Once again, you may have noticed that the volume of my blog posts here has slightly decreased over the last few weeks. The main reason is because, well, I’ve been rather busy. After years of wishing to start each year off far more calmly, I’ve learnt to embrace being a workaholic and having plenty to keep me amused. And that has certainly been the case at Warwick this term.
However, this hasn’t been because of the conventional reasons you might expect. This term, I’ve thankfully had fewer essays due than last term. While I’ve tried to improve my academic writing style and kept notes, I have felt less of an academic pressure than during my first term here. I imagine the situation will be slightly different next term with two exams around the corner… Over the last few weeks especially, my number of contact hours has dropped from eight (already quite low) to six. This is because of industrial action by the University and College Union over 14 days across 74 universities. The main reasons they are striking are due to the casualised nature of working conditions, pension disputes as well as gender and ethnicity differences in pay. These follow strike action in November and December of last year, following more disagreements with Universities UK. It is tricky to have anything but sympathy for the lecturers and seminar tutors going on strike. They would obviously rather be researching and teaching, given they forfeit their wage by standing on the picket line. However, these strikes have been incredibly long term. I’m from Cambridge and have many memories of my father bringing home the Cambridge student newspaper ‘Varsity.’ Week after week, strike action was written about and this was in 2016/2017. Clearly, there has been an utter failure on both sides to reach some form of compromise. Students, academics and the pursuit of knowledge all suffer as a result. The upside is I’ve had rather more free time on my hands. Thanks to fewer essays and contact hours, I’ve been able to accept more pitches from ‘The Boar’, which is the awarding winning student newspaper at the University of Warwick. While I’m passionate about political journalism, I’ve loved writing pieces for the features, arts, books, travel, film and TV sections. There is so much to discuss. While I’ll never know if my views are right or correct, I know that I need writing. What I say may prove to be incorrect, but it is authentic of what I believe at that specific time. The same has been the case for the ‘Perspectives’ magazine and website, run by Warwick Politics Society. A number of magazines are published each year with the website being constantly updated. It is not simply about current affairs of the day, but takes a deeper look at the issues shaping our planet. The range of nations explored and quality of writing is second to none. I had written for the website many times, especially during the UK general election campaign. However, I was delighted to feature in print for the first time this week. The most important thing about any magazine shouldn’t be the design of the cover, the quality of the paper or the font of the words, but the writing itself. ‘Perspectives’ manages that and more. The writing is articulate, the design enticing and the layout a treat to the eye. I can’t recall ever attending a magazine launch before, but the evening itself was a lovely one. Pringles, wine for those who drank, applause and celebration, as well as political musings and gossip that never goes away among obsessed politicos! My busyness extends beyond the written word however. Even though that is where I am at my most comfortable, I have gradually, but slowly, extended into offering my verbal opinion on political goings on of the day. This is all thanks to ‘RAW 1251AM’, the student radio station at Warwick. I’ve written in another blog post about my first ever experience of radio (Link: https://teatalksblog.weebly.com/home/my-first-student-radio-experience), which was quite something. Most notably, I was incredibly nervous. Interestingly, I have been far less nervous when the shows are live and when I have no notes in front of me at all. By having no prompts, I speak whatever comes to mind and it, from what I can hear, vaguely resembles an articulate sentence. To prepare less for these panel shows on the day’s goings on may not have improved the quality or validity of my opinions, but it has certainly decreased my nerves. I feel so lucky and pleased to steward at Warwick Arts Centre. The biggest of its kind outside the Barbican in London (and soon to be even bigger!), a whole range of plays, performances, comedy shows and more are put on every single day. The work ethic of all the staff is quite something; a trait I can never fully appreciate that. I simply turn up, do my 3.5 hour shift and head back home. Other staff are there for hours before, ensuring everything runs exactly to plan. I am but a tiny cog in a far wider machine responsible for pleasure and entertainment. There is little else more satisfying that seeing happy faces of visitors leaving the venue, eager to take a programme advertising future events. Thanks to becoming an events steward, I’ve started selling ice creams and programmes. I’m pleased to see, from my perspective, it has gone to plan so far! I wanted 2020 to bring an element of change. I used to desire calm but now I want to celebrate hobbies that keep me busy. When I’m not stewarding, writing, commentating or actually completing a degree, I have taken up cooking. As anyone who knows me can attest to, my cooking skills as similar to my skills as an astronaut - next to non-existent. However, thanks to the vegetarian one pot meals cookbook (no sponsorship I’m afraid!), I’ve been able to slightly improve the quality of what I consume. Whether it’s linguine with courgette and lemon, lentils, quinoa and peppers, spaghetti with broccoli and almonds or a good old fashioned vegetarian spaghetti bolognese, I remain very much the amateur cook. I have got just slightly better though. Jogging is something I used to hate with a passion. I loathed both the activity and people that did it. They were everywhere. As you may be aware if you read my tweets, my views on that matter have slightly altered. Since the New Year, I’ve managed to jog three times per week. It is mainly fantastic for my mental health: getting me outside for a short stretch, exploring nature and feeling totally at one with the planet. I’ve recently found it easier to jog with no hearing aids in at all, which my friends have been good at reminding me could be slightly dangerous (thankfully my route is off road). While all these activities bring me so much pleasure, I still feel doubt, concern and worry about the future, both individually and globally. How ironic then, that it is the intensity of jogging that brings me total calm. Plugs!: Articles in ‘The Boar’: https://theboar.org/author/noah-keate/ Articles in ‘Perspectives’: https://www.perspectives.news/blog/author/Noah-Keate RAW 1251AM (listen around the UK and maybe even around the world!): https://radio.warwick.ac.uk/
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