Total Dictation is one of several Russian educational events taking place in the world today. Its aim is quite simple - the continuing development of literacy amongst the Russian diaspora, as well as in Russia itself. The format of the event is as you might guess – candidates transcribe an orally delivered passage – but what makes it unique is that it takes place in many cities around the world on the same day. The event has grown since its debut in Novosibirsk in 2004, this year taking place in Moscow, St Petersburg, Aukland, Cambridge, Boston and London, amongst other cities.
While the Internet is lax in its grammatical restrictions, with many Russians living abroad, ‘Total Dictation’ challenges all Russians taking part to maintain and even improve their literacy. Through these events, the participants state, “Literacy is in fashion”.
Irina, this year's winner, outside Kings London
This year, more than 14,300 people around the world participated in this event. A text for dictation was written by Russian writer Zakhar Prilepin, the subject: Russian culture and history. The Total Dictation 2012 London event was hosted by Kings London. This year’s winner, Irina Kostyleva (pictured), PhD student at Imperial College London, was the only one of all London participants to be awarded grade 5 – a perfect score reflecting no mistakes in spelling or punctuation.
The event was publicized widely in the Russian press and in London reported by RIA Novosti, the internet based media company.
Many thanks to Kristina Urusova, Kings London Foundation Year graduate, for contributing this article. Kristina will be commencing her Bachelors Degree in Computer Science at King’s College University in September 2012.
Kings would like to introduce our new London blogger. After spending six months studying at Kings Los Angeles, 18 year old French student Kimberley transferred to Kings London in March this year, where she is preparing to take the Cambridge Advanced Exam. This week, she’s been out and about in London.
The Vintage Magazine Shop in London's West End
If you’re at a loose end in London, why not spend a little (or a lot) of time browsing an old comic at the Vintage Magazine Shop? Sometimes old magazines come back of the drawer, like old blogs returning from the depths of the RSS flux. Most of the time this happens, we stop there, we smile, we remember what we read on those pages in days gone by and we lose ourselves there again. The Vintage Magazine Shop is the perfect place for that. Amongst trinkets, postcards and posters of movie and rock stars, there are enough presents for all your relatives for the next ten years…who needs another reason to enter?
Most exciting of all, when you descend to the basement, you can browse anything from old Playboys to issues of People magazine dating back to a time when any rock star would have made Amy Winehouse seem like the perfect little girl. The atmosphere, a combination of music straight out of the sixties and the scent of old paper, causes a time warp as good as any experienced by Mister Spock on the best episode of Star Trek.
Isn't that Cary Grant?
Down in the basement
But if the weather is good and you prefer to spend some time outside, why not visit the British countryside without leaving London? I had this picture as my laptop wallpaper for a long time and everybody kept asking me: “It’s lovely, where is it?”
Prince Regent Canal in Camden
Nobody believed me when I answered: “In London.” And i’m not talking about the suburbs, I’m talking about CENTRAL London.
This casting of green is accessible on foot along Regents Canal, between Camden Town and Little Venice. To get there, nothing is simpler: at Camden Lock, take the steps down and you are on the tow-path. From there, you only have to walk along the canal and dream in front of the mesmerizing house in the shade of weeping willows, to imagine a nomadic life on a houseboat, or just stay awhile on a bench listening to the lapping water. You don’t have to do the whole walk; you can take one of the many stairways ascending to one of the many bridges crossing the canal to once again find the buzz of the city!
For Fahad Al-Buwardi, last week was a time to celebrate, but also a mixture of sadness and joy.
Fahad first arrived at Kings as a beginner in January 2009 and, an undergraduate in Law from Riyadh University, leaves Kings after 18 months to pursue his Masters in Law in the UK. He remembers his early days at Kings, “I was living with a warm, kind host family, who helped me through the cultural differences of my new life in the UK. It was different to being a tourist, I really got to experience British culture.”
Later Fahad moved into a flat in Beckenham, where he lived with some other Kings students: “2009 was the best time, I made lots of friends, many of whom I still keep in touch with.”
Fahad was nominated ‘student of the week’, coinciding with the end of Ramadan – a double celebration for him. “Kings has become my second home. The worst part is saying goodbye to everyone – all the friends you have made.”
Teachers described Fahad as ‘charming’, saying ‘his smile lit up the school’ and ‘he was very welcoming to new students’ – Kings will miss him too and all wish him well for his continuing studies in the UK.
Recently, some of our students visited a local Beckenham pub for an open mic night. Don’t know what that means? Javier Aquique, a Venezuelan student and our local music correspondent, will tell you more.
Are you in the Beckenham area and think there’s nothing to do for a night out? Well if you are a live music fan, there is a place you ought to check out. The William IV pub is located on Elmers End Road, is not hard to find and also has nearby bus stops and a tram station. At first look, the pub looks like any other English kind, a detached Victorian building with many tables inside and a few others in the front, but what makes this venue so special is the fact that they have different activities during the week, from bingo to karaoke. Nevertheless, what will really grab your attention is the open mic night on Wednesdays.
‘It was a great afternoon,’ reports Lucy Maylum. ‘All of them have done extremely well and it has been a joy to watch them progress from arriving with a low level and leave with a very high level of language use and comprehension. We wish all of the students the very best of luck for the future.’
