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SPALIFE MAGAZINE2016/20171Bath Spa University Students’ Union is a registered charity no: 1139037
CONTENTSCOVER STORY1414 08CHANCELLOR: JEREMY IRONSFront cover by Sven Baenziger, courtesy of Sally Fischer PRFEATURES07081012132SABBATICAL OFFICERSSPAESCAPE: NEW YORKSPAESCAPE: MEXICOSUMMER IN BATHAN INTERN ABROAD
CONTENTS26 24THE CREATIVE CORNER20222324PHOTOGRAPHER: BENJAMIN JONESPOET: JOANNA NISSELARTIST: LUCY OATESARTIST: BETH WISEENTERTAINMENT2627303CHILDREN’S LITERATURE FESTIVALFILM FESTIVALHARRY POTTER & THE CURSED CHILD
THE TEAMEditor In Chief Emily DovePhoto credit to Emily DoveEntertainment Editor Oli CliffePhoto credit to Oli CliffeCopy Editor Izzy HambleyPhoto credit to Izzy HambleyCommissioning Editor Jacob Lewis-LeesonPhoto credit to Jacob Lewis-LeesonCONTACT THE TEAMEditor In Chief & Page Designer, Emily Dove (emily.dove14@bathspa.ac.uk) CommissioningEditor, Jacob Lewis-Leeson (jacob.lewis-leeson14@bathspa.ac.uk) Entertainment Editor, OliCliffe (oliver.cliffe14@bathspa.ac.uk) Copy Editor, Izzy Hambley (isabella.hambley14@bathspa.ac.uk) Illustrator, Jenny Brock (jenny.brock14@bathspa.ac.uk) Columnist, Anika Schulze (anika.schulze15@bathspa.ac.uk) Entertainment Writer, Charlotte Makepeace (charlotte.makepeace14@bathspa.ac.uk) Events Planner, Courtney Burton (courtney.burton14@bathspa.ac.uk) SocialMedia Coordinators, Emily Bate (emily.bate14@bathspa.ac.uk) & Izzie Donovan (isobel.donovan14@bathspa.ac.uk)4
E D I T O R’ S N O T EWelcome to SpaLife Magazine!I hope you had an enjoyablesummer and are excited for apublication full of creativity andinspiring people.I truly encourage students to takepart in as many activities and eventswhilst at university as it is the mostenjoyable time you will ever know.‘Picturesque image of the famous Bath Abbey’It’s a time to meet friends for lifePhoto by Emily Doveand experience as much as you canbefore going into the real world. So please pick up a copy and uncoverthe possibilities available to you and indulge in something you know orsomething new.SpaLife is always looking to expand the team and support as many studentsas possible so please get it touch with any of the contacts below.Have a great first term!Editor In Chief, Emily DoveCONTRIBUTORSOli Cliffe, Emily Dove, Izzy Hambley, Kitty Hilton, Benjamin Jones,Jacob Lewis-Leeson, Joanna Nissel, Meghann McKeague, Lucy Oates,Georgia Parish and Beth Wise5
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SABBATICAL OFFICERSWelcome to the first edition of SpaLife Magazine 2016/17.We are your sabbatical officers; which means we’re full timestudent representatives who work within the Students’ Union.Our job roles, as well as academic backgrounds are all slightlydifferent, so here’s a quick overview.KittyStudied Psychology from 2012-2015, President of Snow Sports, Freshers Buddy and StudentAmbassador. Now President of the Students’ Union, thus the lead student representative with theUniversity, as well as on a local and national level.AledStudied Drama from 2012-2015, Freshers buddy and Sunday league manager for the football club.Now Vice President Welfare and works on ensuring you go through university in the most peacefulway possible, whether that’s from helping with housing, or solving your stresses.AmyStudied Drama and Music from 20132016, President of Netball for 2 years.Now Vice President Activities workswith all extracurricular activitiesto give students something funoutside of their degree (as well as CVdeveloping of course).KatStudied Drama and Music from2013-2016, course rep and involvedwith the musical theatre society. Nowthe university’s first Vice PresidentEducation working exclusively tomake your academic experience asgood as it can possible be.You can contact all four of us throughsabbs@bathspa.ac.uk or individuallythrough su-president@bathspa.ac.uk, uk and sueducation@bathspa.ac.uk‘The SU sabbatical officers showing off their modelling skills’Photo credit to Simon Antrobus7
FEATURESI looked out of the plane window and wasamazed by what I saw. It was like looking at abusy starry night sky, New York City, in the deadof night, was aglow. I had been once before;with family when I was younger, but now I camealone, ready to appreciate the great city and all ithad to offer.In all honesty, my memoriesof the city are ecstatic andeccentric, people running,lights flashing and obscene,random noises appearing fromeverywhere yet nowhere.Everyone in New York had somewhere to be,a destination, and they didn’t have time todawdle or wander or stop, they kept moving.Conversations were blunt. It wasn’t likeCalifornia where people would hear my accentand say, “Well, aren’t you far from home?” andstop for small talk. No. They gave me my coffeewithout even making eye contact with me. Iloved it.The first place we went to was Times Square, akaleidoscope of advertisements and people; andafter being served lunch by a girl called Mars,who deserved her own story, we went shopping.If there are any creatures of consumption like meout there, who have not been to Times Square,then let me awaken your innermost dreams:clothes, music, art, shoes, photography, NYPDmerchandise, hats, games - even a t-shirt thattells you to ‘Espresso Yourself ’.‘Empire State Building’Photo by Georgia Parish8G E O R G IAPA R I S H
SPAESCAPE: NEW YORKRegrettably, I only went to see one show. TitledFinding Neverland, it was about the life of J.M.Barrie and his relationship with the boys whoinspired him to write Peter Pan. An optimisticshow that had Matthew Morrison (Mr Shuefrom Glee) put on a Scottish accent and playBarrie; which, despite how much it tried tomake me believe that Barrie and the LlewellynDavis boys lived happily ever after, I could notcontain my cynicism. After all, one of the boysdied in WW1, one drowned and the otherjumped in front of a train after Barrie died ofpneumonia. But it was still pretty magical.Going to Tiffany’s was a mustfor me as a die-hard AudreyHepburn fan‘Finding Neverland in theatre’– although I didn’t eat breakfast there or, bythat point in the week, have enough money todo an inscription. But just going in there wasplenty for me; I could have spent hours lookingat each piece of jewellery in detail or watchingcouples gaze happily at the rings, leaving withsmall blue bags. One old man left with a bag bigenough for a TV to fit into, I looked at him withawe, but also with the wondering of what hewas apologising for.As a person who usually looks at her feetwhen walking (to make sure I don’t trip overanything) I spent an awful lot of time in NewYork looking up. The Empire State Building,Rockefeller and the Statue of Liberty wereparticularly beautiful to behold.‘Fifth Avenue, Manhatten’Sometimes it’s amazing tosee just what humans canaccomplish;and although the attitude of the people in NewYork suggested individualism, the structuresspoke of people coming together to create oneof the most iconic cities in the world.9‘Times Square’ photos by Georgia Parish
FEATURESIn the depths of the Yucután Peninsula wehad found paradise. The distant cries of ‘springbreak’ were left behind at Cancun airport aswe ventured southwards to the Tulum beaches.White sands and palm trees greeted us on theMayan Riviera and our accommodation wasprimitive luxury, the floor of the hut beingsand and the beach but a few steps away. Littlewere we to know, however, that the stretch ofland we were staying on had a far more sinisterundertone.We had arrived at midnight and the warm,salty breeze was a sure indicator we were closeto the sea. Before we had even entered theproperty (a thin strip of land perched betweentwo eco-tourist hotels) we were strippingdown to our swimming costumes andsplashing in the moonlit waters. The followingmorning we laughed as we ate breakfast onthe open-fronted veranda of our neighbouringeco-hotel, it’s views offered the same as ours;palm trees swaying in the wind and tropicalwaters beyond.10We laughed even more afterwe found out the cost oftheir horrifically over-pricedrooms.Eight of us for five days in our beach hut wasthe same price as a double room for one nighthere. One couldn’t help notice an infallibleirony at the fact that this overpriced hotel wasa hippy-style retreat, yet walking around atbreakfast were people sporting Henley Regattat-shirts.As we further explored the surrounding areaswe realised how under-priced our patch ofparadise had cost. There was a smug nature tous as we commented on our accomocation.How fortunate we were tofind the Airbnb for so cheap.‘A Mayan Ruin perched on the cliffs of the Tulum coast. What was an ancientcivilisation spanning across the whole Mayan Riveria, is now preserved as aruin.’Photo by Jacob Lewis-Leeson
SPAESCAPE: MEXICOLittle were we to know thehumbling reality that awaitedus the following morning.Yielding water bottles and backpacks we setoff at 7am to catch the local bus to ChichenItza. Stood outside the bamboo gates of ourproperty however, we were confronted by tensof security guards brandishing machetes andtear gas along the coastal stretch. These mentold us they were adhering to a local judge’sorders to evict everyone on the seventeenproperties they had seized and to raid theproperty also.Inconsistent governmentregulation and an ambiguousset of laws had resulted in aland dispute that was decadesold.Unfortunately, as tourists, we were caught inbetween this political crossfire. Whether thisseize was corrupt or not is still unclear, butwhat we do know is that the Tulum coastlinehas become a gold-mine for investors due toits idyllic beaches and eco-image. The mostdevastating result of this however, was notour consequent sanctuary to the Ibiza-likeresort of Playa Del Carmen north of Tulum,but for the residents who were also forced toleave their homes. Sickeningly, the corporateowners of the eco-hotels could afford to paythe officers off.The locals were left strandedon the streets, possessions inhand.Tulum showed us a harsh existence of Mexicanlife, where Paradise was found and Paradisewas lost.‘The Airbnb accommodation we stayed in for the final days of our trip.’Photo by Jacob Lewis-Leeson11JAC O BLEWIS-LEESON
SUMMER IN BATH‘Skyline Walk in Bath’Photo by Anika SchulzeWhat do you do when your first year atuniversity is over? Mojo Monday’s ceased toexist, pre-drinks with a cheeky round of CardsAgainst Humanity became ancient history andall your friends, including your cuddle buddy,are starting to move out and leave you alone,in Bath – for the whole summer! That’s exactlywhat I wondered when I found myself all alonein my accommodation.Let me tell you one thing; if you want to stayin Bath next summer you need to find otherstudents who are doing the same as you! It’snever too late to make new friends, be opento anything anyone suggests to you. By doingthat I met amazing new friends and had a greattime spending my days and nights with them.Bath is a great town and it’s beautiful, butwithout a job it can get boring really quickly.That’s why you need to find yourself a job assoon as possible, otherwise you’ll find yourselfwatching Netflix all day and night. Don’t getme wrong that can be fun for a while, but it’sway more fun to hang out with your friends –to cook dinner, have a spa day with the girls orto finally do the Bath Skyline walk!12On a night out you might get surprised bywhere the evening takes you, after you andyour drinking companions had one or theother cocktail at Turtle Bay too much. Opa, aGreek themed bar and restaurant, surprisedme more than once with its wonderful viewof the Pulteney Weir and their outside seatingarea. During the weekend the bar evolves intoa night club with free entry; I had one of thebest nights out there this summer.Another place to check out is The Slug andLettuce. The bar offers 2-4-1 cocktails all dayevery day and has a dancefloor with a DJon Fridays and Saturdays, and has the mostamazing ladies room I’ve ever seen.But no matter what you decide to do nextsummer, be active! If you get bored text afriend and visit for a day or ask for more shiftsand there are so many beautiful walks andparks to discover in Bath. A friend said to methe other day, ‘You can only regret the thingsthat you didn’t do!’ Therefore, go out, be sillywith your friends, do things you would neverdo and be spontaneous. All it takes for you tohave a great summer next year is you!ANIKASCHULZE
AN INTERN ABROAD‘Greenwich Country Club’Photo by Georgia ParishWhen I had imagined where my friend Bekywas doing her placement, I thought of some smallapartment in New York with her waitressing ata local cafe. But when I arrived at JFK airportand discovered that the address I had been givenwas not for New York – but for Greenwich,Connecticut, my nerves and excitement kicked inand I knew I was on my way to something special.Beky, as it turned out, was staying and working atthe Greenwich Country Club – which, at 15,000a month, is one of the most prestigious socialclubs in America. To my surprise, the building Iarrived at in my fatigued state was a grand whitemansion surrounded by beautiful scenery. ButBeky was at the entrance, greeting me with a longawaited hug. Beky studies Event Managementat Manchester Metropolitan University and isnow on her placement year starting to fulfil herambition to one day organise great events such asthe Olympics.I was shortly introduced to her colleagues andother interns, who like Beky studied in Englandand have come to America to gain experience.It seemed evident early on that although theycontributed mainly to the service of the countryclub, they were able to assist in organising eventsheld at the club, notably the upcoming Christmasparty.13All of the interns contributed their efforts tomake the event as glamorous and efficient aspossible, and I have to say they were all extremelyprofessional and ambitious. Structure wise it waslike a wedding, with a band and round tables, filledwith some of the richest people I will ever meet.The guests includin
SPALIFE MAGAZINE 2016/2017 Bath Spa University Students’ Union is a registered charity no: 1139037. 2 CONTENTS COVER STORY 14 CHANCELLOR: JEREMY IRONS Front cover by Sven Baenziger, courtesy of Sally Fischer PR FEATURES 07 SABBATICAL OFFICERS 08 SPAESCAPE: NEW YORK 10 SPAESCAPE: MEXICO 12 SUMMER IN BATH 13 AN INTERN ABROAD 14 08. 3
