Weekend Away in Somerset

CHRISTMAS DINNER 2007

On Saturday, 1st Dec we held our Christmas dinner Celebration at Alma Church Hall. The evening started officially at 7.00pm with warm greetings by our very own Santa Claus!! Mulled wine and fruit punch was served as welcome drinks. Everyone was busy chatting while some took the opportunity to complete the Christmas Quiz that was placed on each table.

Hannah welcomed everyone and explained the evening, the menu, as well as what all the trimmings are – e.g. Christmas crackers, cranberry sauce, etc. Thereafter, Christmas dinner was served, made up of roast turkey or a vegetarian version.

After dinner, we were entertained by the Christian Union and BISC choir team with angelic voices filling the air to ears’ amazement!

Elvyn announced the Christmas quiz results and although we had several winners, he narrowed it down to one winner (in Elvyn’s good hands!!) Our choir then sang a few more carols before Christmas pudding and fruit salad was served.

After a lovely meal, Neil Grant, our guest speaker proceeded with a talk on ‘Why and how we celebrate Christmas?’- explaining the different variations of Christmas term and the true meaning of Christmas – that it is about Christ and his birth.

Tea and coffee was then served, and followed by a few more carols and drawing the evening to a close + ending with “We wish you a Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year”!!

Photos to come soon.

JAPANESE EVENING AUTUMN TERM 2007

A very popular event! We had more than 50 people who registered and turned up for this evening.

Organised by the Japanese Society from Bristol University, the Japanese evening officially started at 7.00pm. The first item on the agenda for the evening was a hand at origami. A variety of colored paper, accompanied by instructions was given out. So, a volunteer team member from the Japanese Society went around sharing his expertise by going around the tables.

The menu for the evening include a variety of delights such as Nikujaga (Beef and Potatoes), Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pancakes) and of course, sushi! The course was complemented by a dessert - Japanese rice dumplings.

Following dinner, we were given opportunity to roll our own sushi! In groups of 4 at a time, it was a friendly competition to race with time - the 3 minutes challenge set by Becky who was leading the evening!!

The evening ended with happy smiling faces!

Globe Cafe - South Korean Night

More details of Globe Cafe can be found here.

STRATFORD TRIP 2007

On Saturday, 17th November BISC organized another exciting trip to Stratford-Upon-Avon! More than 100 students join the trip - to the beautiful town of William Shakespeare’s birthplace, England’s most famous playwright.

The trip started at about 8.30am from BISC and took less than 2 hours to get there. Along the way, students were informed on what the day entails. Maps were distributed with highlights on places of interest including three houses: Nash House, Shakespeare Centre and Halls Croft. Tickets were issued on the bus.

Upon arrival, students went into their own groups to explore the beautiful town and the 3 Shakespeare’s houses. Lunch was at their own leisure with good choices of places to eat.

At 3.45pm, we gathered at the Baptist Church for tea/coffee and biscuits complimentary from BISC. Shortly before 5.00pm, we headed towards Bristol. On the way back, students were entertained by quiz on Shakespeare and the winner awarded with a prize!

Bridgwater Carnival 2007

This year we had 2 coaches to Bridgwater! We gathered at BISC at 4.00pm to ‘hit the road’ down to Bridgwater. The journey was pleasant with interesting information being shared by the BISC Team. On the way, students were being entertained with quiz on Bridgwater Carnival and also given maps of the Carnival venue with useful information.

Although we arrived slightly later than expected due to the traffic i.e. at about 6.30pm….we had ample of free time to get dinner before the spectacular event started buzzing. Crowds of people gathered for the Carnival to start. A DJ entertained us before the carnival commencement. The weather was reasonably mild for us to be outside for this time of the year.

The extravaganza Carnival began at approximately 8.00pm….that mesmerized the crowd! As the carnival is also an annual charity event, people were joyfully throwing coins into the floats. The floats are spectacular and enormous, the atmosphere is fantastic! Everyone was enjoying the evening out, with their cameras handy – not to miss every opportunity for the photo album!
On the way back, more stories were then being shared on the history of Bridgwater Carnival by our very own experienced and knowledgeable story teller, Elvyn.

It was truly an unforgettable experience!

Photos to appear on here later in the week.

INTERNATIONAL FEAST

On Wednesday, 7th November here @ BISC – we hosted a ‘pot-luck session’ called the International feast.

Starting from 6.30pm, a variety of mouth watering dishes were brought by students. There were a range of savoury and desserts from countries such as Switzerland, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, Tanzania, Spain and Mexico. It was certainly a delightful evening where everyone enjoyed the food – with second helpings before the desserts being served.

After a sumptuous meal, we continued the evening with an ‘International Opinion’ game led by Becky (BISC’s Team). Using 3 sets of cards, each set has a different theme being discussed the first being more informal ice-breakers. Subsequent sets from the cards are more in-depth questions, and final set focused more on spirituality questions. It was an interactive session where we were given opportunity to ask questions on life and faith quite openly and to share our opinions.

There will be another International Feast in the spring term. We hope you will join us then.

Photos to appear on here later in the week.

International Reception 2007

A spectacular evening attended by more 300 students from 60 countries all across the globe!!

Held at Woodlands Christian Centre, the Reception started at 630pm with warm welcome by the BISC’s Team and the volunteers. People were ushered into the main hall, well decorated with flag bunting, 4 long tables filled with an assortment of mouth watering delights and finger food such as chicken nuggets, pizza, onion Bhajis, sushi, vegetarian dishes, spring rolls, prawn toast, and a variety of snacks spread over mini tables displayed on the four main pillars in the hall. At the welcome desk, capital cities quiz were handed out as well as students’ home countries list was established. At 730pm, the event officially began with a video: Welcome to BISC in various languages e.g. Czech, Japanese, German and Chinese.

Laughter is one of the best compliments to a happy belly! Along with Shanthi and Kevin from the BISC Team and 3 other students, the event was lightened up with cheers from the Animal Game where the participants representing their home-land mimicked a series of animals…

This exciting annual event was officiate by BISC’s Chairman, Rob-Scott-Cook who gave a speech and a warm welcome to the students. The event continued with a Mongolian Dance Performance by a Wang Lilian, a current Bristol University’s student. The second session of the DVD footage was then presented with a focus on senior students’ views on ‘The Best Thing’ they experience, advice to new students. This is valuable advice from experienced/senior international students’ to new international students.

We had another brilliant entertainment session with Tony Carey, who is BISC’s bus driver sang and played his guitar. Another DVD on ‘The Worst Things’ from the voice of students was shown before we were entertained once again by another student, Gai Zhikun – who performed a Chinese Local Drama using a traditional Chinese instrument.

After a short break, where the students freely mingled around and chatting to each other during which BISC’s Team announced the autumn term events as well as the capital city quiz winner! We then were finely entertained by Miss Soraya, a Malaysian student entertained the students with her sweet voice by singing a Malaysian song and an English song, while playing her guitar.
The results on country tally – presented with an on-screen visualized map of students’ home countries represented were then announced while students identified themselves by their home country that sends cheers roaring across the crowd.

At approximately 930pm the event rolled on with Brazilian drums and beats and an exciting Capoeira Dance session by the Capoeira Society. An extraordinary dance where the dancers uses martial arts as the base of their skillful dance!

The evening ended with smiles and happy faces from students, volunteers and all team members!

Below are photos and video clips from Saturday night. Please do click on 'comments' and leave your feedback from the evening. Thanks alot.

A Taste of the UK - Globe Cafe

Photos from Globe Cafe event on Saturday night!

London Trip

It was an early start, but over 100 of us managed to get up early on Saturday morning to journey to London –the capital city of England, for a day out. Coach 1 had 15 different nationalities on board, and coach 2 had 17 nationalities –a truly multi-cultural mix!. Our tour guides imparted lots of information to us about London throughout the coach guided tour. This ranged from the differences between the City of London, and the Greater London Boroughs, which was identifiable by statues of dragons, as to the newly erected statue of Nelson Mandela in Parliament Square!

The weather remained fine all throughout the day, which was great for the optional guided walking tour, as we didn’t need our umbrellas. Ruth & Elvyn conducted optional guided walking tours which were very thorough and provided photo opportunities throughout.

The quiz on the return journey tested our knowledge and we had worthy winners on each coach! There’s so much to see and do in London that a day trip can’t do it justice, so you’ll just have to visit again! We hope the BISC trip gave you a good introduction and overview of the place the Roman’s first called Londinium.

Bristol International Balloon Fiesta

Huge houses, fire extinguishers, multicoloured sweets and a tartan bagpipe player filled the skies, looking back over the Bristol harbour and the Steam Ship Great Britain. It was the return of the spectacular Bristol Balloon Fiesta. As we arrived at the green field sight of Ashdon Court Estate, a large dinosaur appeared in the sky, not unlike a larger than life model of our very own Mr. Elvyn Griffiths.

The typical fairground smells filled the air: ice cream and chips, noodle bars to curries and baked potatoes. The BISC team from Hong Kong to Kazakhstan, China, Guatemala, Japan and Bella Russe, set up camp on a hill above the main arena and spent the evening marvelling at the enormous glowing creations. As dusk appeared, rousing classical music and rock music played as the fires were stoked to light up the gigantic canopies creating a dazzling display. Fireworks burst out into the sky above the now darkened sky to signal the end of the event.

Thousands of people trekked back towards the numerous buses, jostling and laughing, chatting and joking, before their return to the city.

Farewell Barbecue 2007

Many farewells and some unexpected welcomes for the penultimate BISC event of the summer term.

The party had started in the early afternoon, when a team of international barbecue consultants arrived from near and far: representatives from Iran, Finland, Germany, Sheffield, Redland and Weston-Super-Mare were all present and ready to help out.

Students and friends were welcomed to a traditional summer garden party experience. Amazingly, the rain held off but the wind didn’t. A gazebo had been put up and the barbecue was already flaming away as the guests arrived.

Despite the sadness of saying goodbye to so many friends, there were still opportunities to meet new folk: some people from Iran and South Korea had never been to BISC before.

As the weather cooled, the warm atmosphere did not. Guests were invited inside for coffee and desert. The small living room was filled with over 50 people from the four corners of the globe: from Korea, Japan, China, the Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, Kazakhstan, Iran, Mexico Taiwan, India, Sri Lanka and beyond.

Neil Edbrooke, a familiar friend at BISC, encouraged us to reflect on what we had learnt this year and what was important to us in our lives. As students return home and to new chapters in their lives, he spoke of returning to familiar surroundings with new eyes in the light of the love and friendship they had found here in Bristol.

The night ended with some singing. Hannah strummed along on her guitar, a hidden talent that a handful of us had the privilege of sharing accompanied by the BISC Team Harmony Singers. “Good bye sweetheart, well it’s time to go….I hate to leave you but I really must say, well goodnight sweetheart, goodbye.”

O.K ...so it’s not quite the last event of term: Ruth’s leaving party is on Saturday at 4.30pm at Alma church - all are welcome - and the final Jazz Walk of the term will be this Monday 25th June. We hope to see you there and wish you all the best for safe travels home for your next adventures.

Click here for photos.

River Cruise

The BISC River Cruise was an excellent way to celebrate the end of exams with friends, flatmates and work colleagues.

The trip afforded many the opportunity to see a different side of Bristol and her surroundings. From the elegant ships in the docks and sophisticated warehouse conversions, we were soon out in the lush greenery of the waterways towards Bath. Herons were spotted overhead and we were able to breath in the fresh country air.

The band “El Gran Desorden” set the tone for the party atmosphere with their funky, Latino rhythms. Nibbles were nibbled and drinks began to flow.

Food was served in generous supply. Adopting the traditional British queuing system, over seventy students lined the ship, waiting patiently before piling their plates high with salad, sandwiches pasta and rice dishes. In the mean time we were entertained by some Dutch and Russian singing. Amazingly the ship did not capsize at the arrival of the puddings, despite some very eager surges forward to grab the best of the myriad cheesecakes in different flavours: blackcurrant, toffee, lemon and strawberry.

Despite ominous skies, the rain held back until the last twenty minutes when umbrellas were pulled out and there was the opportunity to practice dancing in the rain. (Did you know that the actor Gene Kelly, star of the musical film “Singing in the Rain” was born and raised in Bristol?)
All in all, a fitting celebration to mark the end of exams and for many, the end of their time here at BISC and in Bristol. We wish you all a fond farewell and encourage any new comers to stay in touch.

Click here for photos.

Hispanic Fiesta

BISC has been blessed with a number of South/Central American students this year, particularly from Mexico. The Hispanic Fiesta started with songs and guitar music with a distinctively Mexican flavour. Doris, Seb, Becky & Gabriel sang and entertained, then a delicious feast of tapas was served. Plates were piled high with jamon Serrano (Spanish ham), patatas bravas (spicy potatoes), pimientos rellenado de queso (stuffed sweet red peppers), pisto, and of course tortilla Española. This was followed by some delicious Portuguese puddings, accompanied by some beautiful strumming in the background. We also enjoyed a traditional Mexican game of piñatas; which involves smashing large papier mache objects filled with confetti and sweets. Of course the evening would not have been complete without some dancing and Luis from Mexico helped us to master the Latin rhythms!

Many thanks to Izzy, Carmen, Clemence, Patrick, Seb, Gabriel, Doris and Chloe for all the help we received with coking, singing and piñata making.

Click here to view photos from the Hispanic Fiesta.

Llancaiach Fawr Manor & Forest of Dean.

A small group of us set off for a Manor House in Wales with a name that tested our Welsh pronunciation skills! We arrived in South Wales in the sunshine, having left Bristol in a grey haze, at Llancaiach Fawr Manor where we embarked upon a tour of the Manor House. We were greeted and shown around by the "servants" of the owner, Colonel Prichard and again had to tune our ears to the Welsh accent. We learnt about the traditional customs the everyday life of ordinary people over 350 years ago. We got to see where they ate, slept and socialised. After the tour we traveled on some windy roads back into England to the Forest of Dean. Dean Heritage Centre was our lunch time destination, with a brief look at the museum of the forest and a game of frisbee whilst Elvyn and Hannah prepared lunch on the BBQ. After a late and relaxed lunch, we took at leisurely walk around Soudley ponds enjoying the scenery and sunshine of English countryside before returning to Bristol.
Click here for photos.

Exam Lunches

For 3 weeks, lunch was served daily at BISC to those with, or without exams. A range of meats and cheeses were on offer, along with salad, pasta, bread, cake, crisps and fruit, and of course BISC’s special homemade salad dressing. Each day a range of people would come to lunch at BISC and enjoy relaxing from exams, revision and the stress that it brings. There were many willing volunteers who gave freely of their time and efforts to help prepare the lunch each day, to whom we are very grateful.
Click here for photos.

Slave Trade Walk

With the 200th anniversary of the act in parliament to abolish slavery inEngland, BISC benefited from Elvyn's extensive knowledge for a guided touraround the city. From the Cathedral to St. Mary Redcliffe, the waterfrontand docks area, the Old Vic theatre to the Colston Hall, Elvyn skilfullyguided us with all the relevant facts and figures, names and dates.The tourrevealed some of Bristol's shameful past, built on money from the slavetrade. It also revealed those people who were keen to challenge the tradeand eventually help to bring about abolition.

One cannot underestimate the massive profits which were made from the tradewhich grew up from the times of American colonisation. Much of the wealth ofthe city and the grand buildings are a result of the money from the trade.From the grand warehouses along the docks, housing sugar and tobacco to thewealthy town houses of rich slave-owners in Clifton and other parts of the city.

Our tour took in the Georgian House, where Pinney, a slave owner withplantations in the West Indies had lived. We heard about Hannah Moore, awealthy heiress and highly intelligent and articulate head mistress, who hadset up a school where "Fopp" now stands. She was also a persuasive andpersistent abolitionist. Stopping by the Cathedral we were reminded of howmany of the apparent great and good of the city, with plaques in theirhonour, were also involved in this terrible trade.

We learnt how slaves were carried across the seas in appalling conditions.The journeys lasted 40-50 days and many did not survive along the way. Menand women were split up. Those who spoke the same language were split up.Sickness and disease were rife. And various methods of torture were used forthose who attempted not to conform.

It is important to remember that even to this day slavery continues in adifferent form and in different countries throughout the world. Whilst weare grateful for those who fought to ensure slavery in this form becameillegal 200 years ago, there is still a lot more to be done. Buying FairTrade products is a step in the right direction to ensure that workers todayreceive a fair price for their labour.

Click here for a few photos. Don't miss Elvyn's next walk on 18th June.

Russian Evening

The BISC Russian Evening, run in conjunction with the University of Bristol’s Slavsoc, was a night to remember with music, food, dancing and much laughter!

Between 40 and 50 people arrived and crammed themselves into the BISC centre, and we kicked off the evening watching a beautiful slow Russian dance from Ilona and Sasha. We then sampled some traditional Russian food including salads, black bread, cabbage & mushroom filled rolls (pirozhki) and meatballs. The Slavsoc girls and Katya’s grandmother had done a fantastic job, and also managed to keep the kitchen very calm and clean!

After this, a choir, which Dorinda from the Russian Department had been practicing with, accompanied by Luke on the accordion, sang us some lovely folk songs, and got us all joining in on a chorus. A rather impromptu rendition of the famous “Kalinka” followed, and some of us got up and danced to this – it just goes to show that you don’t need any vodka to have Russian fun!

More drinks, pancakes, biscuits and gingerbread were then the order of the evening, and the jokes and chat continued until people drifted off home to rest their voices.

Don’t miss the Hispanic Fiesta next Wednesday night – book in advance on the BISC website!

Click here for photos from Russian Evening.

Cambridge Trip

It was a very early start when we set off for Cambridge on the 12th May. But some of us dozed on the coach while others tested our knowledge of the university town on the BISC quiz. When we arrived it was time to try our hand at punting – there are plenty of pictures for you to look at and see how it’s done (or not how it’s done, as the case maybe; some of us had more success than others…It’s harder than it looks!). As you may be able to tell, the heavens opened at one point and a heavy shower drenched us to the skin! Lots of umbrellas shot up, but the unfortunate people who were punting at the time definitely got it worst!

We then had some free time for lunch and people wandered round the market, or found a café to dry off in.

Our guided walking tours after that were very informative, the guides were good, and it gave us a good chance to get an overview of the town and learn a lot about the history. We heard about the ghost that lived in The Eagle pub, how Henry VIII was involved in building the colleges and enjoyed a tour around Trinity College, which was very impressive.

In our free time after the tours, some climbed up Great St Mary’s Church tower to get a good view of the town, some continued to walk around enjoying the beautiful architecture and interesting markets, while some had a look at one of the many famous museums in Cambridge.

Although it did keep raining throughout the day, at least it also kept stopping, so we had some chances to partially dry out at least! Our day in Cambridge was good fun, and though it was a long journey, it was worth it!

Click here to view photos from a wet Saturday BISC trip. Please do click on 'comments' below and leave us your feedback.

Brunel Trail

A small and select group of students from such diverse places as Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Japan met at 9:30am on Saturday by the Clifton Suspension Bridge for a guided walk led by the famous Elvyn Griffiths with Isambard Kingdom Brunel as the theme. We discovered how Brunel's father was a clever French engineer, and many other interesting facts throughout the day. To start with, we had a good look at the Bridge and walked across it to the exhibition centre and back. The Bridge was designed by Brunel for a competition, which he won. Therefore his design was built, although unfortunately not finished until after his death. Then we walked down through the Clifton and Hotwells areas of Bristol, learning much more about each other as we chatted, and about Bristol's history from Elvyn. Having arrived at the SS. Great Britain, we took a nice lunchbreak, then proceeded on board the ship which has been turned into an award-winning museum. She was the world's first ocean-going, propeller-driven iron ship, and we could see what life was like for the passengers, as well as how the whole ship worked. I think we will certainly be going back to the Museum, as there was such a lot to take in!
Click here for photos.

International Feast and Games night

About three people had booked in advance for the International Feast and Games night, so we were rather surprised, but very pleased, when more than twenty arrived bearing home-made food from around the world (as well as some cakes from Sainsbury’s…!). There was a lovely atmosphere as we all sat round the table passing Japanese rice, English cottage pie, Austrian chocolate cake and Belarussian cheese balls up and down to each other. After we’d all eaten as much as we could, Becky led us in a game involving drawing maps of Europe and the world from memory. We now know that Japanese geography lessons must be the best in the world, as Haruna and Yukari won this competition hands down! After this, we played Hannah’s “name game” where we had to describe famous people to each other without saying their names, then using only three words, then using no words at all. Our highlight from this game had to be Josh’s impression of Nelson Mandela in prison (hiding behind a stack of chairs), closely followed by Naved’s pirate impression, representing actor Jonny Depp! Maybe he will demonstrate for you one day…

Click here for photos.

Lake District Holiday

Waterproof coats and suntan lotion were at the top of the kit list as we headed up North for a week in England's notoriously unpredicatable outdoor climate. Setting off in glorious sunshine, the sky had turned a more traditional British merky grey as we approached Liverpool . However, our arrival at the Youth Hostel was greeted with picture postcard rays of sunshine peeking through the clouds. This stunning view of jagged hills and mountains above the waters of Lake Winderemere which was to be our constant backdrop for the next few days of physical exertion and cultural enquiry.
Steam trains, sheep, daffodils, gingerbread, otters, poetry, a lake cruise, an underwater aquarium, stuffed polar bears, high peaks and physical exertion, paddling in rivers and lakes, swinging from high ropes in the trees, wood peckers, starlit walks, rowing boats, icecreams, spectacular views and the stunning weather which allowed us to appreciate the hills reflected in chrystal clear waters. All these things and many more made up the holiday.
And yet there were a couple of factors which made the experience almost unique to BISC. The variety and breadth of interest of the group was a key to the success of the trip: Chinese Min Min who barely spoke any English but who was able to impress us all with his balance and fearlessness 30 foot up on the "Go Ape" Ropes course; a German assistant, Bernadette who knew nobody at the start of the trip and yet was the life and soul of the party by the end; another Chinese student, Helen who had lived in Oman before moving to England; Danish students with an interest in Chinese politics (and Danish pastries); A Taiwanese lady, Chara who had lived in Mongolia and who whistled and sang and joked her way through the trip; An English student who had lived in China; A Japanese student, Shiori who was studying Hungarian. And so many more fascingating people. It was a privelege to spend time getting to know these guys and to see friendships forming and developing.
Furthermore, the trip would not have been the same without the delightful Mr. Tony Carey who has entertanied, educated, driven, sung and played on many a BISC trip in the past. Tony ensured that folk songs such as "Wild Rover" or " My Grandfather's Clock" are now guaranteed to be heard from the karaoke bars of Kyoto to the coffee houses of Copenhagen. A huge thankyou to him and to every individual who came along. It would not have been the same without you.

Check out the photos now.

Oxford Trip

Oxford – the “City of Dreaming Spires” – is a beautiful place, as we all found out on Saturday when we took two coach-loads on a day trip. It was a lovely day again (we’re getting good at booking nice weather for our trips!) and the guided walking tours of the city with which we started our day were very informative and interesting. We got a good overview of the university town from the guides, and were able to look around pretty Brasenose College. Following that, people went their own separate ways and explored the market, the museums or climbed one of the towers to get a view of the whole town. We met up for tea and coffee together later in a church building which was a well-needed break from all the sight-seeing and a good chance to chat with new and old friends! We’re now looking forward to our trip to Cambridge in May so that we can compare the two famous university towns…
Click here to view photos from this trip.

Cotswolds Trip

The sun was shining (for once!) as we set off out into the Cotwolds to the north of Bristol. Our first stop was Chedworth Roman Villa which was a really impressive example of a Romano-British villa from the 4th Century AD. We could see the remains of beautiful mosaics that covered the floors, Roman bath houses with rooms for steaming yourself before jumping into cold water, Roman toilets and the very clever under-floor central heating that warmed the house in winter. The view down the valley must have been just as beautiful when this place was inhabited by an upper class family so long ago. We also enjoyed a very informative video presentation that really helped you to picture what it probably looked like originally.

We then drove on further to the village of Bourton-on-the-Water, with Elvyn giving us a very interesting commentary on the way about the scenery and history of the Cotswolds area. We had plenty of time to get some lunch and wander leisurely around the village and some people popped into some of the little tourist attractions there too.

When it was time to move on again, we all piled back in the coach and headed to Broadway, another typical, pretty, little English village where we enjoyed a generous cream tea together in the Horse and Hound pub before having a walk up and down the main street in the evening sunshine.

In all, it was a lovely day, as I think you can see from the smiles in the photographs!
Click here for photos.

Japanese Evening

At the end of the evening, all that was left was the Japanese symbol for “heaven” marked onto the window panes of BISC. A few brightly coloured origami birds, boats and boxes were left scattered about on the floor and the distinctive smell of sushi and soy sauce in the air. All this could only hint at the fun and delights that had gone before.

The Japanese Society once again did BISC proud as the centre was filled with new and unusual sights and flavours. As guests were welcomed in, their names were written in Japanese script on their name badges, before being ushered into the lounge to be served special tea, by a beautiful and strangely familiar young lady, dressed in an elegant pink and grey kimono. Tiny pink, blue, white and green sweets, like flowers, were available as a starter, before generous bowls of beef and potato “Nikujaga” appeared. This was followed by “Okonomiyaki” or “as you like it” pancakes and “Miso” soup served with “Asazuke” vegetables.

Throughout the evening, guests had the opportunity to roll their own Sushi, filled with a selection of avocado, thinly sliced cumber, smoked salmon, fried egg and crab, all wrapped in Japanese seaweed. In the mean time, highly trained engineering students used all their concentration and skill to grapple with the delicate origami techniques to achieve aerodynamic planes, boats and delicate birds. And others were taken away like foreign princesses to be wrapped in bright floral fabrics and intricate bows in Japanese kimonos.

A truly vibrant and educational experience, which few of us are likely to forget in a hurry. Many thanks to the hard working Japanese team for an evening of Eastern delight. Arigato. Click here to view photos.

Globe Cafe Unplugged

The evening kicked off with the internationally renowned Transition with our very own Mr. Josh Edbrooke on drums, just back from foreign parts and some old favourites including Jericho to set the mood for the evening. Lee Boon Shian Lee, a Malaysian Law student, followed suite with a reflective set of Metallica and Radio Head, Creep. Next came an unexpected and unusual “Irish Folk Song “by Tom Lehrer sung by Becky Bruce of BISC fame. This definitely came with a heath warning….don’t try this at home kids. A hard act to follow perhaps but most skilfully achieved by the world Famous Jack, also studying law at UWE, Jack had managed to get together a talented Malaysian band with base and acoustic guitarists and a bongo player. Maroon Five , “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” and “No Woman No Cry” were instant crowd pleasers, skilfully and effortlessly achieved.

During the break, a generous meal had been prepared by the Globe Café team. This was an opportunity to chat and mingle back stage with the stars.

On our return, Soraya (yet another Malaysian lawyer) opened with a beautiful and husky rendition of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy.” On tour for one week only, we were privileged to have a guest appearance from Portuguese/English musician: Filipe. (I was impressed at how, in just a few days, he appeared to know more people at BISC than the BISC team). “Sweet Home Alabama” had the entire audience joining in with Filipe’s funky Southern chords, followed by a more reflective Portuguese song “Hot Feet” demonstrating his professional and powerful voice. This was followed by a superb song “Lets Go To War “ written by Seb (another lawyer, half Mexican, half Irish). The lyrics were powerful and poignant, including “Lets go to war with soldiers of compassion and words that inspire action.” We were treated to an encore from Transition and Jack, with some beautiful keyboard accompaniment from Allan (Taiwan) on the James Blunt’s “Good Bye My Lover.”


All these lawyers might seriously be wanting to consider giving up their day jobs to follow a more musical career path. As ever, the true stars of the show were behind the scenes…stacking chairs and hoovering until close to midnight…A big thank you to the tremendous efforts of the Globe Team and to all those who braved the boards and the bright lights of the stage to ensure that all of us had a most splendid evening.

Here are some photos.

“We are crepe” Pancake Party Tuesday 20th February

From Patagonian beef chilli to flash fried Indonesian vegetable crepes, BISC taste buds were once again assaulted with a new and delightful range of flavours and aromas, courtesy of the “We are Crepe” pancake party team from Holy Trinity Church, Nailsea.

Diners started to arrive in the early evening. The menu promised a veritable “cornucopia of culinary delights” and we were far from disappointed. The Holy Trinity team worked slavishly over steaming hot French griddle pans to produce nearly one hundred pancakes for the grateful hordes. Click here to view the photos.

Jonny Herring from Bristol University Christian Union gave a thought provoking talk about the origins of why we celebrate Pancake Day and how countries across the world celebrate.

All in all a great night in. Many thanks to the Holy Trinity team. The question is, will people be giving up sweet things for lent? ….we do hope not. Cream Teas continue on Mondays until the end of term

From the BISC Lecture evening....

International Feast and BISC Lecture

Between 30 and 40 people gathered at BISC on Wednesday evening, bearing dishes from all over the world for us to try. We enjoyed Japanese home -madesushi, meatballs from Croatia and Denmark, German cheesy noodles, Portuguese shrimp cakes and many other interesting and delicious foods! And then of course, there were plenty of cakes, a cherry pudding, Chinese sweet soup and English trifle for desert.

Following the feast, everyone stayed around for the talk by Canon George Kavoor of Trinity College, Bristol. All agreed that it was a very entertaining talk - he even managed to get us all up on our feet doing African dancing, as well as drawing some lessons about life from a postage stamp! The photos can be found here. What did you think of the evening? Did you enjoy it as much as we did?

Swan Lake

On Tuesday 6th February, the BISC team headed for the theatre to see the Russian Ballet’s performance of “Swan Lake.”

A noble prince is mesmerised by a beautiful swan princess. She has been cursed so that she will never attain her heart’s desire in the human realm. She must remain forever upon the frozen, moonlit waters.

Extraordinary arabesques, pirouettes and set pieces ensued, accompanied by Tchaikovsky’s hauntingly beautiful score in this classic performance.

Amidst the poignant tragedy of the elegant and majestic duo, the performance also involved a range of visually stunning and impressive characters: a talented spinning harlequin jester; Spanish flamenco dancers in black and white with flashes of scarlet, dancing to rhythmical castanets; Italian lute players with burgundy tambourines and flowing ribbons; Eastern European folk dancers in blue, white and gold; others in purple velvet and pearls.

A great time was had by all, although some of the arabesques should have come with a health warning: don’t try this at home, and especially not in the BISC office.

Did you go? What were your thoughts? (Click on the 'comments' box below and share)

Cardiff and Big Pit Trip

As you can see from the photos, we arrived in Wales to find lots of snow! Following a safety check of the Big Pit, we journeyed 90 meters underground (minus our bags and cameras) for a tour with miner and came back much wiser about the mining process and conditions. The afternoon was much more of a contrast as we walked the elaborate corridors and rooms of the well decorated Cardiff Castle and saw much gold and colour, a contrast to the black of the coal mines. Thanks for Joe, our BISC helper, for all the photos. We hope you enjoyed the day out as much as we did. Let us know your thoughts below.

Email your BISC photos to biscblog@bisc.org.uk

Pizza and Ice Skating Evening

After enjoying delicious home cooked pizza at BISC, a group of 21 of us walked down to the ice rink to join a few extra friends for the 'disco session' in the evening. Most of us lived to tell the tale, although one member of the group nearly lost her finger! Thanks to Tom for the photos.
The un-official 'Dancing on Ice' award goes to Tom and Rainy who were by far
the most elegant on the ice! Guillaume also impressed us with his ice hockey
experience, and credit to the rest of us who stayed upright with little or
no previous practice! View the photos here. Add your comments by clicking the 'comments' link below this post, or email your photos to biscblog@bisc.org.uk; tell us what you think!

New BISC Events blogsite

During the Spring Term 2007, we want to start this interactive blogsite to get your feedback on BISC events and trips. What was your favourite part of trip/event? Have you any stories to share? Check out the photos from the event too. The BISC Team will put up a post with what happened on the day, and you can just click on the 'comments' link and leave your stories!

Visit the BISC website to see this term's programme.