Life, Laughs & Leeds

Semester one memoirs.
I thought that with it being the end of my first ever semester at University i should probably sum it all up before semester two engrosses me into it.
 So, it all started one Saturday morning (17th of September to be precise), I moved to Leeds! Slightly strange feeling, moving away and throwing yourself into the unknown. New place, new lifestyle, new people and best of all new opportunities. Everything you ever knew seems to change and transform into something so completely different its hard to imagine until your in that sort of situation. So there i was moving into halls with 4 girls i had never met in a city id only ever visited once, i would be lying if i didn’t say that i was PETRIFIED!

I am originally from the 8th worst place to live in England (apparently) and it really isn’t all that bad, it is a fairly big town known as Mansfield on the outskirts of Nottingham. It holds very fond memories in my heart but in all honesty i could not wait to get out of the place. I mean yes it is my home, but it is the sort of place where many don’t seem to have any aspirations or self believe and i really needed to leave the town before i began to wallow in a pond of self pity and lack any kind of self belief and confidence that o had once had. So that is just what i did, studies hard for my A-levels, got into University and swapped the town for the big city.... Hello Leeds!

Over my 19 years at home i became quite accustomed to all the home comforts that living with parents brings so living on my own must be the biggest learning curve i have ever had. I learnt to cook more than a can of beans or pasta, although most of the time my flat mates donate food, thank god! I’ve learned that people actually have to change bed sheets? I didn’t even think about things like that when i lived at home and i learnt you actually have to but washing powder into the machine, ive always thought all that sort of thing was magic. And then there’s the classic problem students have..... Money. Finally i have learnt that i need to actually begin to budget . It’s something that i still haven’t quite got to grips with but slowly i am learning that i can probably survive with Sainsbury’s basic brands a little better than i thought.

Then comes the classic uni experience ... friends, sleep, eat, drink, sleep, hangover.... you get the picture. Then in between the play there is  a little thing called studying - the reason your at uni in the first place and i must say semester one did not see my most academic side but hopefully that side of me may surface in semester 2 but i suppose only time shall tell ...