TABLEtalk - Survive or Thrive

This week we were a little fewer in numbers, as some weren't feeling well and The Famous Five are on holiday!

We began our evening with a NASA survival exercise and I have to say this group did the very best of any group of students so far ...  well done!

Then our two groups of new students worked on brainstorming what they need in place, to not just survive this time but to THRIVE, both academically, and holistically as a person.

Here's a list of some of the things they came up with:

❤  Socialise  ❤  Manage your money and your time well  ❤  Find some good traditional food  ❤  Take care of your physical health, get good sleep & rest, and stay warm  ❤  Be adaptable  ❤  Work on your skills acquisition  ❤  Be active, play sports  ❤  Work on your resilience  ❤  Be flexible  ❤  Seek out academic support 

Whilst our returning students and alumni, were given the questions (a) what worked well for you, when you first arrived, and (b) if you could go back in time, what might you have done differently?

Part A  ❤  Network well, build a good friendship base  ❤  Try new things  ❤  Step out of your comfort zone  ❤  Use all the Library resources

Part B  ❤  Don't overthink things  ❤  Accept things as they are  ❤  Embrace what you have  ❤  Plan, plan, plan  ❤  Be wise about your relationships

Several phrases jumped out for me ...

Don't over think:  I have met many a student who has worked their way into a downhill spiral by overthinking and catastrophising certain situations.

Remember your WHY:  Remember why you chose this path and all that you have achieved to get to this place.  Standing firm in your 'why' will help you the weather the storms.

Don't give up:  Well, that is what it is  ...  persevere, keep going

MacMillan Coffee Morning

A VERY BIG THANKYOU to my colleague, Lynne, from the University of Kent who organised yesterday's lovely fundraising coffee morning, in aid of the excellent work carried out by MacMillan Cancer Care (something I have been on the receiving end of).

Thank you to all those who helped provide scrumptious cakes.  To my dear friend, Pauline, my very favourite washer-upper 😀  Most especially, THANK YOU, to all who came along, not just to eat but to donate.  

A total of £257 was raised 😀😀😀

Thought for the week ...

Rochester Trip & Quiz Trail

On Friday, as the rain poured down, I was a little to scared to even look at the weather forecast for our Rochester trip  ...  BUT, we had some lovely sunshine, and some of the students were dressed more for summer than I was 😂😂😂

A total of 25 students joined me for this day trip,
some taking part in the optional Quiz Trail.
We also met up with Kirsten and several students
from the Greenwich Campus.

"Thanks a million Lynne, for taking us to Rochester where

we explored the oldest castle, sky-scraping cathedral

and walked over the Rochester bridge with a wonderful riverside view. The only thing we missed was visiting the Guildhall Museum, but that's fine we'll try next time.

The main part of today's trip I enjoyed finding out about

the 'Quiz Trail' with my friends and it helped me to know

more about Mr. Charles Dickens and his writings.

And I found that his novels were mostly connected with Rochester which is interesting. We enjoyed it a lot

and learnt new things with our team "

Manumitha (India)

 

"It was an incredible day! Visiting a place rich with history, specially one where Charles Dickens once lived in his childhood, was truly a memorable experience. It felt like stepping back in time, offering a much needed escape from

the pressure of last term thesis work and daily responsibilities. Grateful for this refreshing day tour.

It was the perfect break in the midst of all the work."

Vinuli (Sri Lanka)

After enjoying a coffee and snack, Kirsten and I discovered the Rochester Bridge Chapel, which was absolutely beautiful.  Originally built in 1387, then restored in 1937, this is where people would pray for safety in crossing the bridge, which had no protective sides 😲

I'm not sure how many people completed the whole of our Quiz Trail, but Milenka, Jude and Famous certainly persevered.

Farewell, Rochester! See you another day!

Bargains! Bargains! Bargains!

It's a new academic year and, once again, I am grateful to the University of Greenwich for allowing us to over-spill the Chaplaincy area, in Pilkington, in order to display all our winter clothing, houseware, electrical items and bedding.

Over the past three weeks, TEN volunteers have given 186 hours to man the Bargain Corner.  I am immensely grateful to Abi, Barbara, Denise, Desh, Gulakshitha, Harinee, Jacob, Pauline, Sush and Visnu for all they've have given to making these three weeks of intensive promotion and sales possible.

Between Sept 9th-27th we have sold over 1200 pre-loved items, everything from a knife to a king-size duvet, a wooden spoon to a wok!  This figure doesn't include a LOT of brand new kitchen items that we were blessed with.

In the process we have raised  ...

£1022.30

😲😲😲

... all of which will go towards subsidising a variety of student activities during this coming academic year ... starting with our trip to Rochester on Sept 26th 😀

DID YOU KNOW

that between March 2021 to March 2024

we saved 4679 items from going to landfill. 

This equals a weight of approx. 2800 kgs,

a saving of 10,600 kgs of CO2 emissions;

and a monetary saving to students of roughly £21,500.