.

If you’re interested in volunteering and sharing your knowledge of a particular place; be it a country, county, city or region then please visit our volunteering page to find out more!

The information presented in this event represents the personal views, observations and experiences of the speaker. We welcome your diverse range of questions with cultural sensitivity in mind.

View all of our other upcoming Travel the World events.

 

Diwali celebration

Posted on by lizzie.feltham

The Hindu Society, with the Global Lounge, bring you a warm and welcoming virtual celebration of Diwali

Wednesday 11 November

Diwali, commonly known as the ‘Festival of Lights’, lasts between 4 to 5 days and, like Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year, follows the ‘lunar calendar’ meaning that the date changes each year.

Namaste

‘Diwali, in itself, is a celebration of the idea of India. Everyone celebrates for different reasons.’

This year, the Bristol Hindu Society celebrated Diwali with a virtual event which was open to all, introducing the festival to those who may not know much about it, whilst allowing those who would normally celebrate with family and loved ones the opportunity to come together and celebrate online. Akash, president of the Bristol Hindu Society, introduced the event, kicking things off with a beautiful Aarti – a type of prayer which the society typically start their events off with.

Akash went onto explain that while there may be many possible origins of Diwali, the core essence remains the same: ‘the victory of good over evil, and of knowledge over ignorance,’ going on to say that it is also not a festival ‘limited only to Hinduism and Hindus’ but that ‘Diwali, in itself, is a celebration of the idea of India. Everyone celebrates for different reasons.’

Some typical features of celebrating Diwali include:

  • lighting diyas – an oil lamp usually made from clay
  • fireworks – to guide the spirits of ancestors
  • rangolis – patterns made of coloured sand or crushed flowers to beautify the house and a sign to welcome visitors

‘Who needs measuring spoons when you have your hands!’

After the introduction to Diwali students talked about how it’s felt not being able to celebrate with loved ones at home this year, and shared with each other how they were celebrating Diwali during lockdown, which included dinner with housemates, Bollywood music and movies, and eating / making homemade sweets!

Students also shared with each other how they would usually celebrate with family – with a large focus on food, including an insight into Indian cooking and a mother’s tip when it comes to recipes: “Who needs measuring spoons when you have hands!”

The community-feeling really shone through during these conversations and even for those who don’t celebrate Diwali, it was a wonderful insight into this annual celebration.

‘Wear Indian clothes just to get into the feel of it. At Christmas people wear Christmas jumpers, so in the same way, wear some Indian clothing to get in the mood.’

Students ended the event by giving tips on how you can celebrate Diwali at home, including:

  • watching popular Indian movies (Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gum is recommended!)
  • buying or making homemade sweets
  • lighting sparklers
  • celebrating virtually with family and loved-ones
  • having a go at cooking Indian food that you would normally have with family – or – treating yourself and ordering online
  • wearing some traditional Indian clothing to get you into the mood and playing some music
  • using candles or fairy lights to decorate your spaces at home

Check out the full event here, and be inspired to make Diwali just as special this year – where ever you are!

NHSF Bristol Hindu Society:

Check out their Freshers’ Guide 2020

Social media:

Diwali

Namaste! Join us in celebrating Diwali, in collaboration with Bristol Hindu Society!

This year the Global Lounge brings you a virtual celebration of the Festival of Lights, alongside representatives from the Bristol Hindu Society and guest speaker!

This interactive event will be led by students, as they share their experiences and knowledge of this annual festivity.

Join in here on Zoom.

This event is open to all students and staff – home and international.

Hindu Society Diwali hamper

The Hindu Society is preparing hampers for people who want to celebrate Diwali but are away from their families – Diwali is normally a time to be at home and celebrate with loved ones and this year many will be celebrating alone for the first time.

If you would like to order a hamper – costing £6.99 – you can do so via the Bristol SU website. Limited hampers are available; please order by Wednesday 11 November.