Volume 3 Issue 3

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BOUDICCA BULLETIN

The Repository

THE

Roedean School Newspaper

BOUDICCA BULLETIN

“Honour the wordy”

Volume III, Issue III

Roedean School, Roedean Way, Brighton, BN2 5RQ

Young Women at the Forefront of History:

The Tunisian Revolution Note from the Editor: Back in February at the UN Commission of the Status of Women in New York City the Roedean delegation met Samia Fitouri, a Tunisian university student who had been involved in the Jasmine Revolution. As this term‟s overseas correspondents, Samia and her fellow revolutionaries have shared their experiences as young women at the forefront of history, and their message for all women in all corners of the world.

By Samia Fitouri, Amel Bouarouj, Hend Hassasi, Cyrine Mami

By Izzy Lowe

The BIG Question What is the weirdest dream you’ve ever had?

I was a dinosaur with a really big mouth and I was speaking in dinosaur! Anonymous

I had a slide show of Justin Beiber! - Izzy Lowe All of my teeth fell out! - Sian Harry

My friend’s house was by the beach and a shark managed to get into her bedroom. I was stuck on top of her wardrobe while the shark tried to eat me. Eventually they let the shark back into the sea! - Anonymous

Lovingly collected by Susannah Esiri-Bloom

I had a recurring dream that ‘H’ from Steps pulled me into a hedge! - Gabby Tomlinson

My family and I were all marching up a big mountain when a giant came and squashed us all! Anonymous

I met Robert Pattinson at Burger King and he asked me out! - Jess Roper

It is the most humiliating feeling when you grow up in an atmosphere ruled by paranoia. Imagine yourself living in a society where cell phones are tapped, where you are watched wherever you go and where you can be arrested if you are ever found praying in a mosque at an early hour. The omnipresence of the ousted president‟s pictures used to haunt us and make us feel that he would remain there forever. We still remember how frightening his facial features were: his thick eyebrows and his sinuous gaze used to paralyse our belief in a better future. His undeserving swagger made us feel weak and submissive, his gestures -that he used to display repeatedly at every public occasion- were increasingly significant as he would hail the masses by lifting his right hand into the air and placing it on his jacket pocket with his characteristically disconcerting smug countenance. That may sound like an exaggerated depiction, but this is how we used to feel each time we saw him on the TV screen during public national events. The long years of repression were mostly marked by a depressing exclusion of

Pier to Pier Swim

By Saffron Amis Do you hate the idea of freezing cold water? Are you afraid of what might be lurking below the surface of the channel? Or are you just too lazy to swim two lengths in the school swimming pool? Then be proud of the many girls, teachers and parents preparing for the Roedean Pier to Pier Swim. The girls will be swimming an amazing 1056 metres through swift currents and icy temperatures.

The swim will commence on Sunday 26th June and will take approximately 2 hours to finish. The swim is to celebrate the schools 125th birthday and to replicate the swim the founding Lawrence sisters used to do. Furthermore, all the money raised will go to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. On average twenty two people are saved by the RNLI each day and it survives on people raising money to carry on saving lives.

Because it is such a grueling challenge to swim the whole 1056 metres, everyone has been training hard for many weeks now.

This has included swimming ninety lengths in the school pool and running four laps of the school field every day. Torture for most that can‟t bear the thought of the 100 metre sprint, let alone the great distance of the pier to pier swim.

So if you feel the need to get involved but can‟t bear the thought of swimming alongside us, then make a donation on the “Roedean Pier to Pier” website at http://www.justgiving.com/ teams/roedeanswimteam and show your support for this momentous event.

Continued on page 5 News…

Refugees are not a Forgotten Problem

I was showering in the middle of the music room and my singing teacher told me to keep on showering because she did not want me to go to the lesson! - Jodie Gough

Picture of the term: Roedean South Africa Choir The Last Thought: “We must not allow ourselves to become like the system we oppose.” - Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Page 12 The Repository

After 23 years of despotic rule, long weeks of demonstrations have forced the dictator Ben Ali to resign. Just four months later, we Tunisian young people still remember the most influential episodes of our history. Armed with nothing more than a revolutionary heart and hopes of a better future, we hit the streets calling for justice, freedom and dignity.

Today, we pay our heartfelt homage to all the martyrs who have granted us the opportunity to write this article without fear or anxiety.

young graduates from the economic sphere. In fact, nepotism was the rule of the day!

After many years in higher education, the young graduate finds himself/herself with little or no hope to get a job unless they know a relative or a member of the “Royal Family”: connections were far more valuable than a degree. The exclusion of young people from the political sphere was even worse. The former regime excelled at hypnotizing us by football and music shows to deviate our attention from claiming our civic rights. But these masses weren‟t distracted by their opium, as Marx would say.

The Voices of journalists, union members, advocates of civil and human rights were also silenced and freedom of speech, association and assembly were nothing more than constitutional theory and empty rhetoric.

It is quite ironic that despite civic education being taught in every high school and middle school and despite the compulsory “human rights” class that all first year college students were forced to endure, that the de facto political climate differed so drastically. We remember how we used to sneer in class every time our teacher spoke of the rights guaranteed by the Tunisian constitution. We complained about how we were being forced to study a subject that had nothing to do with reality, but we had to be careful as not to be heard by someone who would rat us out, so we spoke about politics only in codes. History during our school years used to be our “pet hate”. We found it laughable as we noticed that everything had brightened up by 1987 the year Ben Ali came to power, as if all the years that preceded him were the “Dark Ages”.

Many of our friends used to dream of immigration. The most tragic reality is that many young people chose to throw themselves in the sea to reach the European shores to flee from a hellish place called "home". This “home” was for us a place where the survival was for the fittest, a “home” wherein we have never felt welcomed. The government turned also a blind eye on the toll of criminality, increasing attempts of suicide, alarming figures of drug addiction and alcohol consumption.

Summer, 2011

By Harriet Scott Refugees are all over the world, but mainly in Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs).

More than 90 per cent of all disaster victims live in developing countries. Today, places with the greatest number of refugees include Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan. More than a million refugees to live in Pakistan and Iran. Germany hosts around a million refugees across the country. Civil wars and conflicts contribute hugely to the refugee population. In 1999 alone, millions were uprooted from their homes by war. For instance, 1.2 million in Angola, 850,000 in Kosovo, and countless more in other conflicts around the world. The situation of refugees is a constant and ongoing tragedy in the world, making it easy to forget and to put to the back of your mind. Many of us do not know the true meaning of a refugee and what makes someone a refugee: a person who has been forced to

leave their country in order to escape war, persecution or natural disaster. In nearly every disaster we hear about on the news or read in the paper, people will become refugees as a result. There are many different types of people who become refugees through no fault of their own, and many of these are young women like us.

Therefore I think it is important to be able to relate to those other young women in the world who are refugees for some reason or another, as many of the uprooted people are women and young girls just like us. Refugees are present all around us in the world in older conflicts such as the ArabIsraeli war, in new conflicts such as the circumstances in Libya. I am going to focus on these two in particular in order to show some of the situations that refugees face today.

Continued on page 4 News...

“The situation of refugees is a constant and ongoing tragedy in the world, making it easy to forget and to put at the back of your mind.”

Opinions & Editorials

BOUDICCA BULLETIN

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THE BOUDICCA BULLETIN EDITORIAL

Marry Rich

By Joy Crane I‟m not much of a „Glee-k‟ expert, but during the latest tide of procrastination (known to some as study leave) I too became hooked on this musical comedy-drama TV series. Easily digestible and heart-warming, what this programme lacks in „savoir-faire‟ Glee compensates for in „feel-good‟ factor. Which was why I found myself dumbstruck after a particularly ambiguous episode that lacked Glee‟s usual moral simplicity. To those of you who aren‟t regular „Glee-sters‟ I‟ll provide a re-cap: Sue Sylvester, the masochistic cheerleading coach who viewers love to hate, calms internet rumours about her getting married by indeed getting married, but, (and here comes the plot twist) not to any old mister, to herself. A typical Glee episode features an underlying social issue- teen drinking, homophobia, pressures of the status quo- but in this bold act of „death do us part‟ I couldn‟t quite see what the screen writers were getting at. That institutionalised marriage is a farce?

That even villains deserve pity? The symbolic murkiness of this self-marriage would burrow itself deep under my skin.

Of recent years, proudly asserting that „marriage is a farce‟ has becoming decreasingly reserved for the irritatingly cynical and more of a widespread belief amongst sensible liberal opinion. With headline stories of individuals marrying the Berlin Wall, the Eiffel Tower and car exhaust pipes, it‟s hard to disagree with this growing sentiment. Rather than mark off these cases as individuals with unbalanced psyches, these unconventional romances have been more poignantly framed as ironic by -products of how meaningless marriage is in the 21st century. As liberal pluralist citizenry, we embrace these unconventional romances with the same open-mindedness and homage to the avant garde with which we consider „genderless‟ baby Storm in Canada as „liberated‟, and black and white Oreos as „progressive‟. The point at which liberal sentiments are stretched to the breaking

“As liberal pluralist citizenry, we

embrace these unconventional romances with the same openmindedness and homage to the avant garde with which we consider „genderless‟ baby Storm in Canada as „liberated‟, and black and white Oreos as „progressive‟.”

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BOUDICCA BULLETIN

Kate’s Royal Wedding Dress

In ten years from now... idea of one day having a „better half‟ doesn‟t entirely repulse me. So it wasn‟t the nature of the survey‟s sentiment that I found irksome, but rather the esteemed significance marriage was granted by each student. Was this not the classic feminist conundrum, that unliberated women (women uneducated about the subjectivity of gender and it as a tool of real politik) would be destined to perpetuate, even desire, their own glass ceiling?

My comparative point was the data provided in my old „Oshkosh West High School‟ yearbook from 2007 where a similar question was posed to our co-ed Senior (US jargon for Year 13s) populous. Of course, this comparison isn‟t ideal- there are grave socio-economic, cultural, hormonal and geographical differences between the boys at West and girls at Roedean, so I readily accept unfair comparison accusations.

“But while some are marrying car exhaust pipes, my year group (the departing Six Twos) seemed to have missed this Guardian-reading banana boat.”

ENDINGS point, beyond which one becomes buried in avalanche of unrelenting cynicism, was perhaps reached by Sue Sylvester‟s self-marriage.

But while some are marrying car exhaust pipes, my year group (the departing Six Twos) seemed to have missed this Guardian-reading banana boat. In a recent survey put forward by our yearbook committee my peers and I were asked where we saw ourselves in ten years from now. The question was open-ended and allowed for 300 characters of explanation. The results of this simple survey astounded me.

Over 38% of responses had used this space to profess their hopes of early marriage, citing the names of their to-be children, and distinguishing features of their future husbands (deep pockets, George Clooney‟s eyes, trust funds). This was the Roedean stereotype that for years I‟d convinced myself was an antiquated destiny, as inaccurate (albeit, less amusing) as the old rumour about “raised door knobs” and banned electric tooth brushes. Yet these weren‟t old wives tales, rather cold quantifiable data, slapping my liberal-leaning sympathies across the face.

Now before I move on, I‟d like to clear the air a bit. I am in no way „anti-family‟ as Sarah Palin might put it. No „buts‟, „howevers‟, „per se‟ or further qualifications about it: I‟m simply not. I get just as much of a kick from those “laughing baby” videos on YouTube as the next person, and the

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But in spite of the trimmings, the heart of this comparison speaks volumes: less than 5% of the male responses included visions of marriage, children, or families. Thus, my initial reaction to our internal survey wasn‟t just that of feminist hypersensitivity. Undoubtedly, many of the boys surveyed at West will eventually marry and have a family, maybe even by the age of 28, but for now they had their sights set on careers and self-orientated goals. The quandary was in the intent rather than the actualisation.

On asking some peers about why their responses hadn‟t resembled their male counterparts, I found that many answers didn‟t quite fit my feminist handbook. “I‟m not ashamed of my goal to have a healthy family in ten years, and I don‟t think it‟s „anti-feminist‟ either. The BitchWalk in London showed that women should have the de facto right to choose what they wear and how the behave with the same freedom as men. Why are my hopes of marriage excluded from that?” asked Lynette Chan, a departing 62. As I‟d originally hoped, the interviews with the original 38% were beginning to flesh out what had at first seemed like a suffocating corset on our liberated generation. That being said, however, there was still no Sue Sylvester in my midst- a woman fully married to her own ambitions, her own dreams- as there had been in the male survey. Of the girls interviewed, not one of them admired Sue Sylvester‟s bold marriage.

So, in a final effort to write something meaningful for this paper, I‟d like to showcase the alternative „Sue Sylvester‟ happy ending. This newspaper is named after a woman who first and foremost was married to her own beliefs and ambitions. Boudicca persevered after her husband had been killed, her daughters raped, and her family ultimately broken- she was a woman of her own conviction, married to herself. The journalism of this paper has tried the past three years to emulate that woman‟s strength of character, independence, and leadership. But at the end of the day, a newspaper is nothing more than a production of individuals, and if these individuals can‟t imagine self-actualising without the crutch of a husband or family, then Boudicca‟s legacy has fallen on deaf ears. Marrying oneself, whether understood figuratively or literally, is not the epitome of loneliness or humiliation, but what all true leaders must do in order to prosper. A school prospectus that boasts “the leaders of tomorrow” cannot honestly do so whilst the majority of its departing 18 year olds consider marriage not just a bump in the journey, but the end destination. These values run deep in this institution‟s history, in this country‟s history, and cannot afford to be left unaddressed by the Careers Department, PSHE classes, this newspaper and, ultimately, ourselves.

So, go ahead and marry rich. Marry someone for all the wrong reasons: power, wealth, beauty, and lust. Just be sure that when you do, you haven‟t divorced yourself along the way.

Joy Crane is the founding editor of the Boudicca Bulletin. This is her final editorial.

By Gabby Tomlinson Somewhere on Exmoor on the 29th of April 2011 there were six Roedean girls on the Gold Duke of Edinburgh‟s Exhibition betting on Kate Middleton's wedding dress. Walking with an anti-royalist expedition leader made the experience even more enjoyable. One guess was of a 60 foot train, another of a puff ball bottom and one the third of "Alexander McQueen with lace sleeves". I congratulate Camilla Gibson for her efforts, as she was right. Whilst sitting in a post office in Wooten Courtney watching the Royal Wedding on a laptop supplied by the postman, we witnessed fashion history being made.

Kate Middleton brought tears to our eyes when she walked down the aisle of Westminster Abbey in a dress designed by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen. It had a lace appliqué bodice, skirt, and veil. The dress was stunning; not too outrageous and yet not simple at all. The lace not only covered her arms but it also coated the bottom of the dress. The lace on the dress was handmade by the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court Palace. The design was made up of a rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock; plants that symbolise the true meaning of Great Britain.

Kate Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge, had been seen supporting Alexander McQueen in her vogue USA photo shoot a couple of months before and this dress paid homage to the late designer. That photo shoot was a huge clue for any fashion gurus trying to make their predictions.

Kate Middleton is now a style icon and I'm willing to bet good money that the majority of brides will now be wearing lacy sleeves.

Fashion

Flip Flops, a Health Hazard?

That tiny strap around a sandal makes all the difference.

By Vikki Crawshaw There are many issues facing students in today's secondary schools, and most of them academic in nature.

However, there is one recurring concern for us Roedeanians and it has nothing to do with how we perform in the classroom.

In fact – and I may be generalizing here- but a number of teachers seem more preoccupied with enforcing the dress code than any other regulation.

To a certain degree this is completely reasonable as these regulations have existed for many years and need to be adhered to in order to keep students looking presentable rather than looking as if they have just rolled out of bed. These rules also prevent students from showing large proportions of thigh and risky levels of décolletage. So without dressing in a manner similar to that of a nun or the other extreme of an escort, we are left with the happy middle range which pleases both staff and students.

Within this middle array, there is constant debate about what is appropriate and what ought not to be allowed. The main dispute is the fine line between why girls can get away with wearing skirts only just covering their behinds, but all shorts are banned. Another argument is the fact that sandals are accepted in the handbook, but flip flops are deemed inappropriate according to that same handbook, even though they are fundamentally the same thing.

Surely if pupils are able to wear these types of skirts then shorts should be permitted. Bold as this statement may be, I believe shorts are perhaps the more suitable option for girls at Roedean. Mrs. Williams in House 1 believes that “bermuda shorts are ok,” This is completely reasonable, and if shorts were to ever be permitted then the length of shorts worn around school would need to increase dramatically in some cases. Flowy skirts which are popular as summer becomes imminent often blow up in the wind and, for the most part, these skirts are quite often shorter than you average pair of shorts. Also, seasonal temperatures need to be considered as I‟m sure no one wants to be sporting jeans in the hot summer weather.

Supposedly, the “health and safety” rules prevent us from wearing flip flops, but the tiny strap at the back of sandals is the measly difference between these two similar styles. Ms. Honeycombe in the Health Center says “flip flops are a health and safety issue because of all the steps and stairs. We do see quite a few toe injuries so flip flops should definitely stay restricted to just around the house.” I may just be opinionated and obtuse, but the issues found with flip flops such as the “ease of picking up germs” and the “safety aspects” are just as applicable to sandals.

What‟s a la mode is ever-changing, and fashion is becoming more risqué. But perhaps even in our school the rules are slightly outdated. As long as slob factors such as trackie bottoms continue to be prohibited and students do not abuse other regulations, these small dress code changes would not have any effect on the quality of education that our school provides.

Fashion’s Understated Influence in Politics

Sam Cam and that missing royal wedding hat.

By Harriet Scott Over the years we can safely say that there have been no female politicians that have given us the wow factor on the fashion front. Even though this may be the case, fashion has a huge role in the lead up to elections, some may argue too large a role. What wives are wearing will reveal a lot about their husband‟s target audience, and will no doubt be ridiculed by the public, fashion critics and the opposition. Everything that the wife wears will have been carefully picked and coordinated with her husband, for brand management.

However, Cherrie Blair was not always dignified in her fashion choices and it appeared that her outfits were not carefully picked out. Cherrie was never the one to put fashion over her comfort, illustrated by her infamous Linen suit, worn with white trainers peeking out the bottom.

Refreshingly, thanks to Sam Cam and Michelle Obama, fashion has once again thrust into the limelight – shelving the bland navy blue or black suit as favoured in previous years. Now it‟s colours, shapes and fabrics which reflect the true angle of politics branding today. For example, Obama and Cameron both wanted to be portrayed as down-to-earth and approachable, as was illustrated by the AngloAmerican „casual‟ barbeque pictures which went viral. Thus their better halves‟ clothing should too

“Fashion can never be completely divorced from politics.”

fit into their brand image.

Samantha has an edge to her style that has not been seen in politics before, who allows on occasion to let her dolphin tattoo make a splash, peeping out sweetly over the rim of some skyscraper heels.

When the Royal Wedding came around, the thing on many fashionistas‟ minds was who will be wearing what? When Samantha Cameron turned up she looked fine. That was, her attire was nothing special or striking. Although, when you carefully consider the context of the outfit, it became clear that fashion can never be completely divorced from politics. The dress, a turquoise Burberry number and vibrant orange shawl has already won high praise from fashion editors. It was from a traditional English designer, Burberry, which proved Samantha‟s support of the English fashion industry. Her nude platform shoes were from high street store Aldo, a political statement to identify with the average fashionista (and the average fashionista‟s budget)! It's no secret that the British love an opportunity to wear a hat, but not Sam Cam. Did Sam Cam‟s forgo the long-suffering hat as a political statement to further exemplify that the new government is modern? To break tradition and display a head free from the burden of a hat? It just goes to show that fashion is not the antithesis of politics, but rather that vital accessory that can make or break an outfit.

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Sport

BOUDICCA BULLETIN

Rebecca Black, Saviour from Gold D of E

By Vikki Crawshaw and Viven Lee Many people would doubt us posh tots to be able to take part in such a tough project such as the Duke of Edinburgh gold expedition. We are private school girls who dare not venture from the safe realms of hockey and netball. We are considered too “pampered” to spend six hours on a coach to Exmoor only to endure minimum cleanliness for nights on end. Too delicate to hike for hours on end with blisters the size of ping pong balls (no exaggeration) eating dehydrated food from zip lock bags. However, this is exactly what we did.

We walked an average of about 16k a day excluding the extra distance added on due to our expert map reading techniques. We refined skills such as how to locate bearings, take grid references, distinguish footpaths from bridleways on the map and apply this to different situations.

Around camp we learned how to successfully construct tents, make tea from flowers and the reason why not to put nettles in your mouth.

You may think that camping with your friends for 5 days and 4 nights would be a walk in the park. But the answer is it isn‟t, it was more like an agonizing hike up and down the very edges of a cliff – literally. The only way to make these hours bearable were the thrilling conversations about different fetishes, ideal ways of dying and singing a “song

of the day”, (we would like to thank Rebecca Black for our Friday anthem – “PARTYIN‟, PARTYIN‟… no”). We also managed to incorporate some revision, seeing as three members of our group were anticipating French or Spanish oral exams. As a threesome we managed to form our own language translator with Vivien Lee speaking French, Vicci Cowlett translating to Spanish and Vikki Crawshaw converting into English (thanks to the brilliant idea of group leader and French pro, James). On the more physical side, there were demands such as having to complete the practice in flip-flops due to the previously mentioned ping pong sized blisters, and trying to establish a consistent pace as a team which sometimes even made us resort to pulling and pushing people up steep slopes and across fields.

But we think everyone would agree that the most memorable part of our D of E trip was definitely the bonfire where everyone came together to play pass the parcel and roast marshmallows with the infamous pink and whites to make smores, reminiscent of Brownie Scout days. It brought us all together as a group of 36 Roedeanian backpackers. We would like to thank Miss Allen, Mr. Draper, Miss Shuttleworth, Miss Seadon and James alongside all the other group leaders from Peak Pursuits who made this a memorable experience for everyone.

Unconventional Sport of the Term: Ice Skating

By Susannah Esiri-Bloom In my opinion figure skating is one of the world‟s most beautiful sports. The way that the skaters glide across the ice like elegant swans, so skillfully that I can‟t tear my eyes away. Every move that they make is a mystery to me, how do they make it look so effortless? When they jump I catch myself clenching my fist and holding my breath in anxiety for the skaters‟ well being.

Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs or groups can perform. Spins, footwork, jumps and even more challenging moves are performed, all on ice! There are many different levels at which you can perform, you start as a beginner and work yourself all the way up to senior (which is Olympic standard). Some people think that this sport is just an “artistic sport” and I fully respect their opinion, but I believe figure skating is a sport, in fact I think that it is one of the hardest sports to do and perform correctly. At Roedean we often take part in traditional girl‟s sports such as netball, however figure skating is a sport we have never been exposed to. I wish that I could glide and spin, or even stay up right on the ice, but it is better left to the professionals.

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Marathon Fancy Dress

By Phoebe Tomlinson and Jess Jasper Have you ever thought about running 26 miles for charity through the streets of London? Then, on top of this, running it with things such as a washing machine on your back? Well each year thousands of people take part. 36,000 people took part in this year‟s London marathon on 25 th April. In addition to the running, another competition also up for grabs is the best marathon costume. According to the Daily Mirror the best marathon costume was worn by Andy Tarver and Jon Sweeny who ran inside a London bus made out of fabric- they were running for two charities named Busking For Cancer and Phabkids. Another competitor who certainly caught our eye was a 59 year old man wearing a mankini!

He kept cool whilst running the 26 miles, illustrating that some people really do go the extra mile to impress the ladies.

There were many themes relating to this year‟s marathon, and a main theme was the royal wedding. There were two competitors that caught our eye and they were dressed as Prince William and Catherine Middleton. They were in full wedding outfits with face masks equipped with themed flags.

There were many other competitors that caught the eye of the crowd, but we wanted to make sure that the Boudicca Bulletin spotted only the best.

Another group was dressed up as the characters from the Magic Roundabout, but they weren‟t outlandish merely because of their costume, but also the method with which they ran the marathon. The people who picked the short straw were placed on sledges and put inside the snail and the dog. They pulled their way around the 26 miles. The man that was involved in setting up these interesting costumes was a man was named Lloyd Scott. Lloyd Scott told the BBC that it was going to be a “slow and painful process.” He also completed the same marathon in 2002 but in a different style, he and a friend were dressed as St George and a dragon as it was St George‟s day. Lloyd Scott has been involved in many other marathons and has raised over five million pounds for charity. Lloyd Scott and his friends finished the marathon in 26 days making a few stops on the way.

Lloyd Scott sums up the effort that ordinary people make to raise money for their chosen charity. So, are you up for the next London Marathon? If so, be sure to do it in style.

Mind over Platter

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BOUDICCA BULLETIN

Lower School Exam Stress

By Reika Takahashi GCSEs and A Levels are initials known all around the world as exams. The exams that we often forget, however, are „Summer Exams‟. Upper Threes all the way up to the Lower Fives are tested on what they have learned throughout the academic year. I am sure that this

“it‟s probably best to make the most of only having these „Summer Exams‟ whilst we still can.” article will be published after all the exams have finished.

I can imagine my readers wiping their brows and sighing an exasperated „phew!‟ But a pressing question persists: how do the lower school students feel about exam stress?

In the build up towards exams lessons have been focused on revision. The weekends have grown quieter since returning to school after the wonderful Easter break.

Many of the Lower Fours have been revising cramped up in classrooms, whilst my friends and I have been attending French clinics religiously trying in vain to

prepare our exam- ce ne‟st pas drôle! We have taken advantage of the empty classrooms and their whiteboards as a tool for our revision. Many girls have been asking each other for help and cramming right up until the exam door opens. Many older girls look at us mockingly; believing that school is easy for us and that Upper Fours and below should relax as our exams „don‟t matter‟.

However, it is clear that we feel exam stress too.

On the other hand, many younger girls seem to be spending their precious weekends watching „Pretty Little Liars‟ and not worrying the slightest about exams. I‟m not saying that it is a bad thing: it‟s probably best to make the most of only having these „Summer Exams‟ whilst we still can.

The sixth formers and middle school girls seem so calm with their exams even if they are taking „big time‟ papers.

But I am sure that behind the scenes there must be a lot of stressful breakdowns and manic last minute revision. I suppose they must get used to the pressure, which is still new to us younger girls.

All in all I believe that exam stress is definitely apparent in the lower school, but not too overwhelming as we are sensible, taking appropriate amounts of time off and having fun (which can probably be heard all the way in Keswick)! Best of luck for your results fellow Roedeanians!

Opinions & Editorials

The Boudicca Bulletin Volume III Issue III The Boudicca Bulletin; Roedean School Newspaper Roedean School, Roedean Way, Brighton, BN2 5RQ Editor-In-Chief Joy Crane (jc12) & Serena Esiri-Bloom (se6) News Editors Emma Alexander (ea4) & Serena EsiriBloom (se6) Features Editors Jamie-Jo Whelan(jw28) & Jasmine Gordon- Brown (jg3) Opinions & Editorial Editor Victoria Woo (vw3) Sports Editor Camilla Gibson (cg8) Fashion Editor Aimee Taylor (at8) Entertainment Editor Julia Kisray (jk6) Business & Advertising Manager Joyce Ip (wi1) Layout Editor Sheena Cheung (sc10) & Haolin Wu (hw26) Photography Manager Joyce Day-Hall (jd3) Faculty Advisor Mr. Back Welcome to the new paper. New paper, literally. With this issue comes the departure of the last of our founding editors: Joy Crane, Sheena Cheung and Vicky Woo. We also bid goodbye to Jasmine Gordon-Brown, Jamie-Jo Whelan, Aimee Taylor, Julia Kisray and Joyce Ip. We‟ll be welcoming many new faces next year. So here‟s a last goodbye from us: it‟s been a pleasure.

BEGINNINGS Through the Years with Harry Potter

A mark of a generation, the end of an era.

If you think people gorge hobnobs at tea at an abnormal speed, think again!

By Caitlin McWatt Speed eating is not just eating quickly. Neither is it the rush to the dining hall on a Friday afternoon for fish and chips, or the devouring ten plus biscuits at break. It is much more sickening than that.

Speed eating is a way of life for these competitive consumers. Competitive consuming is eating as much food in a limited amount of time against other competitors. Awards for winning can be as much as $250,000 or as little as bragging rights. Originally speed eating contests were small events held at county fairs, places where you would find a circus with acts such as bearded women. A sudden increase in popularity is due mainly to televised coverage of Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest broadcasted every 4th of July since the 1950s.

Not too long ago, the contest was dominated by Takeru Kobayashi who won it for 5 years in a row from 2001. However, he was dethroned (in 2007) by another eater called Joey Chestnut. In 2008 they both managed to eat 59 hotdogs each in ten minutes. Even so, Chestnut took the winning title by which he earned by eating five more hotdogs in overtime. In order to win contestants will push through weeks of severe personal training to increase their stomach volume. People who undergo this training say that stomach elasticity is what puts you on top. For that reason, participants will usually train with large amounts of water to produce stomach growth. However, the size of your gut is not the only thing that makes you the winner; it is also the strength of your jaw. As a result contestants also chew great amounts of chewing gum to increase their jaw strength.

Some take this 'sport' and its training a bit far, such as Ed 'cookie' Jarvis a retired speed eater. He would train by consuming almost fifteen pounds of food and gallons of water every day for two weeks until the competition. The food used at these sorts of competitions often varies. The grub (a fair way to put it) can be sweet or savoury, tangy or tame, impossible or... well... just impossible.

Typically, contestants would have to eat food such as hotdogs, pancakes, chicken wings, pizzas,

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whole turkeys, but as speed eating grows internationally, so does the food range.

To competitors, this sport, is just not about overloading food in your mouth. It is also about special techniques and strategies that make the food, easier to swallow and easier to chew. One of the commonly used techniques is called 'Chipmunking'. This is where eaters attempt to put as much food as possible in the last few remaining seconds of the contest. People who have done this then have usually two minutes to chew (after the contest) what food is left in their mouth before points are deducted.

Dunking is also commonly practiced among the speed eating world. This is where eaters are allowed to dip the food into water to make it soft and easier to chew and swallow. This method is usually practiced with foods containing dough (for example, hamburger / hotdogs). Vomiting is banned at any time during or immediately after the contest.

Even though Takeru 'Tsunami' Kobayashi and Sonya 'Widow' Thomas sport quite slim figures, there are obvious dangers with this sport. Obesity is common and contestants can often suffer from unmanageable nausea and vomiting. All in all researching this article has certainly given me food for thought.

By Jess Poulter and Daisy Milner Harry Potter has been the mark of our generation since 1997, when J. K. Rowling released the pageturning series. Ever since then, „he who shall not be named‟ has haunted both the wizarding world and our very own. There was no way any of us could have known that the moment Harry Potter was placed on the Dursley doorstep, was the beginning of something unforgettable.

As the staircases began to move and moaning Myrtle began to haunt the bathrooms, the phenomenon of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was quickly becoming universal.

Expelliarmus! Everyone was dying for a wand and a Nimbus 2000 broom stick for Christmas. The Harry Potter generation was born.

The series is a defining aspect of many of our childhoods. As we grew up, so did Harry. Many feel that they have known Harry, Ron and Hermione longer than they have known some of their own nonfictional friends. It is the only book where you can debate the twists, turns and characters as if they were much hated and loved neighbours. We all know that Harry Potter is going to go down in movie making history, but it would be nothing without J.K. Rowling‟s imagination behind it. The release of the books opened the minds of young people to the magic world, ideas that would undeniably be completely different to each child. There was enormous bereavement after all had devoured the seventh book, a

“Every eight year old girl wanted to be Ronald Weasley‟s first kiss, have the same magical talents as Hermione Granger, and discover the secrets within the chamber alongside Harry Potter himself.”

difficult one for many due to the association with their childhoods mirroring the progression of each novel and their developing characters. But the recovery was slightly salvaged by the excitement and expectation for the Harry Potter films.

By 2002, just a year after the first film, magic once again hit the big screen. We were the generation for this dark sensation. Every eight year old girl wanted to be Ronald Weasley‟s first kiss, have the same magical talents as Hermione Granger, and discover the secrets within the chamber alongside Harry Potter himself.

By the time Dumbledore fell from the tower in 2010 a solemn silence spread through every sixteen year old. Our B.F.G (Big Friendly Grandfather) was gone. Harry Potter was now alone on his undertaking to kill Voldemort. The idea that the Harry Potter wizarding world would not last forever suddenly became a realisation. If only finding the seven horcruxes could be prolonged!

The release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One last November, was the beginning of the dreaded end. Harry, Ron and Hermione embarked on their last adventure and the Box Office exploded with magic once more. No one could bear to miss the start of Harry‟s final battle. The fact that this movie was full of build-up instead of events made the anticipation for the second part of the epic bigger than ever, hoping that Tom Riddle‟s victory would not be too imminent in the final film.

But of course, like anything, there are some who don‟t share the same enthusiasm towards the Harry Potter saga. Some wish that these so called „unrealistic‟ adventures would simply come to an end. But as girls who have grown up with Harry Potter, surely we, along with the rest of our generation, have to appreciate the magic of this series? No other generation will ever experience Harry Potter in the same way that we have.

But has Harry Potter lived up to its great expectations or is the reason we don‟t want the series to end the fact that we are not fully satisfied just yet? Maybe we never will be? Was Warner Bro‟s onscreen interpretation of Dumbledore‟s death monumental enough? That's for you to decide.

Whether the end of the film series will live up to the dreams of a nation of followers is still unknown- we‟ll just have to hold on to our broomsticks!

Opinions & Editorials Page 3

News

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Interview with Roz Evans: Head of the charity the ‘Refugee Youth Project’ There is a lot of myth surrounding refugees

By Emma Alexander This term the News Section‟s main focus is refugees. The BB News Editors sat down with Roz Evans, founder of the charity Refugee Youth Project in 2004, for a look through the inside lens.

The charity‟s main projects are focused on work with refugees in Nepal. This is a venture close to Ms. Evans‟ heart given that her PhD focused on the situation of South Bhutanese refugees, who were forced to leave their homes due to a political crisis in 1990. Twenty one years on, the refugees are still living in seven different camps in Eastern Nepal. They are supported by different agencies and organisations such as Amnesty International who help with programmes linked to education and health.

Closer to home, we discussed the situation of young women refugees. Ms. Evans explained that “the main reasons for young women becoming refugees are related to their race or religion, their social group and, of course, their gender identity.” Persecuted women have little control over their own lives, and the choice to flee their country of their birth and home is never taken lightly.

Many young women are completely alone, their families having been split up. They are at risk of trafficking and Ms. Evans has encountered women who have been sexually exploited on their journeys: “I know a young woman who was trafficked and sold into a brothel near our refugee camps in Nepal. Fortunately, in this particular case she managed to escape. But the problem is a very real one.”

However, even once safely settled in the UK or the USA, refugees are often treated poorly and socially targeted.

The refugee situation is often poorly and pejoratively reported by journalists. The media often circulates misinformation about the reason asylum seekers come to the UK and there “is a lot of myth surrounding refugees”. Ms. Evans made it clear that “it is difficult because refugees experience a lot of hostility”. Ms. Evans believes that raising awareness about refugees is the best way forward: people do not realise that refugees are really people just like them, but in different and tragic situations.

Refugee Youth Project visits many schools to educate young people about refugees in order to improve pupils‟ understanding of refugee issues and children‟s rights. To read more about Refugee Youth Project, visit www.refugeeyouthproject.org.uk Continued from the Front Page…

The Middle East has many wars within its continent and is one of the most politically unstable regions in the world. However there is one particular war which specifically caused many people to become refugees. The 1948 Arab- Israeli war, in which 750,000 (UN source) Palestinian refugees lost their homes and livelihoods. This war is still on-going today and it creates the constant debate of „Whose land is it?‟ Israel as we know it today was formally known as Palestine and was the home land to Arab inhabitants, however the UN voted to partition Palestine into two separate states, an Arab and a Jewish state, in 1947. The brutal civil war as a result of the partition led to refugees, which today are the longest suffering and largest refugee population. They are the longest-standing case of forced displacement in the world, numbering 9.8 million and increasing by about 100,000 a year. These refugees have been removed from their homes so that Israeli people can live in them, or destroy them to create new homes. Every part of their lives as they knew it has been destroyed.

Palestinian women in camps in Lebanon have to face an array of different issues. During the war of 1948 many of the men were away fighting, far from their families, leading to the loss of many husbands and sons. As a result, women were left alone to deal with the problems and tragedies during the war and, after, to look after whole families single-handedly. The loss of men had led to a population imbalance, one of the results being that women couldn‟t marry; a terrible situation for a woman to find herself in

“As a result, women were left alone to deal with the problems and tragedies during the war and, after, to look after whole families single-handedly.”

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given the cultural context. Women not only had the pressure to marry, but also the indirect pressure to have children to account for the loss of life during the war. This meant that hospital facilities in some camps were pressured not to provide contraceptives to women, but to older family members.

Another major postwar consequence is sexually-transmitted diseases. As in most war contexts, Palestinian women were exposed, at various times, to rapes. This was particularly the case at times when camps were overrun, and due to the cramped living conditions in the camps it was likely that these diseases would spread very quickly. These are just a few of the problems that Palestinian women have to face during their everyday life.

The problem in Israel of Palestinian women refugees is not something we hear about often, but more recent events have had some similar affects to young women. The conflict in Libya led to a massive outflow of people to neighboring countries, especially Tunisia, to the west and Egypt to the east. By late March, 320,000 people had fled Libya. Most of the refugees who have had to flee from the Libyan violence have been refugees before - one woman has already had to flee violence in Somalia. Having to seek refuge in other places is something that many of these people have become accustomed to. Many of the residents in a camp on the boarder of Tunisia have had to quit their jobs to escape the unrest, missing out on a valuable source of income which they usually send home to their families. There are also sanitation problems and health care issues - one Somali refugee said there are several pregnant women inside the camp that need urgent medical help. There is no easy solution to any of the problems that these people will be facing, only hope that international aid will help them with their immediate needs. However it is not just food, water and shelter that they will need as this life changing transition will of course have many long term effects, both physical and mental.

Refugees are all over the world and are in the positions they are in for various different reasons.

They are a demonstration of the long term effects of conflict and show that many people experience catastrophic events, enough to drive them to flee their homes and previous lives. Of the 50 million people uprooted in the world, 80% of them are women and children. This proportion could not be more relevant to us, as young women, and it is therefore increasingly important to be aware of the situations these people face.

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BOUDICCA BULLETIN

Entertainment

The Challenge: Come to See the School Play Calling all Roedean Girls, get off Facebook and put on a play in our fantastic theatre .

By Serena Esiri-Bloom There is no doubt that Roedean caters for the performing arts superbly. The facilities offer space for music practise, dance lessons and whatever Ben Losh and Phillip Clancy, our theatre technicians, can rustle up for our school plays. These productions are held in what I have always thought was our best performing arts feature, our school theatre. In my previous school performances took place on the small stage attached to our local church. Parents were hoisted into the cramped space on folding acrylic chairs that left you paralysed for approximately two hours in plastic pain. When I was looking for schools, it was a joy to see the huge amount of seating and professional work space offered by Roedean Theatre- a true selling point to this prospective attendee. Although Roedean has a large performance schedule in its academic year, I somehow feel that Drama, in general, is not pushed to it‟s full potential. We were all blown away by the splendid performance of the Roedean South Africa choir, a truly unprecedented event. However, musical performances that are equally as impressive, albeit different in style, often take place in that same chapel by Roedean UK pupils.

Throughout the academic year we are treated to the stunning performances of our choir, orchestra and chamber music groups. Ms. Fewkes consistently guides the musicians to give dazzling performances such as the concert in May, so impressive that it is annually included in the Brighton Fringe Festival.

So what does Roedean offer in terms of Drama? As are offered in Dance and Music, there are both individual or shared private lessons available that come with a sizeable price tag. For those whose pockets don‟t run so deep, we also annually premiere the GCSE and A Level productions, host the annual school play in Spring, the Junior Production at Christmas, and the beloved House Plays. I, myself, have taken Speech & Drama as an extra-curricular activity since Upper Three. These past six years of private lessons have not only improved my individual acting, but also my confidence and ability to speak in public. However, the only times I have been involved in a performance linked with my private tutoring (excluding examinations) has been on Roedean Day, where a few of the Speech & Drama students perform a showcase of their work to parents. If we are to champion Drama at our school and truly do justice to the fantastic space of the theatre more input is needed from the students and staff. Since my arrival at Roedean I have seen a significant reduction in the amount of staff and pupils who take part in the school play, and also in the amount of staff and pupils who come and watch. There is nothing more depressing than giving up time and energy to put on a play that less than half of the school body turns up to see. Where has the Roedean spirit gone? The old Roedean excuse of „I had no time‟ could no longer fend off the growing anger felt by many of my fellow cast members when we performed „Once in a Lifetime‟, this year‟s school play, to a half-filled auditorium. Gabby Tomlinson, a sixth form Drama student, strongly agrees, “It‟s quite a disheartening experience to look out on a crowd with many spaces. It would be nice to have the support of the whole school, the plays are of the very highest calibre and it‟s a shame that more people don‟t come to watch them.‟‟ So if the busy Roedean lifestyle of extra-curricular activities prevents people from attending the school play performances taking place in the evenings, should we not create an afternoon performance that the whole school can attend? Once upon a time, Roedean school plays were a compulsory event and all girls had to sign up to say which performance they were attending. Why did that have to change? Surely we can muster more! Sadly the majority of my time in the theatre is spent attending assembly on Mondays and various talks with the Careers staff. The huge amount of time and effort from Mrs. Armes, Drama students and all the other individuals that are involved in the plays is not matched by the rest of the school. More is needed, not from the performers and Drama department, but by the crucial ingredient: the audience.

Many girls in Foundation Years remember the fun and interactive Taster Day which featured

“The old Roedean excuse of „I had no time‟ could no longer fend off the growing anger felt by many of my fellow cast members when we performed „Once in a Lifetime‟, this year‟s school play, to a halffilled auditorium.”

“There is nothing more depressing than giving up time and energy to put on a play that less than half of the school body turns up to see.” proactive Drama students performing a murder mystery story. The younger girls had to guess and deduct based on other activities such as finger print detecting held in the Science department in order to determine which of the cast members was the murderer. This all-student production greatly contributed to Open Day and hardly took up any of the cast‟s time to organise.

If you are passionate, it doesn‟t take a lot to weave together a fifteen-minute play. I spoke to Mrs. Armes, Head of the Drama Department, about the problem- she too believes that we need to catapult drama to the forefront of school life. „„It would be wonderful to have more student directors outside of the House Plays.‟‟ Roedean was created as a beacon for girl‟s education, but to keep up with the other testaments to education we need to shine brighter. At Eton, the encouragement the boys receive is to not only to join the clubs that are offered, but to set up any other interesting extras that they can think of. I have vague memories of a long-neglected Drama Club available to Upper Three and Lower Four. If more girls are interested in joining or starting a club of performing arts, they need to take the initiative and start one! Roedean‟s school spirit blossoms during the annual House Plays, when the Six One girls write and direct their very own productions. Surely we should be encouraging more pockets of such creativity; students starting their own club or getting together with a couple of friends to put on a short play would be a positive step towards greater opportunities. With the facilities at Roedean, pupils could be constantly organising little productions and short plays that they create, direct and promote themselves. As Mrs. Armes said „„the drama department would fully support this.”

All too often the only extra productions arranged in our theatre are from GCSE and A Level students. This is in no way a bad thing, but all too often these productions exclude the countless keen pupils who do not take the subject as part of their school syllabus. The success of the School and House Plays are that they often involve certain students who discover their own unknown acting abilities to the surprise of their peers. Roedean has the facilities to cater for a fantastic contribution towards Drama. The girls just need to build and polish the foundations they already have in place. So come on, Roedeanians! Pull the cork out and set up your own fringe plays that we can all come and support!

“More is needed, not from the performers and Drama department, but by the crucial ingredient: the audience.”

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Entertainment

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Rap vs Poetry

Teacher Survey

By Shannon Garner-Moore Words can be interpreted in many different ways. Both poetry and rap are expressions and forms of art created by the writer to express their feelings and share them with others. Can we quantify which is of the higher calibre? Both forms are interpretive therefore it is a matter of opinion.

The similarity between the two is strong. Going back to the root of expression via music and lyrics, „Ol‟ Man River‟, was a song written to depict the unequal life lived by a black African American working on a boat on the Mississippi in the 1920s and the hopelessness of the situation:„I get weary/And sick of trying/And I‟m tired of living/And scared of dying‟. This could have been the inspiration for many other songs to follow. Although a somewhat depressing ballad, it is actually a lot closer to modern day rap than you might think.

Most rappers are protesters standing up for what they believe in, telling stories and expressing opinions in a way that people will hear; people who may not normally be interested in their views.

Take Eminem for example, a white rapper from a trailer park in Detroit. Who would have thought his opinions and life stories would be shared and would affect people globally - including some of the teachers at Roedean?

As poetry is an art form rather than a genre, poets‟ style and content vary greatly depending on the poet and subject matter. Wordsworth with his „Daffodils‟ bears no relation to the horrors, inequality and brutality depicted by the many war poets of the First World War. These poems have come to chronicle the futility of the First World War. Similarly Wordsworth also depicted what he saw around him, the life in the rural environment of the Lake District.

Just like cave paintings were used to the record the lives of the Neanderthal man, rap and poetry have become a modern way of recording the here and now, in the hope that their stories will be remembered. Plan B combined both the mediums of rap and poetry in his song Suzanne telling the story of the Camden Ripper with a chorus of Leonard Cohen material which added an interesting twist to the song. This could appear to be a modern way of ensuring that yet another event is chronicled using the art form of poetry/rap.

When critics talk of the inclusion of rap into the annals of art, they often argue that rap should not be included as it, in effect, debases the English language by using „Street Language‟ and colloquialisms. These are the words and the language of the street and will more than likely be included in the Oxford English dictionary at some stage as it is constantly being expanded to include new words as they become infiltrated into common usage. In teenage culture, poetry is associated with school and studying, and for this reason is less poplar than Rap. Rap is not widely accepted in culture due to the language and lack of understanding from „art‟ critics. This is usually due to the subculture often associated with rap such as drugs, gangs and violence which the authorities do not generally want to discuss. For them, they would rather sweep social issues under the carpet and deny their existence. Rap is more prominent in the youth arena due to the accessibility of it. This is how rap achieves a higher profile than poetry nowadays.

It is now possible to download poems and share them online although this does not have the same cache as sharing a new piece of rap music with your friends. Thirty years ago when rap was starting to become popular this argument would to a certain degree still hold, you would hear it on the radio, see it on the TV and share CDs in the way that you would not with a book. One has to bear in mind that the opinions of a deaf or partially sighted person would differ greatly to the ones given here.

In 1781 Boswell asked Johnson, „Sir what is poetry?‟ and he replied by saying, „Why sir, it is much easier to say what it is not, we all know what light is; but it is not easy to tell what it is.‟ Today this question could be asked about both rap and poetry. As to the question whether the rapper or the poet expresses himself better, isn‟t that as hard to answer as what‟s better pepper or salt-both are from the same root but they produce different results.

By Jess Jasper and Phoebe Tomlinson Ever thought about what music the staff at Roedean bop to in their free time? Well the Boudicca Bulletin has surveyed a number of them to find out who they adore and who they cannot abide.

Mr. Orys told us that when he first heard “Friday” by Rebecca Black, his ears bled. It‟s fair to say that many others agreed with Mr. Orys on that one. Although he does like the song called “Johnny Got A Boom Boom,” most probably referring to Imelda May‟s song. Well, head down to House Two and I‟m sure he will play it for you.

Miss Deller enjoys music of the awesome 80s and is planning to have such music played at her wedding. Anybody for a bit of Wham?

Hitting the Sports Department, Mrs. Goulet had surprisingly modern taste in music saying that she is currently enjoying Adele‟s new album „21‟.

On the other hand, Mrs. Carnaghan answered “Any song that‟s on Radio 2, they control my music,” and then added that she feels Meat Loaf was an amazing singer.

Mr. Davis decided swiftly that his favourite song was "Tik Tok Kesha," which he mistook as the whole song title. We can‟t imagine him rocking to that in his office, though it could explain for infamous unkempt state of the History office..

Mrs. Brett said that her favourite song was Queen‟s “We Are the Champions.” She confessed that she recently found herself warbling the chorus whilst driving down the motorway.

Dr. Kaye said his favourite song was “I Kissed a Girl” by Katy Perry, but then added that he only chose it because his children listen to it. Whatever you say, Sir. Miss Stanway enjoys a bit of Coldplay which is a popular band amongst the teachers, but hates “The Birdie Song” by Black Lace.

Dr. Jukes gave us an answer none of us were expecting: she enjoys a bit of rap! She said she enjoys the less aggressive rap (which narrows her variety quite a little bit) because they have meaningful lyrics, similar to poetry.

We stopped Mr. Atkins in the corridor and asked him the same question. He barely understood the question and didn‟t know who any of the other artists were. You know what this means, ladies. The next person to have a lesson with him, be sure to sabotage the computer and enlighten him to the world of Justin Bieber and Rebecca Black.

e.e. cummings vs Notorious BIG?

The Staff ’s iPod on Shuffle

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BOUDICCA BULLETIN

Continued from the Front Page…

We harboured feelings of grudge against politics, and all had our coping mechanisms. Some of us resorted to alcohol, others to Art threading dreams and expectation in a painting, some to secret diaries, the others were completely estranged while some were secretly resisting despite the risk of being jailed in the “underground” of "the home department." What a sweet and secure home we had! It was then by the stroke of Fate, that we resisted fear, snapped, and declared that "enough was enough."

A golden chance of rebellion was offered to us on the 17th of December when Bouazizi‟s selfimmolation triggered a public outrage. All the Tunisian youth identified with his feelings of frustration and desperation after years of dealing with a closed economic system and a corrupt government. In fact, the Tunisian youth were the engine behind the change that swept the country.

We represent the backbone upon which the Tunisian demographic pyramid rests. Thus, turning one‟s back to this huge young population equals smothering the whole society. This is what our corrupted ex-president had overlooked while he was celebrating the Youth Year.

The Tunisian Youth have been always aware of the government‟s corruption, but since the last general elections of 2009 we have become increasingly agitated by the exclusion process which has been going on for years. A short time after the seemingly fair election results, banners of the next general elections of 2014 were already ubiquitous. People started bitterly joking about “The Royal Family line of succession” and waiting for “an heir to the throne.” These jokes were allusions to his little son who would have become someday become our president. Our cynicism was a mark of our lost fate as our frustrations grew deeper.

Means of communication and social media played a key role in the mobilization of protests. We cannot deny that the Aljazeera TV channel has been strongly present in almost every Tunisian household since the poignant image of Bouazizi‟s self-immolation was broadcast. Tunisian bloggers have also effectively contributed to the spreading of news nationwide and the communicating of events to the rest of the world. Young people from all ages have played an increasingly significant role through uploading videos on YouTube and documenting events on Facebook allowing millions of Tunisians to follow the updates regularly. News of demonstrations in other parts of the country disseminated online helped others conclude that it was high time to take to the streets.

We still remember how we used to click with a trembling hand on the “share” or “like” button on Facebook after watching an agit-prop video. We also laugh now when we remember how our parents threatened us to confiscate our computers if ever they discovered that we were watching or downloading a video showing the political upheaval that was going on across the country. We started feeling free and united when the same profile picture was dominating most of the Tunisian facebook accounts. It was the picture of our flag surrounded by our hands, aimed at unifying our voices.

On the day Ben Ali left Tunisia he made sure to terrorize us one last time by unleashing his militia.

People had to improvise and set night watches with the army. Those three nights following our dictator‟s departure were quite frightening, but that didn‟t stop people from seeing the humor in our situation, the light in the darkness, if you will. We remember seeing friends‟ statuses on Facebook on the 15th of January that made light of the frightening situation by posting “2nd episode of the series sleepless night” or “the boys who are not going to participate in the night watch should forget about dating a girl from the neighborhood”. It was funny to see neighborhood delinquents turn into heroes by organizing the night watch. “I actually slept with a baseball bat under my bed.

It‟s a scene I always saw in movies, but I never thought I would actually experience” said Hend Hassasi, a Tunisian student. People were grateful for the army‟s protection and they sent delicious dishes and drinks to them. The girls were teased by the boys on Facebook for flirting with the army

News

soldiers who were guarding them, and how they would love to deliver dishes made by their mothers. Young people would sit around bonfires watching the neighborhood while joking, singing and even playing guitar.

Female voices rang out loud and clear during the protests.

Women of different ages, social backgrounds and dress codes were there holding banners that proudly declared “Dégage!” (leave). When Ben Ali‟s thugs started terrorizing people after January 14th, women transgressed their traditional gender roles by contributing to the safeguarding neighbourhoods at night along with men. “Standing side by side with neighbours was the furthest place from our insecurities and inferiority, it was rather surpassing all kinds of gender expectations in the vain of a greater cause,” said Ameni Znagui, a 20 year-old Tunisian student, describing her feelings while safeguarding her neighbourhood.

The status of women in Tunisia has always allegedly been better than other Arab countries. Women represent 54% of students, 26% of magistrates and 24% of the Tunisian diplomatic corps. Tunisian women have had the same rights to divorce as men and have had access to birth control since 1962 which is considered Bourguiba‟s legacy. Lately, there has been a debate over gender parity, where equal members of each gender would be selected as candidates in the July polls. If this project is carried out, it will be a first in the Arab-Muslim world. This sounds quite promising as it would involve women more in the political life.

Tunisia is preparing for July elections for a constituent assembly that will be tasked with reforming the constitution. In fact, political parties and civil society associations are little known by Tunisian youth today making the task all the more challenging. However, we are deeply aware of our citizenship and thoroughly excited by the prospect of voting and participating in the first free election to be held in our lifetime. We are still sceptical, however, about the means available to assure a democratic transition in our country. The most common questions that Tunisians are asking today are “What‟s coming next?”, “Has the revolution won?” We are aware that we are only half way between uprising and revolution and what is coming next will definitely determine the answer to these pressing questions. On the other hand, fear of the domino-effect hovers over the Arab region. No Arab leader can sleep peacefully these days. Our dream has been always of building a strong Arab Union. We may be able to make it true in the near future.

Whatever the final outcome will be, what happened in Tunisia will remain one of the most inspiring events that has ever happened in the Arab world. For the Tunisian youth toppling Ben Ali’s corrupt regime is a second Independence.

ROEDEAN REFUGEES

-Silver Screen (Diamond Dreamtrak Sound) by Beat Connection -Stone Rollin’ by Raphael Saadiq -Daydream by The Lovin’ Spoonful -Mykonos by Fleet Foxes -Sittin’ On The Dock of The Bay by Otis Redding -The Clapping Song by Shirley Ellis -Odessa by Caribou -Louie Louie by The Kingsmen -Pressure Drop by Toots & The Maytals -Blood Fire by The Nextmen -Lucille by Little Richard -Summertime by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince -No Diggity by Blackstreet

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BOUDICCA BULLETIN

Features

P6

Why Should We Be Proud of

Britain?

The British are renowned world wide for their politeness, modesty, and complete lack of national spirit. Unlike in the States where most front lawns proudly parade their Star Spangled Banners, you‟ll be hard to come by our Union Jack outside of the World Cup Season. Of recent weeks however, with the Royal Wedding, London 2012 Olympics, and the Queen‟s historic visit to Ireland, this land of “rosbifs” is beginning to hold its head a bit higher. But this new-found patriotism seems a bit too tight around the collar- is this not the antithesis of all things British? With our noses in the air we‟ve come to survey this „green and pleasant land‟ (as the hymn goes) with new eyes, questioning the very essence of th „Britishness‟. What is Britishnesss? Can we not be proud of who we are without being radical nationalists?

Something to ponder while politely queuing, no doubt.

“Since the 18 Century, Britain has been the largest tea consumer per capita in the world.”

By Sophie Watson “Being British is about driving home from an Irish pub in your German car, then perhaps stopping off for a Chinese takeaway before returning home to your Scandinavian IKEA furniture to watch American sitcoms on your Japanese television.” You know, your home comforts.

As you can see, what it means to be „British‟ per se has changed in recent years. Amidst the cultural invasiveness of globalization is it possible to resurrect true „Britishness‟ or, harder yet, be proud of this antiquated concept? At first glance our society is fragmented, our public services abysmal, our house prices skyrocketing, our politicians sleazy, our roads constantly jammed, and our livers destroyed by drink. But surely there‟s something worthy of our pride or, at least, a travel brochure.

Despite being small in land mass we are still globally influential, though undeniably less so since the break up of the British Commonwealth.

Indeed, Britishness is not just a label used on package holiday advertisements: it is a way of life. It‟s a concept that ranges from the wacky to the wonderful, the strange to the spectacular. Whether a „Spotted Dick‟ sounds like a delicious pudding (home students), or an x-rated pay -per-view film (everyone else), prepare to feel the pride sweep through you.

Five Brits were admitted to A&E in the last year after incidents involving out-ofcontrol Scalextric cars. This is just one of the many NHS figures that highlight how incredibly daft this nation can be. Three British people die each year testing whether a nine volt battery works on their tongue. Thirty-one Brits have died since 1996 trying to water their Christmas trees whilst the lights were still plugged in. If you thought the embarrassing figures stop there, you are very much mistaken: fifty-eight British people are injured each year using sharp knives on screws instead of screwdrivers and in 2000, eighteen people received serious burns from trying on a new jumper with

“Does our British heritage represent more than just a group of obese teenagers on a life -long pub-crawl?”

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a lit cigarette in their mouth. In the last two years, five hundred and forty-three British people have been admitted to A&E after attempting to open bottles with their teeth. Our national statistics seem to clearly highlight the significant number of village idiots who call Britain their home.

As a country that prides itself on its system of democracy, we would rightly expect all of our national laws currently in existence to be rather sensible. But you know what they say about assuming! Take the following law, clearly illustrating the legal sophistication and modernity of this proud nation: “It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament.”

This has been named by voters as the most absurd law of all British legislation. Nigel Cawthorne, author of „The Strange Laws of Old England‟ said, "Anyone who dies there is technically entitled to a state funeral. So if they see you looking a bit sick they carry you out quickly." Also in London, there was once a law which stated that it was illegal for someone with the plague to flag down a taxi, which was only recently modified to state that no cab may carry corpses or rabid dogs. The Westminster Sunday Tolls Act, a piece of legislation that is very much in favour of men looking after livestock, declares that Freemen may drive their flocks of sheep across London Bridge without a toll charge. However, you had better watch out University Fresher‟s week if you intend to drive a cow or a horse whilst drunk as the 1872 Licensing Act will sting you with a £200 fine.

Gambling in a library, which I for one feel should be introduced in place of late return fees, was made illegal under the Library Offences Act of 1898. So much for faith in the law!

Not all of these trivial laws are from the far past. Take, for example, the UK Tax Avoidance Schemes Regulations of 2006, which is proof that strange British laws continue to be churned out.

This particular one states that it is illegal to withhold information from the taxman, and not tell him anything you don‟t want him to know. All very well, except that you don‟t have to tell him anything you don‟t mind him knowing!

Be careful if you are posting a letter because it is illegal to stick a postage stamp upside down on your letter, as this would be treason. Believe it or not, all of these laws are still in the book. The silver lining is that the current Justice Secretary is acting to remove or amend approximately 328 ludicrous laws from the book in an attempt to update the rule of law and uphold sensible British democracy.

To the French we are known as the “rosbifs” (or roast-beefs) drawing attention to the British love of roast dinners, and food in general. A quarter of all British adults are obese, despite ordering diet cokes with their extra-large fish and chips. The arteries of the average Englishman are testament to the fact that you can usually have a pizza delivered faster to your house than you can an ambulance.

The sales of takeaways and fast food in Britain have been growing for decades, but have become even more popular during the recession as a part of the “swap staying-in for going-out” craze.

When discussing the food industry here in Britain the one stereotype that can never go unmentioned is our love for tea. Since the 18th Century, Britain has been the largest tea consumer per capita in

“The arteries of the average Englishman are testament to the fact that you can usually have a pizza delivered faster to your house than you can an ambulance.”

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the world. However for a drink that is naturally nutritious, it has become the British custom to add plenty of milk and sugar, thus undermining any potential health benefits.

The average British person spends around £12 on food and drink per meal, of which one third is spent on alcohol. Looking at the bigger picture, out of the average household expenditure 1% of the total figure is spent on education and health whereas alcohol, tobacco and other narcotics add up to a massive 3% to annual cost; that is three times more than its worthier essentials. British binge drinking is a huge social problem, and the once stable figures are disintegrating as alcohol consumption per capita has risen by almost fifty per cent since the 1970s. Does our British heritage represent more than just a group of obese teenagers on a life-long pub-crawl? Why, but of course, for what we would be without our painful historic class divisions? Epitomizing this, of course, is the British monarchy.

Despite growing anti-monarchy sentiment over the past forty years, The Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton rekindled some of our nation‟s pride. Patriotic celebrations took place all over the country in street parties, bringing Britain to the centre of world attention. Every country was following the preparations leading up to the event. The faith we have in the newlywed couple to maintain Britain‟s influence across the globe and represent this country to the best of their ability is paramount. Besides royalty, Britain is home to many figures prominent in modern global society. We will always have people like Wayne Rooney stumbling across the magazine covers at every opportunity, celebrated for their shortcomings.

However, Britain really is full of talent, people who have the power to improve our image worldwide. Surely this was the opinion shared

by President Barack Obama when the height of British talent, „Jedward‟, performed for them on their state visit to this proud nation. No sarcasm intended...

Perhaps on the more eccentric side of British culture is fashion designer, Vivienne Westwood, originally from Derbyshire, who originally made a name for herself when she invented the punk uniform. From then on her outlandish collections knew no bounds. Another prominent British fashion personality is Stella McCartney, daughter of the former Beatles member Paul McCartney. She is loved worldwide for her unique sharp tailoring, reaching fame as chief designer at Chloe. Alexander McQueen also leaves his fashion legacy as a designer who was popular all over the world, despite his humble beginnings as the son of an East End taxi driver. He first worked as chief designer at Givenchy before founding his own label. He went on to obtain the award for International Designer of the Year in 2003.

Britain also makes a significant contribution to film and theatre. We are the home of the James Bond series, for instance. Ian Flemming, a British agent, created the fictional Bond character in 1953, who has now featured in twelve novels and two short story collections. James Bond has been the longest running and most financially successful English film franchise to date, starting with Dr. No in 1962. Another similarly successful series is Harry Potter, the boy wizard tales by author JK Rowling, originally from Gloucestershire. The series of seven fantasy novels have sold over 400 million copies since 2008 and have been translated into 67 languages. The last four alone have consecutively set records as the fastest selling books in history. All of that started here!

It would be wrong not to mention William Shakespeare as someone who does Britain proud. As the world‟s most influential dramatist and poet for over 400 years, Shakespeare has stood the test of time and provides a valuable insight into English literature for the students all around the world who still study his works today. He is considered a genius for his great stories, compelling characters and ability to depict human emotions in eloquent verse and prose. If you find difficulty in expressing a profound mood of yours, Shakespeare‟s literary legacy may be of some assistance.

The “Bard of Avon” also holds his enduring popularity for his contribution to many modern day common expressions. Many thought-to-be clichés are Shakespeare‟s creations. This is fully demonstrated in the following excerpt from “The Story of English”: “If you cannot understand my argument, and declare „It's Greek to me‟, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you recall your salad days, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you act more in sorrow than in anger, if you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, if you have played fast and loose, if you have been tongue-tied, laughed yourself into stitches, had short shrift, cold comfort or too much of a good thing, if you have seen better days or lived in a fool's paradise - why, be that as it may, the more fool you, for it is a foregone conclusion that you are (as good luck would have it) quoting Shakespeare.”

Believe it or not, all these quotes first appeared in Shakespeare‟s texts, and since then have become rudimentary staples to our language.

It is clear to me that this little Britain has quite a lot to say for itself. At times it will make us shake our head in shame, however, Britain is a paradise of individuality, anomalies, hobbies and humours and, at this rate, it will certainly stay that way. We may wish for a better climate or a more efficient NHS, but there are many things invented right here that we take for granted, from steam engines to the World Wide Web. Over the ages this little Britain has certainly changed a lot and I think it is fair to say that at times it really does do us proud. So for anyone who has ever doubted their own ability to be proud of this country, I have two words: RULE BRITANNIA.

“Britain is a paradise of individuality, anomalies, hobbies and humours.”

Features

Eastern Perspective To contrast all things British.

In Edward Said‟s „Orientalism‟, he defined the „East‟ as all things that were alien to Westerners, shaped by Eurocentric prejudicial assumptions. As informed citizenry of the world, we are more than aware that „The East‟ is far from a homogonous culture. But Roedean‟s unique melting pot of British ancestry and an international student body breathes new life into Said‟s definition of the „East‟. Upper Four Reika Takahashi flips Said‟s lens, revealing an „Eastern‟ perspective of all things „British‟.

By Reika Takahashi Ho This article gives my personal point of view in relation to the perspective of girls from the Eastern side of the world. In our world today, it is very common to travel and is almost normal to end up half way around the globe thanks to the development of high speed aeroplanes. There are now numerous international schools and millions of people who are of mixed race. In addition, technology is used to communicate all over the world. These are just two of the hundreds of reasons why our world is so globalized. Here at Roedean there are many girls from the Eastern hemisphere. I personally am from Japan and China and am proud of my heritage. I am so thankful to have a family where there is no conflict between nationalities. My family consists of people from Ireland, Canada, Hong Kong, China and Japan. I believe this is a typical example of a 21 st century family. Every single girl from Roedean is unique and is very lucky to have an opportunity to experience school life with people from different cultures.

We girls from the East enjoy living here in England, receiving one of the world‟s top educations and we feel very thankful for our special experiences. There are so many good things here in England.

However, what is the typical Eastern Perspective of Britain? The stereotypical heavy British accents and images of people eating fish and chips everyday under grey skies? Some see England as full of old buildings, with no TV sets or even an instant hot water supply.

In contrast, Britain is famous for rich dishes such as roast, a range of puddings, scones and Harrods English Tea. London is one of the biggest metropolitan cities in the world with people from all areas of the world. The buildings are beautifully kept and prestigious with modern interior designs. Then there are the first class shopping areas in England such as Harvey Nichols, Harrods and Knightsbridge.

China contains ¼ of the world‟s population; with this statistic you can get a rough image of how large the country is. Chinese morals require you to be disciplined and respectful towards the elderly. Furthermore, we respect our traditions, celebrating Chinese New Year and many other festivals. England also celebrates holidays such as Christmas and Halloween. But the Chinese celebrate their festivals no matter which faith they belong to whilst the English tend to celebrate festivals according to their religion. This is not bad, just a different way of life.

There are countless positive sides to being a member of an international community. Although we are privileged enough to learn from each other and gain knowledge about places outside of home, there are also negative sides. Girls from abroad have to learn to adapt to England and girls at Roedean have to accept different ways of living. I believe that it is wrong to critically compare a nation to another nation because every nation has its good and bad and we have to accept this fact living in an international community. Anyone from abroad should understand that they are living in another country and therefore learn to adapt. However they do not have to change our way of living because of our different home.

I believe that it is very selfish of a person to not try and find out about other cultures, and be willing to share theirs as well.

I believe that there are no boundaries between the Eastern and Western world. If you are of mixed nationalities, no country should dominate the other. Over half my friends are of mixed race and almost all of them have travelled at least once in their life. But no matter where you go or where you live you must always keep your home at heart. Enjoy your stay here at Roedean, and make the most of it. You have the chance to experience the delights of Britain, such as the wonderful history, the flourishing green lands, fresh air and Marks and Spencer‟s. However, the most unique characteristic of Britain is its friendly people.

“This is not bad, just a different way of life”

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