NOVA LECTORA AL CENTRE: Leah Readman

Leah Readman, nova auxiliar de conversa, curs 2011-2012

I am from Norwich, a city in the East of England which is about 100 miles North East of London. Norwich has a population of around 300,000 people and it is an interesting contrast to most other cities in the UK because it is so isolated from other cities (the nearest city would be Colchester or Cambridge and they are at least an hour away). 

Norwich is in the county of Norfolk which is renowned for it’s picturesque countryside and coastline. It is a beautiful city rich in history and culture and there are lots of things to do. 

Norwich, was originally the capital of England before London and the remains of the city walls in addition to the beautiful Cathedral and Norman Castle are the most prominent reminders of Norwich’s historical prestige. 

Norwich has become a modern and cosmopolitan city. The forum, is the library in the city and it was built after the old building was burnt to the ground. It is not only an interesting piece of architecture and a library but it has transformed itself into a social centre of the city. There are restaurants, cafes, comedy clubs, the local news team is based here and it provides a meeting place for many young people. It is only a stone’s throw away from the theatre and my favorite place in the city the Chapelfield shopping centre which has every shop you could ever want! 

Norwich is also home to the Norwich City football club or commonly known as the ‘canaries’ for the their yellow kit and the most famous products to originate from my region would have to be Colmans mustard and the car company Lotus are based nearby.

Whilst I will always call Norwich my home, I have been lucky enough to go to university in arguably one of the prettiest cities in the UK, Durham. 

Durham is in the North East of England, near Newcastle and is home to one of the UK’s most prestigious universities and Durham was also used for filming for many of the Harry Potter films. The Castle and Cathedral feature as parts of Hogwarts school in the films and the buildings themselves are extremely impressive and some of the oldest in the UK. 

The city has maintained many of its roots and the majority of the pavements in the centre are cobbled and a high percentage of the shops are boutiques making Durham one of the most unique cities in the country. Due to the high percentage of students, the population of Durham doubles when the students return, Durham has a very diverse nightlife and it’s home to Klute, officially the ‘worst’ (but many people will argue that it’s the best) nightclub in Europe. I am currently in my third year of studies at Durham University which as a modern languages student is spent abroad to improve our spoken language and understanding of foreign cultures.

Although I am part of the Erasmus scheme, I chose to spend my year earning money and gaining work experience through the British Council. I was lucky enough to be placed in Jávea and I will be working in the school until the end of May when I will move to France for the last remaining months of my year abroad. I will return to Durham in October to complete my last year of studies.