International students create a taste of Christmas

Posted 2 December 2010

International students at Harper Adams have been getting into the festive spirit by decorating traditional Christmas cakes.

It might be snowing outside but the group of 25 students from Beijing and France kept warm and had fun by decorating their delicious cakes this week.

Every Wednesday afternoon, the Global Network Cultural Exchange group is held at the University College in Shropshire, where students of all nationalities, including British, can meet up, socialise and learn about eachother’s cultures.

The students, who are mostly from the Beijing Agricultural College, as well as exchange and placement students, take part in the group’s activities to swap ideas and information about their cultures.

Jo Rawlinson, International Student Support Officer, said: “The group helps students to socialise and we do language exchanges. We have held a number of fun sessions this term, including an afternoon where they all dressed up as characters from Jane Austen and we watched Pride and Prejudice. And the students made a Guy for bonfire night.

"It’s about sharing cultures, not just about British culture. They are going on a 10 day study trip to Europe next week and after we have arranged a Christmas party where we have mince pies and share the cakes which the students have decorated today.”

Student Franck Li, said the sessions were “brilliant”. He said: “We don’t really do this in Beijing, but we do have cakes for birthdays and celebrations. We are learning a lot about different cultures while studying here.”

The Global Network Cultural Exchange group is organised by staff including Pam Thompson, International Officer, Sarah Estibeiro, English Language Tutor, Sandra Turner, Course Manager and Jo Rawlinson.