Learning to Love University

There are times when University gets tough. Being in a completely different place to home is daunting and frightening, learning to navigate the town, the people. The people may not be the type of people you've known back home, and they sure as hell will differ from the array of international students you will meet. University isn't all it's made up to be all the time, there will be boring days sat by yourself watching Dexter on repeat, days you'll be doing this with your housemates, days you will be stuck in the library doing work, pointless days walking around campus laughing with your friends, eating dinner out every night can even be a bit much.
But there is also a bright side to the very different experiences you will get from University.

• Those times when you are so bored in your room whilst everybody else seems to be frantically trying to meet their deadlines. Cherish these times because it might be the only alone time you'll get, the other nights they might be trying to persuade you out, or eat dinner with them, or just to simply entertain them. 
• Times when you yourself are bombarded with deadlines. It might be the only time you actually feel busy at University, make the most of it, because it most likely counts, and that £9000 you're paying, you'll be glad you had something to answer for it.
• Those horrible people you meet. That you can also forget and never see again if you don't want to, sure you might bump into them, but a little hello never hurt anybody. You'll realise how much you can tolerate people, and how good your temper actually is. Good practice for the working world I hear.
• The dirty kitchen, toilets and rooms. You'll finally learn to take care of yourself, after days of not having cutlery to use, after the bins are so filled you are having to move around THEM. The dishes you or your housemate didn't wash start to smell, this when you learn and start to appreciate home comforts and looking forward to moving out, and the only time you are looking to University to finish.
• So many people and opinions. You learn to take criticism like a real boss, you also learn to give it to. A little bit of constructive criticism goes a long way, even if sometimes you have to mentally re-word their harsh words into becoming "constructive". 
• Never ending invitations to society events/fundraising events/house parties/club nights. You learn what things to prioritise and which things are just a load of b***. You're major sense of FOMO also decreases by miles! Lord knows it is tiering if you are still suffering from FOMO during your final year of University.

All of these things can be seen as a negative, but actually things are pretty sweet when you're a student. All this extra time to either sleep, study, watch television, exercise, eat, or actually be productive with your life. It is endless. At the start it can be difficult missing familiar people, places, foods and smells, but it definitely gets better. Change is good. 

Blogtober #27

Blogtober #27: A Letter to Your Younger Self

I will put this in lists just because I know how much you I reading lists and will continue to enjoy reading them as I grow up. Lets begin by the things I have learnt and will continue to learn.

1. Always treat your friends and your family right. 

Your sisters aren't there to be your slaves, go and get a bottle of water for yourself, or at least say please. Your friends aren't there for you to push away so you can validate your friendship. Love them because they love you. You'll grow out of this meanness, but was there ever a need to be mean in the first place?

2. It's difficult moving from primary school to secondary school isn't it.

The couple of weeks you spent by yourself, not making any friends, not even hanging around with people but sitting in the locker room eating by yourself. It was hard wasn't it? Don't be sad, because things work out. Also, don't be afraid to make those friends. Don't be afraid to speak to people. Because it eventually worked out right? You made those friends, those "mukateers", who some are still your friends.

3. Your cousins are your best friends, and it is super cool.

How cool is it that your best friends are your cousins? Some people don't understand this, but to you it is normal. Enjoy it, embrace it, you have experienced and will experience so much more with them. Cherish the time, because soon it seems that you are all consumed in your friends that you hardly see each other.

4. Why are you looking at pro-anorexia websites?

There is something sad about being 14 and looking at these websites, to this day I don't even know how you got the idea of these websites and why you were following them. Stop, because it is destructive, it takes a while for you to finally be comfortable with yourself, but just ride that wave out. You'll find you become much more comfortable with yourself.

5. Work hard please (maybe even harder than you already was)

Slacking a little with the science weren't you? You can't blame the teachers but the teachers can't blame you. You wasn't really learning anything because you didn't care to. Maybe care a little more? Just because you are good at one thing and enjoy it, doesn't mean you should ignore the things you aren't good at.

6. Find a hobby and make it count

Try many different things but stick to it. Ballet, what happened to that? Guitar what happened to that? Piano what happened to that? At least continue with something, find something you are passionate about. Because it will be worth it one day. But even if you don't find something enjoy and are passionate about, it's okay because you'll find it one day.

7. Those bad hair decisions.. clothes decisions, those trainers.

Wow, fashion isn't your strong attribute, but it's okay you'll grow into your own.

8. That dream guy won't ever be yours, it's okay because he never really existed, you two weren't meant to be.

Although there is somebody who comes along and REALLY likes you, maybe you should have made it work with him instead? Or maybe it was good that you didn't have to spend all your time and money travelling to meet somebody who wasn't going to be your forever.

9. Embrace the fact you have so much free time

Watching so much television probably isn't the best thing for you, but HEY HO, enjoy it because once you get older staying inside and watching television seems so.. taboo.

10. Make decisions wisely. Are you passionate about this subject or are you just good at it?

The choice of your degree will come and bite you in the butt one day. Choose wisely, if not it's okay because your degree isn't your be all and end all. 

11. Ride the wave

All the ups and downs with him have made you strong. Your naive and trustworthy nature will make you seem so fragile, you are. It's okay let him break you down and build you up. You'll find yourself stronger, maybe even more so than him.

12. Appreciate yourself

Just because he doesn't want you doesn't mean nobody else does. If he makes a mistake move on, don't let him make the decisions. Make decisions for you, not because you don't want to be lonely, but for your inner soul, your happiness, and for your friends, who you have minimal time left with.

13. Speak

You'll learn to do this eventually, but if only you knew you could speak to anybody at anytime. Just do it, it isn't embarrassing and if it is just.. leave, or just laugh it off. Speaking/language and talking is all about fun. Who cares if that person criticises you or judges you, 98% of the people aren't even judging you.

These are all the things I would tell my younger self. After my stint at University I can tell I have changed, A LOT. Before I was naive, nervous, shy, a high achiever, overly attached, slightly lost and lonely. Even though I am still these things beneath, you realise you can change, and to me it is for the better. Change is inevitable as you grow up, so don't accept somebody's reasoning of not talking to you because you "changed".