Modern Foreign Languages @ KENT connect

 

#mflconnectkent

Find out about members of staff who contribute to this blog on the Department's page (our official profiles) and below (our 'isolation' profiles).

Here's to you, our student community! This is your space!

More on Facebook and Twitter.

I love the outdoors: hiking, climbing, winter sports, mountaineering. I do struggle a bit being locked down, especially with the wonderful weather we are having. However now I have an excuse to spend my free time indulging in some video games I had been meaning to play for a while but never had the time to do so!

(Profile written in April 2020) Hi! I’m Takara, a second year student studying German @ uni of Kent! Despite this chaotic time, I look for the positives instead of the negatives, which, for me, means avoiding the news at all costs! Even though we are in lockdown, the tranquility of the world at the moment is beautiful. I feel as if the world is telling us to slow down and have some time for ourselves, which is exactly what I have been doing! I’ve been going on plenty of walks (once a day of course) and have started a new hobby in my back garden: badminton!

Hello! I’m Wissia, Modern Languages Coordinator and School Director of Education @ the University of Kent.

I’m using this time at home to improve my French (I’m using Babbel at the moment), read in the garden (I am addicted to psychological thrillers), and of course spoil my two cats.

Above you'll find a pic of my life in lockdown - it features Skye who’s the boss of us all, including the other cat(!) and loves having his humans at home all the time. Like all house cats, he also loves interfering with my typing.

(Updated Sept 2020) Having started this blog project with the support of my colleagues in Modern Languages at Kent, I am delighted to still be able to contribute to it even though I have now left the University of Kent.

Ben has recently launched the ‘Culture and Quarantine’ scheme on behalf of the British Comparative Lterature Association: https://bcla.org/

Lockdown is hard, especially when you love being outside. I'm very lucky that I live near the sea, and so I've been going for a dip whenever I can. Otherwise, I'm developing an addiction to online exercise videos and am spending a lot of time cooking and having extremely nerdy conversations with friends and relatives about sourdough bread. Thrilling stuff!

Nuria is a fan of Catalan flamenco hip hop fusion performer Rosalía (read more in her post)

Being in lockdown has just shown me how much adventure and adrenaline are part of my life. I am terribly missing climbing, scuba diving and long motorbike rides with my boyfriend. But now I have lots of time to focus on other activities that I also love like yoga, cycling, baking and reading. During this lockdown I have not given up running either and I am training for a half marathon. A healthy diet that keeps me fit is crucial to reach the top of a mountain or the bottom of the sea, but now, it is more than ever helping me to keep the morale high

What I really struggle with these days is the fact that I can’t leave the house for exercise as often and as long as I please. Other, more positive discoveries include:

a) It is possible to use the desk for more than two consecutive days without anything falling off the sides.

b) I can see the university from my window.

c) Participating in virtual music projects is fun – but also makes you appreciate the necessity for a conductor and the other musicians to be in the same room with you.

During the lockdown, and outside of doing stuff for work, I’ve spent quite a lot of time changing nappies and thinking about when I’ll next get a proper night’s sleep. Apart from that, I’ve been running a bit, learning maths from my brother (his view is that I’m not quite at GCSE level yet), finding a snake whilst out for a walk (see slightly rubbish photo above), and re-reading a very long novel – out loud on Zoom with a few friends – by a writer who spent the last seventeen years of his life a virtual recluse, rarely leaving his apartment (complete with a bedroom encased in walls of cork to keep out noise).

(Profile written in May 2020) Hello! My name is Alice, and I'm a second year Hispanic Studies student. During lockdown I've been continuing to prepare for university exams and essays, but have also been taking some time to get back into reading for leisure, and have gotten into some knitting (I promise I am actually in my 20s!) As well as this, my housemates and I have established a list of TV series we want to get through before lockdown ends, so all in all I've found filling the time surprisingly easy!

Lock down has its challenges. I miss being able to see friends, family and colleagues (let’s be honest: catching up online just isn’t the same thing). That being said, I do find that the temporary slowdown of the world also has its positive aspects: people seem to have become more appreciative of little things. They make more time to cook, to read, to reflect, to cherish their daily exercise in nature (I personally am an avid walker); and because of travel restrictions, the air has become clearer, too

(Profile written in May 2020) Hello! My name is Beth and I am a fourth year Comparative Literature and French student! In a weird way, lockdown has both saved and ruined my life at the same time. It has done wonders for my dissertation, but also means I’m eternally bored. All my deadlines were extended, but I’m struggling with my motivation. Being bored yet stressed is the everlasting paradox of a student.

Of course, procrastination still exists regardless of the pandemic, so I’ve been coping with watching films, doing puzzles, playing badminton and actually reading the books I claim I’ve read.

I moved into a new house just before the lockdown started. A bit of my time has therefore been spent arranging the house, spending time in the hammock, staring at the 8 frogs I have discovered in the pound, and attempting a bit of gardening -- I learnt that the flower 'pivoine' in French is called 'peoney' in English, but I'm still unsure how to pronounce it (baby steps).

Since the beginning of the lockdown, the daily step target I have on my phone has gone down to 1,000 steps a day and I haven't worn a single pair of jeans, but I think I'm okay with this. Perhaps wearing leggings for the rest of my life isn't a bad idea.

In addition to some home schooling (finally, I’m teaching my kids Spanish!) and P.E. twice a day, walks around campus enjoying the bluebells and cycling are a welcome distraction from zooming, Microsoft Teaming, Skyping and e-mailing. Reading and writing are keeping me sane.

I am a PHD candidate at the University G. D'Annunzio, in Pescara, Italy in E-learning and Second Language Acquisition where I am carrying out a project about Usability of Learning Environments for Italian as L2. I am also an Italian as L2 teacher, I taught in Moscow, Spain and Italy. Now I live in Pescara, a small city on the coast with my 4 years-old boy, Maksim.

Life in lockdown is never boring for us, everyday we find new and challenging ways to have fun at home. I miss walking on the beach, swimming in the swimming pool and ride my bike!

(Profile written in May 2020) Hi , I’m Aaliyah a soon to be second year French student. I’ve enjoyed French so far at the university of Kent. The staff are so helpful and very friendly. If I have any advice for future first years it would be ask a lot of questions and don’t be afraid to email them and seek advice .. they all respond very fast.

Usually in my free time I like catching up with my friends and going out to eat. And other times I like sitting in my bed and either watching something on Netflix or reading a book.

These times have been tough for me and my family but I reach out to those who I care about and make sure they are all good and they do the same for me. I also find that taking days off to just be one with your own thoughts helps with coming to terms with how you feel. I usually use those days off to do face masks and do all that I usually do in my free time.

(Profile written in June 2020)

Hi! I’m Zoë and I study German and History at Kent. During lockdown I have been picking up my long-neglected hobbies; I like to bake, and read, and write, and sew. In a previous life I think I may have been a kept 18^th Century lady! I’m interested in all manner of cultural and historical ideas and concepts; I’ve certainly had a lot of time to indulge my curiosity!

(Profile written in May 2020) Ciao! I'm Giulia, a second year student studying Italian and German @ Uni Kent.

This particular moment has changed the lives of each of us, in particular mine.

Being Italian and having returned to Italy, the situation is truly catastrophic, but I try to take advantage of it by taking it as a moment to catch up with many things: TV series, music, film, study, etc ...
I am a great fan of films and I particularly love German Expressionism, Italian classic films, comedies and everything related to Disney, but what I love most is music. My tastes range from rock to heavy metal and my idol is Freddie Mercury. Since the lockdown, my life has been turned upside down, but with everyone's cooperation and especially with common sense, we can go back to the life we ​​all deserve.

(Profile written in July 2020) Maitei! I study Asian Studies and Hispanic Studies and I’m preparing for my online year abroad at the moment. This whole period has allowed me to embrace my introverted nature and catch up on all the shows I’ve been meaning to watch. I’m often cooking, eating or thinking about food if not travelling to places I can try new things.

(Profile written in Sept 2020)

I studied German BA (Hons) at the University of Kent and graduated in 2017. I started learning German when I was only 12 years old and found the language fascinating throughout school and at University. I now work in Central London and I am fortunate enough to be able to use my language skills as a part of work. I hope you find my blog entry interesting and that it encourages you to keep finding new and innovative ways to grow your language ability and skills.