Fai Yim
Dear Dad/Mum,
How are you? Is the weather at home nice? I have been settled into university life for nearly a
year , and I think most things are going smoothly. My experience in Newcastle is like typical
British weather, often sunny, but must with certain rainy hours in a day..
Newcastle upon Tyne (Do remember to add “upon Tyne” or your letter will go to another
Newcastle in the Midlands) is a nice city that I think you will also enjoy either just by visiting or
living in. It is a comparatively smaller city but it does have everything that you need in the heart
of city. We even have Europe’s largest shopping mall in the nearby town, Gateshead, just
across the river Tyne. There are also plenty of leisure facilities like a library and a swimming
pool at city centre. Even though the city is well-known for partying, it is relatively a safe place to
walk late at night, just like other university cities.
I remember I was once excited throughout the last summer about being able to get into a worldclass university in Newcastle. When I think about it now, I am sure it was a right choice for me. I
have been enjoying a wonderful university life here since last September. Starting from a warm
welcome by senior students at the airport tailored for international students, I was able to get to
and settle into my ‘second home’ in Newcastle following my long-haul flight from Hong Kong.
The international welcome week was also helpful in guiding me which direction to go when I
faced problems, as well as undergoing procedures that I was unfamiliar with, such as how to
register with a doctor. Of course, it also gave me an overview of what I shall expect in my life in
Newcastle and thus giving me sufficient time to prepare for it. I was surprised that I could have a
chance to improve my English through FREE English lessons provided by the university.
With the fresher’s week in full swing, I participated in many activities that I had never ever
experienced before, like sushi-making, tree-walking, and cocktail making (plus tasting, don’t
worry I promised I was not drunk at all!). I made lots of friends that are doing other courses, and
from Europeans to Americans then to Asians...you name it! I joined several sports clubs and
societies during the week to ensure I have regular work outs and , as well as meeting my British
flatmates who will be living with me in my ‘home’ for the year. They are so friendly and nice. We
have such a great time that I think I am not going to forget for the rest of my life.
Academic lectures followed shortly afterwards. Going from fully instructed secondary education
into self-disciplined university education, I encountered some problems at first to adapt to the
new style of teaching and learning. Not to mention lessons, or now called lectures, are with 300
people together, it is also not practicable to raise my question to the lecturer directly but have to
leave it until the end of the lecture. Communication between staffs and students are mainly in
the form of email instead of face-to-face, and thus I was about to miss my appointment with my
tutor when I was still not used to checking my email daily, if not hourly. Although there is a
constant monitoring of attendance and academic performance, study and revision are mostly
self-driven which I was not really used to. Moreover, I now have to do all the washing and
cooking myself (I now wish I had helped you more when at home) which do occupy some of my
spare time and affect my revision.
Fai Yim
Nevertheless, under careful timetabling, I learn to prioritising my to-do list to complete every
thing in plenty of time. With this, I am able to spend more essential time for revision. I have then
developed a revision plan and gone to the library more often for reference to facilitate my
revision. My essence in revision is to revise as soon as the end of lectures of the day to quickly
solidify what I have learnt. The course structure is also helpful as I can have my unsure
problems clarified in small setting seminars. Plus, the use of IT is so useful and promoted in the
university to allow easy understanding of topics in an interactive way. I can then reinforce what I
have learnt in hands-on praticals sessions. To pursue my interest in Bioscience further, I have
started reading textbooks and browsing through web resources which improve my skills in
exploring beneficial knowledge. Here in Newcastle we have even so-called Biomedicine Plus
lectures which bring professors in front of us and introduce their latest research in informal
lectures. These help me in knowing the work behind the Bioscience field as well as allowing me
to gain extra knowledge that interests me. Together with positive advice from my personal tutor
who looks after my study, I am now able to get back on track to enjoy my study. I just had a
session about switching to other degrees in the department next year and would like to discuss
with you in detail regarding this. I do love this system as this allows me to truly experience the
subjects in my first year before choosing which area to specialise in.
After getting on with my study, I planned to get out of Newcastle and to experience great things
that Great Britain has on offer. Thanks to the convenient transport network to other parts of the
country from Newcastle, I went to London in merely a couple of hours during Christmas and
experienced such a good time there. Not only I visited those must-go spots like the Big Ban,
London’s Eye or the Tower Bridge, I also went to the Winter Wonderland, which is a Christmas
Market selling various special items and food, creating a unique white Christmas experience
which I can never experience back home. Forgetting to mention the trip hosted by the university
for international students in the Faculty of Medical Sciences, that let me enjoyed the spectacular
views and scenes of Alnwick Garden and Castle that have been used for filming of Harry Potter.
I will be stepping across the border into Scotland in April to explore another wonderful side of
this country.
My words are not sufficient to depict how lovely this country, and my university, are. I do hope
you can come and visit me to experience them yourself. Don’t worry about me as things have
been god so far, and I have acquired the skill to handle all problems by myself.I have just got
my exam results in March which are better than what I was expecting, but I am determined to
perform better for the next one. Can’t wait to see you back home in summer!
Best wishes,
Justin