PEOPLE • TRAVEL • LIFESTYLE • HEALTH • SPORT • FASHION
YOUNI DECEMBER 2014 • FROM STUDENTS ABOUT STUDENT
SCOTLAND IN 2 WEEKS
PORTRAIT
JOURNEY DIARY
2ND YEAR RGU STUDENT
AGOTA LOSCHER ON GROWING UP IN HUNGARY
WINTER IS COMING GET READY IN THE MOST FASHIONABLE WAY
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The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next. ABRAHAM LINCOLN
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CONTENTS 06. ABOUT US 08. PORTRAIT Interview with Agota Loscher
22. HEALTH
5 meals, 5 tips
26. FASHION
Winter is coming
15. TRAVEL
28. SPORT Indoor activities to keep you in shape
18. LIFE
30. SMALL AND SWEET Christmas up your room
Around Scotland in two weeks
Accommodations
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IF YOU REALLY WANT SOMETHING, WORK HARD, PUT EVERYTHING YOU CAN IN IT, AND NEVER GIVE UP. THE WORST THING TO HAVE IN LIFE IS REGRETS
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PORTRAIT IN THIS MONTH’S PORTRAIT, 20-YEAR-OLD HUNGARIAN STUDENT, AGOTA LOSCHER TALKS ABOUT LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIPS, REGRETS AND MOVING TO ABERDEEN.
PORTRAIT 9
2 AGOTA I ONLY REALIZED on the airport that I was about to leave my family and all my friends behind. And then I got really scared. I was crying all the way to Aberdeen. Then I got here and it all turned out to be really good. It was scary to live alone at first but I’ve learned pretty fast how to survive. And after a year of living abroad I can say I’m not surviving anymore. I live. I think the scariest was to speak in English. No not to speak. To understand. In the first month I hardly understood anyone, but truth to say you can get used to it pretty fast. The second hardest thing to do was living without my boyfriend. I had a pretty long relationship before I moved here. We were together for two years in Hungary, when it was all perfect, and then another year longer when I was already in Aberdeen. That was when everything has just started falling apart. I thought I really loved him, but distance changes everything. After horribly missing someone for five month, I decided to get over it. And that’s what I’ve been doing all my live. I decide and then I do. So I did. It took me almost a year, but now I can honestly say I am no longer in love with him. I’ve only started to date again this semester. At first it was hard. On the first night out I’ve met someone and when he asked me out again I panicked. I started to postpone our dates right up until he got bored. I’ve only just realized how stupid I was. I had a chance with someone and I missed it. I’m not used to missing chances.
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0 LOSCHER I’ve learned from my parents that the only way to achieve your goals is to go for it. They both came from a needy family and they ended up at the top of the middle-class. Because they worked for it. They worked for every penny they’ve earned so they taught me to appreciate it. My dad used to say, If you really want something, work hard, put everything you can in it and never give up. The worst thing to have in life is regrets. I used to think this was the biggest cliché I’ve heard in my life. And then I realized I am living my life accordingly. My childhood was pretty amazing. My grannies lived in a farm in Romania and I’ve spent all summers there with my sister. I loved playing with all kinds of animals when I was younger. Then I grew up and I became afraid of them. Once my sister asked me to go with her to the stable and while I was waiting for her, a massive black horse started poking me with his nose. I cried. My sister and I were really close. Then we both started to have our own problems and stopped talking to each other. It is amazing how two people can live literally two centimetres away and still be really far from each other. I only knew things about her that my parents told me. Then I moved here and she grew up and now we are talking again. Pity we can only do it via Skype now.
PORTRAIT 11
I don’t particularly like Hungary. I love Budapest, but that’s just it. I think It could have been so much better If the people living there had cared about it enough to do something against all the things ruining it right now. They are basically living in an illiberal, antidemocratic state and no-one cares. At least not enough to go and vote. Ironically, I’ve only started to care about Hungarian politics when I moved here. I guess it is because the politics here are so boring I needed something to entertain me. And it is pure entertainment.
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IT IS AMAZING HOW TWO PEOPLE CAN LIVE LITERALLY TWO CENTIMETRES AWAY AND STILL BE SO FAR FROM EACH OTHER.
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There are a few things I miss however. I do miss a good bakery. In Hungary you can find one in every corner with freshly baked rolls and chocolate twists but here I am getting sick of all the artificial breads and dry rolls you can buy. And I miss palinka. I don’t drink palinka, but I though it would sound nice to miss something originally Hungarian. And I miss my friends of course. I don’t miss my family as much as I should have but I do miss them as well. But the thing is; as long as I can walk out to the beach in five minutes, go to uni and do practical stuff, have democracy around me, buy alcohol anywhere I like, and not just in “national alcohol shops”, and as long as people keep smiling at me in the bust stop, even when it’s raining, I know I am where I have to be.
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TRAVEL AROUND SCOTLAND IN TWO WEEKS THE STORY OF RGU student, Dora Bacsa (20)
TRAVEL 15
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16 TRAVEL
I remember the first time I saw the sunset in Oban. I was standing near the sea and literally couldn’t move the entire time.
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DORA BACSA ME AND MY FAMILY USED TO TRAVEL A LOT. WHEN WE DECIDED TO GO ON A ROADRIP FROM HUNGARY TO THE UK AND THEN AROUND SCOTLAND. I DIDN’T THINK IT COULD BE THAT AMAZING. I WAS EXCITED OF COURSE, BUT WHEN WE ARRIVED TO THE UK AND I REALIZED THAT MY SUMMER IS OFFICIALALYJORNEY DIARY FROM SCOTLAND OVER AS IT WAS RAINING A LOT, AND I STILL HAD TO SPEND MORE THAN TWO WEEKS IN A CAR I GOT A LITTLE DEVASTATED. AND THEN, SCOTLAND TURNED OUT TO BE THE MOST BREATHTAKING, MOST WONDERFUL PLACE I’VE SEEN IN MY LIFE. AFTER THE SECOND DAY, I FELL IN LOVE, TO NEVER FALL OUT AGAIN.
DORA BACSA
TRAVEL 17
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ACCOMMODATION 4 students, 4 opinions
1. STUDENT HALLS
Siena Kim, 20, Mealmarket Exchange
PROS
1.I HAVE MY OWN BATHROOM. 2 SOCIAL EVENTS EVERY DAY 3.WE DON’T HAVE TO BE QUIET 4.GET TO MEET A LOT OF NEW PEOPLE 5.IT’S IN THE CENTRE, AND ALSO MORRISONS IS REALLY CLOSE.
CONS
1.IT’S ALWAYS MESSY, NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES WE CLEAN 2.YOU DON’T GET TO CHOSE YOUR FLATMATES 3.ALWAYS NOISY 4.YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR THE LAUNDRY 5.IT’S REALLY EXPENSIVE.
3. SHARED ROOMS PROs
Olivia Steidl, 19, Mealmarket Exchange
1.I always have company 2.We share the prices so it’s less expensive 3.We get to know each other better 4.If I lose my keys I can still get in. 5.We can help each other with uni stuff.
cons
1.We are always in each other’s way. 2.There are less space for our stuff. 3.After a fight, we still have to see each other 4.No privacy. 5.You have to wait for the bathroom.
PRIVATE FLATS
2.
Agota Loscher, 20
PROs
1.IT’S CHEAPER THAN STUDENT HALLS. 2.YOU DON’T HAVE TO PAY FOR LAUNDRY 3.IT’S QUIET 4.IT’S CLEAN ALL THE TIME. 5.YOU CAN CHOSE YOU LIVE TOGETHER WITH.
4. PROs
CONS
1.THE NEIGHBOURS ARE NOT STUDENTS SO WE HAVE TO BE QUIET 2.WE SHARE ONE BATHROOM. 3.YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR THE HEATING. 4.IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG YOU HAVE TO FIX IT. 5.YOU CAN’T HAVE PARTIES.
Renting a room Kata Szappanos, 19, Living with a family
1.It’s safer than student halls 2.It’s always warm 3.I don’t have to pay bills 4.It’s always clean. 5.I don’t have to cook for myself
cons
1.There are toys all over the house because of the kids. 2.I have to be quiet at night. 3.Nobody can stay over. 4.Kids can be loud somethimes when I want to study. 5.I have to wait for my turn with the laundry.
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22 HEALTH
EAT HEALTHY THINK IN ADVANCE SOMETIMES, SINCE I’VE STARTED UNI, I DON’T HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO EAT PROPERLY DURING THE DAY. THESE DAYS I USUALLY GO FOR A PIZZA OR FOR SOME CHEAP FROZEN PUT-UP MEALS. THESE STUFF CAN BE SURPRISINGLY CHEAP, BUT ALSO THE WORST YOU CAN POSSIBLY EAT. WHAT CAN I DO TO AVOID JUNK FOODS, EVEN ON BUSY DAYS?
If you know you have lectures all day, go and buy food the day before. If you have time, you can prepare all your meals and bring them to uni in a doggie bag. Making a salad only takes about 20minutes to do so, and you already have something healthy and fulfilling to eat for lunch.
HAVE BREAKFAST When they say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, they mean it. No matter how busy your day is going to be, you’ll always have time to grab some food or make a porridge for yourself before leaving the house. If you do so, breakfast will keep you awake, and also helps to avoid getting hungry during your morning lectures. Some studies show that even your brain works faster after breakfast.
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BREAKFAST Avoiding breakfast can set you up for overeating later in the day. If you pick some healthy, nutritious snack, however, you are going to be energetic all day long. You can always pick some fresh fruits from the closest supermarket, even on your way to uni. If you have more time in the morning, you can make some eggs, but try to avoid bacons and such, or eat a big bowl of porridge with honey or fruits. If it’s not necessary, don’t drink your coffee with sugar, or drink tea instead.
LUNCH Make something fast and easy for lunch. You can always eat chicken, prepared in all different ways, but if you’re bored of it, You can buy salmon for almost the same price as chicken, so why not have a fancy meal instead? Season your salmon fillet with lemon salt and pepper, and place it in a pan. If not necessary, don’t use too much oil, or use olive oil instead. You can also cook your salmon on butter.
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Make a season salad or cook some rice as it’s way healthier than eating chips with it. In the salad, slice cucumber, lettuce and tomatoes, even a little cheese if you’d like, and pour olive oil on it. You can season it with Italian herbs (oregano, basil) or just salt and pepper.
DINNER Everyone loves baked potatoes. They are healthier then french fries and even easier to make, and also are enough by themselves for dinner. You can fill them with anything you’d like, and If you still have some extra money left at the end of the month, you can also eat prawns with them. Place three potatoes in a bake tray after cleaning them, and leave it in the oven for about 30 minutes. They are ready when you can pierce them with a fork. If you have same salads left from your lunch, they are a perfect match with baked potatoes as well. Like I said, you can fill them with anything. Some likes it with ham and cheese, or mozzarella and tomato, but you can make prawns with it as well. One pack of prawns costs about £3 and if you’d like you can add some sauce as well for an additional £1. Wash your prawns thoroughly and cook them in a pan. It is recommended to pour your sauce on top of it after ití1s done but while it is still in the pan as this way the sauce can be heated as well. Cut a whole into each potatoes and fill them with the prawns.
SNACKS If you get hungry during the day, try to avoid unhealthy snacks, such as chocolate or crisps. If you have a blender at home, you can make smoothies anytime you feel hungry between meals. Cut one banana into half, wash some blueberries and pour cherry juice on top. You can also add any fruits you’d like, and be creative mixing them. You can’t really make it wrong. It is always good to have some juice with it instead of milk or water, and you can also add some ice to make it a cooler. Be creative.
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CHRISTMAS UP
YOUR ROOM HALLOWEEN HAS ENDED SO IT’S ALL ABOUT CHRISTMAS NOW. IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY TO START PREPARING YOURSELF FOR THE HOLIDAYS WITH SOME CHRISTMAS MUSIC AND HOT CHOCOLATE WITH CREAM, BUT IF IT’S STILL NOT ENOUGH, BRING THE HOLIDAY FEELING TO YOUR HOME.
START DECORATING
Shopping centres are usually filled with Christmas decor, so you can get some ideas about pumping up your room yourself. The most important thing to get is fairy lights. A 40 led light is £2.50 at Primark, so grab a few and place them all over your room. It is always good to have one above your window and maybe another on your bed, but be creative! You can never have too much lights around. Secondly, you need to get candles. For only £1.50 you get 20 scented candles to light up and fill the air with the smell of Christmas. They usually say, that Christmas smells like apple and cinnamon with candles like it you can’t be wrong. 30 SMALL AND SWEET
RELAX, WATCH A MOVIE
If you have a free weekend or a week off from uni, spend a day with your friends watching Love Actually and drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows. A Christmas mug with snowflakes, two packs of hot chocolate powder and a bag of marshmallows cost only £4 at Boots, so get a few and relax.
STAY TUNED
Keep an eye on upcoming Christmas events and don’t miss them. Aberdeen tends to be all about the holidays from November until the end of January so stay tuned! Dress up warm and go watch the Christmas Parade and the lights turning on at the end of
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