The
UK has treated me very well!! I am delighted to be a part of University
of Greenwich and a member of Prof. Jeremy Everett's group. During my time here I learned and explored
a lot in this country. The first day itself I met with Ms. Lynne Martin, the Campus Chaplain, and
that was the best thing that happened to me here. Without her support I don't know how
would I able to manage myself in this completely different
surrounding. My
first visit in UK was to Rochester for the Sweeps Festival. I loved the cathedral, the dancing and the crowds.
11th
May was my birthday and Aiste, a PhD student from Lithuania, took me to the Capstone Country Park for a toboggan ride. It was so fun for me.
On the same day we visited Dobbies Café, the Dockside museum and went inside the historic HMS Cavalier ship, used in World War II and ended up with
my birthday celebration at a restaurant near dockside. I really felt
overwhelmed at the end, as I was missing my family badly that day.
Next, I
visited the University of Greenwich, Greenwich Campus;
which was supposed to be my study place (in
dreams lol). On the same week, I went to the Dover Castle and White Cliffs. I can never forget the beauty of the white cliffs, it was mesmerizing.
Next, I volunteered at the GKU Medfest event and participated in face
painting and balloon modeling as well, along with some crazy rides.
My next
destination was Leeds Castle which
was huge and very beautiful. It was 900th anniversary of the castle
on the day of our visit, with displays of medieval era events (Eg-war
recreation, gun show, cookery etc.). However, Jousting was the main attraction.
Now it was time for the Food and Drink Festival in awesome weather with yummy strawberries at St Mary Island.
An evening of ten-pin bowling was also a first and the
great experience for me.
At the Dickens Festival I really enjoyed the parade in which you can see all the
characters of Charles Dickens' novels come to life. It looked beautiful.
I enjoyed a
marvelous day at the Hythe Imperial Hotel. Lynne took us for spa, sauna, pool sessions followed by an
afternoon tea, that was yummy. We visited the beach too. It was such a different environment
for me, that I will always cherish that day in my life. 
I finally got to meet with
another wonderful friend Sonali, from Sri Lanka, thanks to the TABLEtalk. I went to the Gurudwara (a Sikh temple) at Gravesend
with her, saw the Pocohontas statue and
strolled near the sea. 
The next weekend it was the River Festival at Chatham and there I witnessed the Dragon boat
race and water show along with some traditional dance performances. After this,
I planned my first ever solo trip for Scotland
(Edinburgh) in a weekend and visited the Edinburgh airport, Queensferry, Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile, North
Berwick, Cramond Island and climbed Arthur’s seat. The view and beauty of
the place was so worth it. 
The most unbeatable experience for me in UK was attending
the Science and Policy making Summit at the Palace of Westminster in the presence of UK MP’s. The invitation came
from the British Council and we attended one day session discussing the various
aspects of science in making policies. At the end of the session, they arranged
a tour to visit different areas, such as, the House of Commons,
House of Lords, Library, 
etc. We also witnessed the live discussion going on the
2022 Commonwealth games. In
the same trip, I visited the famous
attractions of London including- Madame
Tussauds, London eye, Sea life, Tower bridge, Shrek life adventure, Dungeon,
Thames river cruise, change of guards ceremony in Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and
Iskcon Temple. 
My last two trips were to Hever Castle, where I loved the boating most, and to the Hastings which has an awesome pebble beach.
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