Alissa Mann
Bio
Linguist, explorer, food lover
Photographer-in-training
Stories (13/0)
The Student's Ultimate Pandemic Survival Guide
I recently wrote about the burnout I’ve been experiencing after months of fervently gazing into my little blue screen. It seems like plenty of you feel the same way - not just students, but work-from-homers, home-schoolers and home-teachers too. We're a
By Alissa Mann3 years ago in Education
- Top Story - February 2021
Is online learning getting harder, or is it just me?Top Story - February 2021
Fellow students, are you too feeling demotivated, deflated, defeated? Getting headaches, nausea or muscle cramps? It feels like we’ve been staring into this vortex for far too long and it’s sucking the soul out of us...or maybe that’s just me?
By Alissa Mann3 years ago in Education
Wish you were here! Greetings from the heart.
“Give me your address. I’ll write.” Two weeks later, the first postcard slapped onto the welcome mat. A few words scrawled in black ink; the handwriting is looping and large. Perhaps it was written in a hurry, but it is sent with love. A few words just to say ‘Hello! How are you? You’re doing a great job.’
By Alissa Mann3 years ago in Humans
How humility is transforming my relationships - and teaching me to be kinder to myself
Do you ever feel entirely alone amongst a group of people? Felt unsure of who you are, and how to connect to others? I do all the time, and here's my take on a way to move forward.
By Alissa Mann3 years ago in Motivation
How an orchestra on the brink of death revived the world.
This is the story of a symphony which sang of hope and humanity across the decades. Leningrad, Dmitri Shostakovich’s seventh symphony, embodied the spirit of resistance from its very conception, but it is the individuals embroiled in its history who are the true inspiration behind this message.
By Alissa Mann4 years ago in Beat
Have you forgotten the joy of food?
When did the food we eat become boring, stressful and tiresome? My earliest memories of eating take place at my grandparents’ house. Grampy’s speciality was eggs, toast cut into strips, served with a side of peas. To my childish delight and confusion, these strips of toast were called 'soldiers'. I remember him sitting next to me, telling me to eat the peas one at a time because they were too hot. To me, his word was gospel and for years I obediently impaled my peas individually - much to my parents’ despair, as they would impatiently wait for me to finish my meals.
By Alissa Mann4 years ago in Feast
- Top Story - September 2020
Quarantine in a tent? This is what I learned.Top Story - September 2020
I returned to the UK from Austria back in June and was required to wait out a fortnight in isolation. Forced to choose between locking myself in my bedroom or staying in a hostel, I chose to live in a tent instead.
By Alissa Mann4 years ago in Wander
An emotional ailment: how tinnitus changes everything
I haven’t heard the sound of silence since I was sixteen. It’s almost difficult to remember how it felt to be enveloped in that stillness now. I, along with approximately 7.1 million other adults in the UK, have tinnitus. It’s that ringing or buzzing noise in your ears after a concert, or late night at the club. Except for roughly 13% of us, it doesn’t vanish after a few hours. It is unrelenting and for many it causes severe discomfort and psychological distress.
By Alissa Mann4 years ago in Longevity
Secret tunnels and surfers: Why you need to visit Austria’s Almkanal
The Almkanal winds unobtrusively through Salzburg. Most tourists don’t stumble across it at all, despite the fact it flows straight into the heart of the city. But the locals know that the walk along the canal is one of the most beautiful in town. A stroll along this historic waterway isn’t just a treat for the eyes; there’s a rich history waiting to be discovered here too.
By Alissa Mann4 years ago in Wander
6 Russian dishes that taste (a lot) better than they look
There’s a lot of prejudice surrounding Russian cuisine. No one seems to know what it is, and no one (in the UK, anyway) seems to care. I’ll be the first to admit that on first impression, it doesn’t always sell itself. But Russians know how to cook wholesome and tasty dishes, and make the most of what they have to hand. Everyone else is missing out. So in defence of ugly Russian cuisine, here are some of the best (vegetarian) foods you should give a chance.
By Alissa Mann4 years ago in Feast
Salzburg's secluded hidden gem
Salzburg is known as the ‘Rome of the North’. The name is a reference to the city’s beautiful baroque architecture, imagined and built by the Catholic Prince Archbishops of the seventeenth century. Tourists are keen to seek out the film locations from the beloved film The Sound of Music and music lovers regularly embark on pilgrimages to the birthplace of Mozart. But this Austrian town has more unusual secret spots to discover too.
By Alissa Mann4 years ago in Wander