Butter Beer and the Hackney weekend

Now I’ve got some free time before the madness of the Olympics begins and still awaiting grades back from my exams, I’ve had some time to actually enjoy the summer break!

Source: https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/

Last week I went to the Warner Brothers Harry Potter studio tour in London. Two of my friends from home came up to see me and we headed over to the studio in Leavesden. Getting there was a little bit of a trek taking us a while to make it but it was well worth the travel, and the slightly expensive ticket price. As a big fan of the films I loved the tour, you get a real insight and behind the scenes view of how the films are made, seeing the costumes, the set and loads of the significant props made famous in the films. The tour took about 3 hours and is part guided but mainly self-guided so you are able to look at your own pace and get taking photos, which I did, of literally everything! Also while I was there I got to try the infamous Butter Beer….

I would love to tell you it tasted amazing like how they make it out in the films, but as we all know what  you see in the films is not always what you get…..Butter Beer is awful, which was slightly disappointing.  But don’t be disheartened all you Harry Potter fans, I think it’s a bit of a ‘you love it or hate it’ drink so if you get the chance give it a try!

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/events/e9wmxj

I was also lucky enough to get tickets for the Hackney big weekend, it was such a good day and I got to see loads of great acts, like the Vaccines, Rita Ora and my personal favourites Kasabian. The weather was a constant worry throughout the day with a big grey cloud looming over us and showers happening on and off all day but luckily the weather held out and only began to rain heavily at the end of the day.

The Hackney Weekend was part of the London 2012 festival, which is offering various events and performances across the UK in celebration of the Olympic Games, so it was exciting that I got to be able to enjoy part of the Games celebrations. I would definitely have a look at all the celebrations taking place where you are, there could be something exciting happening near you! 

Wishing the best of luck to everyone still doing exams and waiting on results, hang in there and keep positive! J

I’m sure you’ve heard about the Olympics?

Finally all the revision and the exams are over! I had two exams this year, both of which I went into not feeling particularly confident. The first I came out of realising I had learnt more than I had thought and felt that I gave good answers to the questions. The second I didn't feel as positive about when I finished, but it’s finished now so I will have to wait until the results come out. So I made the most of the long jubilee weekend and had some relaxing time in the sun....or lack of sun should I say!

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/yourview/2419978/Have-you-lost-faith-in-exam-results.html

Moving away from the exams, although this means that my second year is finished, there is an exciting opportunity which I will be taking over the summer. Of course you will have heard about that little thing happening in London this summer, the London 2012 Olympic Games. I have kept quiet about this in my previous blogs but this has been something which I’ve been training and working towards for the past academic year. I am going to be working with a corporate hospitality company throughout the whole period of the Olympic Games. As we are completing our training our roles have yet to be finalised (I’ll keep you posted on that one!). The company have made a strong link with the University of Greenwich and many of our students will be working with the company during the games in a variety of different roles. But, I was extremely lucky as the company have been working closely with the second year Events management students, providing us with training throughout the year on a weekly basis, being interviewed, and then if successful we then move into the local staff training with all the other local staff who will also be working with the company during the games.

                                                               

Source:  http://www.london2012.com/

This will be such an amazing opportunity and I feel extremely lucky that I am going to be involved in, what arguably, is the largest event that takes place in the world.  Being able to work so closely with a company who has years of experience and learning so many new things along the way. This has been an aspiration of mine since I decided which university I wanted to go to. Knowing that the Olympic Games would fall at the end of my second year at university, going to a university in London was a big factor in my decision. So you can imagine my excitement when this opportunity came about.

The training has been intensive and we have been asked to complete various online, in class activities, venue tours and exams in order to prepare us for the Games. As well as all the learning I need to do about London, not being from London this has been a slight challenge but one which I was happy to do in order to have this amazing experience. If you were lucky enough to get a ticket to one of the events, maybe I’ll see you there!  J