Hello! This is Jiayu, and as is evident from my post title, I’m still not quite over the “I’m abroad” euphoria (even though it’s been two weeks, how did it happen so fast?). We had a packed orientation to Durham the first week, learning about the mining heritage of the area as well as exploring the local culture, as our arrival fortunately coincided with both the Miner’s Gala and the Durham Brass Festival. My personal favourite activities were our trip to Beamish and the tour of the Durham Cathedral (the Miner’s Gala would have been on the list had there been fewer people).
The extremely busy Miner's Gala!
It was difficult for me to fully appreciate the hardiness of the miner’s character just from reading and hearing people speak, but walking into a mine and imagining working in cramped darkness while eating nothing but jam sandwiches made the Miner’s Gala come alive and seem much more relevant. (As a side note, the hatred for Margaret Thatcher is very real. On the day of the Gala, I saw a shirt with the slogan “Rot in hell, Thatcher!”) The tour of the Cathedral was a nice touch into understanding the historical value and heritage of Durham apart from its mining tradition, giving us a better cultural immersion into the town and more to talk about with locals whom we work with (the view from the top is also spectacular and completely worth the climb!).
It was difficult for me to fully appreciate the hardiness of the miner’s character just from reading and hearing people speak, but walking into a mine and imagining working in cramped darkness while eating nothing but jam sandwiches made the Miner’s Gala come alive and seem much more relevant. (As a side note, the hatred for Margaret Thatcher is very real. On the day of the Gala, I saw a shirt with the slogan “Rot in hell, Thatcher!”) The tour of the Cathedral was a nice touch into understanding the historical value and heritage of Durham apart from its mining tradition, giving us a better cultural immersion into the town and more to talk about with locals whom we work with (the view from the top is also spectacular and completely worth the climb!).
Durham Cathedral! (Also, Harry Potter!)
Nevertheless, I have to say that the best part of my past two weeks is my placement at Waddington Street Centre! The work culture there (or maybe it’s England) is relaxed and everyone is extremely approachable. It is an interesting transition from Threshold, as Waddington Street Centre has a completely different focus. While we worked on setting up employment opportunities and promoting financial literacy at Threshold, Waddington Street Centre is much more about education, and I spent the majority of my week rotating around to different interest and hobby classes including drama, art, art history, and music appreciation. In fact, the Centre had an awards ceremony today to celebrate learning and education, and we made some paper roses for event decoration!
Nevertheless, I have to say that the best part of my past two weeks is my placement at Waddington Street Centre! The work culture there (or maybe it’s England) is relaxed and everyone is extremely approachable. It is an interesting transition from Threshold, as Waddington Street Centre has a completely different focus. While we worked on setting up employment opportunities and promoting financial literacy at Threshold, Waddington Street Centre is much more about education, and I spent the majority of my week rotating around to different interest and hobby classes including drama, art, art history, and music appreciation. In fact, the Centre had an awards ceremony today to celebrate learning and education, and we made some paper roses for event decoration!