Kassim Conteh preaching at San Germano Chisone . the historical and photographic archives of the Waldensian Cultural Centre in Torre Pellice and seeing some of the historical places of Waldensian history in Val d ’ Angrogna .
Once the experience in the Valleys was over , and I knew where my new destination would be — The Queen ’ s Foundation ( Birmingham )— the next task was to obtain a certificate to prove my language skills for the new venture .
Once I obtained the IELTS certificate , my interaction with the new reality took place at the beginning of January . Although it was virtual , because I was still in Italy , experiencing the atmosphere of a new Faculty was almost as pleasant as being there in person . I started by taking a course ( Gender Studies ) and doing a personal research paper on a field of Methodism of my choice . The real surprise of this course , which I have noticed to be a feature of all the courses I have attended so far , is the availability of hours of group work / confrontation with material sent by the lecturer regarding the topic dealt with that particular day . I found this very stimulating and enriching because it allowed us to reflect together and understand other points of view on issues that perhaps we hadn ’ t thought enough about . In terms of research , with the assistance of a lecturer , I concentrated on studying the role of rationalism within the Methodist movement ( specifically the viewpoint of the movement ’ s founder John Wesley ).
As soon as I got my visa , just before the start of the summer term , in order not to risk being red-listed and paying for a hotel quarantine , I took the first ( or almost ) plane I could to the UK .
I arrived in Birmingham on 24 April . The reception was excellent . Even though I was isolated in a wing of the building dedicated to students — Frances Young House ( FYH )— the students living there always looked after me , providing me with everything I needed ( food and meals from the canteen ).
The new term also started online . This allowed me to be present in the classes , without suffering too many complications from the isolation due to Covid-19 normative . Two courses were offered to me : Black Theology and Research Methods . I must say that both were interesting . The first one helped me to reflect on my own being ( as I am dark-skinned ) and on the reality in
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