We are all Coventry University international students so we dare say that we know well what coming here in order to receive some quality education is all about. We have already made the steps that the international newcomers are yet to experience so we feel we can and should give some advice. You know what they say: stupid people think they are always right and the wise ones listen to advice. Moreover, a piece of advice is never mandatory. It is just the perfect balance of opinion and freedom, is it not?

As a new academic year is slowly approaching, we decided to give you, the international freshers, a hand and lead you through some of the things you are will stumble across. With every issue of our magazine we will take you further on the path of adjusting to the life here, slowly rising the curtains and uncovering Coventry and its university of the same name.

Welcome and unCOVer!

Although it is sometimes difficult to believe it, the university lecturers are just as humans as us. It is even more unbelievable that despite of their image they also often face really harsh criticism from no one but their students. On these lines I asked as many Coventry University students as possible for their lecturers’ most common phrases that they seem to hear all the time and they replied almost instantly after hearing the question! If only the students could have their lessons so stuck in their heads… Be prepared to ignore the following phrases:

10.  It’s straightforward…

9.  Jolly good!

8. OK, guys!

7. Cool potatoes!

6. Are you happy with this?

5. What do you think about it?

4.  Are you with me?

3. Portfolio, portfolio, portfolio…

2. Buy my book!

1. Does that make any sense?

But where can you find such a place? We asked as many Coventry University’s students to find out what is the top night venue today.

5.  Platinum

Although placed last in our chart, Platinum is another nightclub with significant potential to keep its popularity among the top 5 night venues in Coventry. It is enough to say that for the last couple of months it has been hosting the Viva La Fiesta parties – another series of themed parties aimed at the international students within the university. During the night you can hear not only the hits of the day but some of the best songs coming straight from the international student’s home countries. And we all know that there is no feeling more moving than that of partying like in your home!

4.  Square One

You may have never thought that a building owned by a university such as The Hub may host some of the wildest parties but it is a fact. Square One, located on the ground floor in The Hub attracts plenty of students with its theme parties. It is still a secret how they manage to come up with genuine themes more than once a week!

3. The Quid’s Inn

The bronze medal goes to The Quid’s Inn, a pub located in the centre of the campus. Offering plenty of room, a heated shisha garden and pool tables, it seems to be the best place for the ones who does not feel like dancing.

2. Carey’s

Carey’s may be a half of the size of Kasbah but is gradually gaining popularity among the students. Recently, due to a change in its management it started a new policy in attracting various types of clients. So there you can find a nightclub, playing (depending on the day) Dubstep, Drum & Bass and House music, as well as a pub, located downstairs, offering comedy nights and live rock performances.

I met Matt Bayley, a promotion manager in Careys, who gave us some inside information about the second placed night venue. As his job well suggests bringing more and more “crowds”, as he calls the visitors, is his responsibility.

It did not take long for Matt to discover that Dubstep together with the “student anthems” seem to be the most popular music genres among the Coventry students, while House music and his own favourite Drum & Bass are “still in development,” according to his words. Due to his 10-year experience in this business, gained mainly in clubs in Birmingham, he has noticed that it is clearly not all about Dubstep in Britain. “Coventry is just not picking up,” he says when asked about this rather extraordinary local taste. However, he and his colleagues keep on bringing the best underground Drum & Bass DJs in the club.

Therefore, the most successful days for Careys is certainly Tuesday, also known as “Student nights,” intentionally dedicated to the students’ taste and their scarce budget – with a special student NUS card you get a free admission. It is then when Careys even steals Kasbah’s customer, although this is not the club’s purpose. “We actually get along with Kasbah and work together,” Matt explains, “we aren’t their size and even if we lower our prices, they can easily afford to get them even lower so there is no competition between us.”

The other most attended day on a weekly basis is Wednesday, also known as “Comedy night” when semi-professional comedians come to the club.  Usually these days attract even more people due to Matt’s idea to advertise the club in local businesses’ office departments and organize staff parties.

Unlike the rest of the night venues Careys attract another “crowd,” 30-70- year-old audience that is attracted by the pub, located downstairs, offering a different rock ‘n’ roll band every Friday and Saturday.

Clearly Careys is the club with the widest scope of customers. Looking for a night entertainment for both you and your grandparents? Just come over Careys!

1. Kasbah

Undoubtedly the first place goes to Kasbah. With its three rooms each playing different music style it appeals to every taste. Together with the regular theme parties and live performances it is not a surprise that almost every time it opens its doors you can see a kilometres long queue in front of it. If you are planning a night out in Kasbah, make sure that you buy your ticket in advance!

Little known fact:

Coventry hides the 28^th best bar in the United Kingdom in a spire!

That is right, The Independent included InSpire Café and Bar, located in the spire of a 13^th century church on New Union Street, in its chart of the 50 best bars in the United Kingdom for 2011. Obviously, the bar is meant to stay undercover: not only are there no more than 20 seats, but it is really unbelievable that someone would come up with the idea to look for a bar inside a church! And the dark unnoticeable umbrella outside does not help making it out at all!

However if you, probably on your way to a solitary place where you can share your worries and prayers, stumble across InSpire, you will find a pleasant European spirit and will be kindly offered the bar’s specialty – Belgian beer.

I bet you do not want your eyes like saucers in your first weeks here! So I would rather warn you about the weirdest things you are going to come across in either the United Kingdom as a whole or especially in Coventry. Do not forget it is a real fun to have the natives as confused as possible about your origin!

You may probably be aware that the British drive on the left, use special power plugs and sockets and have insatiable thirst for tea and hunger for extremely fat breakfast but still there are many extraordinary things for the internationals to discover on their own. Do not startle when you see:

Maybe you are even looking forward to ordering a traditional English breakfast consisting of sausages, bacon, fried eggs, beans, toasts, black pudding and mushrooms and maybe you have already stopped eating in order to make some room for all the listed substantial products! Moreover, you may have already found some reason for turning you first meal of the day, which in the rest of the world is usually intentionally as light as possible, into the most substantial dish, but there are more surprises to come. Not only are you made to order a breakfast menu in your presumably well-known McDonald’s if you want to eat before 11am, but one of the several alternatives is a sausage put between… Sweet pancakes with syrup! At least it is up to you to choose whether your pancakes or sausage to be coated with maple syrup!

I am sure many of you are used to looking through the window and not searching for a weather forecast before choosing what clothes to put on. But my advice is to buy some thick curtains as it is not a good idea to follow the British’ example unless you are from Alaska: these people do not seem to have any sense of cold! Do not widen your eyes when you see a British walking calmly around in shorts and flip-flops on a freezing winter night!

Forget about rock climbing! All you need in order to train your cautiousness in climbing heights using only your toes is to have your room upstairs in a Coventry house! With simultaneously tall and small stars you just have to keep an eye on every step you take. Who knows, maybe one day with such an experience you will be able to pass effortlessly some of those laser fields known from the action movies!

Another architectural shock from Cov! On searching for a particular house, you would better write down the exact address since you are likely to suddenly feel lost when you reach the place and find yourself standing not in front of a house but… A bulwark!

Undoubtedly, the national health, safety and cleanliness are in the first place for the United Kingdom’s government. The country even takes extreme care of its citizens while waiting at the bus stop. It does not want the people hit or soiled by something coming from the street so it has decided to put special screen between the people and the vehicles. However, is a bus stop backward-facing the street a decision? Bear in mind that usually the screen is not transparent so that if you are eager to catch your bus, you have to keep on turning round almost all your body in every couple of seconds. It does not sound like a healthy posture for your neck, does it?

You must be flattered by being approved for a Coventry University student! And if you are not, here is one reason. A photo of a poster taken in the Lanchester Library alludes that we all possess special abilities! We are told to text silently in the library’s studying areas? So there must be a way for texting noisily! How is this possible? I do not have a clue, but we are said to be capable of doing it!

You have probably seen and heard about the two tap sinks in Britain but it is likely that you have thought they are gradually being or even have already been replaced with ordinary and practical ones. Indeed, I was thinking there would hardly be any left. But this is certainly not the case! The truth is that in plenty of places you will find single tap sinks, especially in the kitchens.  But do not be amazed that even in modern bathrooms such as these at the airports you will have to use the “traditional” British sinks. How should you use them in such a way that you do not get your hands neither frozen, nor burnt? This is a question nobody, not even any poster, was able to explain, yet.

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