A story of the Welcome Fortnight
Written by Juan Andres Cuervo, Communications & Campaigns Assistant at Birkbeck Students' Union
From the 26th of September until the 9th of October, hundreds of people including students, officers and staff members took part in the greatest two fortnight of the year.
Every day there were at least two events, and the attendance was massive. Those 14 days of fun are hard to summarise, however, I have tried to tell some memorable stories in the following paragraphs.
First, I would like to add that this chronicle has been written by me, so I am going to tell my experiences during the events. Inevitably, there will be many important things left as I could not be everywhere. So bear in mind that this is a subjective view of what happened during the Welcome Fortnight.
By the way, I am Juan Andres Cuervo, the Communications & Campaigns Assitant at Birkbeck Students' Union.
Walking to Birkbeck College during the first days, you could feel that something big was going on. A big tent was placed outside the building, and students around Torrington Square were walking by and taking pictures in front of Birkbeck.
Inside the building, the noises of laughs filled the corridors, the terrace on the fifth floor was packed with people, leaving literally no space to have lunch there. That was only the second day, and four people had to go to the last table in the corner to have lunch. They brought their own food, so they hid, as in busy times this is not permitted... Anyway, the terrace breathed with the excitement of the Welcome Week.
Some hours before, the students had enjoyed the coffee and pastries at The Breakfast Club, but they were not five students grounded on a weekend like in the movie with the same title. They were students who willingly wanted to be part of the community and bravely arrived at 9am on a Tuesday morning.
As the day went by, the energy kept rising. The LGBTQ+ Mixer, organised brilliantly by Tonya Moralez, the LGBTQ+ Officer, was a relentless sphere of engagement between the attendants. Their voices echoed in the room, and when they were told that the event was ending, you could see disappointment on their faces. They were having a great time and they wanted more. But no need to feel pity for them. As soon as they were told that the George Birkbeck Bar was open, they left straightaway to keep the conversation up there. Is the George Birkbeck Bar open, you might ask? Yes, that mythical place who had been closed for many years and it seemed as real as Alan Moore’s Immateria, Narnia or Hogwarts, is opened again.
From the basement to the fourth floor, from Troy to Ithaca, the land of Odysseus. The LGBTQ+ Mixer folks were still there when four people arrived to Anarres, the planet of Le Guin’s The Dispossesed where mutual aid and cooperation are the ideals which run the society. Another metaphor for George Birkbeck Bar.
These four people ordered some drinks and threw darts with such skill that they had to stop as they were shining too bright that there was a risk of blinding the students. Or perhaps they were hitting the wall so many times that they decided to go to the terrace and enjoy the leafy views. You decide which story you believe. By the way, three of those four were suspected of having lunch on the terrace some hours before at the corner table. It was a day of ups and downs. From the fourth floor to the fifth floor, to the basement to the fourth floor. History first as tragedy, then as farce.
Days of cycling, movies, mixers and the Quiz
One day later, the sunset was still visible from Birkbeck when a huge number of people entered the George Birkbeck Bar. Listening to their animated conversation seemed that they were having a great time. They were alumni. Combining the new students and the former ones, those who are still studying at the College, I never saw so many people around the area.
Birkbeck burst with life, and the International Mixer led by Laura Zerain, the International Students’ Officer, was the epitome of this carnival of happiness and smiles. Over 40 people in a room, playing games, meeting each other and having fun. For those who still had energy to spare, they went to the bowling alley to smash successful strikes. Somebody very dear to the Students’ Union reached the impressive 141 points!
Thursday was the day in which The Bike Project came to Birkbeck. They were showing their bicycles in front of the building. As their aim is to help refugees, they were kindly welcome. In the evening, the students were amazed at the movie Everything, Everywhere, All at Once. Or were they shocked? Talking to them afterwards, it seemed that the multiverse, paradoxes and rock conversations was something unexpected. At least, they had free popcorn and drinks, and they were very kind about that. Special Mention to the lovely Tea with Oat Milk, which apart from being a beautiful vegan beverage, is the Twitter nickname of a student who dedicated us these lovely words:
“Thanks a lot! I couldn’t believe we had popcorn and drinks!!! The vibe was so nice, we had the chance to meet new colleagues and the movie was really enjoyable, it made us laugh and cry.”
And on ‘Friday night, let's lose our minds in a downward spiral...’ as Blink-182 sings, we had the catalyst on the Birkbeck Quiz at George Birkbeck Bar. Many students joined the event, and as the questions got difficult, it seemed that their wit increased!
The Quiz Master Oren Flynn prepared a hard set of questions, as he always does. Remember the Summer Residential? Probably not, as most of the readers were not there, so nobody knows the excellent team who won that one! But one thing is certain: one of those members who thrived in July failed gloriously despite the help of Valeria (or maybe because of it? Hope she doesn´t read this chronicle!). At the end, the winners reached the impressive number of 41 from 56 points! It was a night full of drinks, music, conversations and celebrations.
Sunday dawn was benevolent: the sky was clear, the breeze soft, and the sun shone across Woburn Square, where the students gathered for the One World Festival. They brought dishes from their home country, so multiculturalism was engaged with the mouth to talk and to taste. In addition, the limbo was a great success among the Students’ Union staff, and even the back pain was worth the fun time!
The first week ended on top, but there was no respite: the second week started with great energy.
The Second Week - More movies, mixers and Brown Girl Like Me
Two evenings of cinema were not enough to finish the immense popcorn bag. While I am writing this, the bag is looking at me with buttery eyes and a closed mouth. “You will find someone that will take care of you,” I whisper. Let’s see if the students can finish it for the next one: V for Vendetta.
On Tuesday, Sarah Gibbs, the Disabled’s Students Officer, organised the outstanding Disabled Students’ Mixer to create a community which surely will keep growing through the year. My eyes were not there as I was writing a Statement of support for the people in Iran, however, I believe those people who praised her commitment and the success of the event.
The Self-care was amazingly carried out by Daisy Kaother Jeanrenaud, the Women’s Officer, and plenty of energy could be heard within the walls of Birkbeck Central. Talking about their experiences and sharing themselves with the other people was enhanced by the fact that there was a lot of fruit by the attendants. A self-care day was perfectly combined with thinking, talking, and eating healthy. One person was especially craving for fruit: the person writing these lines.
Brown Girl Like Me was very inspirational. Jaspreet Kaur spoke about being a South Asian woman in the UK, her life experiences, the importance of intersectional solidarity and respect everybody. The students were amazed and engaged with her, asking many questions which Jaspreet answered with enthusiasm to the attentive students.
Then, came the BAME Mixer, where Ikenna Okoye-Ahaneku , the Black Students’ Officer, presented his aims for the year alongside the British Black Icons The Series, several events for the next weeks. People from different communities engaged in a healthy environment.
Welcome Fair: An unforgettable Saturday
And then it came! The greatest event of the Welcome Fortnight. Saturday 8th of October dawn appeared without a cloud in the sapphire sky. The orange sunrise appeared with all its splendor as if nature was willing to be part of the Welcome Fair.
Those who had the immense pleasure of arriving at 8am in the morning saw an empty Torrington Square apart from the huge white tent that was going to protect the people and their stalls during the whole day from the inclement weather. Yes, that lovely sun that did not allow itself to be surrounded by clouds.
Back on Earth, there were hours passing by while more than dozens of people were setting all the tables, carrying banners, taking chairs and doing other tasks to make sure that at noon everything would be perfect.
Finally, at 12, people started to arrive in masse. Walking across Torrington Square, you could hear people laughing, the continuous movement of hundreds of people going through the more than 40 stalls, and the music providing a nice environment to chill out.
It was great to see the Students’ Union Officers at their beautifully assembled tables, engaging with people asking about their roles. Tonya, Sarah, Ikenna, Daisy, Laura and Ibrahim Badmus, the Student Leader, were superb helping the people who went there to ask questions. Having their huge tables in front of Birkbeck they were probably the first faces to be seen by the people coming out of the building. They were elected by the students back in March, and surely, they have been the best choice. Their charming, kind, supporting and easy-going attitude make them essential to keep the Students’ Union in its best shape.
Even when some of them complained in a humoristic manner that one person had a bigger table than others and had displayed a lot of stuff, the laughs could not stop. Especially when a staff member of the Students’ Union admitted the truth: he gave the order to favor one of the officers above the others. I would not believe that person though, he has not been wholly honest before (last time he told a half-truth was some paragraphs above).
Aside be them, the outstanding and energetic Salomé, taking pictures and going from stall to stall harmoniously as the lyrics of a swift song, the extremely funny Valeria and the Quiz and Welcome Fair Master Oren were answering the questions from the students about how to join societies, clubs and networks, giving them flyers to do the London-Paris bicycle route, explaining what the Students’ Union role is, and least but not least, perhaps the most important thing was to give FREE lanyards to everybody. If half of London population are not wearing the pinky lanyard of the Students’ Union, it is because they have taken the red pill and have realised that we are in the Matrix. This does not make sense, just needed to introduce this science-fiction reference. Anyway, what does make sense in this world? I believe the engagement of those who attended the Welcome Fair is something worth living for.
There are many anecdotes to illustrate this point. For example, when one woman came to Michael and told him that he was the most popular person in the Welcome Fair. He is part of the Students’ Union Support team, and his charm and talkative manner had most to do with the fact that many people went to his stall. A small part was that he was given freebies for self-care! Yousuf, the most experienced in Welcome Fairs, was walking around checking that everything was in order. Since the early morning he has been taking up chairs, and when a person asked me where to find him, he appeared as if by magic some meters behind us. As the wise Gandalf or Dumbledore, it seemed that he was everywhere, being summoned to help anybody at any time.
There were people giving free food, free advice, free smiles. I could not enumerate every different society, club or any other group who occupied Torrington Square that day. But as certain as the sun was going towards the West, people signed up to participate in many of them. Over 200 photos were taken by the Students’ Union and will keep appearing on Social Media in the next months, same as the reels on Instagram who give you a feeling of what happened that day.
At 5pm, the celebration was over. As the music turned down, people walked by out of the square, and many others collected the tables, took the chairs and rolled the banners. The owl of Birkbeck spread its wings with the falling of the dusk. Some of the bravest decided to keep the party in a pub. In the way there, it felt beautiful to see the sundown, especially after having seen the sunrise that same morning. Those people played Dixit, had great conversations and a bunch of laughs. When they left, it was dark. The day was over, but the memories will remain forever.
