Hi everyone! My name is Syed Ali Waris, and I am from Lahore, Pakistan. I am currently studying my MSc in Operations, Project and Supply Chain Management at Alliance Business School. I am a highly extroverted individual who loves cats and singing.
If I look two or three years back, I didn’t even think I’d be sitting here writing a blog for the University of Manchester but it’s what we call life, you never know what’s going to hit you. I was travelling to the UK when my country was on the red list, so I had to quarantine in London. Ten days of anticipation, fear and excitement of how my life would be when I finally reach Manchester. Well, here I was carrying two heavy luggage, without an umbrella and drenched in rain. I don’t like the rain at all and look where I came from. I arrived at my accommodation, unpacked my bags, took a shower and a quick nap because I had to explore the city. The first night I roamed around the streets and local stores nearby, getting to know the place, it felt pretty good and where I live, it’s a peaceful neighbourhood something that I prefer.
There goes the alarm! Time for my first class and guess who ran late. Well, the professors were kind enough to accommodate late comers as it was the first day. I remember entering the campus through Brunswick Street and there it was, the famous University of Manchester arch all in its glory, perhaps the most popular “instagrammable” place here. I was sad that no one was there to take a picture of me, but I was also running late. The day went by, then it was time for me to explore the campus and I can proudly brag that we do have one of the most beautiful campuses. The weather was perfect to take a stroll and so I did which made me instantly fall in love with the city.
The week went by smoothly, I started to make new friends and things got interesting after our trip to the Lake District. AH! The lake. I can easily count it as one of the most memorable days, a memory that will always stay with me. It was after this trip that I got along with people and found some great friendships. It’s been 2 months in the city now, I love the weather (except when it rains), the people, the food and the way my life has come around. My favourite thing to do in the city is to take a walk on Market Street, my playlist on shuffle and end the day by spending money on unnecessary stuff, which I always regret doing but I never learn.
Academically speaking, it is going well. I am enjoying my courses; I have amazing instructors and the university gives access to a lot of facilities so I’m glad I chose to study here. I joined a society called Sing it! which is a 4 chorus acapella singing group and considering how much I love singing, my Wednesday rehearsals are always long-awaited. Something that got me extremely hyped was when I discovered the music rooms in Martin Harris Centre which have pianos, I call them my heaven because it's just me and the piano. All in all, it's been amazing till now and I hope that there is more to come. I know I have fallen in love with this place and I intend on making the best out of my time here but let's see what the future holds.
