Hi, I'm Kayo!!
Yesterday, we finished first term in London!
It means we are in winter VACATION!!!!!!
During this week, we had exams. First one was writing summary of 6 minute listening about child migration. The second one was writing essay about philosophy in 90 minute. And the Last one was doing presentation about about analyzing images. All of them were quite difficult and hard for me, but I did my best :)
Now, I'm soooo excited!!
I'll enjoy this whole month vacation!!!

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Hi! This is Shin! :)
I would like to share my studies at HOGWARTS this time.Thanks to my friend, I enrolled Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for free!! You need to pay 30 pounds originally if you wanna enroll on Hogwarts. Such a big deal!Anyway, my life at Hogwarts has started,,,

My school, Hogwarts. Campus is so huge. I still do not remember what is where.

 He is the Head of my school, Dumbledore, and his office. 

 This is one of the corridors in my school at night. scary.

 This is in the class of portion. He is the professor Snape who hates my house, Gryffindor.

                                                            My bed room. 

                                     Professors in my school. They all are great.

                          Diagon Alley where I can by all the stuffs I need for my study.

I sometimes feel Difficulties to study something completely new for me, such as Defence Against the Dark Arts, but I am enjoying:)
You should come to London to visit my school! It is genuinely amazing!

....Sorry for my addiction to Harry Potter. lol
But, it was so nice. I can give anything to enroll on the Hogwarts. i was just like going back to the childhood,,, dream was there. Everything I watched there were what I saw in the movies of Harry Potter. I am reading a Harry Potter as my hobby now, of course in English. 

Anyway, more than two months have already passed like a magic, and final week in this term is coming in two weeks. I've got essays and summary test in class in final week.
I guess everyone have this kind of test at the end of the term, so let's be studious and smart just like Hermione, winter vacation is waiting for you! 
Thank you for reading!


P.S. There is no swimming club in Hogwarts. 

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This is Takashi. I'd like to thank Jun of your suggestion and hardwork. I finally can write. sorry for being late due to lack of my sense of machine.  As well as other FILA students, Goldsmiths members also spent our days for two months. I'd like to share my recent activities at first and talk about our coming future.

In classes, reading is tough for me because I have to read deeply not like just picking up some tips. I feel difficulty to understand well readings. However, my reading teacher is so nice, so she tell me how to read from basic points. She also has lots of knowledge which are interesting. I read as many books as I can in a 24 hours library;) This practice surely influence my future, I believe. I don't want to escape from reading. Hummm once I got used to read, that's it though...

in the library at 2AM hhha

Next, compared with my days in Japan, I have more free time. Thus, I need to manage my time schedule balanced well between study,socializing and travels. it's difficult because I was passive in Japan so I don't know how to enjoy my free time;) That situation trains me for my future. Also I'll  focus on my specialized field after study abroad, hence now is the only time to get used to "true time management" for me.
Fortunately, I found volleyball club and dance club that are my favorite. In volleyball, I sometime organize our practice and tell my mates my theory of vball because it's not famous in London so much, there are many beginners. The experience trains me a lot. it I s tough to explain how to play vball even because I have many thing want to say. Now, my team is in the first place in a league in mixed volleyball. ( male members are few:(

volleyball competitive members (not not so tall but jump high)

international food party I made Niku-jaga!!

Dance is also amazing! I and Hide have two teachers seriously. one of them is a French guy and the other is Yumiko from Japan. He tells us "liberal arts of dance" (by Hide) about origin of hip-hop and main purpose of dance like that. Yumiko-san also teaches us how to take rhythm. They are 'absolutely brilliant'

workshop for the first time! wanna be Michael!:)

this is my brief life in UK so far.
By the way, a few days ago, some of us made a discussion about FILA. They want to contribute to FILA by their efforts and cheer up with each other for the purpose of our improvements. In particular, after study abroad, we need high English level at least to take each specific field. We should make efforts harder than ever. Most of Goldsmiths members interact in English for our practice. I prefer
this atmosphere. Moreover, according to Jun, it's important to keep communicating in English in Japan for our juniors. I really want to be able to make myself understood properly in English as well.
As you can see, my progress depends on my effort in my free time. This is the most VALUEABLE and RISKY parts of the study abroad. I'm doing study abroad, not play abroad. I will not forget it and make the rest of my stays more meaningful. I'm looking forward to seeing you, everyone!!

went to London zoo with my flats

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Hi! I'm Hachi <3 I hope all of you are having the best time in where you are! And so am I :D !! 

Everyone in Goldsmiths like Jun, Junior, Riko, Ayame and the others already wrote about our daily lives and classes.. 

So I was worried about what I have to write!! And I finally got it hehe 

I have an experience which the other FILA students don't have! Traveling!! 

As you may know, we had a short break which is called 'reading week' for a week.

And I went to Brighton with my classmates!

I'm sure you guys don't know where Brighton is (I didn't know til I get there lol)

so I'll put my all of the pictures of Brighton! Plz enjoy heh :P

This is Brighton!! So beautiful <3

It took about 2 hours to get here by a coach. 

It was awesome! Even though it was freezing.. We hang around and at night, went to eat something really good!!!

Ohhhh... I wanna eat those again :( 

Because it was beach, we went to eat seafood! Oysters and shrimps <333

We stayed for a day there!

And you know what?! It was so cheap!

The hostel cost only 11 pounds even though we didn't make any reservations!

At night, it became even more beautiful~

It was such a nice trip! I loved that.

It must be much better if I go on summer! Maybe I will lolll

Winter vacation is coming in a month!

One of my friends in Korea will visit me, and we will travel to Europe countries! As many as possible hehe

Really looking forward that!!!!

I will post about my trip again! Plz wait for me lol

I miss you guys sooooooooo much :(

Hope u make the best year ever! 

See ya <3333

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Heyyy!! I'm Ayame Nishiyama. This is the first time for me to talk about my experience here.
Honestly, I've never regret choosing London to study abroad. London is awesome, seriously.
That is, I think, partly because there are many many events held here.

So..Let me talk about my experience!
Today I went to the event, namely "HYPER JAPAN", with one of my friends, which was a
market about Japanese cuisine, shopping and culture in the UK.          

                                  Jump to HYPER JAPAN HP

It was amazing. Maybe it seems weird that I was tremendously excited even thought I'm Japanese so I knew about my culture. I think in part the reason is that I was happy to know there were many people who loved my culture. I realized Japanese culture, especially pop-culture, had a great influence on London even thought it's far from Japan.

Since I went there with one of my friends from Italy. I told about Japan to him a lot!! It was fun to see how he reacted to Japanese culture. Even things which I took for granted was surprising for him. From his reactions, I could realize Japanese culture was unique. To be honest, sometimes it was hard for me to explain in English. For instance, when he found "Tabi(足袋)", he asked me, "why a thumb and the other fingers are separated?". I could not answer correctly because I did't know the reason exactly. Therefore, I thought I needed to know about my own culture more deeply.

It was a nice experience. I came to love Japan more and more after coming here. I'm really proud that I am Japanese. I want to tell my culture to other friends more !!
Also, through such a experience, I hope I'm improving myself.

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Hi everyone...

This is my first post about study abroad and, as most of my FILA friends have posted here about schedule, classes, Goldsmiths, London and trips...I will talk more about how this study abroad experience is important for me, for my inner change. 

If you find it boring, don't worry! hahaha I will put some pictures up to entertain my audience.  =D

Study Abroad Experience

I feel that we, as FILA students, are really fortunate to have this study abroad experience. I personally had the chance to do it before, and I know that some of you also had this opportunity. It is amazing isn't it? Before London, I have the change to live in Brazil, Argentina, Ireland, the USA and Japan(Yes, Japan counts as study abroad for me! hehehe). Each experience, person, place, adventure, suffering, friend, pleasure, that I encountered in those countries, helped me to shape who I am today. And it could not be different with London. I've visited London a couple of times for holidays(travelling in Europe is really cheap!), but I could never imagine I would live here. I am feel that I am finally seen London as the place where I live, rather than a touristic place I am visiting. I finally begin to feel the difference between British culture and my own culture(or what is left of it, after adding others' culture to my own).

Live the Different

This brings me to the next point; live the different! While we study abroad, I think this is a key point. Sometimes we are afraid of what is different. We don't want to do it, see it, have contact with it or experience it, whatever "it" is. However, I think what is different connect us. We are all unique individuals and to be able to find someone completely different than you and still be able to make a connection, is something I think is incredible. I remember one of the points Maria said to us before moving abroad was to make new friends. I feel that, even though I haven't made a lot of new friends yet, I feel that I am expanding myself, opening my life to the difference and making new friends with my FILA classmates here. 

Expand Yourself

And my last point is, expand yourself! All these unique experiences we are having in Australia, America and England, will change us forever. Do you think you are different than before you go to study abroad? I am sure which one of you are changing in our own unique way, but you are definitely changing. We will go back completely different to Japan, and this will be our new "us". I am sure this whole study abroad experience is going to be life-changing for all of us, and I deeply hope you are enjoying it at the most.

Miss you so much classmates!!! =D

I would like to finish with Sensei's quote:

"The wisdom to perceive the interconnectedness of all life and living. The courage not to fear or deny difference; but to respect and strive to understand people of different cultures, and to grow from encounters with them. The compassion to maintain an imaginative empathy that reaches beyond one’s immediate surroundings and extends to those suffering in distant places. These qualities are the essential elements of global citizenship." Daisaku Ikeda

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Hi, again It's Jun. 
This time, I'd like to share some classes now I'm taking in Goldsmiths with you. 

Since we came to the UK, soon 2 months will pass, and our classes have done half of this semester. Unlike other countries, the UK system(not sure all of universities, though) is 3 semester, so we are now at autumn sem, and  next spring, finally summer. Each semester has 10 classes. Spring and Autumn semester has a week off in the middle of a semester called reading week, so now short break time was done. 

About reading class, as i wrote before, we are studying the subjects based on philosophy, religion, or Arts. for the last 5 classes, we were studying philosophy, like Aristotle, Plate's thinkings which are totally new are for me. The main aim of this class is of course to improve reading skill, but we also have time to share our opinions which enhances speaking skill since the class size is not big like 15 students.

About writing class, mainly we are studying the skill for summary. The skills which I'm studying now in the class are not so much useful because I've already learned before, but still homework, for example this week we have to write the introduction about Culture is ordinary, which Raymond Williams said, is very nice for me. I'm going to a library and find an article about it, and have to take out some information as citation. It takes lots of time, but at the same time, having fun so much. 

About speaking class, basically we are doing presentation. First, we talk about a topic decided by teachers, like illegal download, or censorship, and then watch the video about the topic, and a following week, do presentation in turn. In another class, they are doing debate, as in they are divided into 2 groups, and if you're part of a group against for a topic, you have to argue why you disagree with it. 

And in listening class, we are listening as much as possible. As homework, we're given some listening task, and supposed to not only listen but also write summary of these tasks. Each listening task is a bit long, ten mins, so to summarise it is kinda hard work. Topics are something like immigrants, or Social networking. 

yes, these are basic information about the classes now we are taking here  as languages courses. Next time we'd like to share not language classes but major courses, Media, Arts, and Social Science. 

Thank you for reading:))

and if you want to subscribe each blog, use this site.
https://blogtrottr.com/

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Hyaaaaaaaaa-Hooooooo!!!
I'm SHIN!!
Well... Jun, Riko and Kayo have already posted their daily life...so I am thinking what should I write. Got it.

As Jun mentioned in his post, I, Yuya  and Takashi visited WALES last week!!
It took almost 4 hours to get there by bus... We visited Cardiff which is the biggest city in Wales and Brecon where is countryside so it has rich beautiful natures. Because we love nature and were supposed to watch the sky filled with stars, we went to there. However, it was raining so we couldn't watch the starlit sky... which was pity for us. But still, Brecon was nice place. We enjoyed the nature and Hotel we booked and stayed was also good. I ate breakfast sooooo much because it was free and super fucking tasty. After that we went to Cardiff and did shopping:) Nobody bought anything, though. hahaha    Anyway, that was lovely trip with my best friends!!!

Cardiff

Cardiff, looks picture :) it's Takashi actually

Cardiff Castle

Rainbow after the rain...that is why we had rain

lovely road in Brecon

Morning in hotel with a cup of coffee / tea

By the way, I am studying in Arts and Humanities pathway. As a class, I visited some gallery to feel the ART and analysed it. From next week, I am going to watch the musical!! what a fun class.hahaha Of course it is study. Only I, Laurel and Chieko is taking this pathway. 

Elephant

I finish this time. 

everyone, thank you for your time to read my post :)

I will give you the view of Big Ben. See-ya :)

P.S. Let's swim.

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Hi, I'm Jun. As Junior told you on FILA line the other day, we made this FILA 

homepage so that we can know others universities situations. I hope via this 

homepage we can be able to share our experiences, just let me know if you are 

willing to share your daily life with us, then I can let you know how to access to 

writing page. Personally I want many of us to write, though :)

Kayo already wrote our school life in London, so I would like to share our  daily 
life in London. We are living in the dormitory called Loring Hall which is divided 
into several building, and we FILA people are living A, B, and C building. I'm 
living in the 3 rd floor of B building. Each building is also divided by floor, and 
each floor has 2 flats which have usually 7 people living. My flat has also 7 
people, as in 4 from the UK, 1 from Ukraine, Ayame and me. (Un)fortunately, 
all of them are girls except for me.. so kinda hard. :P 

My room(sorry for messy)

Each room is independent, so we can have our relaxing time in our room, 

and every room has a shower room and bathroom. 

We share one kitchen which has basic stuff like a micro oven, a kettle, two 

refrigerators with 7 people.

About laundry, there is a washing room a bit far away from our dorm, like 3 
mins on foot, but the cost is expensive, so most of us are doing laundry by 
themselves in room. Dry machines are terrible.
About shopping daily stuff, there is a super market taking a min from our dorm, 
and we can buy everything there with cheap price. 

Super market

 

We also have a Chinese shop where we can buy many things from Asia, so I usually buy Udon here.

Chinese shop

So, basically this is our life in London. The things Im surprised at are 
everything is expensive, such as lunch for 6 pounds(over 1,000 yen), dinner for 
10 pounds(over 1,500 yen) ,and mostly rain weather, always cloudy. Im really 
envious of California. I miss complete sunny days. Until yesterday, we had a 
week off, so I, Takashi, and Hide had an opportunity to visit France. (I had a 
terrible headache from something, so i couldn't go there, tho:0) Besides, Junior 
went to Ireland, and Yuya, Takashi, and Shin went to Wales, west side of the 
UK. so we are now so much enjoying our free time. As Kayo shared our 
schedule, we don't have many classes, in fact have a lot of free time. However, 
we, of course, are studying so much harder because even reading class 
summary, we have to think in philosophical ways which requires us to go to a 
library in order to learn about it deeper. 
Still I have tons of things I'd like to share, but ill pass them to next person. 
Thank you for reading:) 

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