Welcome to my first monthly wrap-up
Frantz Fanon’s Wretched of the Earth was published in 1961… The struggle is by no means over
This term I faced my biggest challenge which was to write a 2,500 word essay for the Contextual Studies Unit of my course. I chose an essay question on Colonisation and the importance of gaining Independence. I’ll be posting extracts from my essay when I get it back from my tutor this week. My month has been greatly shaped on the words of Frantz Fanon from his book “The Wretched of The Earth.” I suppose that’s the impact of understanding what you read beyond just writing an essay to pass a unit. The words should still resonate long after the essay deadline…
Soho docking station where I get a Boris bike each morning to cycle to Uni
It’s been a roller-coaster of a month – certainly one to remember which hasn’t much to do with the 5th of November! There have been tears (like the times when the Cycle hire docks refuse to release the Boris bike for me to cycle to Uni), and there have been moments of sheer inspiration.
Good Morning London… The view from my room
The term which started in October and will be ending soon on the 6th December. The change of season however, from Autumn to Winter did me no favours. The cold mornings are exceptionally difficult to wake up to with enthusiasm to attend University… And cycling with a Boris bike has its own frustrations (as well as a few perks I’ll admit)!
Despite my rocky start with certain subjects earlier this term, I’ve been taking it one day at a time, and it seems to have worked! The term ends next week and I’ve already booked my Winter get-away (find out where to in the next post)!
The Educationally Frustrated Student
The Educationally Frustrated Student… I started this blog for a number of reasons. Firstly, it was beginning to look a little tacky having a rant every now and then about being a student on my travel blog, travelmakerkai.com. I had to find my niche and stick to it, as many professionals had advised me previously. However there was no rule about having more than one niche so I decided to express being a student in the best way I know how to – being me! So The Efed Student was born just a few weeks ago! I transferred some of my work from my student blog (which anyone outside my university has no access to… Er, defeats the purpose)! I’ll also be posting extracts from my essays and the feedback from my lectures for open discussion/advice/debate/encouragement.
Please be interactive 🙂 Despite being a blogger for over a year, I’m starting a fresh with this one; fresh perspective, fresh audience, fresh content. The experience isn’t any less daunting than the first time I decided to share my travel experience with the world last summer!
Facing Christ the Redeemer, finding myself in Brazil was a fulfilling experience!
This time last year… I would have landed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil! But before you get all excited, I’ll quickly fill you in on the crucial missing details. In October of last year (2012), I got a phone call my University telling me that I had failed first year so I couldn’t carry on in second year, despite the fact that I had been through the enrolment process just a few weeks prior. To cut to the chase, I spiralled into depression. I had six months to wait until the unit I failed would start the following April (2013). I could with continue to willow in pity, or pick myself up and do something productive with my time. Thankfully I choose the latter and decided to go to Brazil for 3 months to work on my research project Kai’s Tabom Project… But really, who needs much of an excuse to go to Brazil anyway? I just need needed to find myself, and the process began from 30th Nov 2012 when my flight left London Heathrow for Rio de Janeiro! You can check out my experiences in Brazil on my Travel Making Kai blog, and search “Brazil”. A fail isn’t the end of the world though it may seem so at the time. Check out my video “90 Degrees of Life.”
One World Media Festival Nov 2013
I’ve attending some great seminars this month. One World Media had their first festival in Bloomsbury on the 8th – 9th of November. The theme was Creating Global Conversations with a focus in the Global South.
And I ended the month on an enlightened note thank to the NUS Black Students’ Winter Conference held at the Institute of Education over the weekend 30th Nov – 1st Dec. I asked NUS Black Students’ officer, Aaron Kiely the importance of organising such events.
“These events are extremely important because the Black community is constantly under attack. We need to implement unity by bringing African, Arab, Asian and Caribbean people together to resist.”
‘We have a right to demand Freedom, Justice and Equality’ is the message I took away from the event. I’m eager to get involved with my SU (Student Union) campaigns now!
Above: Keynote speaker, Diane Abbott MP inspires us from the very beginning.
Below: A picture with Aaron Kiely at the end of a long, but successful event.
And to wrap up wrapping up, I’ve added a Fashion Fix category to this blog… After all what’s student life without all the discounts from various fashion retailers (have you got your NUS card yet)? H&M offered a 20% discount over the weekend, and I got wrapped up with a blazin’ blazer!
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Season’s Greetings and wishing you a frustion-free Christmas!
Kai 🙂
Related articles
- Frantz Fanon’s Teachings Falling on Deaf Ears! (mayihlome.wordpress.com)
- The Missing Brazil – Ceara (waitingonaword.wordpress.com)
- colonialism: post-Fanon (theorycriticalmass.wordpress.com)
- ‘EFed’ if I do, ‘F***ed’ if I don’t! (theefedstudent.wordpress.com)
the Educationally Frustrated student 