Yuletide bloggings

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.

Home sweet home

So this weekend was my first weekend back home since i moved to university. I pretty much spent the entirety of last week counting down the days, and then the hours, until i was back in "The Diff" for the weekend. I'm so lucky that i have an early finish on a Friday and a lecture at 2pm on Monday so i can make the most of my weekends when i do go home.

Family Time
It was the best feeling in the world to be able to come home to everyone. I started the journey trying incredibly hard not to throw up due to the monstrous hangover I had acquired. But towards the end of the train journey I was on the edge of my seat waiting to pull into Cardiff Central. It was so hard to try and fit everyone in in one small weekend, and fitting everything and everyone in meant that I wasn't able to spend as much time as I would have liked with some people. There was nothing better, though, than sitting in the kitchen sipping on a glass of wine chatting to my mum whilst she was cooking dinner. It was the most amazing feeling, and i soon felt as though i had never been away.

The come down
This morning I was on the train by 8.50 and had my laptop in front of me and the next part of my reading list to be tackled and I felt as though I had come back down to earth with a crash. It was horrible saying goodbye to my boyfriend having had such an amazing weekend together, and the prospect of a 2 hour seminar when I got back to Manchester was not helping my mood. Usually I would be excited to be getting back into the lectures on a Monday, but this morning was a struggle to say the least. What got me through it though was the thought of being able to see everyone again in the next few weeks. Before I came to uni I had no idea how hard or easy it would be to go so long without seeing all my friends and family, and I told myself that I wouldn't be down all the time- but since then I have decided that to go home, or to at least have people coming to visit me, every 3 weeks is achievable and definitely the best way to stay sane. Any longer than that and I will just become miserable, so why put myself through it?

Happy Anniversary
The initial reason for coming down this weekend in particular was for a family christening- it wasn't until later that i realised it just so happened to fall on my boyfriend and I's one year anniversary, which made the weekend that bit more special. I was treated to a very nice meal in Cardiff Bay on Friday night. It made me realise just how special our relationship is. I miss him like made when I'm here in Manchester, but the time we do have together is then so much  more appreciated by both of us that it almost makes it seem worth while. Im lucky to have such a supportive person by my side. (okay, slushy part over now- I'm sorry)

One big hangover
Okay so besides my lovely weekend, what else has been going on with me? Well.... I have practically spent the last 2 weeks either drunk or hungover, and it has taken its toll on me massively. I have sent the last week, coughing, sneezing, spluttering and croaking my way through the day and then drinking too much to think about it in the nights, and my body is now screaming at me to stop. Perhaps now is a good time to make use of the milk thistle tablets my mum strategically gave me before I moved. I'm sorry liver, the worst is over....

Hi Ho, Hi Ho
I can no longer get away from the fact that I need to get myself a job. I spend so much time moaning that I have no money and I'm bored on the weekends, both of which problems could easily be resolved with a little part time thing. So its time to face the music and get myself sorted out. I'm not living in dream world anymore, and student finance is not the answer to all my questions.(apparently).