A Cranfield Christmas holiday diary

And here we are, it’s January, Christmas is over, the end of modules is approaching but every single day is completely different and with new anecdotes to be explained.

I love Christmas and this year has been even more special since I really wanted to see my family and friends after the start of MSc. I went to Spain to stay with them. And to be honest, I really enjoy these days with relatives, but the good things are the meals that they prepare, we are always eating and eating. Moreover, these holidays had been more relaxing than the other academic years since all the deadlines of assignments were just before Christmas. It was cool!

However, I left Cranfield with a good taste in my mouth… literally! Most of us were leaving to have almost one month, with our respective families in our home country. Taking advantage of this excuse, we organised some international dinners in the lasts days before Christmas break. In the photo below is one of the dinners, it was amazing to discover new tastes and food.

I have to say that this year I was happy that the holidays had finished. This was because I wanted to come back to Cranfield to meet housemates and classmates again. Besides, the weather in my home town is not amazing, so for me coming back when it comes to the weather, was fine.

Our first module back in January after Christmas was the module about Food Safety, Quality Management and Certification took place. Yes, to be honest, the name of the module seems to be super dense, and it is. But…wow, we learn a lot of things that are relevant and useful if you want to work in the food industry. The modules were accompanied by lab sessions and different workshops.

It was two weeks non-stop, but this module has helped me to broaden my vision of the food industry, in a realistic view. I realised that this world is so complex. Certifications, laws, regulations, etc. everything has to be in order and reported. Food safety is crucially important and I think that ensuring the safety of the food chain of one product requires a lot of work, training, and dedication. At the end of the day, you are working for the consumers, they have to be satisfied with the quality and, for sure, the product has to keep the consumer safe. I like the fact that here at Cranfield you learn that there is not only one solution to a problem. You learn how to discuss and think about the different options there are, and justifying every single decision. This is the exciting part of the module and makes the class super interactive.

To sum up, I am very glad to have done this module, it seems serious, and it is, but we are always having fun and learning in a good environment and I really appreciate that.