Student blogs

I recently had eye transplant surgery for an eye condition that I have called Kerataconusis, which is a rare eye disease that effects less than 1 in 10000 people. It basically means my cornea is too steely pointy, basically like a bulging rugby ball when it should be more like a soccer ball which a normal eye should be. The surgery I had basically was to get rid of the bulging rugby steep part of my eye (the cornea) and once it was taken off, it was to be replaced with a dead persons kindly donated cornea. I wasn't able to drink or eat for 10 hours before the surgery due to the anaesthetic (fully asleep throughout the surgery).

I unfortunately had to miss a few lessons, although luckily some of my classes had already ended. However I had a piece of coursework due in that week for my database class which was due on the Friday of the week my operation was on the Tuesday. In terms of coursework submissions at Kingston University if you are even a minute late for a submission then your work gets capped at a maximum 40% which is the bare minimum passing grade. A week after the initial deadline and you get a big fat 0! However if there are special circumstances or mitigating circumstances as it's called here then you can be granted with deadline extensions/rearrangement of exams and other possible assessments. As long as you have a valid reason and can acquire some form of proof, e.g. a doctors letter then your claim will most likely be accepted and you will get a deadline extension. For me I spoke to one of the super friendly and helpful SEC (Science, Engineering and Computing) department student support advisers and she liaised for me with my module leader to grant me an extension.

I got over a week to complete it due to not being able to see at all for a while with the added pain and the fact that I can't for some reason keep one eye open at once and the other closed, it just doesn't work for me... Try it yourself see if you can with opening one eye at a time? Anyway I even got a call after which was nice to confirm the arrangement made and a discussion as to whether it will effect later on during the year as my doctor note said up to a year recovery time. There are options available to you such as becoming a part time student or deferring your studies for a certain amount of time.

Hopefully the worst is almost all over now and I'll now have my chance to typically complete my coursework last minute as usual - I just never learn. My top tip would be complete your assignments right away so then you can enjoy your time afterwards, usually it's not so bad as I can spur it in my head to be the opposite of just that, but I'll probably have to be doing this work on Christmas Day now and over Christmas! Grrrrrrr!

Anyway I hope you all have a great Christmas! Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!!!!

So no less than 10 hours ago, I was in Amsterdam! After an action packed last week of term (Christmas parties, festive meals with friends, writing those final essays and more Christmas parties...) I flew off to The Netherlands to meet my two friends from back home, one of which is doing her Erasmus year there. We had an amazing time, seeing the sights, eating A LOT of food and getting in the Christmas spirit.

On the first day there, we visited the university town of Utrecht (where my friend is studying). It was a beautiful place filled with the typical Dutch canals, bridges and bikes (I'll tell you now, that's one thing you'll never stop seeing- bikes!). To eat, we wanted to try a typical Dutch dish and went for ‘croquettes' with an Oliebollen, a round doughnut covered in icing sugar, for dessert. The food was delicious, but very heavy. We'll let the Dutch off though as it's so cold and they do so much cycling that they need the energy! In the evening we had a night out in the local student club, but weren't brave enough to ride bikes home (which most people do!). Instead we were very English and got a taxi, ready for our trip to Amsterdam the next day...

I must say, Amsterdam was my favourite time of the trip and I can definitely see why so many go there for a fun weekend away! The red light district is the one of the most surreal things I've seen, scattered randomly among the other ‘normal' and picturesque streets. Our visit to the Ann Frank House was both emotional and thought provoking, so much so that walking freely back out to the streets felt like a very strange thing to do. On the way home we had traditional chips in a cone...the perfect way to end an entertaining day in the capital!

On our last day we made a two hour trip down south to visit a very famous Dutch ‘Christmas Market'. As soon as we got off the train, the feel of Christmas was in the air and you couldn't help feeling festive. The town was such a cute place filled with cafes, stalls and ‘grotto like' buildings, all of which was surrounded by sparkly lights and Santa figures. The market itself was located in a cave, lit with fairy lights and filled with Disney Christmas characters. Spending time walking around the different stalls and having a cheeky hot chocolate and waffle felt ‘magical' and without doubt got us all in the mood for Christmas back at home.

As I write this back at home now, reminiscing about the last couple of days and preparing to give my family some souvenirs (yes, I did buy clogs!) the thought of coursework isn't very appealing at all. BUT we have got Christmas with family and friends to enjoy before all the hard work of the New Year starts. So wishing you a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! See you in 2013.

Well hello there! Hope everyone is well and enjoying this rather arctic cold snap we're having at the moment.

I've never been so confused as when I woke up last week and found my bedroom window had been snowed over. Luckily I am a great lover of the ‘Novelty Jumper' so I've been toasty warm so far. Though I am considering giving up my cats and getting myself a penguin. 

Anyway, back on topic (yes I do have topics in mind when I write these things, not need to look so shocked.) - HAPPY HOLIDAYS!  I'm currently on a train bound for home, and because my father is feeling very charitable this festive season I'm in first class enjoying wine and free Wi-fi... result!

So what have I been up to in the lead up to Christmas? Well -

I sang carols with Twist choir at the Lights switch on in the town centre - looking very festive in my Christmas jumper I might add.
We also sang at the uni carol services, the second of which I ended up doing a reading at. A reading that included the word ‘Quirinius.' Cheers Luke, Chapter 2 - that's exactly what I wanted to wrap my tongue around while full of mulled wine.
Anyway, that went well and I also went to quite a few Christmas socials - Dinner at TGI Friday's, Bowling in the Rotunda, Muppets Christmas Carol in Clattern lecture theatre... Think I'm partied out already and I've still got dinner with my friends from back home on the 23rd, dear me!

What else? Oh yeah - took a trip to visit my cousin in Brighton. Attended an economics lecture. Learnt that there is a reason I majored in English. Fell asleep.

Brighton was fun though. I managed to get a lot of Christmas shopping done and got so annoyed in a Costa coffee that I cut all my hair off (Long story...). I ran around Surrey dressed as a big pink Hippopotamus (again long story...). I tried to mull some wine, ended up tasting like microwaved Lambrini. (Not such a long story. Also not tasty - don't do it.)

There was some uni work in there somewhere as well - a devising assessed performance, a take home exam or two and a three thousand word essay that is frankly giving me chills so I've vowed to not think or speak about it until January 2nd!  All in all my Christmas is shaping up to be rather lovely and brilliant, and I hope wherever you are yours is turning out likewise.
Signing off for the last time in 2012,
Merry Christmas everybody!
Sara
Xx

P.s ‘Fairytale of New York' is the best Christmas song of all time and I urge you all to listen to it on repeat until New Year.