The hidden history of Southampton

About one month ago, my parents popped down to visit. Having been here for nearly four years, I was shocked to realise I’d never taken them to Southampton Common, since they love heading outdoors. So after lunch, we wandered through the campus and along to the common to walk around – between rain showers!

We came to the cemetery, situated on the common, and decided to go in. I’d walked (and jogged) past the entrance a number of times, but never thought to go in. It’s amazing; Southampton is full of history, but students pass by it every day!

My dad walking down the cemetery path

The cemetery is the resting place for thousands and thousands – from the fallen soldiers of World Wars One and Two, to members of the Titanic; from mayors to members of parliament. The graves spread as far as the eye can see, surrounded by trees, tall grass, and the odd blooming flowerbed. It’s really quite odd, to step out of the common, away from the BBQs and games of Frisbee, and into the tranquil space meant for remembrance.

The stonework is stunning in the cemetery, and is often a couple of hundred years old

Being in the cemetery really makes you think. It’s also part of an almost morbid fascination, especially for those interested in the Titanic and its victims. It’s also really quite beautiful.

The next day, mum and I headed to the SeaCity museum, possibly inspired by our visit to the cemetery, to see the exhibition ‘Southampton’s Titanic story’. Not having been able to visit last year for the centenary celebrations, I wanted to see the exhibition before I left for good, and saw this as a perfect opportunity.

Visiting the SeaCity Museum, with a rhino, of course!

The exhibition was really worth going to, and we spent almost two hours wandering through the maze of exhibits, following a selected number of Southampton citizens through their journey aboard the ill-fated vessel. We were shown everything – from cargo on the ship, to the homes of those employed to work on board. The most poignant moments came at the end, when we listened to short clips of survivors recounting the sinking, and saw a giant map indicating where deceased members of the crew had come from in the city. It really brought the tragedy closer to home when I spotted my former student homes on the map – both had seen deaths on the Titanic.

More than 540 people from Southampton died on the Titanic – some crew members as young as fifteen, and hundreds coming from extreme poverty. I couldn’t help but wonder how excited they must have been at the possibility of work. I found the exhibition very moving, but also incredibly interesting – I really recommend a visit!

Southampton’s rich history doesn’t stop at the Titanic, though. As you wander around the city centre, you will come across parts of the old town; ruins of the old city walls, and buildings from the past. The most obvious one is Bargate, the old entrance to the city built in Norman times, found just past West Quay shopping centre.

Dad and I (complete with a rhino!) at the Bargate which looked splendid in the sunshine

My parents happened to visit last week, too, as a final trip before I move away from here for good. We decided to spend the day visiting the waterside, and stumbled across some ruins just up from Mayflower Park, near the docks. These are part of what looks like a small village, or jail, with a chapel too. The garden in these walls commemorates the arrival of French Huguenots over 300 years ago – which interests me greatly after recently being told that I have French Huguenot ancestors!

The ruins, commemorating the French Huguenots – another little historic spot in the city!

As you wander around the old town, you will walk over plaques in the pavement detailing historical events linked to Southampton.

We also found a small ruined church not far from Mayflower Park, just on from Bargate. I could see a tree in the middle of the inner courtyard from the other side of the road, and decided to explore. Here, I found a memorial, stating the purpose of the church’s ruins.

Holyrood Church, not far from Mayflower Park, seems to be overlooked, but is a really beautiful historic site

It stated that this was Holyrood Church, and was known for centuries as the ‘Church of the Sailors’. After being damaged by enemy action on 30 November, 1940, it was left as a memorial to those who served in the Merchant-Navy and those who lost their lives at sea.

Inside the ruin is a beautiful tree and a memorial to the Titanic victims. The weather was gorgeous, and with the sunshine it really felt as though we were somewhere in the Mediterranean, rather than Southampton! It was a little haven of peace, and a beautiful way to commemorate those lost in action.

I thought it was a stunning memorial to those who served in World War Two

This brings to light Southampton’s huge involvement in the Second World War. As a major port, it was heavily involved, and therefore targeted by enemy bombers. The Luftwaffe dropped over 476 tons of bombs on the city in November 1940, and 137 people died. As a result, most of the original city, including the Georgian architecture, has been lost. If you look at the city closely as you wander around, the buildings are mostly fairly new and of a typical style for the post-war, since much of it had to be rebuilt. Though we lost most of our old buildings, this is all part of the city’s history.

Interestingly, I also found out that Southampton was involved in the aircraft industry between around 1908 and the 1960s, famously including the development of the Spitfire. There is a museum dedicated to aviation, called Solent Sky – just another museum which portrays the history of the city!

Not only this, but legend has it that Southampton is where King Canute may have tried to stop the tide! The city was also hit hard by the Black Death and the Plague due to the merchant ships using the dock, bringing it in from overseas, and it was even at one point a fashionable spa town in 1740, with rooms built to utilise the incoming tide for bathing.

And who could forget about the Mayflower, which left Southampton to take the Pilgrims to their new lives in 1623 – commencing Southampton’s important role in emigration to countries all over the world. A few weeks ago my mum also told me that my own great-Grandfather had travelled on the RMS Queen Mary from Southampton to America in 1934… so it seems that, unbeknownst to me, I’ve had a connection with Southampton for over eighty years!

Let’s not forget the history of Winchester, with King Arthur’s Round Table!

It’s very easy to forget that Southampton has such a big role in history – even aside from Titanic. There are so many points of interest all over the city – and in Winchester (King Arthur’s Round Table and the cathedral being just two main attractions). In fact, if you think about it, our own university itself has a place in history!  If you have a spare day or two when you’re here in Southampton, and you enjoy finding out more about your surroundings, I really recommend going on a bit of an adventure, and seeking out the forgotten pockets of history that surround us as we go about our everyday lives.

Joanne

A three year thank you

This blog is meant to say goodbye.

Except goodbyes have always been something I struggle with, I hate finality, closure and the end of the book, so to try to sum up my university experience is one blog seems impossible.

My motto for when it comes to goodbye is that “it is not goodbye, it is see you soon”, however I think “all good things come to an end” is more apt now, because the truth of the matter is I am not going to be returning to study at Southampton, yes that is sad (heart breaking even), but it is true. It is also natural and exciting and simply a way of life. Since my leaving Southampton entails me arriving somewhere else, it means future adventures and more excitement elsewhere.

I am sure that the university which set me up for future life wouldn’t want to see me pining for the past – they would want me to do what I ought to with the degree they provided me – to go off and be daring and ambitious and to make a path.

So that’s what I am doing.

However with goodbye comes a series of thank yous.

Let me begin with an endless thank you to my family. Financial, emotional, physical and psychological support has most definitely been provided by them all countless times. I could not have come to university without them, I could not have coped and got as much out of it without them, and I definitely wouldn’t have left the person I am now without their help. They are essential to my university experience.

Thank you to all of freshers. Some of you lucky lucky freshers will be arriving so soon and I cannot begin to describe how jealous I am of all of you – despite knowing my body cannot take another year of being a fresher I want it back - it was the most fun I have ever had. I met so many lovely people, never felt stressed and revelled in my new freedom! That year set me up for everything that university could be – the societies, the trips, the people and yes, even in first year, the studying.  My first year is shrouded in such fond memories and a week doesn’t pass with my housemates and I reflecting on how good it would be to go back to first year:  as much central heating and hot water as you wanted, hours to watch re-runs of The OC and endless people to meet and friends to make. 

This is the first night of my first year! I knew then that I had made the right choice. 

A thank you must go out to the University of Barcelona – by being able to do my Erasmus over there with the support of the English department in Southampton I undoubtedly made one of the best choices of my life. That magical city still means so much to me and I can honestly say that no other amount of time changed me more than my Erasmus did. Moving to university in my first year was easy for me as everything was organised – from where you were living, what you were studying and how you met people – it was not like that in Barcelona. It was a steep learning curve but not one I would change for the world. I grew in confidence and spirit. I made friends that I treasure and adore and, most importantly, I had so much fun!

Barcelona; my second university city. 

As I am thanking the English department it only seems fair I also give a thank you to the Philosophy department. The friendly professors that seemed to live there really aided me and made me so thankful I studied that topic. I would specifically like to thank my dissertation tutor Sasha Mudd (who won an excellence in teaching award) for the support she gave me. The encouragement I was given to go off and write about something I was passionate about, something that excited me and something that I wanted to learn from really felt like what university should be all about. 

My university experience, like most people’s, wouldn’t be the same without my friends. I was lucky enough to live with the ones most important to me for three years and grew so close to them that I now cannot imagine not knowing them, not having them influence my life and the direction I choose. In those people I feel most lucky and it is to those people I say a bottomless thank you. I happened to live with them in my halls in first year and they were such an amalgamation of people – a real odd bunch if I am honest. If someone had told me I’d be living mostly with boys, boys who liked football and did exercise for enjoyment I wouldn’t have believed it. However from these people I somehow learnt the most and am now so thankful they are in my life.

I also want to thank my course mates who helped me out constantly, even if it was just by being as utterly lost as I was, and my society friends who pushed me onto do more things than I thought I was capable of. These people made me a better person. 

How lucky I am to have met these people. 

There are many more things and people that deserve a thank you – thank you SUSU café for your really cheap big breakfasts, thank you Hartley library for opening later in exam times, thank you sabbatical officers for genuinely caring and thank you SUSU shop for your cracking chicken and bacon wraps – all these things make this goodbye difficult.

But I am trying not to dwell on the past, I am focusing on the future and being grateful for the opportunities I was given and the experience I had. The University of Southampton, with its wonderful student body, will no doubt continue to thrive without me.

Florence

Dear class of 2013

(I know in my last blog post I said I would be writing about Southampton’s history, but with results day so fresh in everyone’s minds I decided to welcome our future students. I’ll explore the history of the city in my next post. I promise!)

Dear Class of 2013,

Firstly, congratulations on getting into the University of Southampton! Whether it’s a deferred entry, first choice, second choice or clearing; you’re about to become a part of one of the top universities in Britain – and even the world! I hope you’re ready for the best few years of your life. It’s going to be incredible – and I’m speaking from experience.

I know how nervous you must have been last week on results day. I remember mine well, back in 2009 – frantically refreshing the UCAS website, watching as my friends updated their statuses with messages of success. I wondered if I would be so lucky.

Not quite results day, but me and my friend Caitlin at our year 13 Prom

 in July 2009 before any of this had ever happened!

I shouldn’t have worried. I got into Southampton, which was my first choice, and have spent the last four years loving every single moment. From writing essays (you’ll miss them when you’re no longer a student, honestly!), to Christmas celebrations as a flat; from graduation, to simply grabbing a post-lecture drink at the Stags. In fact, I don’t really want to leave, with under a month left to go!

However, I don’t really want to become the Gary King of Southampton (those of you who have seen The World’s End will know what I’m talking about). So I suppose the time will come for me to say goodbye.

I’m still making new friends right up until my last few weeks here!

As I finish my four year education, and head towards the unknown, you are only just beginning the best years of your life so far. You have Freshers’ Week ahead of you, meeting new lifelong friends, getting to grips with the new level of work, and finding out more about yourself than you ever thought was possible.

I can’t help but feel incredibly jealous. I’m not good with change (a well-worn joke with my old housemates!) and there are very few things I wish I could have done differently over the last few years… really, I just wish I could do it all again!

My first big night as a fresher in September 2009; 

the excitement on my face sums up my time here at Southampton!

I thought now might be the perfect opportunity to pass on a little information and advice to you for preparing for your very own ‘Life at Southampton’. I have plenty of experience; so here’s what I have to say to you all.

Six tips for preparing for your first few weeks at university:

1. Make the most of it: try not to wish days away. Even days when all you do is sit in your onesie eating cereal, or when you’ve been staring at the opening line of an essay for the last four hours. You’ll miss it one day. It’s all part of it. So relish it! This especially counts for those last days at home, and the first few days as a student. You will never quite get the same feeling again, so really just enjoy it!

2. Bring a door stop: if you buy one thing for halls, make it a door stop. Everyone will tell you the same thing: you won’t make friends if your door is shut! Welcome people in, make them a cuppa, offer them a digestive and get to know them. Basically, be as forward as you can be. I struggled at first, but it gets easier as the week goes on. You just have to be brave! People won’t be judging you – everyone is in the same boat.

3. Look after yourself: my first meal was beans, toast and a very lumpy poached egg. I’m no five star chef now, but I’ve expanded my skills a little. It’s essential to stay healthy, especially as a fresher when you’re known for going a little wild. Eat properly, have the occasional early night, and just look after yourself. Fresher’s Week will be intense, even if you’re not out every night, so while you’re still at home catch up on sleep and stock up on vitamin tablets and paracetamol. If you eat well from your first few days in halls, you’ll be less likely to get into a bad habit.

Our Christmas dinner in second year – make sure you eat properly!

4. Explore: I didn’t really start exploring the city until second year, when I moved out of halls. I was very unfamiliar with Portswood, and had never been to Winchester. So before you have lectures and placements, take the chance to wander round, familiarise yourself, and find those awesome restaurants and coffee shops in enough time to actually enjoy them before you graduate. The first semester is all about getting used to it all – and it’s a great way to get to know people better!

Me and my housemates Josh, Lou and Will, the day after we met for the very first time in 2009! We went exploring and ended up by the docks, which was great fun and helped us to bond.

5. Don’t be scared to talk to someone: You’d be surprised at how many people struggle with homesickness, anxiety, and stress within the first few weeks of university. It’s a real issue, especially if you’re living away from home for the first time. I was fortunate enough not to feel homesick at all (I think I even surprised myself with that one!) But I do struggle with stress and anxiety a fair bit. If you feel down, find someone to talk to; either through SUSU’s Advice Centre, or even just your new next door neighbour. You’re not alone, and you have the advantage of being with thousands of likeminded people. There are plenty of people you can talk to if you find yourself struggling with anything. Chances are there are other students out there in the same position. And nobody will judge you – everyone in your first week – no, year, is out to look after one another.

6. Start as you mean to go on: You won’t be quite so concerned with work in first year – it’s natural. You need to pass to get into second year, but (in many cases) your mark does not count towards your degree. This means a tendency to be a bit too relaxed. Although this can be a blessing – and a relief, if you find yourself struggling a little at first! – I don’t personally think you should be too laid back. Starting to work well in first year means the workload in second year won’t be such a shock, and then again in third year. Make the most of being able to test your abilities, work out where you stand academically, and how best you work. This is the year you can afford to make mistakes and learn from them. If you lack any effort at the beginning, you might struggle to get going when it really matters. I worked hard in first year, but also had plenty of time to relax and have fun, and never missed out on anything. After all, you worked hard to get here!

There is, of course, much more advice I could give you, but there simply isn’t enough space. Do feel free to ask any questions in the comment section – I’d love to help you with any issues or queries to ensure that you start university on the best foot possible, and I’m sure the other bloggers would too!

Welcome to the University of Southampton! I’ve had the most amazing time here.

Welcome to Southampton and good luck, class of 2013 – you’re in for the time of your life!!

Joanne

Building up to University

As you read this, there’s a strong likelihood I’m somewhere (probably lost, given my lack of geographical prowess!) in the city of Edinburgh, surrounded by reams of performers, either watching a show or desperately trying to turn crowds towards ours (if you’re at the Fringe at all, we’d love to see you at Hanging Bruce-Howard)!

One thing’s for sure: there’ll be photographs to show and stories to tell aplenty upon my return, as well as some much-needed sleep!

But outside of the theatrical bubble I currently find myself immersed in, it’s been a momentous day for many students across the country with the arrival of A Level results, and through them the confirmation of places to study at universities nationwide. If you’re unlucky enough not to have received such an assurance yet from your university of choice then commiserations, don’t panic and keep optimistic: there’s sure to be plenty you can do yet.

After all, I’m a firm believer that if something’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. For example, since selecting Southampton as my first choice and attaining the necessary grades for my course in Software Engineering, a vast amount of factors just seem to have fallen into place for me out of sheer fortune from day one, such as my placement in my halls of residence flat where I first met my current housemates, my assignment to some inspirational tutors and my chance meetings with many of the people here who now are always bringing light to my day.

On the flip side, one of my best friends didn’t quite manage to attain the grades needed to match the offer supplied by their first choice, but have since gone on to similarly revere their time at another educational establishment elsewhere – as I say, perhaps it was meant to be for both of us!

I was lucky enough to be put with a great set of flatmates from day one – 

and we’ve yet to move apart since!

If you have received confirmation of a successfully fulfilled offer, let me offer you many congratulations, particularly if that offer happens to be from Southampton! You’re on the verge of what may well be the most extraordinary time of your life so far, but for now I’d urge you to relax (especially if you’re like me – I could barely unwind even after receiving my confirmation!) and celebrate a job well done!

Given the sheer speed at which my time at Southampton so far seems to have raced by, I struggle to grasp the fact that it’s been two whole years since I was in the position of receiving results, hoping to make it into Electronics and Computer Science’s undergraduate programmes. In the build-up to the day I was the typical neurotic panicking mess, struggling to unwind at all despite knowing that, ultimately, what was done was done, and there was nothing I could do to change anything at the time.

I’d often spend days in the run-up to results day pacing, considering all the possibilities and potential alternative plans I’d have to make in case of the failure I was sure I’d meet on the day, a common activity amongst the peers I chatted to, it seemed, as at the time all the examination papers we’d sat seemed hugely harder than anything we’d encountered previously. In fact, I can recall thinking that the migraine which laid me low the day before actually did me a huge favour in giving me something else to worry about!

But I needn’t have worried, and the delight which encompassed me when I was lucky enough to receive confirmation of my place in Southampton was only surpassed by that which I experienced when I opened up my results envelope. After two years’ worth of struggle I knew it had been worth the hard work, even the hours spent being perplexed by Cicero’s prose and Ovid’s verse in my fourth A Level, Latin, which I’d picked purely out of previous enjoyment!

Following some much-needed August celebrations, however, I can recall finding the intermediate period between results day and starting at University a curious stretch of time. On the one hand, it was brilliant to finally be able to relax, with all stressful matters resolved and very few other obligations to fulfil, and a few of us treated ourselves to a week in the Spanish sea and sun to blow away any lingering notions of results and the like, not to mention embellishing ourselves with reasonably bronze (or in the instance of one unfortunate fellow, sunburnt pink!) tans!

On the other, the time passed, for me at least, very quickly indeed, signified by the shrinking number of attendees at the farewell meals we kept making excuses to put on for one another. It was a fairly surreal experience as, despite having been surrounded by these friends for the whole of my school career, one by one they were being introduced to their new lives in other parts of the country.

Farewell meals were commonplace before University, 

which was particularly convenient for visiting some great restaurants!

As a result, I remember always feeling slightly in the lurch, in the knowledge that it would soon be my turn to depart for pastures new. I think it was when the Michaelmas term began at my high school and I wasn’t there for the first day that it slowly began to dawn on me things were moving on, moving forward into the obscurities of a future away from home! But as I recently wrote, I’ve found University, and indeed my life as a student, has been at its most exhilarating when accompanied by a sense of journeying into the unknown (particularly when this unknown is related to food!).

And thus, regardless of whether you’ll be at the University of Southampton (if you will, I look forward to meeting you!) or elsewhere in the forthcoming new academic year, I’d like to wish you the very best of luck; you have an incredible amount to look forward to, and the world really is your oyster!

Robin

The journey so far…

I am very proud to have just found out that the University of Southampton has been rated a top university by The Telegraph based on student satisfaction.

We got a whopping 90%!!

This got me thinking about how I would rate my student satisfaction after three years at university – what experiences have I been offered, taken and ran with?

Right, well in case you didn’t already know, I am living in Amsterdam. Why am I living in Amsterdam? Well for work, but also because why not? I got the offer and taking it would mean leaving a couple of days after my last exam, and still I snapped it up.

For a lot of my friends this decision seemed crazy; for me however, the prospect was exciting. I say exciting now because I have the benefit of hindsight – I was of course scared and nervous – but I also knew I’d regret not taking this opportunity, I’d regret becoming hostage to my fears, and I knew there wouldn’t come a moment when I didn’t want to go to Amsterdam.

My beautiful city!

When I think about why this is, it has a lot to do with my experiences at Southampton – the same experiences I suppose a lot of students get, all in varying forms, but all culminating in a 90% student satisfaction rate.

I knew I could go and live in Amsterdam because during my second year I was given the opportunity to live in Barcelona. This was a great opportunity that was available to me via the Erasmus scheme, despite not studying a language. The humanities office encouraged me to take the trip and supported me when I first arrived (and wanted nothing more than to return to Southampton!). They told me to stick it out. Which I did, and for which I am so grateful. I have nothing but fondness for that journey and the semester I spent out there; I had endless fun and met incredible people from all over the world, friends I still speak to and see regularly. Despite finding it difficult at the beginning, living in Barcelona was incredibly easy – I had practical support from my University and the University of Barcelona, matched by the financial support from the European Union – there could never have been a better time for me to live abroad.

These people made leaving so hard – they became my life out there!

So, my first taste of living abroad really captured something inside me – I had fallen in love with arriving in a city, knowing no one, and building myself a home and a life out there – nothing has given me more confidence than this. This confidence led to me applying for the Study China experience. This was a government funded programme where I got to spend a month in China learning Mandarin. This was an incredible experience which was so different from anything I was used to. Again, I had the support of the University of Southampton – they even paid for my visa!

China is beautiful! And Mandarin is impossible…

Those two, very different but very awesome, experiences gave me reassurance when taking this job in Amsterdam. I knew I could manage the moving abroad part – that at least wasn’t daunting for me.

However of course my being in Amsterdam right now comes down to more than my previous experiences living abroad. Naturally I had to be competent for the position, and it is again the University of Southampton that I thank for this.

Whilst at Southampton I got the academic support and freedom to tailor a degree to my interests. For instance (as you might be able to tell), I am very interested in international affairs; accordingly I wrote a dissertation focused on this – merging philosophy with politics, economics and everything else I love.

Academically at Southampton I was sorted, but sadly these days that is just not enough, however thankfully there are tonnes of extracurricular activities I could get involved in.

Taking on a leadership position with the Southampton Hub society was one of the best things I have ever done, it was endless fun and enhanced my job prospects immensely – I am certain it was instrumental in me getting this position in Amsterdam. I was able to lead, to teach and to push myself further than I had ever done before. These practical skills – organisation, communication, dedication – are all essential for the working world. 

I even got an EVA for my participation with Southampton Hub and Schools Plus! 

I think student satisfaction is so high because of the vast variety Southampton offers - if you like charities, politics, sports or the arts, there is something for you. I loved this; my interests are varied but my time is limited and so it would have been impossible for me to dedicate myself appropriately to more societies; however this never stopped me attending the events they held and challenged my common thinking.

Whilst at Southampton I also got the opportunity to work – I have the opportunity to write this blog and do things unrelated to the university bubble. So, what with my experience living abroad, my experience volunteering in societies, and my previous working experiences I guess I was competent enough to gain the job and live in Amsterdam. It’s been a long three year journey and I never thought I would have ended up here… I guess I never thought I would have done half the things I have done. However I understand now that every new experience opens another door, so who knows where I’ll end up next. At the moment however I am enjoying where I am – in the middle of a bustling capital city – reflecting upon the very high student satisfaction with which I was lucky enough to leave Southampton.

Florence

Go! Rhinos

This summer, when walking through the streets of Southampton City Centre, you may come face to face with a rhino.

This isn’t really something you’d expect to see here; but it’s no cause for alarm! These rhinos are no ordinary rhinos, but part of a huge public art project to celebrate forty years of Marwell Wildlife. There are over thirty of these beasts or all colours, patterns and sizes, dotted around the city, showcasing artistic talent, school participation and raising awareness of rhino conservation.

It’s an idea that has been done before; as we speak, Bristol has been invaded by Wallace’s canine friend, Gromit. But it’s something new for Southampton, and word is spreading, with people taking to Twitter, Facebook and even Instagram to chat about these unusual interlopers!

I was incredibly curious when I heard about this project, and when my Mum came to stay for a few days to help me take a break from my Dissertation work, I thought it was the perfect chance to see a few of these sculptures for ourselves. On Monday morning we set off into the city centre to visit the SeaCity museum, do a spot of shopping and grab some food… and to take a look at the rhinos!

Unfortunately we didn’t have time to see all of them – some can be found as far away as Winchester and right down to the Southampton Town Quay, and we just didn’t have time to travel so far! But we decided to incorporate it into our day. After we visited the SeaCity Museum (more on that in my next blog post) we made our way down to West Quay for a spot of shopping, and took a look at some of the rhinos en route. With their bright colours, they’re hard to miss!

This Rhino, outside the Civic Centre, is called ‘Reveal’

Mum and I found ‘Seymour’, a rhino sporting a very fetching Hi Visibility outfit, very entertaining!

Now, as a university student I had a lot more interest in this project thanks to the University of Southampton’s participation! I’d been hearing talk of the university’s Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) department creating a rhino, and made my way into the Marlands shopping centre to see it for myself.

Say hello to Erica the Rhino!

She contains state-of-the-art technology, making her fully interactive – she can read QR codes and provides WIFI for visitors to use. She also displays tweets, and her mood can change. It was amazing to see how the university was taking part in the project, and it was great to see some of ECS’s hard work on show. I’m sure my fellow blogger Robin would have a good idea about the technology involved in creating Erica! Over twenty people were involved in the project, which makes it all the more impressive.

The department was given just three months to make Erica fully interactive. Each company or group involved in Go! Rhinos sponsored their rhino in exchange for the chance to customise the statue, and the ECS department decided to use Raspberry Pi computers and web interaction to make something a little different. I loved Erica – but maybe I was a little biased, as she was my favourite! The children around me seemed to love her too, and had fun making her ears move. A week later I took my friend and University of Southampton graduate Lissie to see Erica and she was just as impressed as I was!

You can find out more about Erica on her website:  http://www.ericatherhino.org/, or find her on Instagram @ericatherhino and Twitter @EricaTheRhino.

Erica was joined in the Marlands by a number of smaller rhinos, decorated by local schools. I particularly liked the sensory rhino, which was covered in children’s toys – including a hidden Where’s Wally. I thought this was perfect for children, but it was also wonderful to see how so many groups had been involved – truly a community project!

This sensory rhino was a really innovative idea –and you can just about spot Wally!

The project is not only a colourful addition to Southampton – nothing surprises you like turning a corner to see one! – but it also provides awareness for a very important environmental issue, excellent publicity for Marwell Wildlife, and a perfect summer holiday activity for children and families! Unfortunately, they have been in the news for more negative reasons – one or two of the rhinos were subject to vandalism – but now that people have been employed to make sure this doesn’t happen again, I have no doubt they’ll be around for the people of Southampton to enjoy for the rest of the summer!

I had a lovely time with my mum, as she stayed for a couple of days after she and my dad visited on the Sunday. I always love seeing both of my parents, especially now as my Master’s dissertation is getting intense and fairly stressful – it provides a good break from work and a chance to relax with family! When I move home in September I will miss getting excited about their visits – but I will be back living with them full time! Mum loved seeing Southampton and the museum, and the Go! Rhinos project– and I even took her to the Hansard Gallery on campus (I wrote about an exhibition in a blog earlier this year)!

Though I didn’t get to see all of the rhinos for Go! Rhinos, it was fun to spot them on my day out with my Mum; the variety of designs and ideas was great to see, and I’ll be keeping my eyes open to see if I can spot any more as I go about my day to day student life!

Go! Rhinos runs until 22 September; you can find out more, including a map, here: http://gorhinos.co.uk/

Joanne

The Edinburgh adventure

And so after six months of immeasurable anticipation and excitement, the week has finally come. As a famous musical goes, for myself and the fifteen or so others soon to be travelling under the banner of Gone Rogue Productions, “The time is now, the day is here!”

For in just a few days we’ll be opening the first performance on tour of our hour-long comedy play, Hanging Bruce-Howard, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, widely considered to be one of the pinnacles of the performing world.

It’s a place where many on-stage greats have taken their first steps towards fame, hundreds of careers have been launched (put into Google “Cambridge Footlights” – wow!) and thousands annually descend to revel in all things theatrical, comedic, musical and, in some cases, just plain weird, hailing from all corners of the country (and beyond!).

Having never been before, I’ve only the stories of siblings, friends and the newspapers to infer from what the experience is going to be like. But just as with all adventures into the unknown, like those first few days at University and an awe-inspiring trip to the London Olympics last summer, it’s been overwhelmingly difficult to try and contain my excitement: I’ve been fidgeting for ages to get up there and get involved!

I realise that I tend to write fairly frequently (if not all the time) about personal goings-on in the theatrical world, indeed to the extent where, when somebody was asked if they could deduce from my blog posts which subject I study (Software Engineering!), they replied “Errr.... theatre?”!

But ever since my first appearance in a play, a minor role up North in the old school hall, the world of the Performing Arts has been an immersive and abundant source for me of not only entertainment and socialising, but also personal development. There’s simply so much that performing, and the multitudes of people involved with it, have done for me, both on and off-stage.

The Performing Arts at University have granted me some of the best experiences 

of my life, such as June’s 24 Hour Show this year!

From the confidence it’s bestowed upon me in various aspects, for example in giving presentations (or indeed Open Day talks!), in social situations and in working as a part of large groups, to developing my skills in improvisation (although we always try to avoid making use of it on-stage!) and problem-solving, budgeting and general organisation through directing, there are countless ways that getting involved has helped me both as a potential professional (embellishing the CV, for one!) but also as an individual.

And this is largely down to the encouragement of the University to do just that: to make the most of the experience while you have it, and try and round yourself out as a person – I’ve now many a story to tell in job interviews, for example!

Earlier this year I attended a workshop in how to safely perform stage combat for a 

scene in Great Expectations – a skill I’d love to use again, given how fun it was!

Through encouraging active engagement across with a number of strands of student life, the University is a wonderfully supportive framework which gives a keen and energetic student body down here in Southampton the chance to achieve as much as they can whilst simultaneously grounding themselves in real-world-esque experiences – the only limitation tends to be your imagination! I’ve been lucky enough to be aided by this framework in terms of the Edinburgh trip via the benevolent assistance the ECS (Electronics and Computer Science) Student Development Fund has afforded me in easing the financial burden of the trip. I can’t thank those involved enough.

Furthermore, it’s not just the acting world that offers such opportunities to further your own interests and development; they’re everywhere at Southampton! Many dance-based societies participate (often successfully) in national competitions and events, sports teams remain consistently and healthily competitive (with an infamous annual bout against our counterparts from Portsmouth called “Varsity” always generating anticipation aplenty!) and other activities and clubs, such as the Debating Society, are often putting on well-respected and attended events. And should there be something missing (there’s not a lot!), it’s remarkably straightforward to apply to have your own society created, affiliated with the Students’ Union... and funded!

But regardless of the level to which you pursue your interest, I’ve found that through just going along to meetings, open training or practice sessions, I’ve picked up plenty of opinions, skills and knowledge which I can apply elsewhere. So although, for example, I’ve not taken as active a role with the Students’ Union’s TV station (SUSUtv) in my second year as I did during Freshers’, I’ve still gained a much better understanding of the operations of a live streaming broadcast and just how much goes into piecing together such a programme, not to mention bonus video editing skills, plenty of experiences (attempting to totally improvise the co-hosting of a live show isn’t something I’ll easily forget!) and a number of friendships to boot.

But despite the experience I’ve garnered, it’s certainly not the case that I don’t find the prospect of acting in something as vast in scale as the Fringe intimidating: I still get hugely nervous before any and every show – apologies to anybody who’s ever tried to talk to me before I’ve been due to do any stand-up comedy! – and can usually be found pacing around before a performance in the dressing room, reciting lines or the like to myself urgently!

Ultimately, however, it’s the sheer buzz of a well-received performance, the electric feeling of energy and adrenaline that comes across to the performers from the audience when they’re enjoying themselves, that’s constantly driving me to want to achieve more and improve further – it’s very addictive! So taking part in the Fringe, with audiences consisting of complete strangers and entirely neutral reviewers, matches that description quite nicely – it’s going to be a massive test of what we can all achieve, but an incredibly exciting one.

I’m therefore eagerly anticipating the chance to play the character of a Russian billionaire, Igor Lupowski (with accent picked up from watching old movies!), as part of a talented ensemble. If you are around in Edinburgh at all during the course of the Festival, it’d be great to see you at a showing of Hanging Bruce-Howard sometime if you can make it – you’ve only the sixteen to choose from! After all, buoyed by the positive reaction to our preview showings last week in Southampton (thank you if you attended!), I think I speak for us all when I say we, as a cast and crew, are more than ready to embark on what could turn out to be quite the journey.

To Edinburgh!

Robin

Donning those caps and finally GRADUATING

So it is official; I am a University of Southampton Graduate. Yikes!

Last week my crazy family spent a frantic morning straightening hair and reapplying waterproof mascara all in an effort to be prepared for my graduation, when it turns out that it is impossible to be fully prepared for this kind of day.

Returning to Southampton pulled at my heart. We had parked at my old house and memories surrounded me, but now in the most surreal sense. I felt like I had just been on holiday and that I was now returning to my campus, in the sun, and in full swing. The campus had taken on a festival style – there were tents everywhere, BBQs, Pimm’s was flowing and everyone looked fabulous. All I wanted to do was stay there.

When I arrived at the campus with my mother and grandmother desperate to know what was happening, where their tickets were, when they needed to take their seats and whether – despite being 3 hours early – they were running late. Keeping the family happy is a stress I am sure every graduate can relate to.

However, once I’d gone to the Students' Union and someone had donned me in all my crazy gown finery, I felt ready to rock this graduation. It was swelteringly hot but nothing made me want to take off my gown or hat. It felt stupidly intelligent!

The happy, and surprised, owner of a BA in Philosophy and English Literature!

Never thought this day would come! 

Endless photographs are another thing I am sure every graduate can relate to. I felt famous, and I am unashamed to say, it felt fabulous. I am the youngest in my family and for my mother there was something quite emotional about seeing me all dressed up ready to attend an event which marked the pinnacle of my education. I was also quite emotional; I was officially no longer a student. No more student discount. No more long holidays. And no more comfortable, wonderful Southampton living.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am excited about the future and this next adventure, but it is natural to mourn the passing of something so sweet.

But, once I was in the gown I was swept away. There were friendly people directing you all the way – telling you were to sit, when to walk, and how to hold your hands – which was a relief because the prospect of walking onto stage and talking to Vice-Chancellor Don Nutbeam was actually quite terrifying. I had that panic every girl in heels has: I am going to trip up and fall flat on my face and humiliate myself for ever more. Thankfully this didn’t happen. A great relief because my sweet Aunt had found the link to watch my graduation online and had distributed to all my extended family and I knew if I fell over it would never be forgotten.

Proud Grandmother and happy Granddaughter

My graduation day was special, I felt proud of myself, of all my friends that surrounded me and of my university: We had done it, we had finished and were leaving with cracking degrees. Don Nutbeam’s graduation speech reminded us that in this horrible economic climate we are leaving with a degree from a university in the top 1% of the world, which is, let’s face it, pretty impressive stuff.  It was a great day in which greatness was shared, to spend time with family and friends and all the people that made University what it was. I enjoyed seeing and speaking to my lecturers and it dawned on me what a great community I was leaving. My emotions were mixed; I was happy to be graduating having done well in my degree, I was so sad to be leaving and growing up, I was proud of all my friends and I was so very thankful for my parents' support that had enabled me to come to Southampton. I left feeling lucky.

Florence