Spiritual Supports...

As indicated on the web page of the Martin Luther King Multi-Faith Chaplaincy (MLK), the chaplaincy “is concerned with issues that are religious, international, social and political. ‘They’ seek to help people explore life's great themes of Justice, peace, mutual understanding and the search for the meaning of life. ‘They’ are a support service for staff and students and seek to serve people of all Faiths and none.” These supports I personally experience so far during my time here at Aston.

Rev. Fr. John & Rev. Fr. Daniel in pix with other CathSoc members.



As a Catholic, I am part of CathSoc, which include interesting people from different countries. As the church is a universal one and does everything in the same way, one does not feel left out during celebration of Mass. During the Term 1, we were privileged to have Rev. Fr. John, former chaplain of CathSoc, with us. With his great sense of humour, one cannot wait but to continue listening to him. We had a multicultural mass on that day where different languages were used for different parts of the service. Songs were from Akan, Hausa, Hindi, and prayers were in Ewe, French, Swahili, as well as in English. This reminds me of same multicultural Masses in Ghana.  

After Mass, we had a party for Father and there were chicken curry as well as the vegetarian one all prepared by Rev. Fr. Raymond, our current chaplain. Not only do we have Masses on campus but also attend services at the St. Chad’s Cathedral in the City Centre.

One's spiritual, social and personal needs a catered for by our chaplains, and CathSoc really helps me in this regard.

Catholic Society (CathSoc) in pix



Academics…

One of the main purpose of being in Aston is to acquire knowledge and skills, which will make ones aspiration for the future a reality, and being ready for the job market as well. This Aston has to offer all who are under its academic umbrella. There are many resources: Learning Development Centre, Career Development Centre, International Workshops, Computer Training Programmes, etc., which will help one to have successful academic life. The academic week started with introduction to the modules for the term, and the assessment packages and due dates. These helps each one of us in these modules understand from the very beginning what to expect and what is expected from us. Initially it looks like it was too early for such details but it was obvious at the end of the day that it was the best ever. Personally, it helps me plan effectively and to do all the required readings before class.

                 



Some recommended readings.



Studying Applied Linguistics in the School of Languages and Social Science is a very fantastic experience, which anyone will surely want to have. The organization of the courses and the duration of contact hours are excellent. With our dynamic, friendly and hard working lectures, all academic needs are provided. Lecturers are ready to address our issues on one-on-one bases as well  as in groups. Feedbacks on assessments are always available on time.

Having fellow students from different linguistic backgrounds and working experiences make our class discussions very interesting,    and as the class sizes are small everyone is given the chance to contribute to discussions and ask questions. One of the things, which enable everyone in the class to talk is that our lectures made us understand that no contributions and/or questions are irrelevant.  These academic experiences extend beyond the classroom where my colleagues and I often continue with discussions behind cup of coffee at the café Tierra. The academic life for the Term 1 was really fulfilling and I’m looking forward to the Term 2.