well this is blog number...4 I think :)
I have been thinking Long and hard about what this blog Content will be about and have decided on a more serious blog to do a general overview of my thoughts and feeling to the lead up to Brazil which is in 6 days! (touching :))

If you are reading this and waiting for a reply from the GF for a place on the scheme or already have got a place then I presume you are extremely excited either way! From the day I got my email saying CONGRATULATIONS ( thats as far as I read for a good 5 mintues because i was running like a crazed chicken celebrating and screaming) to now waiting to leave...only 6 days :o,My perception and views on the entire Global fellowship scheme has changed.
I admit that when I first wanted to take part in the G.F it was mainly because of the 6 weeks in a foriegn country and I do believe each single fellow was attracted by that too (well I hope its not just me :/)! , when I looked more into it I found aspects of the scheme to do with issues on the enviroment, the education system in the other countries rather interesting and something i wanted to know more about it also helped that one of the issues was relevant to me studying a degree in Enviromental science, furthermore meeting 100 new fellows and the idea that they maybe making some life lasting friends sounded like this would be a brilliant experience for me. I think already I have met alot of people who I would want to be friends for a long time and already miss spending time wiht already :). (awwwwwww ;))

 I'm sure many will start to notice how massive the G.F really is as the people part of it  range from those organising it to the Global companies who are on the other side of the world and it shows how passionate they feel about this scheme and how much they want to show us how massive Globalisation is and how we need to open our eyes to the massive change. I now defintely know that after this scheme the experiences I will encounter will not only help me but also in the furture, people close to me and even hopefully people i do not know. I really thank everyone of them for giving me this opputunity for me to experience and give back what I have learnt. This is awesome and amazing G.F Rules! as the MK kids say it your a LEGEND!

Even before you are actually part of the G.F it has this hold on you where you want to know more, experience what the past fellows have experienced, then once you are excepted into the "gang" they always give you that little bit to keep you wanting more till you actually get to go to one of the three countries, that is how I felt anyway ( always looking at you inbox ten times a day XD till I see that email I have been waiting for).

This scheme may have aims and objective which you may not find that interesting about but as I found out at  the Predeparture everything I had less interest in it was actually fun to learn about and it did make me open up to new ideas.
Already this scheme has made me question what I want to do in my life in the furture.

But I  think that enjoying yourself on this G.F scheme is important too, we do still have to behave in a respectful way as we are representing not just ourselves, we also got to repsect others around us so not to spoil there journeys and experiences.
The more you are involved wiht this scheme the more you feel you are part of it.

I suppose the G.F is like a big happy family, where we have fun, learn from the old (past fellows and oragnisers), have repect for everyone, and also where the young strive out  and explore the unknown (furture fellows) :).



A Qoute for every blog I think yes?

"dreams and ideas can be shattered but what you experience shall stay with you forever"

by the famous chinese guy T.H. Pang

let the fun and experiencing begin! :D

Ni hao, wo hui shuo yiadianr Zhong-Wen!

Well, in exactly 240 hours the China Fellows will be entering Terminal 3, ready to depart for Beijing! 

In the meantime, I have been familiarising myself with the work ethic in China, especially that of the pre-university period, since I believe that this age group is probably the most important to inspire in the UK, in order to ensure that we have a generation who are thinking about the bigger picture. 

Part of my cultural immersion was watching a film called "Shanghai Dreams". I highly recommend it to anyone! The main story I took from it was how hard Chinese families worked to put their children into University and the almost Utilitarian approach to life many Chinese took/take. The fact that in the UK, if one achieves almost any half-decent A-level grades, they have the opportunity to go to University seems absurd! Real food for thought, especially how long the situation will stay as it is!

Whether we like or not, our generation probably has the largest burden (and opportunity!) in the history of the human race. That is a humbling thought! I hope that by being part of the Global Fellowship, I will be able to be part of a movement which informs our generation about the effects of our increasing inter-connectedness, so that we may better deal with the challenges ahead of us. 

One thing I really hope the GF will endow upon me is an understanding of the cultural differences and underlying similarities between different nations, our common humanity. Is it not absurd, that we know very little about the Chinese way of life, yet they represent 1/5 of the World's population and will soon be the world's second superpower? The same applies to all other countries to varying degrees. I feel that we are moving into a period of uncertainty and opportunity, yet culturally, we, people of the world actually know very little about each other. I know that I'm beginning to sound a bit like a fanatic hippy, yet it is true. We are greater than the sum of our parts, by working together we can achieve greatness.

Ni hao! This is my first blog entry.....more than a bit late starting. I had no idea of the scale of the organisation and planning I'd have to do before I leave. Shopping, BTEC results, articles, packing....the list goes on. I'm currently struggling to stay awake...which is very odd considering it's not even 6:00pm. I can't wait to go! I'm like a little kid on Christmas Eve!. Seeing everyone before we leave was a great experience, everyone seems to be so positive, open minded, friendly, considering most of us haven't met we seem to have got on really well . The scale of the programme is really starting to sink in now, there is a lot riding on us over the next few months....pressure!, but it's a good thing. 

The language is surprisingly not that hard, I thought Mandarin was one of the hardest languages to learn to speak but it does not seem that way to me, I'm loving it!

Well let me stop waffling now, before I bore you into oblivion (word of advice don't blog when you're knackered)

Until next time

Zai jian!

Asher

right now I should be:

learning Mandarin.
or ordering my new Mac so it comes before I go to China.
or packing clothes for China.
or simply shopping for China.
or sorting out how I'll receive my A Level results in China.
or writing a spoken word piece on 'Money & Power' for a gig I'm doing on Tuesday.
or exercising because, God knows, I need to.
or ordering the books for Uni that I need to read whilst I'm away.
or, more sensibly, planning gap year schemes because I really screwed over my exams.
or practising how to use chopsticks.
or tidying my REALLY FILTHY BEDROOM.
or helping my Mum fix our oven because it's broken and that's probably my fault.
or planning what to say to my Dad when he realises the oven is broken and it's probably my fault.
or watching the news so I know what's going on in the world.
or reading books/watching films about China so I know what to expect.
or getting my hair done because it looks ridiculous.
or activating my cash passport from the British Council.
or getting dressed up as I'm going out in 2 hours.
or emailing people to say I'm going to be away for 6 weeks...

Instead, I am reading a Terry Pratchett novel that I've read twice before and even watched the play of (it's called 'Nation' and is wicked), despite knowing full well the ending will make my cry. AGAIN.

Epic Bridget Fail.

Ciao amicos J

I’m sipping ice-cold lemonade in a small Sicilian cafe in Scopello to write my first blog. Today we’ve been exploring the Zingaro nature reserve, a mêlée of stunning cliff walks, white pebble beaches and interesting wildlife. Swimming in the sea is definitely a lot warmer than the Irish Sea back home!!

It’s my sixth day in Sicily, and a week after the GF pre-departure in London. Wow, what an action-packed few days! THANKYOU GLOBAL FELLOWSHIP TEAM for your all your hard work and super organisation! J  Saturday was dedicated to getting to know the other Fellows and getting a grip on the language and culture of our designated countries. A couple of hours of intensive mandarin practice later, I could proudly say ‘Wǒ jiào Coulthard Cat’ and nearly remember all the numbers from 1-100 J  Using chopsticks was surprisingly difficult! But I doubt many Chinese people are adept at using them to pick up smarties! The Turkish meal later on was delicious, and a good chance to mingle with all the fellows.

On Sunday we had media and communications work, with four brave fellows facing the intimidating press gaggle. We learnt how not to take videos, and most importantly, interview technique. That night my group ended up wandering down by the Thames, posing for lots of random group photos and spelling GLOBAL FELLOWSHIP with our bodies...

Monday morning we all headed off to our work placements, I was with Pearson. Not knowing much about the company beforehand, some quick research told me they were a publishing group in the UK. Actually, Pearson is a huge global company with a substantial presence in over 100 countries! They are the largest educational company in the world, owning the exam board Edexcel, the Financial Times and The Economist. Furthermore they have established many adult and children’s educational book series, such as Dorling Kindersley, Penguin and Puffin. They run literacy programmes on all the global continents, and see themselves as fuelling the knowledge economy. A term that I’d never come across before! This focus on knowledge means it has many Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives operating globally, an aspect I’m really keen to find out more about in Shanghai!

One of the things I’ve really picked up on from the weekend has been the diversity of the group. We all come from contrasting backgrounds, races and parts of the country. The fact that the GF is not just a 6-week adventure this summer has been truly emphasised over the weekend. Indeed, the GF Alumni exists to co-ordinate later fellow efforts. Between us we have future geographers, scientists, economists, doctors, CEOs and politicians. The GF experience is far from over come September, it is just the beginning!

Hey,

        I realised I hadn't actually posted to my blog yet so thought what better a time than a week, or more accuratly six days, before I leave! Having returned from the pre-departure weekend that took place last weekend everything feels that little bit more real and as if this is it.. its actually happening. I've so much to organise before friday it's boardering on being quite insane, which reminds me I must go buy a nice cosy hoody for the flight before I scamper off to work this evening. 

So a little about the pre-departure weekend. I really enjoyed it, finally getting to meet or at least see all 100 fellows all in the one place, and really putting things into perspective.I have to say, I do feel the best part of the weekend was actually getting the chance to visit the corporate partners we'll be working along side in country. For myself this is Kraftfoods, and I've honestly never met a nicer bunch of people. The programme for the weekend suggested that the small group of fellows going to Kraft were to spend two hours with our host business but they seemed quite happy to have us for as long as we liked. We had the opportunity to speak to a fairly large section of the work force revoling around the way in which they tackle sustainability - which on a personal level is something that really interests me.

 Anyway, I best run, got work in an hour but i'll finish this later!

Pura Vida!

Stevie...x

....but as I lie awake, unable to shake the fact that my India "To Do" list  is, quite effortlessly, longer than my "Days to Go!" countdown, I have resigned myself to the fact that this is just the way it has to be. It is now 3am and, aware that I must surface at/around 6 to make it to work on time, I feel my only rational option is to not lull into that wonderful realm of sleep at all. I'm going to tell you things instead :)

Well my panic over the pre-departure briefing was, as I had hoped, unfounded. Things went really well :) It was definitely draining and I have to be brutally honest and tell you that I can't remember the details derived from many conversations about which exams we have just finished and which courses we hope to launch ourselves back into come September (glutton for punishment, anyone?) This weekend has taught me that I absolutely despise small talk in all it's crafty forms and that, if you want to provoke valuable interactions from 99 other people you've just met, you'd better come out with something a little more unique and a lot more interesting, and fast!

Beside that, this weekend was another great opportunity to reflect on where I might be going with all this fellowship excitement. I was definitely challenged, throughout the various workshops, meet-and-greet activities and trips to corporate placements, to give evidence that I had ideas and questions about society, the scheme, business, other cultures and my role as "Epic Culture Defender" (or Fellow..) that I could comfortably parade in any given situation. To my great horror, at times these details didn't just slip into and out of my head with the ease I would have liked; safe to say that, at this stage, simply making polished, generalised statements, such as "I think it's really important to understand different cultures" seemed rather inadequate. In particular, when asked how I would tell the story of my journey in an engaging and thought-provoking way, with a real purpose and progression to the tale, I came up a little lost.....

Lovely Fellowship Lady: "So, what would you personally want to research and tell people about?"

Tired and not-so-quick Millie: *Slightly blank pause*

LFL: "Do you have any ideas?"

TaNSQ M: "I do but I think they might not be appropriate for this.."

LFL: *Slightly dubious look, probably hoping to God this isn't just another smart-alec comment from some lazy teenager but waiting to hear the outcome anyway*

Me: "In general, I'm quite interested in peoples' sexual attitudes and their responses to issues such as sexual health, education, abuse and exploitation.....

        I don't think I can ask my host family about that, can I?"

After a slight pause it was decided that, No, I couldn't, and that I would focus on weddings instead, as a trip to an Indian wedding party three years ago really sparked my interest in family values in India.

Equally our visit to HSBC in Canary Wharf was an eye-opener. It gave us a chance to discuss our perceptions of the business with one of the Top Dogs there and I really appreciated the opportunity to speak honestly about how I personally perceive banks, with someone who works in one of the top jobs there. I have always found it difficult to see what kind of impact banks can have in social terms,  dealing with issues outside of finance. In previous years they have obviously needed to focus on the economic part of the world, as that is their job, however when they got that wrong in recently, leading to the recession, it did make me wonder, if they couldn't get the money right, how could we expect them to do something outside of their expertise, such as CSR. And this is what I told him when asked, as a group, whether we had heard anything "bad" about HSBC. To his credit, he answered all our questions in quite a down-to-earth way and had some very good things to say about what HSBC does in order to survive responsibly, but this part of the weekend in particular illustrated to me how precious it is to have the opportunity to voice your concerns to the people who get to make the most difference. Overall, this weekend reminded me of the importance of knowing your opinion and aspiration so that, when you get those rare opportunities, you can make the most of them and say what you mean.

Hi again,

I just wanted to quickly point out that i just realised the scale of this project. The Global Fellowship is HUGE and I don't think that people really realise how much hard work, resources and effort the people of the British Council and our host countries are putting into it. We are sooo lucky to be apart of such an inspiring and large scale scheme. To organise something over national and international waters is an immense task and i would just like to say an even BIGGER thank you to all those that have made this possible for all the 100 fellows that are taking part this year. 

May this project touch many more lives and inspire many more thriving minds in the future.

Pooj x x x x 

Hello for the second time. :D *wave*

I am now going to quickly summarise all that has happened in the last couple of weeks including the pre departure briefing.

We finally got to meet the other 99 fellows at the three day briefing, it was a very interesting but short-lived experience and a lot of fun! It was full of lots of tiring tube travel, mandarin and cultural workshops, communications know-how, group dinners out in central london, walks along the river, questions and chatting and a very official visit to meet our host countries. Mine was Hays, a recruitment agency. It was interesting to be out in the hub of the action. Hays has a very friendly atmosphere and seems to have people at the heart of what their moral principles are and Me and Braden could definitley get the vibe that they cared about the people they were working with. It was a very eye opening experience for me to see the economic aspect of globalisation. A very complex system is created where companies must breach barriers and have strong communications in order to successful. We were told that with the technological advancements of todays world it has been made much easier to make companies global. It this necessarily a good thing however? Does it benefit countries to be so interconnected and interdependent? Just a thought.....

I met some incredible people over the weekend and loved talking to them all. I will admit that it can be a bit difficult to make the first steps. Sometimes after that it gets easier but sometimes you have to try that little bit harder. It will be great spending 6 weeks of my life with these amazing people and can't wait for the summer to come. 1 week and 3 days left until the flight. Whooooo!!

Just before I end it i'll just say that I got my first bit of press coverage for the local radio (Whooooo! Big up Hillz FM :p) and have another appointment for another local radio station on the 18th of July 9:20 BBC Radio 4 Coventry and Warwickshire! Whooo! I urge anybody who has the chance to get in contact with the media and tell their stories!

Thank you for reading again :)

Pooj x x x x x