I cannot believe that I am about to start the last week of my first term in university. Everyone, absolutely everyone, said "The first term will fly by" and "It'll be christmas before you know it". So many people said this to me that it almost became cliché and I didn't quite believe it. And the first month, as eventful as it was, actually passed by relatively slowly so I began to believe it even less. Not that this mattered. I've been having far too much fun exploring my writing, meeting amazing new people and -most importantly- drinking to even think about christmas. Until recently......
A taste of home
In my last blog I bragged about the people coming to see me in the next couple of weeks. While my friend couldn't make it, 2/3 wasn't bad and it started with a week-long visit from my boyfriend. I was jiggly with excitement at seeing him, and it was the most amazing week ever. We went christmas shopping, went out for food, lay around watching films and generally messed around. It was the exact pick-me-up I needed. For all this uni and home have been separated. It's almost like I have two lives (I know, very 007 of me) and when Sam came to visit me those two lives were merged, and it was very strange indeed. When he went home I had to blink back the tears as he said "see you at christmas." All of a sudden it would go from being in one another's pockets every day for a week to the usual 30 minute face times a day. Christmas was so far away....
The ensuing week was filled with homesickness. It's a weird feeling to be so busy all the time, yet finding yourself moping around. Luckily i still had one more visit to look forward to and that was from my amazing mum. Even though we speak on the phone (the 4 hour phone call will not look good on my bill this month) I have missed the endless gossip and goings-on of my family life. Because it's so close to christmas my mum has been getting the house ready for our visitors and it's strange to not be a part of that. It's the first year I've had to text my christmas list home to my dad rather than sit on his sofa writing it whilst watching the TV, and it's the first year that I wasn't involved in the putting up of the decorations, and it feels weird. It will be so nice to go home at the end of the week and spend 3 whole weeks with everyone I love.
The other family
With all this going on what would I do without my uni family? I dread to think what i will be like over christmas, going 3 weeks without seeing them! I need my drunken nights out, the very loud and eventful pre-drinks, the hungover debate of 'shall we go into uni?" and the 'You will never guess what he's done now!?!" chats. Thank god for FaceTime.
Whenever I have felt homesick or just general low over the last 3 months, it's been these girls that have successfully managed to pick me up again and my uni experience would have been very bland without them!
The reason I'm actually here
Oh yeah, the course! Well, I love it more every single week. It still never fails to amaze me how far I can be pushed creatively, and I love my seminar group as we all share our work and offer feedback on everyone else's. The english part of my degree (rather than the creative writing side) is equally as challenging though. It's really hit me in the lat month or so just how different university level is to A-Levels. We are learning for the sake of educating ourselves further, not to pass an exam, and it's such a refreshing way to learn. I've even found myself going out and voluntarily buying books for further reading because i find it so interesting. I don't know whether I would be able to handle university if I hated the course- it's my love of english that gets me out of bed in the mornings after all.
