London

Thousands of students turned out on the streets of London yesterday to protest against the increase to tuition fees. We went along to see what the atmosphere was like and to talk to a few of the protestors. Below will give you a feel of the rally: 

Overall, the protest was very peaceful, due at least in part to the huge police presence. There were some 4,000 police officers lining the route of the march, though only 24 arrests were made, mainly for minor offences. The number of protestors that turned up varies depending on who you believe, with the police estimating there were about 2,000, whilst the organisers claim that as many as 15,000 attended.  

Thousands of students are expected to hit the streets of London tomorrow in the latest protest against increased tuition fees. Whilst a number of leading academics lend their support, the police are preparing for the possibility of violence.

Following last year's announcement that tuition fees are to increase to a maximum of £9,000 a year from 2012, unrest has never been far from the surface. Hundreds of thousands of students have joined marches and protests, most notably in November and December last year when a number of largely peaceful protests erupted in to violence.

Academics' Support

After several months of little public action, the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts has organised a new protest for tomorrow. Up to 10,000 students are expected to gather at the University of London Students' Union before marching to the City- London's financial district. Over 70 academics from institutions across the country have given their backing in an open letter to the Guardian newspaper, stating:

London is probably one of the greatest cities to study in. The multicultural community, the fast paced life and the varied entertainment makes London never a dull city. This week, I will present a number of small anecdotes I will never forget.

With Halloween on Monday, there are loads of special spooky events happening across London this weekend. Whether you prefer to scare yourself with horror films, dress up and go partying or have a hands-on haunted experience, there will be something for you. Here we bring you some of the most terrifying-ly good (see what we've done there?) events in the Capital:

What is British Culture? The term is unclear but what is clear, is that there are many social values often frowned upon by international students. Altogether, an experience to learn from.

Some may term the culture as unacceptable whilst, others may learn to love and adopt it. I believe this is one of the main issues which many international students face- holding on to their culture in the UK during their stay or adopting that of the country so as to be better accepted. I will comment on what I found to be international students' view of the British culture.

The Shocks

Often what many international students find shocking is the ‘going Dutch' culture. This means that everyone pays for themselves. This has often been a source of laughter or snide comments. International students tend to come from societies where they are used to one person paying for the whole table, and each person would have their opportunity to pay for the bill on different occasions.