First Semester, a reflection...

Now I'm back to Uni (oh how I miss thee, Christmas), I've really had time to reflect on how much my life has changed since I first shipped myself here. I say shipped 'myself' as if my entire family didn't squeeze themselves into the car I'd packed my entire life into and come along with me, honestly one thing you never think of as you pack for this distant room you've never been in is how exactly you're to transport about 3000 clothes and shoes you'll probably never wear. First semester was honestly a rollercoaster, from the first day of term to the last something was always going on and I found myself too busy to ever have a spare moment (hence the lack of post until now, sorry). So, I bring to you, a little reflection of my firsts at uni

FIRST WEEK

 Alas, the morning of the biggest day of my life thus far arrived with great speed and before I knew it I was pressed up against the car window travelling further and further away from home. Arriving at Uni was extremely nerve wracking, knowing not only that I was in a completely new place, but also I was going to have to live with new people. I introduced myself to my flatmates briefly and all seemed well so I took myself to my new room, I was at home, as strange as that seemed. My family happily helped me unpack once we arrived which I was so grateful for as I 100% would have been at a loss doing it myself. Once my parents left, I was then left to properly socialise with my flatmates and I quickly realised this Uni thing wasn't as bad as I'd thought! I got on well with my flatmates and with Freshers week starting, there was a lot to look forward to. Lots of going out and very very little sleep was had in the first week. I grew to appreciate mum's cooking and the fact she cooked every. single. day. because quite honestly, I struggled with the urge to just have noodles like every other student ever (meal prep is your best friend just for future reference). Freshers week brought new friends, everyone I met was extremely friendly, we're all in the same boat so it's easy to make friends!







 FIRST MONTH

From that point onwards I felt completely settled in and my life became lectures, cooking and socialising. Uni became a fantastic routine and due to literally being on campus 24/7, one week felt like one month, something we like to call the "Love island complex", and by the time a month had gone by I felt as if I really had this whole uni thing down- kinda. In between getting my education on, I was juggling my oh-so hectic nightlife. Believe me, it's hard not to party at every opportunity when your flatmates are as convincing as mine, not to mention that after our flat parties got us quite the reputation we really had to make them a rarity as to not have the whole campus showing up to our small flat as they did on Halloween!





FIRST SEMESTER

 As end of term came around the corner at high speed, life picked up also and all of a sudden everything was happening at once! More nights out, assignments, tests and honestly it was so difficult to keep up with everything, not to mention the fact my sleeping pattern was beyond destroyed... I don't really remember what it's like to sleep before 1am anymore, sigh. The last two weeks of term in particular were quite hectic, and as I packed my things in a rush on the last day, I realised that I'd actually survived my first first semester... I felt oddly proud of myself but also reminiscent, I'd absolutely loved Uni so far and although it was a lot to handle at times, there was no way I'd change a single thing about how it had gone. I was so ready for second semester and I hadn't even left Uni yet!












Roll on this semester! Hopefully plenty of fantastic memories and the happiest of days...


❣️

Summer, a review in pictures

Hi everyone! After an incredibly long silence, I'm back. Having finished my exams on the 29th of June I expected I'd be blogging much more frequently however this summer has been full of so much that I wanted to blog about I decided I'd wait until it was over before running you through how amazing the last two and a half months have been.


Having had two exams on the same day, being in isolation and being the last student in my year sitting an exam in school, I was ready to bring in my new freedom in the best way possible, clubbing. A few friends decided to chill at the pub that Thursday evening before hitting the club and dancing the stress of exams away.

 As if getting in from the club at 4am wasn't good enough, prom was later on that day! Beauty sleep was clearly a myth and fuelled on three hours sleep I took myself home from my friend's house and began getting ready for the big day, hair makeup and everything else in between was done over the course of about 7 hours (I know) and before I knew it I was being driven to school, the day everyone had been waiting for had finally arrived and it's safe to say everyone KILLED it, such an amazing evening!





The week after prom I went out to the park twice, both involved cards against humanity and cute encounters with dogs. The second park trip however was much more favourable due to the lovely weather and also the fact we'd decided to make it a full blown picnic. We all brought an item of food that we'd made (or bought as not all of us are advanced in the kitchen). Good vibes were felt all around and we soaked in the summer heat until the evening.




The following week was quite slow-moving, however Friday evening was filled with a party, therefore an excuse to get dressed up. I love the build up to a party, having a good playlist on whilst I do my hair and makeup never gets boring, whether I'm alone or with someone else. Sunday we decided to have an impromptu trip to London in search of bubble waffles. I say 'in search' as it did take us almost an hour to find the little tucked away Nosteagia truck. It was definitely worth it though as they were fantastic waffles, 10/10 would recommend especially for the price! Clearly we hadn't quite had enough food yet as we stopped by Itsu, to get some amazing Kastu curry which we took to the nearest park (we do love us a good park) to sit down and devour.










Week three of summer was spent getting absolutely pumped for my girls' holiday. Booked extremely last minute due to.. procrastination? We didn't really get that much time to countdown to 'Portugal 2k17' however all the excitement was still present as we prepared to lounge by the beach and catch some real sun. This trip was one I will never get tired of recounting due to my cousin, one of my best friends and I being unable to go an extended period of time without finding something absolutely hilarious. You know being doubled over with laughter that renders you absolutely breathless? Yeah that was a recurring thing for the three of us. This holiday gave me exactly what I wanted my summer to entail, and I was so gutted when it was over!










Still being on a high from my amazing time abroad, I made sure to have myself booked up not too long after... Another party three days later? You bet. Another of my best friends is an amazing host so I was extremely excited to help her set up for one of her parties, once again I was glad to be getting all glammed up, this time with a partner in crime, ready for a great night- which of course it was.





Bowling was the highlight of the next week, however I can't say my skills in the alley are all that remarkable. I started on a high, scoring a strike very early on but I guess I got a bit too big for my boots as it was down hill from there and I came a very respectable last. That weekend was spiced up by a spontaneous outing to the club as nothing beats a good 4 hours of dancing to good music with the girls on a Saturday night.





Post bowling, the dread of results day began to loom however I was lucky to be given one of the best distractions, a dog! My neighbours were going away for a long weekend and asked if my family would be so kind as to look after their adorable Yorkshire Terrier and of course my brothers and I were speedy to oblige. Having a temporary pet was fantastic and we quickly got attached to the cute little pup, by the Monday we felt he was part of the family!


Not long after dogsitting, I got my results in and it was good news, I'd got into my first choice, I was going to Uni! Immediately thoughts turned to celebration and a night out on the town was definitely the best way we could think to celebrate! We partied hard, getting in from clubbing at almost 6 am, however feeling as if we carry go on way further into the morning. Friday was a day of rest and recuperation because, yes, I was back on the clubbing scene that Saturday for a birthday outing!



Summer would just not be complete without a barbecue, and at this point I was worried there wasn't going to be one! However the next two weeks brought two good-food filled barbecues and I was beyond pleased, tummy filled and chilling with mates is the best way to spend an afternoon/ evening.


Before I knew it, August was coming to a close, however not without a bang. Right before we formally said goodbye to summer, we had to go to the beach, nothing like a road (or train) trip with some of your best pals to the coast for a good day out, something different for a change of scenery! Brighton was the chosen beach, and we settled on a day that suited everyone. Sadly, this day just had to be wet and dreary, sandwiched between two sunny days just to twist the knife. However we didn't let this stop us and with the force of 14 young adults, we braved the cold, wet Brighton streets. It was actually a fantastic day out as we cosied up in a random pub for a few hours whilst we waited for the rain to subside, and it was one of those afternoons from a book or a movie where everyone just chatted about anything and everything, spending genuine time together away from phones, playing jenga or card games and slowly but surely drying up. Dinner was had in a lovely Italian restaurant, and I'm not sure if it was because I was starving, but it was some of the best pizza I'd ever eaten, 100% the best way to end a memorable day out.






September rolled in and with it came the responsibility I'd happily discarded after my last exam. I'd got into uni, and now it was time to start the mammoth preparation that came in with it. I totally underestimated how much stuff I had to get, things I'd never even thought about buying before like saucepans and scourers. All of a sudden life was taking a major turn, maturity was right around the corner and I can honestly say I was not ready to face it yet. Nevertheless, I started to get my life back into check and found that although daunting, preparing for university was quite exciting!

In between uni prep, I juggled seeing a lot of my friends for the last time before we were all strewed across the country. Most of these friends I'd only made in the last two years however they were friends like no other. This made saying goodbye oh-so difficult as although I'm certain this isn't the end of the road for many of my friendships, I just hate thinking about not being round the corner from everyone. However I like to remind myself that two years ago I was just as apprehensive about moving school but it lead to some of the best experiences I've had!

The last major outing had been a long time coming, myself and my best friends of 15 years hadn't been together all summer and it was just unacceptable especially because we were about to be proper long distance besties. We'd managed to survive one of us moving countries for a year and a half but this was a different kind of split as we were all off to live our separate lives. We decided to venture down to the coast where one of us had recently moved, to both hang out and explore somewhere new. We had a lovely afternoon at the beach, taking cute 'candids' and just being kids for a while. After a little shop we headed back home to get ready for a night out and some homemade cocktails. Sadly the trip only ended up being 4/5 of the group however it was still good fun as we had missed each other!





All in all, my summer was easily the best possible send off before embarking on a new journey at uni! 

❣️
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)