*This article was written prior to COVID-19 restrictions*
Not sure where to start or what is about to happen? I’m here to help! This time last year, I was in the exact same position as you; embarking on a big move to KCL and didn’t really know what to expect. Continue reading
Post contributed by Senior CF Grace
Hello and welcome to another Grace’s Good News. It may be a month since the last good news article, but England’s weather has decided to stay stuck in March. I’m currently writing this from my garden in a break from the rain.
England fans were revelling in the men’s team making it to the Euros final for the first time since 1996. It’s worth noting the women’s team last made it in 2009… After the match, Mason Mount gave a young fan his t-shirt. She claims she won’t ‘wash or sell’ her t-shirt given to her by Mount himself – much like how I treat my ‘blanky’ (yes I’m 23 and still sleep with a blanky…).
(https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-57774591)
Turns out Wally is a walrus causing havoc in the Isles of Scilly. This may sound cute at first to have a resident walrus, but actually Wally is causing thousands of pounds worth of damage to his environment, so the residents aren’t too pleased with him. Poor Wally…
(https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-57688212.amp)
Joe Bentley is a student at Loughborough university who has invented a life-saving stab wound device. To me it’s kind of like a tampon gun… But much more scientific obviously.
(https://www.lboro.ac.uk/news-events/news/2021/july/react-stab-wound-device-joe-bentley/)
Sam Schmidt was paralysed from the shoulders down in a racing accident in 2000 and has made his debut in Goodwood festival as a quadriplegic.
(https://www.lboro.ac.uk/news-events/news/2021/july/react-stab-wound-device-joe-bentley/)
Hello, my name is Grace and I am the Senior Community Facilitator within the ResiLife team.
We talk about Seasonal Affective Disorder often and it is assumed that depression and low mood or other mental health issues hit hardest in the winter. It’s lesser known that seasonal affective disorder can also present with summer depression (see Wehr et al., 1987). This is not to say that summertime sadness is always as severe as a mental illness, but summertime can certainly be a difficult time for some. The added pressure to be ‘living your best life’ and the commonly held belief that summer is for fun and sun can worsen the experience for those individuals who may be suffering from their mental health. It also doesn’t help that English summers are rarely even summer weather…
With this in mind, I think it is important to take care of ourselves during the next few months and the ResiLife team are here to support you; whether you’re an incoming student coming into your first year as a postgraduate or undergraduate, or an existing student who’s (hopefully) busy celebrating the end of the university year. To stay in touch with us, join our team HERE and follow us on social media @kingsresilife.
Physical and mental self-care can be improved in various ways. Physical health is somewhat obvious: sun-cream (maybe not obvious in England this year but still a good habit to get into), water, eating (well, I’m talking 5-a-day and a lot of ice cream) and mindful movement to name a few. There are also BeActive classes will be running for the next few weeks and you can sign up to them HERE. Following this, ‘Move your Mind’ classes will be running throughout the summer and you can join them too by clicking HERE. These classes are designed to improve both your physical and mental wellbeing – two birds one stone. My suggestions to help with your mental health over summer would be to try meditation or mindfulness classes. To see some free meditations and try them out, you can see them on my profile @resilifegrace. Additionally, you could try a new podcast such as the ‘Practise makes progress’ podcast, run by Ellie McGrath – who we had as a guest speaker on our Tea Talks at Resilife, and you can also find an episode I did with her about the process of forgiving yourself. You can try meditating in your bedroom, outside, or on the beach if you can get there safely…
We wish you a lovely summer holidays and if you need anything please don’t hesitate to get in touch! We will be more than happy to help – even if all you want is a friendly chat. If you are new, please come along to our events in September – we can’t wait to meet you and welcome you into our community.
Post contributed by Senior CF Grace
Congratulations you officially made it through exam season in a pandemic! Exam season is rough enough under normal circumstances, so myself and the ResiLife team want to say a humongous well done and we are proud of you for making it through this year. As always, we will remain available for any help you need over the next coming months. Please get in touch by joining the ResiLife team HERE.
Online social events to help residents socialise at a safe distance. Join us on the ResiLife chat page for daily updates.
Post contributed by CF Rad
Hello readers! It is finally springtime and we can venture out in the open again. Picnics and the great outdoors are calling once again!
Did you know that the haiku, a Japanese short poem, was traditionally written on the theme of nature and its related imagery? So if you’re enjoying the season and feel like calling on your inner poet, a haiku might be a good way to start! Here is how you can write one in 3 easy steps:
On the face of it, a haiku looks like a simple three-line poem. However, its structure is a bit more complicated than that- the lines follow strict syllabic rules. The first and third lines must consist of 5 syllables each, while the second line must have 7 syllables (a syllable is a single unit of sound). This makes a haiku consist of 17 syllables in total. For instance:
An old silent pond (5)
A frog jumps into the pond— (7)
Splash! Silence again. (5)
– “The Old Pond” by Matsuo Bashō
Traditionally, the purpose of a haiku was to describe the seasons and how they changed throughout the year. However, contemporary haikus are not always written about nature. Most haikus do continue to follow a fundamental rule, though- that a haiku must juxtapose two contrasting themes or images in its content. This can be done by using a “kireji“, or a cutting word, which can be helpful but is not necessary. In the haiku above, “Splash!” would be considered the kireji, as it juxtaposes the silence of the pond against the sound of the frog jumping in.
While it is not necessary to write about nature while composing a haiku, most poets use “kigo” which is any word or phrase that relates to nature, placing the haiku in a particular season. Using a kigo allows you to write about any theme you please, while also paying homage to the traditional structure of a haiku. Some of the most classic kigo are sakura (cherry blossoms) for spring; fuji (Wisteria) for summer; tsuki (moon) for fall; and samushi (cold) for winter.
Here is an example of kigo in a haiku not written about nature:
love between us is
speech and breath. loving you is
a long river running.
– Sonia Sanchez “Haiku [for you]”
Here, the poet uses the word “river” as a kigo, referencing nature in a poem about love.
And that makes you all set to write your first haiku! Feel free to share them with us on social media for a chance to get featured. Happy writing folks!
Post contributed by CF Amnah
Ingredients:
Instructions
Post contributed by Senior CF Grace
Hello everyone! It’s me again, bringing you some slices of good news in an attempt to brighten up what has otherwise been a shambles of a year. Congratulations on getting through a year of the pandemic – you’re amazing! We at Resilife are here to support you. Join our team here.
(https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/la-verne-ford-wimberly-fashion-church-tulsa/)
Wimberley (pictured above) is a gorgeous 82-year-old lady, who is dressing up in her Sunday best for her church services. Wimberley hasn’t let Zoom stop her from being badass, and neither should you!
(https://www.mylondon.news/news/zone-1-news/revellers-pack-soho-first-friday-20406761)
As of the 12th April, Londoners have been able to celebrate outside with pals. Whether you like a drink at the pub, or a meal out, we can wrap up warm and enjoy time with our friends again. I don’t know about you but for me it has been lovely to see the world opening again.
Spain is the first European country to begin trialling a 4 day working week. Studies have shown that having a 4 day working week and a 3 day weekend improves employee wellbeing, productivity, and also reduces emissions. Sounds like a win win win win to me! Lets hope England catches on to this idea soon… If not I’m moving to spain, who’s with me?
Post contributed by CF Jacky
Finally gyms are starting to open, and I’m sure many are excited for it.
Both Waterloo and London Bridge are now open and Strand (Bush House West Wing) will reopen on Monday 26th April.
I haven’t been to the waterloo and London bridge gyms, but the one at Strand is my favourite! Don’t miss your chance to have some good workouts in those amazing gyms, it’s good to take a break between studying. 😊
Good luck everyone with exams!!
Post contributed by CF Jiashu
London was settled by the Romans around 50 AD, where it served as a commercial centre until its abandonment in the 5th century. During these four hundred years of Roman rule, many traces of this period can still be found today. Here are three Roman heritages I recommend to visit:
The wall, built between 190 and 225 AD, is a defensive wall that encircled Roman London, which mostly covers the City of London today. The wall continued to be maintained and strengthened until at least the end of the 4th century, making it one of the most consistently maintained structures in Roman Britain. It was also one of the largest, alongside Hadrian’s wall and the road network, for once built, the wall was 2 miles long and 6 metres high.
After the abandonment of Londinium by the Romans, the walls remained to be used actively as fortification for more than another 1,000 years. It underwent constant repairs, such as when London was reconquered by the Anglo-Saxons during the Viking raids, when Alfred the Great carried out building projects to rebuild crumbling defences, recut the defensive ditch, and resettled the city as Lundenburg.
The wal lwas further modified in the medieval period, with the construction of crenellations, gates and bastion towers. This formed part of a defensive line that incorporated The Tower of London, Baynard’s Castle and Montfichet’s Tower.
It was not until as late as the 18th and 19th centuries that the wall underwent substantial demolition, although even then large portions of it survived by being incorporated into other structures. Amid the devastation of the Blitz in WW2, some of the tallest ruins in the bomb-damaged city centre were actually remnants of the Roman wall. The wall survives today in several locations.
In 1995 archaeological investigations were carried out on the site of the Baltic Exchange, now known as the site of 30 St Mary Axe.
During these investigations, the body of the young Roman was found and removed to the Museum of London. Buried over 1600 years ago, between AD 350 and 400, she was finally returned to her original resting place twelve years after she was first discovered and removed from the City of London.
An inscription on modern burial site says:
DIS MANIBVS PVELLA INCOGNITA LONDINIENSIS HIC SEPVLTA EST
To the spirits of the dead, the unknown young girl from Roman London lies buried here. The burial would have lain just outside an early boundary ditch marking the edge of the Roman city. The body was supine, with the head to the south and the arms folded across the body (with the right forearm over the left). Pottery found in association with the burial has been dated to AD 350-400. Her resting place resides at the foot of the Gherkin.
The Roman fort of Londinium (City of London, England) was built around 120 AD, just north-west of the main population settlement.
It covered 12 acres and was almost square in size, 200m along each length. As Londinium grew, the fort was later absorbed into the defensive wall that surrounded the city.
The fort could house up to 1000 men and provided suitable barracks and gated entry. However, a century later the site was decommissioned and buildings dismantled as the military situation in the southern edge of Britannia had become more secure.
Today, the forts northern and western edges still remain visible, along with Saxon fortifications and medieval bastion towers as part of the Barbican and Museum of London complex.
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