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What you need to open a bank account in UK?
An international student must have a bank account in a UK bank.To open a bank account, you need the following: Passport, Unconditional Offer Letter (original documents only) and confirmation of your UK address and your home (overseas) address.
Usually, banks will regard the address on your offer letter as your home address. If that's not the case with you, you need to produce a document to confirm your home address. Some of the Chinese students run into a minor trouble with this. As for me, I brought my I.D. Card and its stamped/signed Chinese translation. The bank clerk said to me: "It's great!"
For students living in university-owned houses, you need to bring with you Accommodation Offer Letter to confirm your UK address.
Buy a coach ticket before you enter Britain!
(28 SEP 02)
If you have to take a coach from London Heathrow Airport to your university, you must purchase a ticket before you enter the country. You can buy one via www.gobycoach.com or www.nationalexpress.co.uk. A one-way ticket from Heathrow to Coventry cost me 11.50 pounds on the night of 24 September 2002. Without a ticket booked, most probably, you have to go first to Victoria Coach Station, London, and from there you can buy your ticket even at night. But this will cost you more!
Just at the entrance of Heathrow Airport, I am sure someone, wearing no uniform, will stop you and ask enthusiastically, "Where are you going?" "Do you have a ticket?" "Follow me, please!" He must be a taxi driver. As an international student, try your best to avoid taking a taxi partially because taxi is the most expensive transportation in Britain.
Different Definition of Children
(29 SEP 02)
In China, a child shorter than 1.2 meters are qualified to pay half for some tickets, i.e. trains and buses. But in UK, a child aged between 5 and 12 years old is eligible for a discount of 50% in most of the similar situations.
Bank commission
(29 SEP 02)
For some British universities, if you pay ALL the tuition fee before a certain deadline, you are eligible for a discount. But you must be well aware that the bank in the UK will take a charge off your money. For example, when I paid ￡6900 by T.T., the HSBC in Coventry took off ￡12.
How much goods cost in Britain?
(29 SEP 02)
While shopping in Coventry, I found some interesting phenomena. For example, milk is much cheaper than soft drinks in most stores. The followings are some of the items I bought during my first-week life in Coventry.
At Wilkinson Hardware Stores Ltd:
-a double bed quilt:￡8.49
At Sainsbury's:
-banana (750g):29p
-1 pint of posteurised milk: 29p
-4 vegetable samosas (200g): ￡1.69
-10 salami (100g): 75p
-white bread (400g): 52p
At"99p Stores", every item is much cheaper than in other stores. For example:
-4 cans of Coca Cola and/or Pepsi Cola (0.33 liter each): 99p
-banana chip (450g):99p
-2 bottles of mineral water (1.5 liter each): 99p
-1 full length pillow: 99p
-3 rolls of kitchen towels: 99p
Free Vaccination in England
(7 OCT 02)
This morning I received FREE vaccination of polio and meningitis C at the Medical Centre of the University. Last week when I registered with the Medial Centre, my doctor suggested I take them, and later I learned from one of the nurses that the vaccination is free of charge. This is the first benefit I enjoyed from the NHS (National Health Service) of England.
On the evening I got to know from a brochure that thousands of individuals, companies and organizations have made different contributions to prevent meningitis.
"Give Way" in Britain
(31 OCT 02)
"Give Way" is cherished as a virtue by most of the British people, especially the middle-aged and elderly citizens. Usually, people give way in the following situations:
1. When somebody in a hurry say "Excuse me" to you. Sometimes, but not always, you will gain a "Thank you" after you give way.
2. At crossroads without traffic lights, people take great care to give way. In case you are waiting to cross the road while the coming vehicles seem endless, sometimes a kind driver will stop specifically to let you go first. Remember to nod and/or smile to him or her as a token of acknowledgement.
3. At some busy junctions, vehicles will give way to you if you are in a hurry and press the button to change the light to red. But if pedestrians are not in a hurry, they don't often interfere with the smooth traffic.
4. Almost all the vehicles will pause---not just slow down, but STOP for a moment-before turning. Where it is impossible to see vehicles coming other way, even the young drivers will habitually do so.
Anyway, it is crucial to make sure of our own safety in a foreign country.
Full Help with Health Cost in Britain
(1 NOV 02)
This morning I received the Certificate for Full Help with Health Cost from Prescription Pricing Authority, Health Benefits Division which is in Newcastle Upon Tyne. The certificate says:
…we have worked out that you, and your partner if you have one, are entitled to this certificate for the following:
· free NHS prescriptions
· free NHS dental treatment
· free NHS sight tests
· the free value of a voucher towards the cost of glasses and contact lenses
· free NHS wigs and fabric supporters
· refund of necessary costs of travel to and from hospital for NHS treatment
To my great surprise, the certificate is for me and my 7-year-old son, Bi Jinglun, who is in P.R. China.
The certificate remains valid until 29 September,2003, when I should have completed my course in Britain.
Is BBC A Radio Company?
(2 NOV 02)
So many Chinese people know that BBC is short for British Broadcasting Corporation, and that BBC is a radio station. But soon after we arrived in Britain, we found out that BBC is more of a TV company. It boasts 2 national analogue TV channels (BBC1 and BBC2) and 2 digital TV channels. BBC radio and TV programmes are inseparable part of everyday life for almost all the people permanently or temporarily living in the UK.
As a student on MA in International Media and Communication,I once conducted a questionnaire among some students from P.R. China: Who knows BBC TV programmes before coming to UK? Nobody knows!
It's really a thought-provoking phenomenon.
Am I A Church Goer?
(3 NOV 02)
In the dictionary of the British people, being a church goer means being a Christian or Protestant. But I am not a Christianity believer so far, to be honest with Lord, although I sometimes go to the church on Sundays while studying in Britain.
Then why do I go to the church?
My main reasons are as follows:
First, it's well known to the Chinese scholars that Christianity is one of the three bases of the Western cultural construct. For example, almost all the important Western holidays such as Xmas, Easter, Passover, stemmed from Bible. Therefore, to fully understand the Western culture inevitably involves going deeper into the Big Book.
Second, as a researcher in culture, media and communication, Bible and Christianity is an undoubtedly important object which is well worth deciphering from some brand-new perspectives.
Third, the Holy Bible, in my eyes, is more of a philosophical book full of wisdom, and in a way has made significant marks on human beings' progress. By studying the Book I can obtain some valueless insights into life as well as academic research.
Fourth, in the church I can easily access some kind experts in Christianity. For example, Mr. Peter Cordle at the Baptist Church, Coventry, has explained to me the basic differences between Christianity and Roman Catholic, the interrelationship between a church and a cathedral, so on and so forth. Also, in the church I can witness, with awe, some very formal religious events such as baptism.
All in all, I have decided to go to the church as regularly as I could to make the most possible out of the resources there and to establish contact with God, which, I believe, will exert far-reaching influence on my life.