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Living in Bournemouth
Sunday, October 31, 2004
[ 2:14 AM ]

University
Classmates
Church
Shopping
Water
Moisturising
Webcam & Phone cards
Halloween
O Roundabouts O
British Words & Phrases
Daylight Saving
More Travels...
Next...

University
Impressions from the past:
• Alma mater University of Sydney, a beautiful building modelled after the traditional universities of the UK.
• Romantic Cambridge (well, I was on my honeymoon then...), even more historic and ornate architecture.

Back to the future:
• Bournemouth University, reminds me of the University of New South Wales - no character. (Oops did I really say that? *ducks imaginary fists*. For the benefit of non-Aussie grads, there's long-standing rivalry between UNSW and Sydney Uni. But hey, I married the enemy. And he's the smart one - he married me didn't he? :)

Yes, the clump of buildings that make up BU are drab, nondescript and functional, excusably so since they weren't designed to be a university. BU began life as a Municipal College, then a College of Technology, an Institute of Higher Education and aPolytechnic. It was conferred university status in 1992. There are a sizeable number of similar conversions across the UK. Assuringly, The Guardian's University Guide 2004 reports that these former polytechnics are fast out-performing their more established rivals in terms of quality of teaching - pretty much our arguments in favour of polytechnic education in Singapore.

So why BU? Well, there are only 2 postgraduate courses in the UK specialising in radio production (as opposed to radio journalism), the other one being the more prestigious Goldsmiths College. Of course Goldsmiths would have looked better on the CV. But radio has to be hands-on and Goldsmiths does not share this philosophy. Mind you, had I not joined Ngee Ann Polytechnic, I may not have had this mindset. Then again, I probably wouldn't have ended up in the UK either.

BU has 2 campuses. Mine, Talbot Campus, is in the borough of Poole (not Bournemouth) and is in more wooded surroundings. The Lansdowne Campus in spread out in the town centre. There's student accommodation on both campuses.

Like many universities, there are a lot of student-run outlets on campus. Profits go back to the Union so there's some pressure to patronise them. The Students' Union shop sells stationery and snacks at exorbitant prices. SU also runs several pubs and a nightclub (this IS the UK! Some trivia – Bournemouth has the highest concentration of pubs and clubs in the UK, more even than London's Soho district). Other outlets (non-student run) include Barclays Bank, Endsleigh Insurance and Waterstone's Books.

Being back in a temperate setting has certainly brought back familiar sensations - the aroma of coffee and hot food wafting through the cafeterias, lunching on a grassy patch in the occasional sunshine, stale air in lecture theatres, dusty ancient tomes buried in some forgotten corner of the library and one of my pet peeves… sandpaper disguised as toilet paper. Somehow those undergraduate days seem not too long ago (*nostalgia*). Just remind me not to look in the mirror.

Classmates
(Apologies if you've already read my blog on this.)
There are 13 of us. As I write this, the 14th is expected to join us tomorrow from Nigeria. This brings the number of internationals to 3 - Nigerian, Spanish and Malaysian/Singaporean. There are 3 Toms and 2 Abbeys. We're still trying to figure out which Tom/Abbey is on the discussion board and how to distinguish them verbally.

3 of us are mature students. One of them travels from London weekly, joining us from Monday to Thursday. He's just had a baby so I really take my hat to him (and his wife!). The younger ones are from all over the UK, and they are all undoubtedly passionate about radio (though beer definitely ranks first for some of them). Some of them are really wickedly creative – those of us who are in the teaching profession will recognise these characters; there's bound to be at least one every semester. One of them, Tim, is incredibly anal about everything, so he's ended up being the butt of jokes.

There's also a doctorate student from Vietnam who joins us for certain sessions. Her thesis - Internet radio stations in Vietnam. When I asked her about the state of radio in Vietnam, she said there's only one and it's state-controlled. She's totally closed to the notion that there should be any other kind of station. Hmm... what was that thesis again?

I really enjoy class discussions because everyone has an opinion and is not afraid to voice it. We can be quite rowdy. So far, so good. We seem to be gelling quite well.

Church
Did an internet search and managed to find an evangelical church nearby,
Moordown Baptist (http://moordownbaptist.org.uk) about 7 minutes' drive away.
It's pretty similar to Adam Road Presbyterian Centre (ARPC) back home. Shorter sermons for sure - service begins at 11am and ends by 12.15pm. Very Bible-focussed and so far the messages have been solid.

It's also good that Sunday School for children is available so I can attend service without any distraction. One good practice here is having the children join us at the beginning of the service. The speaker has a story for them each week.

Same rationale as ARPC - no elaborate crosses (nor stained windows - ARPC's private joke) nor any other "unnecessary" icons. They've also recently started a communal lunch once a month to encourage fellowship, so I was sharing with the pastor about how effective these meals have been in ARPC.

I must say that the people are here are genuinely warm. Maybe I happen to be the target because it's kinda hard to miss the only Chinese family here! As with most churches in the UK, the majority (80%?) of parishioners fall into the elderly category.

Bradley and Erica are amongst the youngest children here. Erica is starting to enjoy Sunday School for children aged 3 upwards (she's definitely the youngest). Bradley still prefers the battery-operated train at Crèche (sigh).

Last week was Harvest Service and it was heartwarming to see children bringing harvest offerings and laying them at the "altar". UK churches hold harvest services throughout October.

There's a missionary here who works for the Far East Broadcasting Association in Kenya. The church elders were quite taken that I knew about FEBA and were quite excited when I told them about Ruth Song (ex-student) working in FEBA's Singapore office.

Shopping
Bournemouth is not as "ulu"[backward] as I thought it might be. My place, Gleneagles, is a mere 5-minute walk from the shops at Winton. Winton is a middle class suburb with lots of charity shops, 2 butchers, 2 grocers, budget shops and major banks. Sort of an Ang Mo Kio. Getting essentials is not a problem. Paying for them is! But if I keep converting everything into Singapore dollars, I'll be a manic depressive by the time I leave the UK.

The most upmarket supermarket here is Waitrose (my mum's favourite haunt). I prefer LIDL where I can get most essentials at 50% off Waitrose's prices.

Charity shops are wonderful. You can find charities supporting concerns from pets, children, single mothers to the aged and the heart foundation. The goods are really in pristine condition, unlike the trash we often see at the Salvation Army bins in Singapore. I managed to get 2 feather down quilts (£12), a study table and shelves (£25), and a TV (£45). "Don't convert, don't convert..."

Unbelievable, but I can't find chocolate milk in Winton(yes, the twins share Mummy's weakness for chocolate), though there's plenty of choc milk shake. So, I have to make a weekly trip to ASDA (second largest supermarket chain in the UK, apparently voted the cheapest) about 6 minutes' drive away. The best thing about ASDA is it's open 24 hours. The variety's phenomenal.

If I have more time to spare, there's the newish Castlepoint Mall (American-style malls are catching on in the UK) 10 minutes away. It's got most of the major outlets – Sainsbury supermarket (which by the way is making huge losses due to mismanagement, no choc milk here either), ARGOS (anything you can't find elsewhere, you can find here), Marks & Spencer, W.H. Smith books, B&Q (DIY warehouse) and a few smaller outlets. Best feature is the huge carpark where parking is free.

Btw, British Sausage Week came and went without much fanfare.

Water
Bournemouth water is hard water. When we first arrived we had to buy descaling tablets to get rid of the hardened lime on the shower heads. What minerals were entering our digestive system from the tap? Well, I wasn't too keen to find out and so rushed out to get a water filter. There certainly is a marked difference in taste. Psychological? Who knows?

Quite troublesome initially but we've gotten used to popping a descaling tablet into the washing machine with every wash.

Moisturising
I have renewed respect for Vitamin E. E45 is the miracle moisturising cream we can't do without. The dryness here is so acute that we have to smear E45 liberally on the face and body to prevent eczema. I don't even bother buying supermarket-sized tubes now; only industrial-sized tubs will do.

Webcam & Phone cards
How did people cope with being apart all those years ago (Veronica, I'm thinking about you here)? As far as I'm concerned, the webcam is the best gadget of the 20th century, once you get used to the grainy pictures and occasional hanging. The kids were rather apprehensive at first, not daring to speak those first few sessions. Gradually they've got used to speaking into the microphone, although Bradley still looks into the camera to see where Daddy's hiding.

Phone cards are cheap too. My Discount Jeff £5 card gets me 250 minutes for a call to a Singapore fixed line, less for a call to Malaysia. And if Belinda calls the Philippines, she gets a measley 28 minutes.

Handphone usage is pricey though. 20p for an overseas SMS! That's 60 Singapore cents! The irony is it works out cheaper for me to call instead of texting.

Also love Singapore's 1511 service at 5 cents per minute off-peak. So no worries about long, loo... ooo... ooooong, long-distance calls from Singapore.

Halloween
I thought Halloween would be big here but there was no tricking or treating tonight. Lots of pumpkin going cheap this week though - stock clearance. Halloween does seem to be a big problem in recent years, with teenagers wreaking havoc under the influence of alcohol. Apparently some of them go round the neighbourhood insisting on "trick" instead of "treat" because they simply want to be destructive. This has led to some people locking their doors and turning off their lights. Thank goodness my front door is concealed.

O Roundabouts O
This country must have a record number of roundabouts! I remember making the same observation on my first driving trip to the UK in 1995. Some don't even look like roundabouts so you need to be really alert on unfamiliar roads. There's even one intersection somewhere in the UK that has 8 roundabouts within another huge roundabout. It's meant to be more efficient in managing traffic, but I really don't see it working too well at the very busy roundabouts near home.

Still on the roads, I must say driving here is a thoroughly pleasant experience. Drivers are absolutely courteous. In peak hour traffic, I hardly have problems cutting in because people always give way. I've even learnt how to flash the car lights - an indication that you're letting them through. Totally unlike the Malaysian habit of flashing to warn of a police speed trap up ahead. Do I detect a possible programme here - flashing lights taking on different meanings in different cultures?

British Words & Phrases
"Bear with me": used often when you're holding the line or if you need to wait for something.
"Can I help?": usually uttered by the cashier to indicate you're the next person to be served.
"Pound": it doesn't matter whether it's 1, 2, 500 or a million; the plural form does not exist e.g. "That will be 10 pound 47 please."
"Chav": the buzzword for 2004. Basically British Bengs and Lians. Flashy gold jewellery, white trainers, fashionable clothes with prominent logos (Burberry checks especially popular), ultra short skirts, dyed hair.
"Cheers": thank you, or generally uttered if you have nothing better to say.

Daylight Saving
This is the last weekend in autumn, so we had to push the clock back an hour, a practice dating back to 1916. The way to remember this is "fall backwards, spring forwards". So when I woke up this morning at 9am, I adjusted the clock to 8am effectively gaining one hour. In spring, we'll have to push the clock one hour ahead.

Anyway it's starting to get dark early. It's great because it's less of a hassle getting the kids to sleep earlier than their usual midnight hour. We're so used to the brightness of Singapore street lights that it's quite an experience getting used to total darkness. I love the dark but had to eventually get a night light when Bradley fell off the bed and I couldn't see where he was!

More Travels
...while the weather holds (Shutterfly UK Album 2)

Corfe Castle
Magnificent ruins in the Purbeck Hills. Corfe Village is at its foot, a preserved stone village which boasts the smallest town hall in the UK. We took the steam train here much to the delight of the children. I was transported to the train murder mysteries of Agatha Christie in those period carriages.

Christchurch
A picturesque harbour and an ornate priory.

Wimborne
The church here has a strange collection of giant books chained to the shelves. Pity the library was closed the day we went. Wimborne has the biggest market in the south of England. The markets operate from Friday to Sunday, and if you have time to browse, you can find some unusual vintage masterpieces.

Upton Park
A manor on huge grounds. Nice for walks but nothing spectacular to tempt us back.

Southampton
Whiled our time away on a rainy day shopping at the massive Westquay Mall. didn't get to see the city at all. Great shopping though and there's even a crèche service, at a price, of course, at £4 an hour. Found a Primark outlet – can finally afford to buy some children's clothes.

Burley
A quaint town within the New Forest Reserve where ponies graze freely. Apparently it's also a centre for witchcraft. The only visible sign of this was a shop displaying a huge witch-on-a-broomstick signboard.

Next...
A lot of friends have been asking about Gleneagles, so that will be the subject of my next instalment.

(logged by Anita)

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