By Sanita Lustika

2nd year BU student, BA (Hons) Digital Media Design

My name is Sanita and I come from Latvia. At the moment I’m a second (almost third) year student, studying Digital Media Design. The projects this year have become much harder, so I can express how important it is to enjoy student life in the first year and Bournemouth is the perfect place for that.

I started to get to know Bournemouth by simply strolling around the streets for a day and discovering what the town is like. Most of the morning was spent shopping, followed by an afternoon walk along the beach. If you live in halls, trust me, after first year you are going to miss not living a 10 min walk from the sea. A movie at the Odeon was an excellent ending to our day and became almost a tradition for the next few months.

A good piece of advice would be to take your student card wherever you go. You’ll be surprised how many places have discounts for students – anything from clothing shops to the bowling centre. My all-time favourite still is Sharky’s  – American pool and great atmosphere for £4 an hour is certainly a good deal.

Quite often Lower Gardens has pleasant surprises and while going there with an aim to play mini-golf I end up not only playing, but also looking at events and sometimes even exhibitions afterwards, which also reminds me of  the Bournemouth Arts Festival happening around the same time university starts every year. I sometimes take some peanuts with me as there are always some curious squirrels that will appreciate it and entertain at the same time.

For a person who loves nature and activities I find New Forest to be the one place to go after a stressful day. It’s a great way to take a deep breath and escape the city life for a moment and enjoy routes made especially for cyclists.

All in all there is so much Bournemouth has to offer and there is no better way to get to know it than by walking and every time you will find something new. My personal latest discovery is salsa classes and now I can’t understand how I lived without them all this time?!