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On a recent trip to Washington D.C., some Embassy CES Fort Lauderdale students from Korea were dining in a restaurant when they spotted someone they recognised: the United States Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice. She kindly agreed to have a photo taken with them, and talked with them for a short while, which made their day.
On January 10th, a cold and wet winter's evening, Oxford attempted to provide a warm welcome at a party for approximately 55 new students arriving from various parts of the world. The new students had a chance to meet staff and find out about extra-curricular activities that they could join in with, and enjoy a slice of lovely pizza too.
The Debating Society was present to give advance warning of hot topics to discuss this term, and the Music Society also had a small presentation to lure in any budding musos. Being involved in activities like this adds a lot to a student’s overall experience and we try to encourage it.
Oxford supports the Rozalina Zaidan School in Codo Nova, Brazil through a charity called Plan International, and students were able to find out a little bit about this at a stall which presented information on what we’re doing and how they could get involved.
It can be daunting being away from home surrounded by strangers in a new college, but events like this help to break the ice and before long, new lasting friendships are made.
Click to see pictures bigger. Left, Students wearing the t-shirts of charity Plan International. Right, Where to find out about the Debating Club.
One of the great advantages of the recent merger of Embassy CES and Bellerbys College into the new Brighton Study Centre is that all students now have access to double the number of very talented and enthusiastic staff.
None comes more talented or enthusiastic than Fi Orlando, the new Social Organiser for the combined centre. Fi is originally from São José dos Campos in Brazil where he attended USP - University of São Paulo before moving to the UK to study at Embassy CES and now Sports Coaching at Brighton University.
What can Fi tell us about himself? "Well," he says in his perfect English, "I'm an Aquarius so I'm very community oriented - I like to be out and about and enjoy myself socially - I love the exciting rhythms you find in Brazilian music. At the same time, however, I'm interested in people and the different lives that people lead - that's one of the reasons I love working at Bellerbys and Embassy CES so much - the opportunity to meet so many different people and develop friendships with them. It's always a sad moment for me when they leave."
"Perhaps it's because of my love of people and the strength that I believe lies in the human spirit that 'The Diary of Anne Frank' is one of my favourite books. I would recommend it to anybody. In a similar vein is 'Because It's There' which is the story of George Mallory, a climber who took on the challenge of Mt. Everest and fought to achieve his dream."
Fi has a brother and a sister back home at university in Brazil and his favourite colour is blue. What advice would he give new students arriving at Embassy CES or Bellerbys? "To find a balance," he says, "Study hard but learn how to relax, socialise and play as well. You will only get a chance to be here once - so make the most of it in every way."
