Discover our campus: Freshers' Week Online
The Leeds University Union ran a series of Welcome Week & Freshers events from 20 Sept-26 Sept 2021, where new students had the opportunity to meet over 300 clubs and societies and even get some free stuff at the Welcome Fair. It’s a quick way to settle into university life and make some new friends, from participating in activities to reading useful resources that can help ease your transition into university life.
However, due to current global circumstances, many students were unable to come to the campus to experience these events in person, or were isolating throughout the week. So, in addition to on campus events, there was online events that could be attended by students studying remotely and in self-isolation. Who would have thought that staying safe and socially distant would be fun too?! This year there were virtual meet-ups, club nights, city tours, quiz nights and much more.
Online fitness with Bradley Simmonds
As the NHS Inform mentioned, being active during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is very important for your physical and mental health. It can enhance your mood, wellbeing and energy levels by helping to reduce stress, anxiety and depression.
There’s a risk of becoming less active as we spend more time at home, especially as we are not able to get to the gym or maybe outdoors as often, but during this week I checked out Bradley Simmonds' online fitness. No experience required or any professional equipment, just yourself. Bradley Simmonds, a young and ambitious fitness influencer, inspires and leads people on several exercise routines through and nutritious eating to live a healthy life journey.
Of course, at the University of Leeds, we also have a fantastic gym, The Edge. It has an unrivalled amount of gym classes in Leeds, all designed to help you reach your goals. The Edge offers a range of classes at its state-of-the-art studio, including the extremely popular Pilates and Body Pump, as well as Aqua classes in the pool throughout the week. It also offers outdoor classes and live online classes in the comfort of your own space, including Les Mills Body jam, Zumba, Pilates and more. If you want to find out more about fitness, you'll always find something for you at The Edge!
Comedy: "Sounds Like" Quiz Game
The event is designed to provide happiness and enormous giggles to those who attend from the minute the teams are named! The rules of the game are simple, no talking. For this event, the host was Thom Tucker, celebrated actor and stand-up comedian and former nominee for the prestigious Edinburgh Comedy Award. He also appearances in CBBC Horrible Histories and actor with multiple ensemble pieces in the West End and television. Participants are given a series of words about animals, things, people, songs and emotions and describe them to their teammates using only their voices. During the descriptions, you may see the participants' funny facial expressions just so that their teammates can guess the answer, and you can't imagine how amazing the human voice system can be! This is a hilarious but unbeatably funny game that everyone can play at home.
Korean Cooking Workshop
As a food enthusiast, I really enjoy trying the dishes of various countries. One of my favourites is Korean cuisine and, I make my own Bibimbap, Korean Tteokbokki, Budae Jjigae (Army Stew) and, a range of other Korean dishes in my daily life.
In this online event, Wan Jeong, a guest chef from Korea, enabled participants to learn how to make an authentic Korean feast and how to Koreanise your home-cooked meals. Wan Jeong is a freelance food and travel journalist and has worked with a host of renowned chefs, learning about different cuisines, flavours and techniques.
The event showed us how to cook Korean Glass Noodles with Stir-Fried Veggies, Japchae! Japchae literally means “mixed vegetables.” However, the main ingredient of this classic dish is Korean sweet potato starch noodles (dangmyeon), also known as glass noodles. Japchae is an essential dish for traditional holidays and special occasions. Once a royal dish, Japchae is one of the most popular traditional celebration dishes, often served on special occasions, such as weddings, birthdays and holidays.
To make it quicker and easier for the participants to integrate into the event, the organisers published the materials that needed to be prepared in advance so that we would not be overwhelmed by the preparation of these materials while the event was in progress. During the event, the chef also shared the story behind each dish. According to Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty, the name originally referred to a stir-fried vegetable and mushroom dish, first made in the early 17th century by Yi Chung (1568‒1619) for King Gwanghaegun's palace banquet. The king liked the dish so much that he rewarded Yi by promoting him to a high-ranking position, and japchae became a fixture of Korean royal court cuisine. Cooked without noodles or meat at the time, japchae was considered a luxurious and elegant dish served to the royal family and high-level officials.
These are all just a tiny portion of what was on offer online - there's plenty more to discover about Leeds throughout the year, and in the meantime. Get in touch for more information 🙂