Friday, 13 December 2013

Important link for international students at Kent!

For those of you who are staying in Canterbury over Christmas, here is an important Facebook link for you to join:

https://www.facebook.com/StayingInKentOverChristmasUnikentStudents

It regularly posts all the events occurring during the winter period, like a New years eve dinner on the 9th of January. Don't forget to book your place - and more importantly:

Merry Christmas! :)

All I want for Christmas is Food

If you don't fancy spending hours slaving away in the kitchen to cook a three course Christmas meal for your house mates, why not head somewhere in town and let someone else do all the work? Some friends and I decided to head to Cafe Rouge to try their three course Christmas party menu. It costs £19.95 but hey, it's Christmas - why not treat yourselves! Here are some photos to tempt you:
Assiette - Houmous, olives, pate, pork and rustic breads
Free Christmas crackers!

Before things got messy...
Soupe de Provence - Flame roast pepper, butternut squash and thyme soup

Donde Rotie - Roast turkey, sprouts, parsnips, potatoes and apricot & cranberry stuffing, bacon wrapped chipolata, and spiced red cabbage. 
Angus burger and fries (not on the festive menu)
Chocolate fondant (not on the festive menu)
Pudding de Noel - Gingerbread and cranberry pudding with ginger syrup and custard
Tarte au chocolat et noisettes - rich chocolate and hazelnut tart with a cherry sauce and praline tuile

Tuesday, 10 December 2013

The BEST buffet you'll ever have!

One of the greatest things about Canterbury is not only that there are a huge range of restaurants, but there is one restaurant in particular which makes it SO worth coming here for - Chom Chom. The dishes served here are inspired by Asia and beyond, where you can watch the chefs in the kitchen cooking up a Thai green curry, a pizza or two, fresh stir fries to suit your taste buds or even some fresh naan bread. They offer lunch buffets and dinner buffets, and the price ranges from about £10 to £14. It is absolutely worth it, but be sure to wear your buffet trousers as you WILL be stuffed and struggling to walk afterwards!



Chom chom is located on 10-11 Burgate Lane, Canterbury CT1 2HH, a two minute walk at the top of the town centre near Odeon. Their official website is:


Enjoy!



Wednesday, 4 December 2013

Walking in a winter wonderland...

Canterbury during the winter is one of the prettiest times of year. It can get extremely cold, but this is where the fun begins - snow! Here are some photos taken in Park Wood last winter, along with a list of must do's to keep you busy over the winter period.

    Day Trips:

    • Take a stroll through town in the evening to enjoy the scenery
    • Take a visit to London Hyde park's Winter Wonderland (Only 55 minutes on the train from Canterbury West Station to St Pancreas, then a short trip on the underground from Kings Cross to Hyde Park).
    • Have a snow fight and ski competition on Tyler hill (bin bags would be handy).
    • Watch a Christmas panto in the Gulbenkian cinema
    With your house mates:
    • Watch Christmas movies
    • Grab a Starbucks hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream
    • Have a pre christmas dinner, either home made or at a local pub (or both!). There are plenty of three course Christmas meal deals going on, but if you want to just stay on campus Woodys is a great option for this. 
    • Decorate your kitchen and / or bedroom with tinsel, snow flakes, fairy lights and a miniature Christmas tree

    Saturday, 5 October 2013

    Trick or Treat



    You might be a bit too old to go trick or treating, however there are certainly lots of things to do in Canterbury on Halloween. Whether you want to stay local or hop onto a train to London, here are a list of things to do:

    1) Haunted River Tour: www.canterburypunting.com
    Scary ghost stories told amongst historic buildings. Tours cost £10 per person, and you can select your preferred time (between 4:30 - 9:30).

    2) Canterbury Tales: http://canterburytales.org.uk/
    Experience the sights, sounds and smells of a bygone era in this fabulous recreation of medieval life; a unique introduction to Canterbury and its famous literary connection.

    3) Go out in town
    Most nightclubs host their own halloween themed night, so remember to get your fancy dress costumes at the ready!

    4) Travel to London
    Getting a train to London only takes 55 minutes from Canterbury west station. So why not make a trip to the London Dungeon, Thorpe park's fright night, or Hampton court?




    Sunday, 29 September 2013

    International Lunch

    What better way for international freshers to get to know each other over some delicious food. The outdoor luncheon was a huge success, with a generous number of international students who attended. There was a BBQ with a selection of chicken, beef or vegetarian burgers, all with the option of onions and cheese. K bar were also serving drinks for the occasion. Overall, delicious!

    A small stage had also been set up with a young man who sang and played the acoustic guitar. It definitely added to the atmosphere, and was a nice touch.  Having spoken to a few people, I met some students from Nigeria, China and also California. Everyone had said that so far they loved Canterbury and had settled in well. Most people were staying in Wolf college, and emphasized that everyone was extremely friendly so it was easy to make friends. I certainly didn't see anyone sitting on their own or looking lonely! Here are some pictures of the day:






    Sunday, 22 September 2013

    International Student Night Out!

    What?   International student night out
    Where? The Venue
    When?  24th September, 8pm - 2am

    This Tuesday, the Venue welcomes all students to celebrate the international night out. This is a great opportunity to get to know everyone whilst enjoying some exclusive student deals on drinks. Entrance is £6 or £3 with a student kentertainment pass. Remember to turn up early to avoid the massive queues! 

    For more information visit:

    Friday, 20 September 2013

    Night life: Canterbury



    Pubs and weatherspoons:

    One thing that's for sure, you'll never run out of pubs to visit. Did you know there are enough pubs in Canterbury that you could go to a different one every single day of the year? Yes, thanks to the student population Canterbury is famous for it's pub scene. Some of my personal favourites are:

    • The old brewy tavern
    • The jolly sailor
    • The penny theatre
    Most pubs sell great food, cheap offers and is a perfect way to start off your pre drinks before heading out to a bar or club. 

    Bars and Clubs:
    Now, some people are put off the fact that there aren't a lot of night clubs in Canterbury. There are three main night clubs (two in town, one on campus) but having said that, they're so great that you won't even want to go else where. Plus, most of the bars have an open space with a DJ and dance floor. Each night is owned by a different promotional company (e.g. juice, soap, glitterbomb etc), so there's always something different going on which keeps it interesting. Here are a list of the hottest clubs and bars in the town:


    • The Venue, On campus. Large club, open Wednesday, Friday and Saturdays until 2:00am. Young crowd. 
    • Chill, St George's Place. Large club, 6 nights a week, until 02:00am Mon-Wed and until 03:00am Thu-Sat. Young crowd. 
    • Club Chemistry, Station Road East. Mon-Sat until 2am. Large club on 3 floors with different music on each. Young crowd
    • Alberrys, 38 St Margaret's Street. Mon-Sat until 2am. Wine/cocktail bar with small but popular nightclub in the basement.
    • The Loft, 5-6 St Margaret's Street. Until 00:30 Sun-Wed & 02:30am Thurs-Sat. Cocktail bar with dj/club nights.
    • The Cuban, 41-43 High Street. Cocktail bar with Latin music club nights Wed/Thu 9-1am and Fri/Sat 10-2am. Free entry.
    • The Ballroom, 15 Orange Street. Quirky cocktail bar/music venue with live blues on Tues, other live music Weds/Thurs (open mic on alternate Weds), djs until 00:30am on Fri/Sat/Sun, 2 for 1 cocktails until 02:30am on Mondays. Free entry.
    • PictureHouse, 49a St Peter's Street. DJs on Fri/Sat, occasional live music. Open until 12:30am.


    Thursday, 19 September 2013

    A fresh start

    So, the time has come to whiz around online and pluck up the courage to apply to University. The question is, which one? The University of Kent is packed with tons of great opportunities, and is in fact known as one of the leading Universities for attracting a huge range of international students. This blog aims to show you what life is really like at the University of Kent, and why you should be joining us next year (or this year!).