My Life - Issue 47

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ISSUE 47

Lifestyle Magazine

by Young People, for Young People

CELEBRATING 5 YEARS OF STUDENT LIFE! COVER IMAGE BLUSH PHOTOGRAPHY

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9 CELEBRATING

5 Years of Student Life

15 ENTERTAINMENT Music, TV & More

23 GAMING

Fifa 22 Review

25 ART

Stories, Books & More

35 FASHION

Charity Shops

37 BEAUTY

How Face Filters Change our Perception of Beauty

41 TRAVEL

Homesickness

43 MY PLANET

Latest News & Photos

47 SEXUAL HEALTH

Advice and awareness

49 MENTAL HEALTH

Worry Free app, 4YP, & More

55 PHYSICAL HEALTH & SPORT Rest & Recovery

59 FOOD

Food of Love & Herbs

63 MY LIFE

Resolutions & More

67 LGBT+

Pride Fashion & More

73 MY MONEY

My Christmas Job

EDITOR’S WORD Hello and welcome to issue 47 of My Life!

This issue is particularly special for a couple of reasons but firstly because February marks our 5th Birthday! It’s hard to believe that Student Life has been around for half a decade but we’re so proud of all our achievements and accomplishments over those years. Our biggest thanks goes to you – without the input and drive from young people, we wouldn’t be as relevant or even in existence. Bring on the next 5 years (and more)!

The second reason as to why this issue is special, is because it’s my last in the role of Editor. I’ve been involved in the publication since it began, five years ago, progressing from co-editor to Editor and it’s been incredibly rewarding. I speak more on my experience in this issue but I am delighted to be handing over the role to Kay Saberton. Kay has been a dedicated co-editor for a number of years now and as I move into a different role with Student Life, it felt completely natural to pass the baton on to Kay. I’m so excited to see what this next chapter of My Life looks like and the opportunities it will give to you all.

Contact us

I hope you enjoy this issue of My Life and thanks for your continued support!

Signing out for the last time as Editor,

Rachel x

01473 353512 07943 605468* rachel@studentlife.org.uk www.studentlife.org.uk

Search us on social @studentlifeorg *NOT CHECKED 24/7

Meet our CO-EDITORS Our magazine wouldn’t be possible without our Co-ed’s but we are always on the look-out for more!

ENTERTAINMENT CO-EDITOR FRAN MULVEY Hello! I’m Fran, your Entertainment Co-Ed! I’ve recently finished an English BA (Hons) and have plans to undertake the Masters in Critical and Creative Writing in September. I am a huge bookworm with a love for fantasy, and run a personal blog where I review books called Katharina Sinead’s Book Blog, and have been a Studio Ghibli nerd since I was young.

ART CO-EDITOR KAY SABERTON Hello – I’m Kay, your Art Co-Editor! I have recently completed my MA in Creative and Critical Writing at the University of Suffolk.

My interests include the arts, graphic novels, Gothic literature, and film studies. I am proud to announce that I have been part of a newly published anthology ‘Suffolk Folk’ (2021), and I am also currently writing my own historical fiction novel.

MENTAL HEALTH CO-EDITOR GLORIA DARGATZ Hi I’m Gloria! I am a student from Germany and I have been visiting a British school for a year. In my freetime I do competitive swimming, dance ballet and work with aid organisations. I am endlessly grateful for the opportunities Student Life gives me and I’m looking forward to talking to you and reading your articles.

BEAUTY & MY PLANET CO-EDITOR LIBBY DAWSON I’m Libby, an English Literature and Media Communications graduate, working with Student Life to gain experience in Marketing, Business Development, Social Media Management and now, work in Editorial! It is a great platform to be involved in.

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LGBT+ CO-EDITOR JAMES WILLIAMS I’m James, one of your LGBT+ Co-Editors!

I graduated from the University of Suffolk with a BA (Hons) English Degree and aspire to work in publishing. In my spare time I’m a massive bookworm, love writing my own stories, and doing various arts and crafts.

GAMING CO-EDITOR LOUISA SADLER Hey! I have recently completed my MA in Critical and Creative Writing at the University of Suffolk. I am an avid gamer with my favourite game being the Kingdom Hearts saga, an avid reader whose favourite genre is Young Adult and an avid writer of fiction. I am pursuing a career in publishing and am thankful to Student Life for my Co-Ed role to allow me to gain experience in editing and publishing.

FOOD CO-EDITOR CHLOE FINN Hi! I’m Chloe, an A Level student studying maths, further maths, chemistry and biology.

I have a love for reading and cooking which I indulge in on a day to day basis! I’m more than excited to share my love of food with you!

FASHION & TRAVEL CO-EDITOR ELISE DIXON My name is Elise Dixon and I’m one of the co-editors for the Beauty and Travel Sections. With a passion for makeup, I love learning about new products as well as exploring the world around me, and look forward to bringing you new and exciting products and places to visit.

CO-EDITOR RACHEL MITCHELL Hi I’m Rachel and I am the current co-editor for Sexual Health, My Life, Tech and Careers! However, I would love to find some students who are interested in being a co-editor and taking on some of these areas! Let me know if that’s you!

ART CO-EDITOR CHLOE SHAWCROSS Hiya! I’m Chloe and I’m an Art CoEditor! I enjoy reading, writing and painting! I’m currently in Year 11 and have hopes of moving on to Med school later in life! I’m also a huge animal lover with two furry rabbit babies of my own!

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LGBT+ & MY LIFE CO-EDITOR FELIX SPAIN Hi, I’m Felix, one of the LGBT+ and My Life co-editors!

In my spare time I love writing poetry, reading (particularly LGBT+ fiction), playing guitar and spending time with my three cats. I’m looking forward to studying Creative Writing this year at Uni and hope to one day publish/self-publish my own novels. I’ve loved writing articles for Student Life and I’m thrilled to be a coeditor. I look forward to reading your articles!

PHOTOGRAPHY CO-EDITOR SOPHIE DEBENHAM Hi, I’m Sophie! I’m the co-editor of photography!

I’m a level 3 photography student at Suffolk New College! I have a strong interest in photography and social media. Outside of Student Life I’m a massive football and rugby fan! I’m looking forward to publishing content in the future and finding new photographers to work with.

FILM CO-EDITOR CAMERON LUSTY I have recently graduated from the University of Suffolk where I achieved a 2:1 in Screenwriting. My passion for film and writing about film is what led me to Student Life magazine.

Want to see your bio here?

Get in touch to find out more.

Details below.

Co-Editor Vacancies Roles available across:

SUFFOLK

NORFOLK

KENT

Get in touch with Rachel at rachel@studentlife.org.uk to find out how to get involved!

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News from HQ TRANSITION PROJECT:

We have now had several more deliveries of both our Transition Project Work (for Year 6/ 7’s), and our Mental Health and Wellbeing Course (For Year 10 upwards). The feedback so far has been excellent, with many young people expressing interest in becoming Mental Health Ambassadors in their setting.

SAMARITANS PROJECT:

Our Samaritans Journal Project is moving forward with some very exciting developments. We will now be collaborating on this Student Journal with ‘Positive Planner’, as well as Samaritans, and there is a lot of interest from Universities to buy the Journal for their Students. We will soon be looking to set up steering groups of University Students to help guide the project, using their own experiences.

FUNDRAISING AND EVENTS:

Our 2022 ‘100 Hours’ Fundraising Challenge is now LIVE! You can pledge your hour and fundraise for Student Life via the website.

PROGRAMME UPDATE:

We’ve wrapped filming our 7th production ‘Back to Normal’. This is a film about Covid-19 awareness and how young people can continue to keep safe as restrictions lift. We are in post-production and can’t wait to share the finished film!

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COVID-19 awareness project We are so proud to have been selected and funded by Public Health Suffolk to expand our existing project work through the COMF initiative.

The Contain Outbreak Management Fund provides funding to local authorities in England to help reduce the spread of Coronavirus and support peer-to-peer content in print and online around COVID awareness amongst young people and produce a documentary film for countrywide distribution, using our in-house film production company ‘Unity Films’.

We will also be expanding our Mental Health Ambassador programme to include COVID Ambassadors and this work will continue to expand into alternative provision settings.

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W O W WHAT A FIVE YEARS!

BY RICHARD STEWART

When I first had the idea in 2017 for approaching the University of Suffolk, I had big plans for where the project might go, but I didn’t think that we would be so big and so successful in just 5 years.

There are so many factors behind why Student Life has grown to where it is today, but my first thanks have to go to Rachel Mitchell. Rachel was the Students’ Union President at the time of my first approach to the Uni and if she had not agreed to meet me to discuss my ideas, then Student Life would probably not have been born at all.

Rachel’s own vision for where we might take the idea contributed significantly to the growth in those early days. We followed up this emerging plan by employing Louise Richardson to help spread the project into high schools and the three of us worked hard, became good friends and a small team started to form. Fast forward to today and we have 9 team members, 10’s of volunteers and 1000’s of signed-up young people.

All of my colleagues are extremely dedicated and passionate about what they do. Like I said… WOW!

The HQ team continues to work hard and continues to form friendships and this bond is vital to our growth and successes. Being a charity that supports and promotes mental health means that the team really has to help reduce stigma and discrimination and this is at the forefront of everything that we do and helps us to be genuine and open when promoting this message to the young people that we reach out to to collaborate with us.

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Expanding our projects into Norfolk and Kent was vital to ensure that the Student Life name became well recognised and this geographical expansion and the young people across all 3 counties have helped us to forge relationships with national and international organisations such as Samaritans and Mental Health First Aid England. These relationships really do put Student Life ‘on the map’. Our next stop is Essex and after that we will continue our expansion and London amongst many other areas is in our sights!

In 2022, our projects now include mental health awareness training, film production and expansion into supporting those people classified as NEET (Not in Education

Employment or Training); specifically launching pilot projects working in prisons.

This expansion ensures that we are as inclusive as possible when it comes to offering opportunities to as many people as possible, regardless of their background.

The future looks very bright indeed and if you are thinking about joining our team – in whatever capacity – please contact us straight away. It’s a great time to get involved.

Here’s to the next 5 years and beyond.

Best wishes.

Richard

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Celebrating STUDENT LIFE

BY RACHEL MITCHELL

Celebrating Student Life’s 5th Birthday has given me the perfect opportunity to reflect on the past five years: from where we began, to where we are now.

A huge part of my own involvement with Student Life has been through this publication, all 47 issues of them and this celebration also marks an opportune time to pass on the role of Editor as I move into the role as Director of Fundraising and Communications.

For those who are not familiar with the story, I was approached just over five years ago while in my role as President at the University of Suffolk’s Students’ Union by Richard, who at the time had a publication called Waterfront Life. It was at this point, I learned about the desire to include young people’s views and stories in that publication as the University in particular, formed part of the developing Ipswich waterfront landscape. Of course, this was appealing – it presented students with the opportunity to voice their experiences, create peer to peer content and be published for doing so. Win, win!

So, from a few pages inside Waterfront Life, to our own standalone publication now known as My Life, there has been huge growth over the years. From 12 pages, to 96 pages; from 6 core topic areas to 15; a team of 12 coeditors who shape the publication each issue; to content from 43 educational settings across four counties – this is just really scratching the surface on what’s to come.

Student Life is now far more than solely the publication.

We have expanded our offering with opportunities in filming, business development, events and fundraising, social media, mental health ambassadors and wider mental health projects. In addition, these opportunities are also being rolled out into other settings such as prisons, pupil referral units (PRUs), alternative provisions and primary schools.

To say I’m proud of what has been achieved is an understatement. To say I’m excited for what’s to come is an even bigger understatement.

Watch this space…!

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FIVE FANTASTIC YEARS!

BY KAY SABERTON

Hello and welcome to Issue 47 of My Life!

I hope 2022 has been treating you kindly so far. It certainly has to me, as I am beyond thrilled to announce that I will be stepping into the role of My Life’s magazine editor!

When I first started writing articles for Student Life almost five years ago, I never thought that I would end up as editor of the magazine.

I got involved with the publication when I was a fresh faced nineteen year old studying at the University of Suffolk as an undergraduate, writing articles about starting university and settling into a new place. Then in 2018, I joined the team as a co-editor, eventually creating and adding an Art section to the magazine in 2019 which I have now overseen for three years.

Having been a part of the magazine early on, I feel immense pride that we’ve reached our five year anniversary. Looking back over the last five years, it’s amazing to see how much Student Life has developed and grown. We started out in just a handful of schools, and we are now delivering workshops in and engaging with over fifty intuitions. Student Life has won and continues to be nominated for many accolades, establishing itself in new counties, schools, and organisations all the time. I am proud to be continuing as part of a forward-thinking, mental health aware organisation that puts young people at the heart of everything they do.

I can’t wait to see how much further we can progress in the next five years, working with more young people, businesses, and charities.

I’m delighted to be continuing my journey with Student Life and excited to see where this role will take me and how I can build upon the solid foundation built by Rachel.

Stepping into Rachel’s shoes will certainly be no easy task, but I strive to continue to put out an engaging publication run by you, our young people.

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Kay

OVER THE YEARS’ A birthday celebration wouldn’t be complete without some throwback photos! From taking part in our first strategy meetings to our first publication, we’ve come a long way…

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#challenge100hours www.studentlife.org.uk

W E ARE ASKING O UR Y O U N G P E OP LE , SU PP ORTERS AND T HE WID ER C OM M U N ITY TO P L E D GE 1 HO UR O F F U N D R A IS IN G FOR ST UD E NT LIF E . T HIS C H A LLE N G E AI M S T O RAISE M O NE Y FOR OU R M E NT AL HE ALT H P RO JE C TS TH A T ARE RO LLE D O UT IN S E TTIN G S IN SU FFO LK, KE NT AND N OR FOLK .

IT’S EASY TO MAKE YOUR PLEDGE

ENTERTAINMENT CO-EDITORS FRAN MULVEY & CAMERON LUSTY

AN INTERVIEW WITH

ANNIE SCHERER

PART 4

BY FRAN MULVEY

ANNIE: Mm, that sounds [...] that’s a – that’s an amazing sort of journey that connected to – to the song, which almost sounds like when – so I’m an aspiring writer and the first book that I was very proud of which I’ve – I now have selfpublished as a Kindle book, the journey to the end of that was difficult in a way because there was an idea there that didn’t really come to fruition for a long time and

when something finally clicked then the whole thing flowed, and that’s always a great feeling as I’m – as you’re obviously very aware of because you’ve come out with an album! And that must have – from the sounds of it that took a very long time to compile into what it is now, so, ‘Skyline’ I thought was an interesting song as well and also ‘Phases Grow’, I feel very stupid if I got that second one wrong [she laughs]

19 • E NT E R TA I NM E NT • MY LIFE

FRAN: No, ‘Phases Grow’ that’s it [she laughs] FRAN: Oh, that’s good, phew! [wipes her hand across her brow in relief as Annie laughs again], they are obviously quite different songs but they both sort of spoke to me in a slightly different way to the others that I’ve mentioned, what was ‘Phases Grow’ inspired by?

ANNIE: Yeah so – actually both of those songs kind of do have a similar message to the – at the heart of them, I’m glad you actually listed them together but , ‘Phases Grow’ it’s a personification of anxiety, which – I never really thought of myself as an anxious person I mean I – you know I like to get things done. I’m pretty organised but, I had never really had it in the way that it took over me and not until a couple of years ago it actually did kind of start to overwhelm me and I don’t know I just like didn’t understand why I felt that way and so I wrote ‘Phases Grow’ kind of just as a reminder that it will pass you know like, those feelings are temporary and I need to stop over analysing and overthinking things that are really simple like there’s really no point in it, and it was really bringing me down but I realised you know this is like in my head it’s not real and so that’s why I wrote the song, kind of just to remind myself of that

during one of those times and when I’m experiencing some – something like that I tend to be two things; simultaneously nostalgic of simpler times when I was a kid you know and everything was good and then also kind of wishing that I was so far in the future that what’s overwhelming me now isn’t overwhelming me anymore and so I wrote ‘Skyline’ kind of theoretically as being like “Oh like I want to buy this ticket to the skyline, like to the future to Heaven” but then like towards the end of the song it’s like I kind of realise maybe that’s not what I want I don’t want to rush this and I need to kind of live in that moment kind of how like ‘Phases Grow-Grow’ is you know like these things grow these things are just temporary and that’s what ‘Skyline’ is about and just kind of like acknowledging that even if things are hard now even if I were to fast forward into the future I will probably be faced with even more things you know so it’s kind of like “Okay so I need to not focus on the hard things and just live in the moment” Yeah….

Flip over to the next page for Part 5!

FRAN: And ‘Skyline’?

ANNIE: ‘Skyline’, I think ‘Skyline’ might be my favourite song on the album, it’s definitely the most personal song, there have been I don’t know some difficult situations that I’ve been through in my life, just specifically ones that just kind of like, have left a mark, you know, and kind of shaped me in a way and I wrote ‘Skyline’ 20 • ISSUE 47 • MY LIFE • C E L E B R AT I N G O U R 5 T H B I R T H D AY

GAMING

AN INTERVIEW WITH

ANNIE SCHERER

PART 5

BY FRAN MULVEY

FRAN: That’s beautiful ANNIE: [Laughs] thank you FRAN: ‘Kaleidoscope’ - I think that’s the last song ANNIE: Mhm there’s - I think there’s I think ‘Baby Blue’ and ‘You Know’ - yeah ‘Kaleidoscope’ ‘s the last one sorry I was thinking of what we had gone over yeah ‘Kaleidoscope’ - do you want me to explain that one?

FRAN: What was ‘Kaleidoscope’ about?

ANNIE: [Laughs] well ‘Kaleidoscope’ - it’s funny I wrote ‘Kaleidoscope’ and ‘After Rain’ and ‘Ashamed’ very close together it was like I came out of that writer’s block and I just was like not separating these songs and ‘Kaleidoscope’ it’s kind of also about like a relationship that’s really what it is it’s just about like love and it’s like a connection between visual and a sonic experience – sorry I’m wording this very badly but that really – that is kind of what it is like when I wrote it I kind of just wanted to make this a very beautiful song lyrically which therefore visually and also just instrumentally I just wanted something ethereal [laughs] so yeah I mean, it’s pretty straightforward but I wrote the song on the piano and then for a long, long time I really wanted to compose a string quartet because I love strings so much [laughs] and so I as I was writing this song I thought this would be perfect for that and also I wanted to kind of use my classical piano skills so I composed a little solo towards the end and I composed the intro so altogether I had scored the whole thing and, yeah, really proud of that one and I’m happy with how everything came together FRAN: That’s always a great feeling isn’t it [Annie agrees], when it all just fits together and it’s beautiful ANNIE: Yes

21 • E NT E R TA I NM E NT • MY LIFE

FRAN: So, and the last – what the last song that we’re discussing in the interview is ‘Baby Blue’ is that about a certain person or perhaps the vision of someone but like a fictional someone?

ANNIE: It kind of is fictional I mean I can definitely relate it to people but when I wrote it I actually – what inspired it so I’m a fan of The Velvet Underground and Lou Reid and their song ‘Pale Blue Eyes’ is such a beautiful song and it’s so simple and I wish I had written it so I wrote this song called ‘Baby Blue’ which is like kind of similar but I really like how poetic his lyrics are so I kind of wanted to do the same thing so I, [laughing] I literally wrote this song like “Okay I’m literally rewriting their song but making it totally different” and I think I just wrote this song one night just in my bedroom and my ukulele and yeah I almost didn’t include it on the album either it was originally going to be like an “interlude” – I mean it is technically but I didn’t include that in the title I wanted it

to kind of stand on its own you know as a song not just an interlude but yeah I really just kind of wanted to make a simple poem and really just focus on the lyrics so FRAN: You’ve such lovely stories behind your songs. Before we bring the interview to an end, I thought I’d ask about upcoming projects that you’re kind of able to talk about such like music – music videos, albums and any other projects you’re thinking about undertaking ANNIE: Yeah so I just released the ‘Phases Grow’ music video which I put together I have always loved film editing so I have decided to do that, so I’ve just released that one - I actually do have a video for ‘Take Me Places’ although I haven’t figured out when or how I will share that so that is the next thing probably and I’ve already begun thinking of the next album…

Read the final part of the interview in the next issue!

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Falling in Reverse

“ZOMBIFIED”

MUSIC REVIEW

BY FRAN MULVEY

Platinum selling-American rock band, Falling in Reverse have released their new heavy rock comeback single, “ZOMBIFIED” (the lead single to the band’s upcoming EP, Neon Zombie). The song opens with a retro rock beat then instantly transitions to a heavy riff, before beginning with the first verse. The pre-chorus begins and then builds foundation for the catchy and energetic chorus. The song remains a steady progression of riffs, epic drum solos, and brutal vocals.

Not only do the beats sound strong, but so do the lyrics. The song consists of various metaphors of zombie apocalypse themes whilst also talking about one of the biggest problems with social media…

Cancel Culture. The song criticises cancel culture and uses zombie related metaphors to describe the impact it has on public figures. Lyrics such as, “You better shut your mouth and bite your tongue,” and, “Oh no, they’ll never let

go of something you said 10 years ago,” really show how afraid celebrities can be when speaking on their own opinion. A music video was released the same day which depicts the band and its frontman/ lead vocalist, Ronnie Radke, in a cinematic battle against an army of horrifying zombies. The video offers a large amount of gore, violence, and chaotic action sequences with some amazing CGI effects.

The rock and roll anthem has proved to be a success since its debut only a few days ago, charting at No. 5 on the US Billboard Hard Rock chart, and the music video charting in the Top 20 YouTube Music UK Trending chart.

In conclusion, “ZOMBIFIED” deserves a 5/5!

With a fantastic music visual, extravagant beat, and clever lyrics, Falling in Reverse outdo themselves once again and perhaps recreated the same hype as there was since their 2019 single, “Popular Monster”.

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My Favourite

TV SERIES

BY RACHEL MITCHELL We’re going to be throwing it back slightly old school with these bingeworthy TV series.

Most of these are available to stream and I’ll put where with each review.

I’m a big fan of a feel-good series with comical characters playing out over-dramatised life events. There’s something comforting about being transported to their world for a while and feeling as though you really connect with their characters and stories.

GILMORE GIRLS

THE OFFICE (US) Now I have never been addicted to a series as much as this one and I am pretty thankful that Netflix brought it back (although the gap did force me to buy the boxset from Amazon). For me, the Office UK doesn’t even compare despite attempting to watch it at least twice.

The series is extremely funny and I became invested in the characters lives, [SPOILER] even shamefully crying at Pam and Jim’s wedding (it was a long wait!). There is a character for everyone and I’m sure lots of people can relate to the office dynamics.

AVAILABLE TO WATCH: NETFLIX

GG is an absolute classic and it’s become 1 million times better since Netflix released all 7 seasons. When this was aired on TV, it was on pretty much every day with repeated episodes. It became a ritual upon arriving home from school/college with my sister complete with a little bowl of sliced apple, cheese and raisins.

I’m honestly surprised I didn’t think I was living in Stars Hollow due to completely immersing myself in the programme… imagine how heavenly a morning coffee stop at Luke’s diner before work would be!

I love the chemistry and relationship between Lorelai and Rory and would love a mother-daughter relationship like that in the future. It’s where I was first introduced to Melissa McCarthy as an actress and she is as per usual, absolutely fabulous.

When they created ‘Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life’ I remember taking the day off work with a colleague and completely binging it with jammys and junk food.

AVAILABLE TO WATCH: NETFLIX

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HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER Another firm favourite enjoyed by my sister and I and I’m glad I got to see the last series of this one play out on TV. No matter how disappointed I was with the ending, the series itself was brilliantly put together. Ted’s love life was pretty rotten in luck and I certainly didn’t see it playing out the way it did but don’t worry, I won’t ruin the ending!

HOUSE

This was my next series after the Office and a different kind of vibe than I’m used to.

It took a couple of series for me to really understand it and for the pace to pick up but once I was sucked in, I was hooked. Set in a hospital with Hugh Laurie playing the main character Gregory House, this series explores a number of key issues and themes from medical conditions to addictions which play out both in the hospital setting and in the characters’ personal lives. House has this ability to diagnose a patient based on subtle or controversial insights and as a result tends to clash with his team.

His team does differ quite a bit over the 8 seasons with actors leaving and reappearing throughout but this doesn’t detract from the series. Well worth a watch, especially if you’re not easily grossed out.

Barney was my favourite character in this series and Neil Patrick Harris as an actor is just incredible in every way. Did you know that all his magic tricks during the series were legit as he is a magician himself?

AVAILABLE TO WATCH: DISNEY +

AVAILABLE TO WATCH: AMAZON PRIME

FRIENDS I mean, need I say more? Love love love Friends and always will.

AVAILABLE TO WATCH: NETFLIX

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GAMING

GAMING REVIEW

CO-EDITOR LOUISA SADLER

FIFA 22

Promotion or Relegation?

BY HARRY DERBYSHIRE It’s that time of the year again and EA Sports have released their newest instalment of the FIFA franchise, FIFA 22.

FIFA 21 was the first in the franchise to be on the new generation of gaming consoles and to be honest, it left much to be desired. Has FIFA 22 filled those gaps or is it just the same game under a new name?

For those entirely new to FIFA, it’s a football simulation game produced by EA Sports (a division of Electronic Arts- the producers of video games such as The Sims and Battlefield) and is considered to be the leading global sports game. FIFA has been produced every year without fail dating back to 1993.

Previous criticisms have focused on career mode, with Axel Metz of TechRadar claiming in February 2021, “FIFA 21’s career mode still sucks”. For many years, fans of FIFA had made it clear that they wanted a revamped ‘player career mode’ and wanted to be able to create their own club and lead them to glory. During their videos, FIFA content creators had been asking EA Sports to include such features and they had been continuously ignored. However, after years of constant asking, FIFA have delivered. New for FIFA 22, ‘create-aclub’ allows us to have a real sense of achievement and pride as we can take our own creation to the pinnacle of football by winning the prestigious UEFA Champions League (Europe’s top prize).

27 • G A M I N G • MY LIFE

Long-term fans of the series (such as me, a 16-year-old male gamer – although this game has appeal to all genders) were enthusiastic about the FIFA 22 developments due to the announcements of ‘create-a-club’ and the updated ‘player career mode’ that were made in the months leading up to the release, with one Twitter user claiming that ‘create-a-club’ “might actually be worth the £50 alone”.

Another part of the new game that’s markedly better is goalkeeping in general.

Any player of the previous instalment, FIFA 21, knows all about the questionable goalkeeping. Watching a goal go in that should have been stopped can build up undesirable emotions of anger, frustration and disappointment. No longer do we have to experience these feelings as constantly as we did because the goalkeepers have been ‘re-written’, giving them smoother movements as well as enabling them to save those shots that once upon a time would’ve sailed into the back of the net.

It’s no secret that the most important mode in the game is ‘Ultimate Team’, a mode that divides opinion across the FIFA fanbase. It has a reputation for being a ‘toxic’ mode where you must ‘pay to win’ (spending real money to buy ‘FIFA points’, a currency booster to fast-track your way

to success) and the regular player cannot experience the achievements felt by those pro players. I cannot stress to you enough how untrue this is. You can succeed for free! Upon loading the mode for the first time, I already felt like I had accomplished something through packing myself a high rated player in my starter pack. As soon as I saw those orange flares, it gave a feeling like no other. Building your ‘Ultimate Team’ is as fun as anything. Think back to when, as a kid, you saved football cards (or any other cards) and you managed to build the perfect collection and amassed those cards that you so dearly wanted. Ultimate Team is just an online version of card collecting.

You can pack players to go into your squad and use the transfer market to buy any players you want providing you have the coins (zero-cost currency earned by playing matches or selling your team players).

Contrary to belief of the ‘casual’ fans of the series, Ultimate Team is as fun as ever.

Believe me, whilst playing FIFA 22, you will feel far more positive than you did before you started. Every game mode brings a different adventure, a different challenge to immerse yourself within.

Overall, I seriously recommend you give this game a go. EA have vastly improved from FIFA 21 and have created a very exciting game that leaves you with nothing but positive emotions. This game will give you the desire to go and achieve more, whether it is in another fantasy or virtual gaming world or in your actual real life.

EA have managed to create the best instalment of their FIFA franchise in years and I think you will enjoy it.

My Rating: 4/5

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ART

R U O S ’ T I

CO-EDITORS KAY SABERTON & CHLOE SHAWCROSS

BY KAY SABERTON Hello and welcome to the Art section of Issue 47!

This issue is a special one as it marks Student Life’s 5th birthday which I’m so excited to celebrate with you all. We’ve brought together a fantastic variety of content in the Art section, including a Valentine’s Day story, writing tips, a book review, and an interview. I hope you’ll enjoy the brilliant articles that our contributors have written, and perhaps even take something away from them.

By coincidence, February also marks the Art segment’s 3rd birthday, as three years ago I proposed to the team that we expanded the publication to include an Art section. After discussions about what the section would look like, it first ran in April’s Issue where I announced the new segment and my role as co-editor. It was exciting to dedicate an entire section to Art

and writing, both passions of mine, and I’ve enjoyed running the segment so much that I’ve overseen it for three years.

The Art section started out as a handful of pages, but we now regularly have eight or ten pages as contributors are eager to have their work featured. I am immensely proud of the Art section and its many contributors. The variety of content and voices that have made its way onto the pages in the last three years have been outstanding and a pleasure to read.

I look forward to seeing how the Art section continues to grow and evolve as new co-editors, writers, and contributors get involved. As I move into my new role as editor, the Art segment will always hold a special place in my heart.

Warmest wishes,

Kay

29 • A R T • MY LIFE

A PROPOSAL

BY SOLOMON HOLMES

‘What’s this now?’ said Cara.

She was anxiously fingering a plastic bracelet she’d had since she was thirteen and looking everywhere but Ethan’s eyes.

His face reminded her of a frightened squirrel with his scruffy auburn hair. There was something in the gauntness of his jaw and stubble that looked soft to the touch that made her want to throw acorns at him. Perhaps it, of all things would finally make him happy.

‘Take a guess.’ Ethan half smiled and swooped his fringe back in a movement obviously practised in the bathroom mirror minutes before. He was on his right knee beneath Cara holding a small box up to her like an idol. The people in the university

cafe had all stopped what they were doing to stare, hoping to have a part in this detour from the mundanity of the day.

‘You’re making a scene, Ethan. I’ll have no part in it,’ said Cara.

‘You’ve always had a part in any scene I’ve seen play out,’ Ethan smirked.

‘Yeah, as the director. This does not look like a scene I can control.’ Cara smiled, and held her hand out. ‘Now get up off the floor, you look like a little 19th century pauper boy.’

Ethan was wearing an ill-fitting brown waistcoat with at least two buttons missing, he did indeed look a bit like a parody of a Victorian child.

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There was an audible gasp of disappointment from the other patrons who all looked back to their laptop screens, and continued to tinker, pretending to work. Ethan stood, grasping at Cara’s hand, before wrapping his arms around her in a friendly embrace.

They held each other for a long enough time that the surrounding patrons’ interest was piqued once more.

‘Stare at somebody else, there’s nothing going on here!’ shouted Cara. Her voice – despite being filled with annoyance – still exuded the same warmth it always did, as if even when annoyed she still wished the recipient of her words to have a glorious day.

‘Honestly, Cara, there is something going on,’ murmured Ethan, but with not enough sadness nor conviction for Cara to believe him.

‘Shh, you were not about to do what it looked like you were about to do, so just stop it.’ Her voice became less and less sure as she spoke until it was but a whisper, ‘You always do this, it’s never really a thing.’

‘Please, Cara.’ He placed the palm sized cube into her hand and covered it lovingly with his own. The movement of his hands, the gentle caress of his skin upon hers was infused with a sense of longing and desire that Cara did not think him capable of.

She glanced up at his eyes for the first time. But what she saw was not the Ethan she thought she knew.

This wasn’t the little boy that used to bring her pebbles from the local beach, patterned like constellations, coloured like nebula.

This wasn’t the boy who used to cheer her up when she ended another (extremely) short term relationship with a boy in high school.

This wasn’t the boy who let her sleep in his bed while he slept on the floor, and instead of sleeping, stayed up the whole night to make sure that her panic attacks didn’t come back.

This was a different boy, a boy who no longer saw Cara as a vulnerable bird to be protected and looked after as a sister.

This was a man, whose eyes were filled with a sincere, yet carnal, desire. Cara gulped at the thought.

Ethan had seemingly aged in an instant.

She glanced across his features once more, it became clear that his once squirrelly features were really akin to a fox. Her perception of him had changed to see him for what he truly was, a man. This exchange was not a joke, this was a man putting himself across to a woman.

She was lost for words, lost for a lot of things. She held her bracelet once more, remembering that it was a gift from Ethan all those years ago and clung to it even tighter. There was no way that she would be able to look at him the same way again.

She opened the box.

It was empty.

She looked at his face once more which now had upon it a beaming smile, that extended into a roaring laugh.

She slapped him hard across the face and stormed out, immensely grateful, and somewhat disappointed, that nothing had changed.

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A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO

MANGA

BY ROSIE WEDGE

Over the past year or two, being unable to leave the house for large periods of time, and with my social life down the drain, I finally started exploring the world of manga.

I’ve been an avid reader my whole life, but it’s only in recent years that stories told through art became of interest to me. I used to find manga intimidating, as it is its whole own art form, and I had no clue where to start. However, after two years of navigating my way around, I finally feel as though I have read enough to share some recommendations for where to begin with manga!

THE CLASSIC MUST READS The obvious place to start is with the highly popular, “everyone should read this” manga.

I became obsessed with One Piece, the bestselling manga series of all time, and think it’s a great place to start if you’re looking for a really big series to just jump into and binge.

The anime adaptation is also brilliant, and so it’s a really good place to start if you want an anime to watch alongside your reading.

The series follows Monkey D. Luffy and his adventures as he deigns to become King of the Pirates and sail the seas searching for the infamous One Piece treasure.

However, if you want to start off with something smaller than the whopping 101 volumes (at this moment) of One Piece,

then I would recommend another highly popular series such as Death Note. This was the first manga I ever read, and I flew through the series in no time.

It’s a brilliant story with a morally grey protagonist, Light, who one day finds a notebook in which he can write the name of anyone, and decide when and how they will die. Together, he works with Ryuk, the Shinigami God of Death that owns the notebook, to rid the world of evil, until the enigmatic detective L is on his case, and Light soon begins to use his newfound power for less heroic reasons.

OTHER MENTIONS: NARUTO, FULL METAL ALCHEMIST, DRAGON BALL Z

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PICTURE BY ROSIE WEDGE

THE FEEL GOOD READS

Horror is one of the most successful genres within manga, and with good reason. It’s one thing to read a creepy piece of fiction, but to see it illustrated in front of you is a whole other experience.

If you want some lighter horror, I’d suggest Parasite or Tokyo Ghoul, both of which follow protagonists whose bodies begin to change in horrifying ways (whether it be a hand that grows eyes and talks, or a newfound craving for human flesh!), and how they begin to navigate their lives. However, I can’t mention horror manga and not mention the work of Junji Ito, the King of horror manga. My favourite of his, and a recommendation of where to start would be Uzumaki, a bizarre story of a town that becomes contaminated with spirals. It’s one of the weirdest, creepiest stories I’ve ever read, and the artwork genuinely made my skin crawl.

On the total flip side of horror – cute, wholesome, friendship and romance mangas are another one of the most successful genres, and one that I read so much from over the summer. My all-time favourite manga falls into this category: I Hear the Sunspot. The series follows two boys, Kohei and Taichi, who are more than friends, not quite lovers, who meet when Taichi offers to be a note taker for Kohei, who is hard of hearing. This book not only has beautiful deaf and LBGTQ+ representation, but amazing friendships in it too. Similarly, I can’t mention feel good reads and not mention Orange. I would recommend looking at trigger warnings, as this series does deal with mental health, however it is the epitome of friendship goals. A group of high schoolers receive letters from their future selves, telling them one member of the group, Kakeru, is no longer with them, and they must follow the instructions to save him.

It’s such a beautiful story, and the anime adaptation is also wonderfully done!

OTHER MENTIONS: GYO, ¬¬¬¬¬¬BLOOD ON THE TRACKS, THE DRIFTING CLASSROOM, GANTZ

OTHER MENTIONS: A SILENT VOICE, BLUE FLAG, FRUITS BASKET

THE HORRORS

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TOP TIPS FOR A TIP TOP SHORT STORY

BY SARAH CLARK

Are you stuck at the procrastination stage of writing that amazing short story you’ve got swirling around in your head? Well, I’m here to tell you that the only way to get it written is to simply start. But perhaps like all of us creative types, you find getting started the hardest part?

Here’s a few tips I use to get myself into writer mode when the temptation of ‘just one more cup of coffee before I start’ takes over.

1. SET A DEADLINE It doesn’t matter when it is in relation to the official deadline (if you have one), although leaving it too late probably won’t do anything for your stress levels or creativity. Write your deadline in your diary, put it in your calendar and save it on your phone, whatever it takes make it non-negotiable. I often find that self-bribery helps me get started.

I tell myself that when I get 500 words of a first draft done, I can order in a Starbucks Caramel Macchiato and a cake.

2. BULLET IT OUT With a short story, you must be concise and make sure that you don’t overwrite or go over the word count if you’re given one. The best way to keep your story tight is by plotting out the main action/plot points and work out where they will fit within your word count. So, if you have a story that needs to cover three action points, and you have 500 words to do it, you could decide that you need to cover the first one in the first 150 words, then the second for 200, and finish off with around 150 for the last chunk. Of course, it doesn’t need to be set in stone, but it can help to focus your mind and give you a bit of structure to work with.

3. REMEMBER, YOU’RE NOT WRITING A NOVEL The time and words you might have spent setting up a complicated and very necessary back story for your character isn’t available in a short story, so you need to get right to the point, and the action, as quickly as possible.

A short story still has elements in common with a novel; the inciting incident, rising action, climax, and falling action, but keeping that in mind, you need to cut your story to its barest bones, chop out any unnecessary detail and resolve problems fast. Don’t waste your words on anything that doesn’t need to be there.

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6. USE DIALOGUE TO PUSH THE STORY FORWARD Good dialogue will bring your story and its characters to life much more efficiently than a complicated backstory or too much scene-setting. Set up some action, and then build your drama with realistic dialogue. One tip with dialogue is that if you read your character’s words aloud and they feel odd, they probably won’t work for your readers either.

7. EDIT, EDIT, EDIT! 4. DON’T HAVE TOO MANY CHARACTERS You simply won’t have time to develop them, and without the luxury of a novel’s word count, it will be much harder to keep track of new people you introduce.

Some writers say that a short story needs a maximum of three characters - your protagonist, antagonist and potentially one other character - someone who can be brought in to develop the character arc of one of them. There’s no need for all three though, you can just as easily build a story with one character.

Once you think you’re done, start again.

Make every sentence count by ruthlessly cutting out any extra detail and getting straight into the story. Cut unnecessary adverbs or adjectives, check for repeated words, and remember to show rather than tell. And get someone else to read it over before you submit it - this avoids the horrible moment when you notice the repeated ‘and’ just after you press ‘send’.

5. DON’T FORGET THE CONFLICT! Just as with a longer story, a short story needs to have a conflict - but don’t go overboard, just the one conflict should be quite enough. You can set up a dilemma to resolve, or a decision to be made. You could even build the whole story around an unexpected event or revelation, but the tension needs to be built up around this conflict to make sure that readers are drawn in from the start, and rooting for your protagonist to solve their problem, make their decision, or find out what they need to know.

SARAH CLARK SNAP 2021 Prize Runner Up for her story ‘Aelfthryth’, which can be read in Suffolk Folk: An Anthology of East Anglian Tales for the 21st Century (2021)

35 • A R T • MY LIFE

BOOK REVIEW BY KAY SABERTON

MRS. CALIBAN

BY RACHEL INGALLS To mark Student Life’s fifth anniversary, I’ve decided to submit my own book review like old times back when I was a bright-eyed student writer. This time I’ve decided to review a somewhat undiscovered gem of a novella, Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls.

Originally published in 1982, Mrs. Caliban follows a lonely housewife who finds companionship with an amphibious sea creature named Larry, our Caliban inspired character from Shakespeare’s The Tempest – a big favourite of mine from school. A beautiful new edition was recently published by Faber, marking

the book’s fortieth anniversary, so it felt right to review it for our magazine’s own anniversary.

Coming in at 111 pages long, the story subverts our expectations from the start as Dorothy is going about her monotonous day-to-day life when we are introduced quite matter-of-factly to Larry, a 6’7 aquatic creature who is on the run from a lab.

We quickly learn what has happened to him, the experiments, abuse, and mistreatment by scientists and doctors, and instantly sympathise with his plight.

It’s clear that Dorothy’s marriage is falling apart after having lost her son years prior,

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which, accompanied by her knowledge of her husband’s affair, leads her to take the creature in when he turns up in her kitchen. Dorothy and the creature soon become lovers, finding companionship and friendship with each other that she hasn’t felt in years with her husband Fred.

Dorothy begins teaching Larry about the world, making him gigantic salads and feeding him avocados, but winds up learning an awful lot of things about herself along the way. Larry is constantly questioning and examining the world around him which leads Dorothy to question her own beliefs and societal structures in place around her. The couple start sneaking out to the beach and gardens, taking more and more risks until Larry does something that gets serious media coverage and diverts their plans to return him to his own kind (the ending – you’re not ready!!!)

The writing is exemplary, especially the final line that gave me serious The Great Gatsby vibes: ‘The water ran over the sand, one wave covering another like the knitting of threads, like the begetting of revenges, betrayals, memories, regrets.’ The novella also delves into topics that remain relevant today: gender politics, mental health, female sexual freedom and agency, as well as examining what it means to be human.

Ingalls achieves this in such subtle ways which adds an extra layer of subtext and flesh to the characters that makes them believable. It definitely reminded me of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (how could it not) with its themes of monstrosity and what it means to be human, alongside the nurture vs nature dichotomy. I have also read that the novella inspired/has links to the movie The Shape of Water (2017) which I have yet to watch but will now be adding to my ever-growing pile of to be watched.

Ah, the ending – so good! The last twenty or so pages kept me reading into the night to find out what happened. I won’t go into details, because of spoilers, but if you do read it, you’ll understand the mixed emotions it evoked from me. The themes, issues, and experiences that Ingalls portrays remain relevant today, making it a novella that will transcend time possibly forever: we all experience loss, pain, and love while also tackling mental ill-health, friendship and marital issues.

This is definitely going to be one of those books that I will think about for a long time after finishing it and return to many times in the years to come. I urge you to grab a library copy today and delve into the wonderful mind of Rachel Ingalls.

“You know, it’s wonderful to see another world. It’s entirely unlike anything that has ever come to your thoughts. And everything in it fits.

You couldn’t have dreamed it up yourself, but somehow it all seems to work, and each tiny part is related. Everything except me.”

– Rachel Ingalls, Mrs. Caliban 37 • A R T • MY LIFE

PHOTOGRAPHY Q&A

Where are your favourite locations for photoshoots?

As a Bury St Edmunds based photographer, I’ve done photoshoots in places like the Abbey Gardens, Nowton Park and various other public places around Bury. However, most of my creative portraits are shot in my home studio. I gave myself a lockdown project to do up the summer house in my garden and turn it into a creative space where I can set up backdrops, lighting and other photography equipment. I am so happy to have a place at home that gives me the freedom to shoot concepts whenever I want.

What do you see your future in photography looking like?

It would be my dream to shoot for big magazines like Vogue and Elle. I’d love to shoot for fashion companies too. Working with other creatives like myself to style and organise shoots would be amazing! I love creating art with people and bringing their ideas to life.

WITH ELLIE SHARP

PA R T T W O

Any tips for aspiring photographers?

If you’re happy doing what you’re doing, nobody can tell you you’re not successful.

There are so many people in the creative industry here to support you on your journey. I am always happy to give advice to aspiring photographers.

How did you feel about your “online isn’t real” post going viral?

I was surprised that this post did so well, especially as it’s not my chosen niche.

It was the first time I’d attempted still life storytelling photography and I’m so happy I created it. I’m glad that my message has reached thousands of people, hopefully it has inspired people to change their attitude towards the media.

Instagram: @elliee.photoss Website: www.elliesharp photography.myportfolio.com

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FASHION CO-EDITOR ELISE DIXON

CHARITY SHOP TREASURES ANONYMOUS Charity shops are wonderful! They are full of some great clothing, accessories, and bags… all for much cheaper as well! I have found some of my favourite items from charity shops and always in great condition as well as lasting longer than some clothes that I have been bought from new. One of my favourite items is a black skirt that I got for around £2 and was in great condition when I first bought it. Even more so it looked like it was brand new and never worn before. I have found 95% of my handbags from charity shops as well. Not to mention accessories like belts too! You can find clothing of different styles which can allow people to experiment a bit more as items second hand are cheaper.

Shopping from charity shops has so many benefits from the first benefit being that all money that is earned, percentages of it will be donated to charity and is secondly much more sustainable. I try to be more sustainable in small activities such as always trying to separate recycling and other rubbish and trying to mainly shop for clothing items second hand online or from charity shops. I feel that the fashion industry can do a lot to help climate change as clothing produces a lot of waste that could be reduced if old clothes were recycled into new garments and people buying clothes second hand rather than brand new.

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EXPRESSION OF THE SOUL

BY ELISE DIXON

I believe fashion is an expression of the soul as it allows inner creativity to be shown on the outside. I feel it can be really important to express yourself through clothing as when you feel you look good, your confidence can grow massively.

When people feel confident in themselves it can encourage people to do activities they may not usually do. Such as being more confident with talking in class and meeting new people. It can also make some people feel more productive if they feel they look good. Personally, I feel I am more productive and motivated to complete tasks if I feel I look good. As if I don’t feel confident it can almost distract me from tasks and everyday activities as it can sometimes be distressing. Whilst it could be seen as superficial to focus on appearance, for many people the importance of appearance is mainly on

themselves. With many people not leaving the house unless they are fully dressed up or spending forever to decide on what they’ll wear.

Though it can also be expensive to buy clothes of a fashion style, such as a more gothic style with chains, and distressed clothing. Even more so, the vintage style that’s been taking the younger generations by storm with the rise of climate change, can also be expensive due to some items being rare. There are advantages and disadvantages to expressing yourself in the way you wish. It can be expensive to have a wardrobe that reflects your personality, it may be hard to find clothing you like and fits, or you may like all styles and like a blend of many. Regardless if you are expressing yourself in a way that makes you feel comfortable and confident then that’s all that matters!

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BEAUTY

SUPPORTED BY

CO-EDITOR LIBBY DAWSON

WHAT I GOT FOR CHRISTMAS

BY LIBBY DAWSON

Christmas has been and gone, the New Year has already taken off and now is the best time to start afresh! I’ve set myself many resolutions for 2022 and a few of them include the gifts I was lucky enough to receive this Christmas, so I thought I’d share a few of them with you!

This year I really want to be better at cleansing my skin because I am USELESS when it comes to skincare. I use the first moisturiser I can get my hands on when my skin is feeling dry, and I rely on Primark’s Cucumber Cleansing Wipes to clean my skin and remove make up…

Not that there is anything wrong with this method but I think my future self would appreciate a bit more TLC when it comes to giving my skin what it needs.

I received the CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser for normal to dry skin and I love it! “It cleanses and hydrates without disrupting the protective skin barrier of the face and body. It’s also fragrance free.” It’s super easy to use, lathers really well and it doesn’t leave my skin feeling dry. I’m definitely using it as part of my everyday routine now which is great.

A new moisturiser that I received (one I’ve wanted for a while now) is the La Roche-Posay 72 Hour Hydration Intense Moisturiser which aims to “hydrate, replump and radiate skin”. It’s a super light moisturiser and feels really nice on the skin!

Running with the same theme, I also received the Liz Earle Multipurpose Beauty Balm which I’ve really enjoyed using. It’s made with “fruit oil, shea butter and sweet almond oil and aims to nourish parched skin”. I use this on my dry spots on my face and on my lips, but it can be used anywhere on your body. It works super well, it’s not sticky and it smells delicious!

41 • BE A UT Y • MY LIFE

My favourite face scrub is the Soap and Glory Scrub Of Your Life so I was very thankful to receive this in my stocking. But I was also lucky enough to receive the bigger version too so that I can start exfoliating my skin (something I am currently terrible at and want to be better at doing)!

Now for some make up bits! I wish I was the girl who loved make up and loved getting ready every day, but I am incredibly lazy! I love beauty products and trying new things but they’re not things that I’d usually buy for myself, so it’s always nice to receive some new bits over Christmas. This year I really want to experiment with new products and make more of an effort with my make up.

I was gifted a new make up palette which I was really happy about because I’ve been using the same one for ages now! It’s the Nude Matte 9 Colour Palette from Beauty Bay and I LOVE it! I travel a lot, (especially short little trips between the UK and Spain), so this is the perfect size!

Also, if I could have a palette made just for me, it would be this one. It’s full of neutral, warm, matte shades, and I know that I said I wanted to experiment, but it’s all I wear!

The last product I’ll mention is the Revolution Shimmer Bomb Lip Gloss in the shade Light Beam.

I’m such a plain nude gloss kinda girl but this is soooo pretty and adds a nice shimmer to either your natural lip or over the top of another colour.

This gloss is known to be a dupe for the Fenty Gloss Bomb and it is a fraction of the price! It’s not sticky and is full of vitamin E so it leaves your lips feeling well hydrated as well as looking cute!

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SOCIAL MEDIA

BY NADINE MAT THEWS

How face filters morphe our perceptions of beauty.

vs REALITY

We currently live in a world where our lives revolve around our phones so it comes as no surprise to find out that quite a few mental health problems stem from social media. In today’s society it is normalised for a young girl or boy to scroll through Instagram or TikTok etc. and to compare themselves to anybody they see.

This “anybody” could be someone who has altered their looks to appear more attractive to their audience.

One example of how social media has impacted our idea of beauty is the frequent use of Instagram and Snapchat filters.

People have been known to use these filters as a fun or silly thing (that’s how they started…) where you can send or take funny pictures with your friends. However, as time has gone on, there are more and more filters and anybody can make them.

A lot of them are known to change your face by giving you a smoother skin tone for example, and therefore make you more “conventionally attractive” to your followers. What people don’t realise is that by using these digital tweaks (perhaps whitening your teeth or slimming your nose), this can form an unattainable standard of beauty which often harms teenagers’ self esteem because they don’t feel ‘pretty’ enough without a filter.

4 3 • BE A UT Y • MY LIFE

Another example that can promote these versions of beauty is the app, FaceTune which is incredibly common. FaceTune is an app anybody can use to distort an image of yourself in anyway you like. For example, if I wanted my waist to look smaller or my lips to be bigger I could do that. I can whiten my teeth, slim my face and even change the colour of my skin.

In my opinion, this is a very big problem within the social media of today.

As I mentioned earlier, younger generations (such as myself) are continuing to compare our bodies or faces to these unrealistic beauty standards. It can make us look in the mirror for hours wondering why we can’t look like that and it can sometimes lead to the extent of eating disorders; all of this, just so we can look like someone or something that isn’t even real.

It is a sad truth to realise that the younger generation are growing up only feeling good about themselves by relying on a filter to help them achieve what they believe to be a more appealing version of themselves.

It’s not to say that people can’t have fun with face filters and use different apps to adjust features in order to improve their self confidence, but for me, it’s about being transparent with people and making sure that people aren’t striving for an unattainable version of reality.

4 4 • ISSUE 47 4 •4 MY • I SSUE LIFE • 43C• E L ESBTUDENT R AT I N G LIFE O U R 5 T H B I R T H D AY

TRAVEL CO-EDITOR ELISE DIXON

How to Deal with Being Homesick

WHEN AWAY FROM HOME

BY ELISE DIXON

This can include;

Homesickness can be explained as distress caused whilst being away from the home.

Being homesick is common and many people can be affected by being homesick and have feelings of anxiety and sadness if they are abroad or on school trips.

In personal experiences of being homesick, it can either last for the first day or even throughout the whole week, however through doing little things you can prevent the negative feelings.

Calling family members every evening Calling friends to talk about events happening at school/university to keep a sense of being at home and also keeps you updated Facetiming your family to see pets!

To prevent being homesick, take some familiar items with you such as maybe a photo, your own pillow, and books.

Doing these things whilst obvious to some, are really important to help make someone feel better.

A person may only be an hour away from home or even in a different country, the feelings of being homesick can still be equally distressing. So the next time you’re away, hopefully you take some of these tips and use them on your own trip or be able to help another person!

45 • T R AVE L • MY LIFE

HOW SOON WILL YOU TRAVEL ABROAD AFTER THE PANDEMIC? ANONYMOUS I used to travel quite frequently before the pandemic due to competing for my sport. Though the last time I travelled was in January 2020, which was over two years ago.

Whilst the pandemic has not gone away yet and cases are still high, the world is in a much better situation than we were last year. This is in regard to most people having both doses and the booster of the vaccine and less hospitalisations. Later this year if I am able to travel safely, I would love to travel abroad.

Whereas last year my opinion was very different with not even the smallest thought of travelling abroad let alone going on holiday in a different county. The country and world were still largely in a position where people were still in danger of becoming severely ill and even dying.

In attempts to look after my own family and others, sacrifices have to be made in which many of my sporting competitions were cancelled and decisions to not travel abroad again at the start of this month in 2022. Though maybe in the second half of this year, travelling abroad will be safer and allowed.

Do you have any travel plans this year?

Let us know by emailing elise@studentlife.org.uk

4 6 • ISSUE 474 • MY LIFE L E BSRTUDENT AT I N G OLIFE U R 5 T H B I R T H D AY 6 • MY P LA• NECT E•

MY PLANET CO-EDITOR LIBBY DAWSON

WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE WORLD?

BY FEBA SEBASTIAN The world is a very busy place, and it’s hard to stay on top of everything.

So here are a few events which took place over the last month...

PERFECTLY PRESERVED DINOSAUR EMBRYO FOUND: On Wednesday, December 22nd, China announced that they found a perfectly preserved dinosaur embryo.

They described that it almost looks like a chicken. They named the dinosaur Baby Yingliang. The discovery has shown scientists the connection between birds and dinosaurs. They believe that there is some evolution and relation between the two.

SPACECRAFT FLIES NEAR SUN: On Wednesday, December 15th, an analysis of the data collected by NASA in April confirmed that a spacecraft has flown through the outer atmosphere of the Sun. Parker is the name of the craft.

The craft had to withstand intense heat but was able to collect more information about the Sun. The Parker Solar Probe was launched three years ago.

47 M •YMPYLAPNE LA N MY LIFELIFE 47 • T E•T • S TUDENT

INSTAGRAM ANNOUNCES CHANGES: On Wednesday, December 8th, Instagram announced new changes. The changes are to remind teens to take a break and allow parents to monitor the time spent on the app. The app will also allow parents to set time limits on the app for their teens. Recently, studies show that teens feel more anxious due to Instagram.

BIG POLITICAL MOVES AS 2021 COMES TO A CLOSE: On Wednesday, December 15th, New York City announced its first female police chief. Keechant Sewell has been on the force for 23 years and will be the first female leader the state has seen in its 176 year history.

On Thursday, December 16th, President Biden announced that the former Olympic skater Michelle Kwan will be the new ambassador to Belize. Also, announced that Caroline Kennedy will be the ambassador to Australia. Kennedy was the ambassador for Japan during the Obama Administration.

EFFECTS OF EXTREME WEATHER: On Tuesday, December 14th, a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia. People on nearby towns were seen running and seeking refuge on higher grounds.

On Friday, December 17th, an overnight flash flood in Iraq killed at least 12 people.

Several people have also been reported missing.

On Saturday, December 18th, Typhoon Rai officially made landfall in the Philippines. Over 30 people were swept away by the storm. Only 4 deaths have actually been confirmed as rescue missions continue. On Monday, December 20th, the death toll rose to 208 people.

48 • ISSUE 4748 •• MY LIFE L E BSRTUDENT AT I N G OLIFE U R 5 T H B I R T H D AY MY P LA• N ECT E•

OUR PLANET Photo Album

BY LIBBY DAWSON

If you’re following this series, you’ll know that we started a new Our Planet Photo Album series, featuring your photos of our gorgeous planet, nature and animals.

It’s important to be reminded of the many natural beauties that surround us so if you think you’ve got any images that you’d like to be featured in our new series, please email them to me: libby@studentlife.org.uk

ough, Knaresbord n la g En

St Albans, England

North Yorkshire, England

Newcastle, England

rth Bainbridge, No and gl En , ire sh rk Yo

Aldeburgh,

•Y M Y PNLA E T S•TUDENT MY LIFELIFE 49 49 • M P LA E TN•

Suffolk

VEGANUARY 2022 Veganuary is a non profit organisation that encourages people all over the world to eat a plant based diet for the month of January, and hopefully beyond.

Over the years, Veganuary has got bigger and bigger and bigger, and now, Veganism is on the rise more than ever! If you’ve been to the supermarkets recently, you will know that it is SO easy to find the foods that you already know and love, but without the meat and dairy content; there is so much choice.

Personally, I can’t find a reason not to eat something that’s tasty, (sometimes) healthier and better for the environment!

Veganuary 2021 was the year that I decided to fully commit to veganism.

Prior to that, my diet was mostly plant-based as I didn’t eat meat, fish or many dairy products. Roughly, I’d say 93% of the time I ate this way, but the remaining 7% was when I had the odd bit of Dairy Milk, slice of carrot cake or some cheese. January 2021 changed all of that and I have been going strong ever since. I’ve been excited for Veganuary 2022 this year because I love the excitement of other people signing up for the challenge, and I also love all of the businesses getting involved too; and of course this is the time when FINALLY all of the vegan products are highly discounted so I get to save some coin!

BY LIBBY DAWSON

Here are some of my top tips!

Like with most vegan alternatives… if you don’t like it, try something else, because they’re not all the same and they all taste different. I promise!

Check the labels! It’s a bit challenging at first but you do get used to it. After a while, you begin to familiarise yourself with certain products, however, the one thing that I slipped up on a few times was milk powder – it’s in everything so watch out!

Shop around! Every supermarket offers different products (some better than others) with different price points. Last year, Tesco slashed the prices of their plant based range in order to drive a more sustainable approach which is AMAZING, so there is a good place to start.

Follow inspiration accounts on Instagram to get some ideas, or better yet, create one!

It really helps to find people on the same journey as you.

Enjoy it! Enjoy trying new things and don’t beat yourself up about your choices or your mistakes. If you eat a plant based diet 100% of the time that’s amazing, but if you eat vegan twice a week or four of your meals out of the month… that’s still amazing! And don’t worry about going from 0-100 in the beginning; start by changing your cow’s milk to oat milk, then introduce your dairy free butter and meat free sausages. Every single change, big or small is a good one!

If you’re taking part in Veganuary this year, I’d love to hear about your experience.

Please email me: libby@studentlife.org.uk

50 • ISSUE 4750 •• MY LIFE L E BSRTUDENT AT I N G OLIFE U R 5 T H B I R T H D AY MY P LA• N ECT E•

SEXUAL HEALTH CO-EDITOR RACHEL MITCHELL

IT STARTS IT STARTS WITHWITH ME. ME.

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IT STARTS WITH ME.

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CONTACT: sexualhealthsuffolk@th ts.eoxru ga .ulh kealthsuffolk CONTACT: sexualhealthsuffolk@tht.org.uk

FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN FINDSTOP OUTHIV HOW AT:YOU CAN ST FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN STOP HIV AT:

StartsWithMe.org S.tuakrtsWithMe StartsWithMe.org.uk

51 • SE XUA L H E A LT H • MY LIFE

UNDER 25?

NEED CONFIDENTIAL ADVICE ABOUT SEX AND RELATIONSHIPS? Brook can help with that

brook.org.uk 52 • ISSUE 47 • MY LIFE • C E L E B R AT I N G O U R 5 T H B I R T H D AY

APP REVIEW

BY EMILY SAILSBURY

MENTAL HEALTH CO-EDITOR GLORIA DARGATZ

Name of App

Worry Tree

What device do you have?

iPhone

Had you heard of the app before?

Yes

Cost to download?

Free

In app purchases?

You can upgrade to Worry Tree Plus, but the app works well without.

What is the app designed for?

To help the user have somewhere where they can regularly write down their worries while at the same time helping them take back the control. It helps the user challenge and change their negative thoughts through cognitive behavioural techniques (CBT)

Who are the target users?

Young people and adults who are struggling with handling their worryies/thoughts.

How easy is the app to use?

I found the app very easy to use

What features are there within the app? E.g. are there videos, space for notes, games?

Along each step of the way that the app walks you through, it allows the user to make notes on how they are going to challenge or put the thought to one side.

If you felt you needed to, would you use it?

Yes, because it walks you through the process each time step by step.

Rating out of 5 stars?

Additional Comments:

When setting up it has an option of creating a securaty pin so when someone opens the app they can’t see what you have imputted. This made me feel more secure and comfortable writing my worries in the app. But, when I forgot my pin I had to delete the app and so lost all my previous notes.

53 • M E N TA L H E A LT H • MY LIFE

AND PAN INTERCULTURAL ARTS BY 4YP 4YP (Suffolk Young People’s Health Project) have recently had the pleasure of working with Zephryn Taitte and Emmanuel Alisigwe from Pan Intercultrual Arts. The Pan’s trained and experienced facilitators used forum theatre to engage vulnerable and marginalised young people in Ipswich.

Young people were welcomed into 4YP to develop new skills, build confidence and have fun. The workshop provided lots of energy and laughter whilst learning about the process of acting. One young person who is studying Level 2 Performing Arts at Suffolk New College said “it has been the most amazing experience ever and I have made new friends”.

Sessions continue from Jan 11th between 5-7pm until the end of March. We still have spaces for anyone aged between 12-25.

Please contact enquiries@syphp.org.uk for more information.

IF THIS ARTICLE HAS BROUGHT UP ANY EMOTIONS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS, PLEASE REFER TO OUR CONTACT LIST AT THE END OF THIS SECTION

GIRLS GROUP

Tuesday Nights 5:30 – 7:30pm 14 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AP

At our 4YP building which is based in the Lower Brook Street in Ipswich Town Centre, every Tuesday evening a group of young women meet with Youth Workers at the Project to discuss latest trends and to gain personal support which helps to boost their selfesteem and confidence. Many of the young women come into the project not knowing anyone and they always leave with a smile and a new friend.

Want to hear more from the young people that attend? Below I have asked them some questions for you as a reader to get a proper feel for the place.

What made you want to join the 4YPs Girls Group?

To meet new people that aren’t work colleagues or family.

To make new friends a similar age to me.

I wanted a safe space that wasn’t home.

I needed the extra support.

I came to support a friend, but since coming I’ve found it extremely beneficial for my own wellbeing.

What is one thing that has surprised you since joining the 4YPs Girls Group?

H ow welcoming the staff are, we are always greeted with a smile. ow laid back it is but still informal at H the same time.

The wide range of support they offer.

If you could say one thing if someone was on the fence about joining, what would it be?

T he staff always provide free healthy snacks, which is important for my wellbeing.

I t’s a nice atmosphere and has good people to be around.

I t’s a good way to make friends, that you wouldn’t usually meet.

What is your favourite thing about the 4Yps Girls Group?

Playing Uno with new friends.

H ealthy snack options that I wouldn’t usually have.

I t’s a nice safe space, it’s trustworthy.

G ets me out of the cold.

Here are some useful quotes from our Young Women about our Girls Group: “I’ve made a really good friend since joining the girls’ group and it’s increased my social skills.”

“I’ve become more confident, and I’ve made new friends which means that I have been socialising more and going to new places.”

“It’s a relaxing atmosphere that provides a safe space for young women.”

“It helps my anxiety to help me get out of the house, to see real people rather than virtual ones.”

“It’s given me a chance to support a friend that I care about.”

Are you a Young Person aged between 1215 and would like to see more of what the Youth Team are up to? Follow our brand new Instagram called: 4yp_hangout.

55 • M E N TA L H E A LT H • MY LIFE

The (Metaphorical)

BREAKDOWN

BY HOLLY BENNET T

My name is Holly, and my life is perfect.

I have an adoring partner, a supportive family, beautiful friends, a great job, and, most days, I don’t think I look too bad.

My depression doesn’t agree.

My depression thinks I won’t be able to maintain my relationships.

My depression thinks I’m a failure and will amount to nothing. My depression hates my reflection.

I’m telling you this, because I want you to understand. I’m telling you this, because I want you to know you’re not alone. I’m telling you this because I need to get it off my chest.

I want to throw my thoughts and feelings into the universe to help myself, but I also want to help you.

Maybe something will stick, resonate.

Maybe something will be unfamiliar.

I want to educate.

I want you to know I feel these things too.

I want you accompany me on a journey that I will persevere on, and I’m not going to let depression steer the way.

DAD I can’t really start this diary without including the small detail that my Dad killed himself.

As an outsider I’m sure it seems pretty linear that I was diagnosed with depression, considering.

My Dad was my first love. He taught me how to be compassionate to other people. How to laugh about terrible things, because, otherwise, we cry.

That’s why I don’t take myself too seriously when I talk about “The Event”.

I don’t know if my brain won’t allow me to talk about my Dad’s death sincerely, but 99% of the time I genuinely struggle to.

It makes some people uncomfortable.

Luckily most of my friends understand that

IF THIS ARTICLE HAS BROUGHT UP ANY EMOTIONS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS, PLEASE REFER TO OUR CONTACT LIST AT THE END OF THIS SECTION

I can’t talk about “The Event” with a straight face.

I don’t find anything about my Dad’s demise amusing. Quite the opposite.

I think suicide is one of the most heartbreaking and confusing things that can happen to someone.

But humour is how I cope. And it’s down to him, actually, and I will be endlessly thankful for that.

Today I have had a shower.

I also intend to do my makeup and put some clothes on. That makes this an amazing Day One. I need to treasure and appreciate the little things I do for myself today, that way, tomorrow can be Day Two if I want it to be.

Live every day as it comes. I promise there will be a tomorrow where we can fix it.

As a Doctor he had to witness the rawest human emotions on a daily basis, and he dealt with that through humour. He then passed this on to me and my sister, as he knew we would need to use this technique one day.

THE AFTERMATH

I don’t believe my Dad “caused” my depression. I think the mind is much more complicated than that.

The assumption would be that, after an episode, everything just goes back to normal. But I’m still putting the puzzle pieces back together.

It also doesn’t matter.

I have depression.

I hope this diary can give you a little peek through the keyhole into my life and struggles with depression. We can hold hands and travel through this shitty journey together.

DAY ONE I’ve decided to make this my Day One. Every day after today might he my Day One too, but today I am starting afresh, because I can.

Today feels better than some of the others, more of a six out of ten rather than a two.

That’s why it’s a good Day One. I’ve had quite a few Day Ones before, and that’s okay. Nothing is unfixable. So today is new for me.

A strenuous aspect of a depressive episode is The Aftermath.

This is the part where I have to put all the pieces of my life back together again.

I can’t just ”go back to work”. There are exhausting and anxiety inducing procedures.

Will the company still want me?

Do they think I’m incapable?

Even seeing friends again. I can’t just deep-dive back into social situations.

Do my friends think I’m flaky?

Do they want me around if I’m anxious or depressed?

I think this is an aspect of depression that gets missed quite a lot. I think this is because you’re considered “well” again.

When you’re ill, you need to be eased back into your normal lifestyle.

Depression is no different – it’s normal not to be normal right away.

57 • I SSUE 47 • MY LIFE

Support for survivors of childhood sexual abuse

07765 052282

survivorsintransition.co.uk

Arts in mental health and wellbeing

insideout community.com

For confidential suicide prevention advice contact

0800 068 4141 papyrus-uk.org

Advice, guidance and practical support

01473 252607 4yp.org.uk

The mental health charity offering support and guidance

0300 111 6000 mind.org.uk

depressionuk.org Run by people with experience of living with anxiety and stress

03444 775 774 anxietyuk.org.uk

We’ve got lots of advice about looking after yourself

0800 1111

childline.org.uk

Improving teenage mental health by stemming commonly occurring MH issues at an early stage

www.stem4.org.uk Whether you’re stressed, anxious, low or depressed, we can help

0300 123 1503

wellbeingnands.co.uk Advice for those affected by low mood, depression and suicidal thinking.

studentsagainst depression.org Support people over 18 who have been bereaved by suicide

0300 111 5065 uksobs.org

NATIONAL NATIONAL NATIONAL

A national self-help organisation helping people cope with their depression.

NATIONAL

NATIONAL

turning-point.co.uk

NATIONAL

lighthousewa.org.uk

Providing a wide range of health and wellbeing services

NATIONAL

01473 228270

giveusashout.org

NOR/SUFFOLK

Supporting women who have suffered or are at risk of domestic abuse

Text 85258

NATIONAL

thecalmzone.net

In a Crisis? Anxious?

Worried? Stressed?

Shout for 24/7 help

NATIONAL

0800 58 58 58

NATIONAL

Campaign against living miserably

SUFFOLK

samaritans.org

SUFFOLK

116 123

SUFFOLK

When life is difficult, Samaritans are here – day or night, 365 days a year.

NATIONAL

www.familyfirst-uk.org

SUFFOLK

0300 772 7715

NATIONAL

Supporting families through change

NATIONAL

IN AN EMERGENCY PHONE 999 FOR NON-EMERGENCY MEDICAL PROBLEMS CALL NHS 111

PHYSICAL HEALTH & SPORT REST AND RECOVERY CO-EDITOR RACHEL MITCHELL

In sport it is good physically and mentally to rest and even better to do some recovery. There are many methods to aid in how you can recover. For example, bodybuilders/ other athletes will add rest days into their training/ workout schedule. For instance, a weightlifter could lift weights 4-6 days a week then add in days where they do not go to the gym and focus on recovery.

On a rest day, what kind of activity is there to do?

Typically, on a rest day there are factors in people’s lives that you may need to consider. Such as, family time or doing activities that will not put too much stress on the body e.g., going for a long walk to keep active or stretching.

This could be useful with sports athletes like footballers as their training regime could potentially be full on and to avoid injuries sustained, they essentially need to rest.

On a rest/ active recovery day, do I need to change my daily diet, have a cheat day or eat the same as normal?

Diet is the key issue people could get confused about when you are doing less than normal especially people that do boxing, lift weights or play physical contact sport.

The answer to this issue would be depending on your metabolism or your goals (gain muscle, lose weight/ fat, bulk up). I would say that you do not force feed yourself if you are not doing any sort of training that day but be relaxed with your diet but eat more healthy fats to aid the recovery process. Only drop carbohydrates if your goal is to lose weight but if you find you are progressing well eat whatever you want within reason.

BY JACK WEAVER

Why is it important to take rest days?

This question is fairly easy to answer but it is important to add 1-2 days of rest a week. When needing a rest day just take them to chill and do something light e.g., go for a walk to stop yourself from feeling lazy.

With rugby players they are lifting weights and doing rugby practise it is important to rest on the same day you have a match so you do not injure yourself going into a game.

MAKE SURE YOU REST WHERE YOU CAN AND STAY SAFE!

59 • P H YSI CA L H E A LT H & SP OR T • MY LIFE

POST COVID MOTIVATION

BY JACK WEAVER

Coming out of lockdown after lockdown and feeling less motivated to start your exercise back up? After months of different routines being stuck at home, I agree that it is hard to get your old routine back. No matter what sport you’re doing if it’s going to the gym, playing football or boxing, it will be hard to gain motivation back after so long feeling lazy and not bothered by doing anything in lockdown.

After so long dealing with how we live in an empty, lonely and ghost like atmosphere. It will feel strange to experience a close to normal life where you can do sport that you are passionate about. It will feel slightly different to play certain team sports again because of any restrictions but always remember to keep safe.

Tips on how to stay motivated after a brutal time: ase your mind into an old E exercise routine you were previously doing, do not push yourself too far at an early stage; hink about the sort of T program/schedule you do for your exercise/ training that will be enjoyable and work for you; Get a good night’s rest and recover where you must/ can; Have a good diet with the nutrients you essentially need.

How mental health can improve your concentration and motivation?

Mental health can be a key factor on why physical exercise will be good for the mind and for your health. This helps me from where I suffer with anxiety and going through some patchy times, being active has helped my mind a lot. Going to the gym has helped me switch off from the reality that I live in at the darkest of times and has helped focus my mind and concentration when occupying myself with another activity.

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61 • P H YSI CA L H E A LT H & SP OR T • MY LIFE

WHY IS SPORT IMPORTANT TO OUR LIVES

BY JACK WEAVER In the sport/fitness industry there are many reasons why people aim to add sport and fitness to their lives. This also allows us to see the benefits that it has on people.

REASON 1: Improving mental health/ to feel good?

Within the sport/fitness industry people more rely on how doing the sport makes you feel after and what effects it has towards the mental health section of life.

Depression is a key factor that improves when an individual gets into sport also this allows you to have the confidence to be happy with yourself.

Also, this is the best factor because you are not working towards any goals, you are just doing it for your own benefit.

REASON 3: As a full time, job?

In reality there are athletes who play sport or do their fitness passions as a paying job. For example, Eddie Hall who won WSM back in 2017 now is a full-time boxer so everything he does is dedicated to his boxing career at this time. There is nothing wrong with making sport and fitness passions a job, the key would be enjoying it and not burning out when taking it to the extreme.

REASON 4: Lose/manage weight...

In the new year, this reason seems to be common after eating a lot over the Christmas period in the sport and fitness industry. Gyms are busy with new members; the football pitch brings people back to normality or personal trainers seemingly make more money.

REASON 2: Impress females/males...

This reason may be the most controversial one known in the era but this also links with confidence as then it also makes you feel or look good to have the opposite/same sex be impressed with the work you put into the sport/ workout program and diet too. For example, guys who go to the gym and lift weights they could do it to look good when they are on a sunny beach or at a bar.

CONCLUSION: In conclusion, as the new year continues lots of people are getting into new sporting hobbies or fitness programs and are hiring training coaches or nutritionists. There are many benefits to sport and exercise, mentally or physically, and why so many people want to get involved. From positive reasons, like improving one’s mental health, to silly ones like impressing another person.

62 • ISSUE 47 • MY LIFE • C E L E B R AT I N G O U R 5 T H B I R T H D AY

FOOD

CO-EDITOR CHLOE FINN

IS FOOD THE

LANGUAGE OF LOVE? So is it our language of love?

BY CHLOE FINN Valentine’s Day The annual one day of the year where someone expresses love for their special someone. Whether it be for their boyfriend, girlfriend or significant other, someone is gifted with a special present. It’s a day where we all spoil our Valentines with teddy bears, jewellery, flowers and, most of all, food. Usually, gifts to our Valentine consists of food: a box of chocolates shaped in a heart, cupcakes, heart shaped cookies and sometimes, cake. Some people even treat their Valentine to a hearty home cooked meal just for them.

Regardless of our intentions, we always resort to food. To express our thanks, we get someone a bottle of expensive champagne. To apologise to someone, chocolate is often involved. To cheer someone up, again, chocolate is involved too. When someone accomplishes something, they go out for a fancy meal.

Food is our way of speaking. It’s another language that some of us use to its fullest potential to show people certain emotions and actions.

In some aspects, I believe yes, it is our language of love. Sometimes, we take the thought and consideration to make someone a batch of cupcakes or cookies.

We make homemade meals to help our friends/family/significant other cheer up after a long day of work or school. Food is the only thing in the world that we all can rely on whenever a gift is involved. A quick trip to the shops and a chocolate bar is the first go-to gift. Chocolate is probably the most recognised gift food, you can’t fail when it comes to chocolate (unless you don’t like it). It’s foolproof, gifting food, after all. Food is almost always something that everyone wants…

However, on the other hand, it is a last resort kind of thing sometimes and can often be misconstrued as something that someone could just grab and be done with it. Sometimes it makes people feel like they haven’t thought about the gift. Which, in some cases, can be true. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that someone didn’t think about it and decided to get the first thing in sight. So what do you think?

Is food our language of love?

63 • FOOD • MY LIFE

5 Must Have

HERBS AND SPICES

BY JACK WEAVER

Herbs and spices. Something that most people are often intimidated by. You add too much, all you taste is that particular spice. You add too little, you can hardly taste it. Sometimes, herbs and spices make the dish. It complements the dish and allows the diner to consume something that will broaden their palette. It could even bring flavours into a dish that you wouldn’t have even thought of. So how can we plump up our dishes? What are 5 simple herbs and spices that we must have in our cupboards in our kitchens? What could we use to salvage our meals?

Well look no further! Here is the article just for you dedicated to five herbs or spices that I believe you must have in your kitchens for day to day cooking. Have a look at this list and see if you have thought about stocking up on any of these.

CORIANDER Fresh coriander in particular. Although, you can use dried or ground (I prefer fresh but it’s up to the chef at hand). A staple

herb in many dishes to add that final hint of flavour. Something that can be used as a garnish, for the finishing touch, or can be added in the middle of the process of cooking for that kick. The green plant that we all know and hopefully love should be added to your kitchen. You can add coriander as a garnish to chilli con carne alongside a dollop of sour cream. You could also add it to rice, garnishing plain old rice with a kick of coriander. Not only that but it also complements a curry or even a pie very nicely. You could even garnish soup! It’s a very much needed herb in my kitchen and I hope it will be in yours.

PAPRIKA Another staple in my kitchen is the spice: paprika. Smoked paprika. Mild paprika.

Hot paprika. Paprika is a very well rounded spice that is used in almost every dish that I have had. It adds that little kick and packs a spicy punch when combined with other spices. Smoked paprika can also add that smoky flavour that we all know and love.

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OREGANO A well known herb that we all can agree on is oregano (pronunciation is another argument for another time). It’s bold and earthy flavour is always welcomed in a plethora of dishes such as roast potatoes, roasted chicken, chilli con carne, spaghetti bolognese and, of course, beef stew. Many dishes complement this lovely herb and it’s a shame if you do not include this in your cooking. You could even sprinkle this over an egg in the morning to flavour up your morning or even add it in a homemade pie.

So, what do you think?

It’s the spice that you must have in your kitchen whether you think you do or not.

It’s a must have spice!

Have you ever thought about spicing up boring homemade chips? All you have to do is sprinkle a very generous helping of paprika over the top of your homemade potato slices alongside salt and pepper. It gives the chips that kick of spice. Not only that but adding it to many homey dishes is also a great way to liven up your dishes.

BAY LEAVES A simple herb. Bay leaves. Something that you can’t eat yourself (as eating a leaf isn’t so nice!) but can be well infused in a lovely dish. Bay leaves are more of an infusion herb than one that can be digested. Adding a bay leaf to a curry dish or to a chilli dish or even adding it to homemade soup for that extra bit of flavour. Maybe you could even place it into a chicken while it roasts to add that bite of flavour.

GINGER The best spice when it comes to baking and cooking. Whether you add it into a cupcake or a stir fry or even gingerbread men, it produces an immense amount of flavour. It’s usually associated with the winter season, with the occasion Christmas, but this spice is so much more than that! Explore ginger in a way that will explode your palate into a wider tasting sensation and produce dishes that you could only dream of making with this particular spice.

So which spice do you love to use?

Maybe it’s one on this list or maybe something different. No matter what spice you use, what herb you use, you know that you can create such amazing dishes with these tiny pinches of flavour. Explore out of your comfort zone and create something that will blow everyone away!

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THE BEST GIFTS ARE MADE OF

FOOD

BY CHLOE FINN

Have you ever had a crisis when it comes to gift giving? You have no idea what to buy for your gift receiver?

You have plenty of ideas but you don’t know which one is the best way to go?

You could go with jewellery, a beautiful bracelet or an expensive ring to commemorate an occasion. You could go with flowers, sweet smelling roses to give the house a flowery aroma. But, you have no clue what to do! Buying a gift is a very hefty task, after all, and requires thought and care.

And you definitely don’t want to get a bad gift! That’s the worst thing that could have been done! So, what can you do? Do you go with jewellery?

Or maybe you could get food!

People don’t often resort to food unless it’s the last resort. Many believe it isn’t the best food to give. It’s considered cheap sometimes. I’m now here to tell you that food is the best gift to give!

Whether it be chocolates, homemade baked goods, going out for a meal or a hearty meal cooked in the kitchen. Food is the best way to most people’s hearts after all, you can never go wrong when it comes to food.

A homemade meal or a homemade basket of goodies is always going to be well received.

The thought and effort put into something as sweet as that will always bring smiles on people’s faces. I have had many occasions where I have made homemade treats for my friends and family, the happiness it brings them fills me with utter pride. It comes from the heart, homemade food, and it will always mean a great deal to them.

Even store bought gifts of food go a long way. Chocolate boxes. Sweet boxes. They are always much appreciated. Anyone with a sweet tooth will gladly take a box full of sugary goodness. A little pick me up of sweets is always needed, after all. So, don’t discredit the power of food.

It’ll always be appreciated.

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MY LIFE

CO-EDITORS RACHEL MITCHELL AND FELIX SPAIN

GUIDE TO CREATING REALISTIC RESOLUTIONS It has become very easy to create unrealistic resolutions and I’m sure we’ve all done it! We start off the new year with very high hopes, thinking that we can change something major about ourselves. It’s usually something that is part of who you are or which makes you uniquely you.

Either that or we strive to be optimistic from now on or to lose an absurd amount of weight.

These kinds of resolutions are quite toxic as they aren’t always realistically achievable. Why don’t we strive to create realistic resolutions we can achieve more easily while still setting ourselves a challenge. If you’re a student, working harder towards your exams or going into job/ uni interviews with an optimistic attitude. A good one which I did last year was each day thinking of five things that went well.

I’ve created a guide to realistic resolutions to help you set yourself goals which you can achieve and feel joyful about afterwards.

BY FELIX SPAIN

1. F irst ask yourself what you would like to achieve and if you will be able to achieve this. Try not to set yourself tasks which will be too difficult to achieve.

2. S et a timescale – realistically would you be able to achieve this by the end of the year, month etc.

When would you like to achieve this goal?

How often will you work on achieving this?

3. C onsider small changes you can make to achieve your resolution – after you have achieved it, it should leave you feeling happy and proud. If you choose to work harder toward exams, try post-it notes around the house.

4. M ake sure you are creating the resolution for you. Resolutions are personal and unique to each individual. Don’t set yourself goals to please others or be what others expect of you. Set it for yourself.

5. C an anyone help you with the resolution?

If you want to exercise more, ask friends to keep you company.

6. P ractice really does make perfect – as with any goal, practice and repetition are key.

7. M aintain an optimistic mindset – can you achieve your goal? Of course you can. It really does help in terms of motivation.

8. S tay motivated – snacks, coffee and that optimistic mindset will help a lot.

Don’t forget, new resolutions can be set at any time, I hope you have fun creating some of your own!

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TURNER

CONTEMPORARY OPEN EXHIBITION

BY FELIX SPAIN

I recently visited the Turner Contemporary Open exhibition in Margate. It celebrates the gallery’s 10th anniversary and ‘includes approximately 450 works.’

The exhibition covers all of Turner Contemporary’s first floor. According to turnercontemporary.org the artwork ‘has been selected by four Thanet-based community collectives: Age UK Thanet, Canvas 4 Equality, Margate Pride and the Turner Contemporary Access Group.’ Each group has been given one room to display their art, and I’d love to tell you about two of these groups’ artwork for now.

The first room I entered, ‘OPEN FOR EVERYONE’, was by Turner Contemporary Access Group. Four activists each with different ‘lived experience of disabilities, neurodivergence and barriers to accessing the arts.’ This group’s room was packed full of fascinating artwork such as: An oil painting of the Turner Cafe by Berne Vaughan (which I later visited for lunch) with intriguing reflections in the glass windows.

A curator also commented on the ‘sprawling Margate seafront reflected and the structure of the harbour arm behind and beyond.’ collection of clay pots titled ‘Walk with Me’ A

by Fiona Taylor, which are inspired by the history of pilgrims journeying to holy sites, with carvings of wildflowers on them.

The second room I went into was entitled ‘THIS IS A MOVEMENT, NOT A MOMENT’ by Canvas 4 Equality. ‘A group of young women of different sexualities and ethnicities.’ The artwork on show in this part felt very powerful to me, with a strong sense of home behind them. Two of my favourite pieces in this room were: ‘ Kiss Me, I am A Man, A Men (Amen)’

by Showna Kim - which was two flags with the words ‘Kiss me, I am queer’ on one side and ‘A man, a men’ on them. ‘The text… seeks to convey a message of equality: that the final word is, all human beings are equal and that queer people exist as normal members of society…’

‘The Pride of Brexit’ by Jason deCaires Taylor – a lion statue with paint across it intended as a ‘physical manifestation of the effects of Brexit, a collective moment of self-harm that has been inflicted upon us through lies and propaganda.’

They were such powerful pieces, which made this room my favourite of the whole exhibition. Keep your eyes peeled for an article coming up on part of the exhibition curated by Margate Pride!

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

I first got involved with Student Life back in 2017 when I was studying at the University of Suffolk as an undergraduate. I wrote articles about being a student as well as film and book reviews. After a year or so, I then advanced to the role co-editor where I oversaw several segments of the magazine. In 2019, I proposed that we expanded the publication to include an Art section which I have now overseen for three years. I continued to manage the Art section during my MA in Creative and Critical Writing, during which also saw my first publication as an author in ‘Suffolk Folk: An Anthology of East Anglian Tales for the 21st Century’ (2021). After completing my MA, I am now progressing even further in the charity by becoming Student Life’s magazine editor! I am beyond thrilled to be stepping into the role and I can’t wait to see where it will take me.

KAY SABERTON

My name is Cami, and I am happy to have been part of the Student Life Team.

It was 4 years, and 4 months ago when I came to the UK from Romania, to study at the University of Suffolk. I did not know what to expect, but one thing I had for sure was enthusiasm. During my university experience I then got involved in loads of projects and I was lucky enough to meet loads of people, either from different countries or from the UK who helped me become more open minded. Now as the time has passed, I’ve managed to finish my undergraduate degree and completed a Master’s too at Anglia Ruskin University which has helped me professionally. I am now working for Cambridge University, as a Clinical Communication Skills Administrator in the School of Medicine, a role in which I hope to be able to develop further.

I have grown as a person through my involvement in extracurricular activities and by attending higher education and I am happy to have got involved with Student Life and have gained memorable moments.

CAMELIA ATOMEI 69 • M Y LI FE • MY LIFE

Hi, I’m Joshua. You might remember me as My Money and Tech Co-Editor until about a year ago. In July 2021, I graduated from my Sociology degree with a First, which I’m super pleased with! I’m now around half-way through a Master’s degree in Survey Methodology, and I’m hoping to start my career in the summer.

Exciting times ahead, I’d say!

JOSHUA HODGKIN

Hi, I’m Tshequa, previously Fashion Co-Editor – I hope you’re all doing well!

I left Student Life at the start of my degree in English Literature, and I’m currently halfway through. So far, my favourite modules have been on critical theory and contemporary fiction, as well as reading Homer’s The Odyssey – which has kickstarted an obsession with Greek mythology! Looking ahead to after I’ve graduated, I am considering doing a Master’s degree.

TSHEQUA WILLIAMS Since leaving Student Life after being a co-editor, I’ve started a brand new career.

I now work in a children’s home as a support worker! Being able to help young people suffering from mental health issues is something I’ve wanted to do for years as it’s something very close to my heart.

Student Life has definitely contributed to my confidence over the years so I can feel like I can do whatever I want to!

LOUISE DICKMAN

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LGBT+ CO-EDITORS FELIX SPAIN AND JAMES WILLIAMS

SUBTLE PRIDE

FASHION

BY FELIX SPAIN

I think for a lot of people fashion and what you wear on a daily basis feels like a very important way to express yourself and who you are as an individual. This is also the case for those within the LGBT+ community. Not everyone is out to the world, ready to come out, or in a situation where they are safe to do so. Therefore it becomes important to express yourself through fashion in a more subtle way too, in which you feel comfortable and safe.

First consider what your style is.

The subtle pride outfit you build should still be within your personal style. My personal style usually includes baggy t-shirts, dungarees worn with warm jumpers underneath, and I have a couple of jewellery pieces in colours of the pan/ LGBT+ flag. If I was going for an outfit in the colours of the pansexual flag I could wear my pink Lucy&Yak dungarees with a baggy yellow sweatshirt underneath and my blue bracelet.

Consider what colours your clothes are/ What colours are available to you? If you want to create an outfit which is monochrome but with a pop of colour why not try: black shirt/ white and

black check shirt with black hoodie with a pride flag coloured bracelet and necklace with jeans. This makes the jewellery in your pride colours stand out but is also fashionable and subtle. There are a lot of jewellery/ badges you can buy online where the colours may be mixed or presented in a more subtle and effective way.

As it is winter time you should wear warmer clothes/ layers - use layers to your advantage. You may be heading out for a winter walk with friends/ family at some point soon. Do you like wearing beanies/ woolly hats? Then incorporate it into your outfit! You might also have dyed hair. A person with green hair could match it with a pink beanie/ multi-coloured woolly hat and a blue piece of clothing to reflect the polysexual flag.

You don’t have to be bold all the time unless you wish to be. Fashion can be about making a statement but it is also about being comfortable. Remember you can wear your pride however you wish and still slay the runway of life.

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AROMANTIC SPECTRUM

Aromantic Spectrum week runs from the 21st to the 27th of February! Therefore I’d love to tell you about what aromantic means, how aromantic people describe it and talk a little bit about other sexualities within the aromantic spectrum.

BY FELIX SPAIN A general definition of aromantic is that ‘aromantic individuals don’t feel romantic attraction to others’. Not to be confused with being asexual (where you don’t feel sexual attraction to others). Now there are many different types of attraction you can feel to others such as: Romantic attraction Sexual attraction Physical attraction (desire to be physically cared for, treated with love and affection) Emotional attraction (wanting to share with someone how you are feeling) Aesthetic attraction (seeing someone and thinking they look good) Platonic attraction (desire to form a platonic relationship: a friendship) Often when people think of attraction they think of romantic and sexual attraction and not the several other types listed above. A lot of people struggle to understand how someone can feel one without the other and not experience romantic and/or sexual attraction. This is because the idea of romance in society is quite narrow, mostly heteronormative and about finding this one person to spend your life with.

Recently I watched a YouTube video made by an aromantic person describing how they feel and came to discover that they are aromantic. Originally this person mistook it for being afraid of relationships

as they had little to no interest in them.

They experienced feeling strongly towards people and platonic attraction but not wanting to date people. Aromantics can experience crushes, commonly known as ‘squishes’ by the aro-spec community, but it all depends on the individual.

The aromantic flag has five horizontal stripes of: dark green, light green, white grey and black. Dark green symbolises aromanticism, light green and dark green represent the aromantic spectrum, white stands for platonic and aesthetic attraction, grey and black represent the sexuality spectrum. The aromantic spectrum is an umbrella phrase for a range of other aro-spec identities such as: Aroace (aromantic asexual – someone who is both aromantic and asexual) Demiromantic (someone who doesn’t experience romantic attraction until they’ve formed a deep emotional connection with someone) roflux (someone whose romantic A attraction fluctuates) reyromantic (someone who is not G entirely aromantic, is in between being aromantic and not being aromantic)

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LGBT+ HISTORY MONTH

BY FELIX SPAIN

Why is LGBT+ history month important?

There are so many reasons why this month is important: This month of February is LGBT+ History Month and also happens to be my one year anniversary of my coming out as LGBT+! So this LGBT+ History Month I’d love to talk about where celebrating this month began as well as why this month is so important.

What is LGBT+ History Month and how did it start?

LGBT+ History Month occurs every year in the month of February. It runs from the 1st to the 28th of February. This is to coincide with the 2003 abolition of Section 28 (which prohibited the ‘promotion of homosexuality’). It is organised by Schools OUT which is a UK LGBT+ charity. It started in 2005 and since then it has helped to raise awareness of issues LGBT+ people face and has helped society recognise LGBT+ historical events. Sadly these events and figures are so often overlooked by many as well as in schools.

From my personal experience of being in school, this month is most certainly needed. During this month we celebrate the memories and achievements of LGBT+ figures in our history, important events which have shaped our history such as the Stonewall Riots.

I plan to celebrate this month by researching and teaching myself more about our history.

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I t helps us to build a better world for young LGBT+ people.

To remember how far we have come in terms of equality.

We learn about historical figures and events.

It encourages being more inclusive in workspaces.

Helps us to remember the many who still live without rights we take for granted. helps to normalise It language used when talking about LGBT+ matters.

Challenges homophobia, bullying and discriminations against LGBT+ people.

Finally – it promotes acceptance of all people regardless of gender identity or sexuality.

What is the theme of this LGBT+ History month?

The theme of this month is ‘Politics in Art’. Basically this means art in the national curriculum (schools and education) and focusing on celebrating LGBT+ artists. On the website (www.lgbt-speakers.com/news/general-news/faq-lgbt-history-month) it says: ‘In the fight for equality, art has served as an emotive communicator, a representation of the LGBT+ community’s struggles against homophobia. LGBT+ History Month 2022 recognises the creativity, imagination and innovation of LGBT+ creators throughout history.’

So how can you celebrate LGBT+ History Month?

Search up what events are taking place this month and take part in them. There are lots of events listed here: https://lgbtplushistorymonth. co.uk/ It’s easy to do a bit of research and find events close to you. If not you could create your own event!

Research and teach yourself about LGBT+ history. You could research your own sexuality or gender identity’s history, historic events such as the Stonewall Riots – whatever you wish to learn more about!

Donate to LGBT+ charities through simply donating on their website or fundraising for them. Some LGBT+ charities to donate to include: - Stonewall (stonewall.org.uk) - Mermaids (mermaidsuk.org.uk) - The Kaleidoscope Trust (kaleidoscopetrust.com) - Just Like Us (justlikeus.org/about) -T he ILGA (International Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans and Intersex Assocation) (ilga.org) -S witchboard (LGBT+ Helpline) (switchboard.lgbt/support-us/) - Mind (mind.org.uk) - LGBT Foundation (lgbt.foundation) - Human Dignity Trust (humandignitytrust.org) - The Albert Kennedy Trust (akt.org.uk) You can find more information about these charities and a brief outline of what they do here: pinknews.co.uk/2019/04/03/lgbt-charitiessupporting-donating/

Consider how you can make your workspace / how your school could be more LGBT+ friendly and make suggestions.

Watch LGBT+ films and TV series which focus on LGBT+ History or pride, such as TV series: It’s A Sin, Queer as Folk, AJ and The Queen, Grace and Frankie, Orange is the New Black, Feel Good. As well as films such as: Weekend, Pride, Love Simon, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Disclosure.

Host an LGBT+ quiz and/or play along with your friends/family.

Create some cool art to celebrate LGBT+ history – let your creativity run wild. You could share this on social media in celebration of the day. If you’d rather, you could write some poetry.

Share posts about this month and our history as a community to your social media accounts.

This will help raise awareness and is very simple to do.

Whatever you chose to do to celebrate I hope you have a wonderful LGBT+ History Month!

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QUEERNESS and CULTURE

BY JAMES WILLIAMS

February is also LGBTQ+ History Month and although the presence of queerness and its wider acceptance is still a relatively recent thing for modern Western society, queerness has been present across cultures across the globe for centuries.

In modern times, The Philippines is known for its majoritively Catholic Christian beliefs and as being one of the most accepting Asian countries of the LGBTQ+ community; bear in mind the acceptance specific individuals have, like in most cases, depends on different variables regardless of how visible queer representation is or how open some individuals in the community may be. A lot of the more rigid and queerphobic views held in Filipino culture today are the by-product of Spanish colonialism with their introduction of homophobia and the gender-binary through Christian conversion.

Pre-Colonial Filipino beliefs had influences from Buddhism and Hinduism through trade routes, but were essentially

polytheist (the belief and worship of multiple gods) and animist (the belief that all things have spirits). Amongst the precolonial mythologies queerness is found in tales like the God of Death Sidapa and the God of the Moon Libulan [pronounced like li-boo-lan] who reside as husbands at the top of Mt. Madjaas [pronounced like ma-ja-as]. Lakapati (or Ikapati) the Goddess of Fertility and Harvest being described as an androgynous, intersex, or transgender goddess. Or found in Bathala [pronounced like bat-ha-la] as an intersex supreme being/ultimate creator. There are different interpretations of the gods from pre-colonial Philippines and different variations in the tales surrounding them. So although there are existing traces of Pre-Colonial Filipino beliefs, the influence of history will have led to changes varying from their original forms such as the erasure of specific worshipping practises, and gods being perceived as one gender or another due to colonisers recording documents from a perspective that holds a gender-binary.

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In Pre-Colonial Filipino culture, nonbinary individuals are found in document records of babaylan [pronounced like bab-eye-lan]. ‘Babaylan‘ being what the West might consider as a type of shaman that specialised in herbal knowledge and divine law. They also carried out tasks of delivering babies, communed with spirits, and performed exorcisms. Typically the role of babaylan was found to be taken up by women, but those babaylan who did not conform to Western standards of a gender-typical man or woman were highly revered, believed to be closer to the spirits and/or gods. Some of these babaylans were additionally documented to also have homosexual relationships (both marital and sexual).

familiar with Tagalog and Ilocano (the regional dialect my family speak) I don’t know enough about every Filipino language there is to confidently give other examples where gender neutral language is used. But just like many of you, that’s now something for me to look into and learn about!

Overall I can only fit so much of Filipino culture into one article, especially with just my own perspective, so there’s a whole wealth of queer history that was never touched upon here! Regardless, I hope this has given you a good glimpse of what queerness can be like outside of Western culture and encourage you to learn more about Filipino culture, other cultures, and the queer history they all have!

One aspect that has withstood the toll of the gender-binary from our pre-colonial history however are the pronouns Tagalog uses. Instead of pronouns like He or She, in Tagalog we have Siya [pronounced sha like in ‘shack’] which encompasses all genders. Although Tagalog is recognised as the national language, The Philippines actually has somewhere between 120 to just under 200 languages (depending on method of classification) and as I myself am only

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MY MONEY CO-EDITOR RACHEL MITCHELL

TREES, TERROR & TEAMWORK

My Christmas Job

BY HARRY DERBYSHIRE Sunday 17th October 2021

Today I applied for my first job.

For months, I have been considering this action, but me being the lazy person I am, decided I would rather play my PS5 for a few months and watch the Euro’s than earn some money. But I started seeing my bank account slowly drop and when my mate told me about a position as a ‘festive colleague’ (a Christmas temp) at Tesco, I thought ‘why not?’

I went on the Tesco career website, created an account, and found the role at my local Tesco. Although I understand why people find applications stressful, I didn’t. I filled out each section as fully as possible, writing about my skills, GSCE qualifications and more. When I finished, I was quite proud of myself, proud that I had finally applied and not settled for another few months of FIFA, as well as managing to do so without the help of anyone else. Watch this space!

Wednesday 20th October 2021 Things are starting to get serious! Last night, I got an interview email from Tesco for today. I’ve been preparing all morning and asking my mate what questions will be asked and how he answered. He wasn’t much help. I’m not nervous, well, I’m saying I’m not. It’ll be fine… I hope!

Well, that wasn’t too bad. It was scary at the start, I can’t lie. When I first saw my interviewer in person, I was like ‘what have I got myself into?’ After a few minutes, I began to get comfortable and really engaged. I was asked about my skills, why I chose Tesco, if I’ve worked before, etc.

If I had to give advice, it would be always ask a question at the end.

It’ll show determination.

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Thursday 21st October 2021

Monday 6th December 2021

Just a quick update today…

It’s getting close to payday and I’m thinking, ‘what am I going to do with this money?’ I reckon I’m going to save it up, for something I really want. What that is I don’t know. People believe the desire to get money is a bad thing, but it isn’t. It helps you to achieve; it’s the perfect motivation.

I cannot wait for payday!!

I GOT THE JOB!!

It was horrible waiting. I even thought a scam call was going to be my offer until they asked about my non-existent car.

The next call I knew was them. ‘We’d like to offer you the job’. I’m joining the team of 15,000 extra ‘festive Tesco temps’.

I can’t believe it – I’ve got the job!!

Tuesday 9th November 2021 Today was my first day. Never have I felt so nervous, well, apart from watching Man City every weekend that is. Unsure of what I had to do, I arrived early. I was greeted by somebody who gave me a clock-in card.

Three others trained me on the checkouts.

I was so nervous and was worried about the responsibility but, in my head, I thought ‘think of the money!’

I haven’t mentioned this yet, but my Mum used to work at Tesco on the checkouts – for a whole ten years! I think this will really benefit me because I already know lots of the team including the three who trained me. I now need to live up to my Mum’s great reputation!

Wednesday 22nd December 2021 The festive part of the job really came into view this afternoon. In addition to the endless Christmas jumpers on display, today I saw a walking Christmas tree, I guess there was someone inside as it appeared to be giving out chocolates.

Friday 31st December 2021 Tomorrow was meant to be my farewell shift and, this morning, I tested positive for COVID! Can you believe that?

This job has been an amazing experience and I’d highly recommend it to those looking for work for the first time. I would love to be back again someday in my Christmas jumper.

Saturday 27th November 2021 Nothing important but something interesting; today followed Black Friday and things were going well until they decided to put me on TV’s. Trying to wheel this cage around on my own with a load of TV’s was the hardest thing I have EVER done. All I needed to do was take it to the lift and get downstairs, but I crashed into clothes, shoes, walls. It was terrible!!

I hope I never have to do that again!!

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