I have officially graduated! These are photos taken by my wife and sister of me at the International Convention Centre in Newport, Wales on Friday 19th October - and before setting off. It was a well-organised and well-marshalled event; honoured with brilliant sunshine and good food at the venue.
#OUfamily
It took many hours of digging deep to find out what I want to really say about myself to the world (and how I want to say it) - before I could put this to bed! Glad to have had the experience though.
Here is the official certificate to confirm that I completed my BA (Hons) in English Language and Literature with first-class honours. I can now use BA (Hons) ELL (Open) after my name - should I so choose! 😆
10 August 2024
Am now getting around to taking the OU OpenLearn free courses that I've stockpiled whilst concentrating on this year's studies.
I've just finished 'Travelling for culture: the Grand Tour', which explores the different kinds of cultural encounters to be found on the 'Tour'. I found the analysis of texts and portraits interesting, though it was largely confined to dealing with the Colosseum in Rome.
Some background information about the other major cities that comprised the 'Tour' would have been useful. What did travellers say about those places? Why was Paris, Geneva, Turin, Venice, Florence and Naples considered to be worthy of inclusion on the circuit? Why the predominance of Italy with 5 of those destinations? Is there an in-depth study that suggests art, architecture, historical significance, snobbishness, or some other characteristic made the Grand Tour feature on many a bucket list during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries?
8 August 2024
Made a booking to graduate at the International Convention Centre, Wales, a few days ago. Just checked the ceremony venues now and found them all booked. So glad I logged onto the website the moment that bookings were available.
I am anticipating the excitement of walking across the stage with my wife and sister looking on as it will be a momentous occassion for all of us.
Extremely pleased to announce that my dedication to this course over a period of 10 years and taking in a heart attack, operation and recovery - has resulted in a First-class honours!
The celebrations have already started but I'm thinking about an MA in Linguistics as a next venture.
I posted the results of my L301 module (Language, literature and childhood) on my Facebook page and to the Open University FB group page a week or more ago, but totally forgot that I had a blog as well!
I felt that my EMA was a work of genius, says he modestly, and it was good enough to secure me a distinction overall. The module was challenging in that the terms and concepts were completely new to me. I had to read some of the material more than once to understand it!
What served me well was to organise my learning efficiently. I made sure I read the first two chapters of Book 1 and the first two units of the online material before the start of the module. That gave me a two-week buffer ahead of the official timetable that I maintained throughout. I also bought an A3 sketch pad which I filled with quotes from the set books that I thought would be useful in the assignments, together with mind maps that helped me organise my thinking - something that I don't recall doing during previous modules.
5 August 2024
I have completed the OU Graduate Futures Skills Award (digital badge to follow in October).
It consists of 5 sections that require students to examine their employable skills, produce a CV that highlights those skiils and work experience, take a mock interview, read industry reports on their chosen sector, and complete other activities.
The purpose of the award is "an opportunity to boost your confidence and prove to employers that you’ve developed the skills they’re looking for. "
For details about the award run by the Open University, follow this link. (opens in a new window)
For more information about the scheme contact Graduate-Futures-Award@open.ac.uk.
16 July 2024
Just completed a free course with the OU - "Being an OU Tutor in STEM Computing & Communications". It gives me an insight into what the role of Associate Lecturer with the OU entails and will help support a future application should a vacancy arise. My main interest is with the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies. 🙂
Being an OU Tutor in STEM Computing & Communications
Awarded: Jul 16, 2024
16 June 2023
My interest in genealogy began in April 2023 after hearing that one of my grandparents came from Ireland. I found out that having that Irish connection would make it easier to apply for Irish citizenship. So I signed up on the Geni website and created a small family tree from my limited knowledge of my ancestry. My father died a few months after I was born, mother died when I was 16, and with both sets of grandparents dead there was nobody I could turn to for any family history information. I'm 71 years old, by the way.
The genealogy company, MyHeritage, owns Geni and is also a family tree building service. The companies are distinctly different though: MyHeritage is focused on users building private family trees whereas the aim of Geni is to help users research their family trees with the aim of contributing to a world tree.
What started as an interest has become a part-time hobby. I switched my attention to MyHeritage and took out a year's subscription to help me accelerate my research. All was going well until I came across what genealogists call 'the wall' - unable to progress with a particular line of enquiry. I can identify my Irish grandfather on my mother's side, but I have two conflicting pieces of evidence. One is his marriage certificate that traces his birth year to 1886, names his father as "Alexander", and gives his father's occupation as a pilot. The second one is his birth register, which gives his birth year as 1884 and confirms his father as a pilot named "Alexander".
Census documents, baptism register and military record all point to his birth year as 1886. The baptism register and census records complicate the story by asserting that his father is named "John". So, I have two sets of possible parents for my grandfather. A conundrum that I hope will be broken shortly as I have sent off a request for a copy of his death certificate. Even this part of the story, though, is touched with drama, for a search on the General Register Office records for his death year draws a blank, even though I have evidence of when and where he died.
The story continues.
In addition to a genealogical interest, I am a self-published author of four fantasy books.
My first book was written over a 2-year period (2005-2007) and involved dragons and an exploration for a new source of magic. The book was called 'Imagica', but it was not until 2018 that I wrote my second book, a novella that features Merlin and King Arthur and focuses on modern-day Glastonbury. That book is called 'Merlin:The Return' and symbolises my return to Glastonbury - the site of many personal magical memories for me - after a 20-year absence. My third book was completed in 2019 and took 9 years to complete from its inception. It's an odyssey of my life, narrated as story and, of course, features a dragon. If you read the book then you will understand the importance of what dragons symbolise for me. My fourth book is a sequel to Merlin's adventures in Glastonbury and is called 'Merlin: The Succession'. You can discover more about my writing and how these books came to be written by looking at my website - https://www.santarigreen.com/author.html.
You will also learn that I'm a transformational coach with a sound knowledge of nutrition.
Many blessings on your journey.
Santari
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