University has reopened after the winter holidays. Two weeks of merriment and happiness celebrating Christmas and New Year is finally over. It is 2015, a new year and a new start. Being an International student and moreover an Indian, visiting my hometown during the holiday was expensive, so I chose to stay back in Guildford for the holidays. The International Student Support team arranged an end of the year lunch for students like me who were feeling homesick during this holiday season. The concern of the university towards international students is overwhelming and each day it makes me more and more proud to be a part of this prestigious institution. The lunch was organized at the Heart & Soul café at Manor Park, which is a residential complex owned by the university for students and staff. As some of my friends were also staying back, we went together for the lunch. Following the English tradition, the tables had Christmas crackers, small gift boxes etc on them. The sight of these made me and my friends very excited. We burst open the crackers, wore the paper crowns in them, got a small gift from inside it and had lots of fun during the process. Lunch was served with four options, one being a traditional English Christmas lunch and the others Thai, Asian and a vegetarian English option. I chose the first one, which was Roast chicken, with roast potatoes, brussel sprouts, carrots, parsnips, gravy and stuffing. That was one of the best lunches I had so far in England. Later, chocolate cheesecake and strawberry cheesecake were served for the desserts. This end of the year lunch, marked a joyful event as the year was turning in, and will always be a sweet memory in my heart.

To view more photos from the Christmas lunch please visit https://www.facebook.com/UniversityOfSurreyInternationalStudentSupport