London Fung Scholars’ Welcome Drink 2016

About the Event

Written by Hannah CALDWELL (FS2012-13, University of Oxford)

To welcome new Fung Scholars arriving in London, and connect them with both present Fung Scholars and alumni, a welcome drinks event was organised by the Fung Scholars London Chapter on 26 October 2016. Hosting welcome drinks was a way to encourage people to chat to lots of different people to encourage cultural exchange and build international friendships through the Fung Scholars network. We hope this will be the start of a great year in London for all those studying here!

We went to the Slug and Lettuce, a British pub in the centre of London, near China Town and Leicester Square. We had our own area upstairs reserved for the event. As people arrived, we sat and chatted about peoples’ experiences of the Fung Scholarships, what people were doing in London, whether they were working or studying. We timed the event to coincide with students coming to London for the new academic year to welcome them to the city, and for those based in London to meet each other and share their experiences. It was great to get to meet other Fung Scholars’ from around the world! In total, about 20 Fung Scholars came to the event. There was a mixture of students and people now working. It was a great chance to find out about the many different ways the Fung Scholarship has supported people, and what people have gone on to do next. Once most people had arrived, we ran a short ice breaker game to encourage people to move around and chat to lots of new people. We also told people about upcoming events, such as our trip to see the Peony Pavilion in December.

We hope this event made people feel welcomed into the London Fung Scholars’ community. We shared the details of the Facebook group with everyone who attended and posted photos to encourage more people to join us for our future events. We have also encouraged people to suggest things they would like to do to meet up, make new friends, and learn about different cultures.