When asked what my impression of Manchester is after my first few days in the UK, ever, my pessimistic self wants to immediately scream out words such as “cold, wet, windy, sore feet, and expensive!”, but it doesn’t take a second before the optimistic (and bossier) Ilke chirps in and says “friendly, welcoming, easy, efficient, helpful, busy, interesting, cosmopolitan and bustling”.
Almost everything about being in Manchester is new to me; be it living on my own for the first time, walking and riding a bicycle as my primary modes of transport (yippee!), always having to pack in an umbrella before leaving home, or being part of the street café and coffee-drinking culture typical of many European cities. It is these qualities and experiences of Manchester that have brightly coloured my time in this city thus far.
In the past week, the other two Centenary Grant scholars and I have been kept quite busy with inductions and registrations for our studies at the Royal Northern College of Music. That alone has been an experience in itself. I have never been enrolled at a “real” music conservatoire where performance is “instrumental” to each student’s purpose there, and each and every one comes with aspirations to be the best and most successful in their instrument of study. It is at once both intimidating and inspiring. I am really looking forward to being immersed in such an environment for the next three months; it can only (and hopefully) help better me as a flautist, musician and teacher. Being part of an international student community, where I can meet and make contacts with people from Germany, Jordan, Greece, the USA, Spain, China and Australia, is also a first for me. I have a keen interest to learn about these other countries and cultures, and eventually visit the ones that I haven’t yet visited. I hope that this won’t be my last time studying at an overseas university.
I must say that I am really impressed by the willingness and openness of the staff and administration at the RNCM to help us students settle in to the college. The team from ABRSM have also been really supportive and even came up from London to meet us personally, and guide us through setting up our curriculums at the RNCM. It has so far been a really good experience, and the opportunist Ilke will certainly be taking advantage of everything laid out in front of us during the next three months.
Posted by
Unknown
