The past year...

Well it's definitely been a while since I wrote my last blog post and a lot has changed. Since my last post I took a big step in my journey to becoming a primary school teacher by moving to a university, which meant I left home and tested being independent. It's been a rollarcoaster of journey, which was inevitable, I won't lie and say it's easy, because it most definitely isn't that but every moment has been worth it.

I learnt a lot this past year, not just in uni but living away from home. So in this welcome back blog post I'm going to write about what I learnt during my first year of uni. I'm not quite sure how long (or possibly short) the list will be so please bear with and I hope you enjoy this post :-)

What I learnt during my first year of university: 

1) Independence is a big thing - my parents have always let me be pretty independent, they never pryed in my life and tried to control me but only influence me. Living away meant I had to learn things they don't teach you in school. Taking responsibility for cooking your meals all day everyday, making sure your clothes are clean, making sure there are plates to eat off and toilet roll for your business. All these things which you don't even consider in the excitement of it all are some of the responsibilities you will possibly start freaking out about. 

2) Money will be the bane of your life - whoever said money doesn't make the world go round clearly hasn't been a student. Money is the problem/the solution/the knight in shining armour and the devil, money is 100% one of the reasons I have grey hair at the age of 19. NINETEEN!!! I SHOULDN'T BE TURNING INTO LIL GRANDMA DORIS AT MY AGE. Moving on from that, it's wise to think about financial costs, budgets and how you can help your situation by taking on part time work.  

3) There's going to be many up and downs and "what am I doing here?!?" moments - during many moments of my first year I sat in a lecture and thought 'why am I here?' Thinking to myself I could easily go back to bed, watch Netflix and spend £10 in the nearest shop on a diet that would put Willy Wonka out of business. However, the next day I would wake up, surrounded by woodland animals and singing "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" thinking to myself 'I can't believe I'm here'. I had most of my down moments during the first couple of weeks when I was so homesick I think my flat mates were scared to ask me if I was okay because I might (and probably would have) turned into a blubbering mess. Many times my poor flat mates knocked my door to be greeted by a snivelling, puffy eyed wreck. God I was embarrassing. But things got easier the more I became confident and now I wish I'd realised that in the beginning. 

4) Relationships aren't easy - things change and people change, your perspective changes, people's opinion changes, things will change. Making new friends isn't easy, but then it may be an instant connection (so cliche). Find your feet and all will follow, it generally makes the whole experience easier. 

5) You're not going to get along with everyone - if you're living in such close proximity with people then you're bound to tread on each other's toes, I'm not just talking about those people that you live with. Living on campus everyone knows everyone, meaning everyone knows everyone's business, with that information about one person you should choose to make your own judgment of their character and it's okay to not get along with everyone, it's one of those things in life because everywhere you go there will be someone that you do not get along with and that's fine, just make sure it does not ruin your fun. 

6) You'll find new simple things in life that'll please you - so you think buying a new pair of shoes is satisfying? Going back to living away from home and taking responsibility for your necessities in life you will start to appreciate the weirdest things, such as 16 toilet rolls for £3.50 that don't scratch your backside like sandpaper. Trust me, the things you'll start to get excited about will shock you and you'll have to spend a minute wondering 'what am I?'

7) Don't panic, there's time (that is unless you've left your assignment till the night before) - looking at your module outline you realise there's a lot of work you gotta do, first of all don't panic because these modules aren't there to trick you and make you fail, they're there to help your understanding and secure your knowledge. So just follow the outline, do the wider reading and for gods sake don't do what many of us have done and leave your assignment till the night before. 

8) Be comfortable - think about what comfort means to you, for me this meant easing myself into living away from home. I took things I knew would be of comfort to me like my DVD collection (which considering I'm a student has doubled in the last year, just don't ask me how because God knows how). Finding your feet can happen right away for some people (and even they have their bad moments as much as you may not realise it) and for others it can take a while, for some it doesn't even happen, but that's okay because only you can make the judgment call of when you're happy. 

9) Treat yo' self - I'm very guilty of treating myself, probably way more than I should, but it's something everyone should do. You're working hard so why shouldn't you treat yourself to something nice, whether it be some snacks, clothes or a night out. Take care of yourself. 

10) Don't forget home - where you grew up and how you were brought up is important, celebrate it and don't be shy to open up to people, be wary of the people you do open up to because someone can be there at the right time and place but they're not the right person. But remember to phone your loved ones, it's nice to have a little catch up. 

11) Arguments can start over the smallest things - many arguments started over the washing up, it's just such a chore but it cannot be avoided. From passive agressive notes to boycotts, it all happens, it's best to make sure everyone is pulling their weight, try not to be petty and count the amount of times someone has avoided their responsibility but make sure not to be walked over. 

12) And lastly, stop and enjoy it - university is usually an experience people only go through once, so it's best to make the most of it. Having independence isn't a terrible thing, making a bad decision probably is going to be forgotten within a months time (unless you made a terrible mistake, then good luck) but take it as a life lesson, if you wanna go out till 3am and you have a lecture at 9am just do it, you'll probably still be a little bit drunk but those drinks which you don't even remember paying for must have been worth it. You'll probably find some of the best people you'll ever meet there too, because everyone needs good friends who are there for you to laugh and cry with. Celebrate the good you do, getting your first A or 2:1 or however they grade it is an achievement, as is making it to university. So do take time to think of how proud of yourself you are. 

I hope for those who stuck it out to the end of this looooong blog post enjoyed it, I'm enjoying my little/big adventure and I hope for those that are at uni or are going enjoy yours too. Thank you for reading :-)

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