I've learnt a lot since starting university. I mean, I've learnt about chemical kinetics, quantum mechanics and SN2 reaction mechanisms as part of my Chemistry degree but that goes without saying. What I'm talking about is the life lessons that the independence had given me.
Just under 2 years ago I was squashed with all my belongings in the back of my parents' car heading up to Edinburgh after just having passed my driving test the day before. I had never had to cook for myself and when I was alone in the house I lived out of the microwave. I couldn't even cook an egg! Luckily I knew how to do laundry (or so I thought I did until Circuit Laundry came along), how to make a bed and how to handle an iron. I was convinced that after browsing through a cookbook I'd be able to take on the world. I was very, very wrong!
So, let's take you on a journey of some of the things I've learnt in my first two years of uni:
Halls can be crazy. Before I'd even moved in someone had thrown a ham sandwich down the corridor.
The doors in halls lock behind you. Sorry warden!
That fire alarm every Thursday morning. Yes, that happens every week.
The cleaners will wake you up. They were lovely though.
Those last two shots of sambuca were not the brightest idea I've ever had.
The bathroom is probably not the best place to wake up. Is that vomit on the floor?
Hangovers are bad.
Hangovers in lectures are even worse.
If you don't know what is happening in a lecture chances are nobody does. Where are these equations coming from? How much is Gregg writing? Oh he's drawing a picture of a dragon...
A damp towel can get off the most stubborn club stamps.
You can't leave a lab report until the last day. Well you can but do you value sleep?
Pasta is the easiest thing to cook and will be every single meal you ever have in your first year of uni.
£3.95 is not good value for a few pieces of chicken and six wedges. It isn't even KFC!
Marcus once got down to business behind a bush but apparently nobody has had a threesome. Never have I ever...
Everyone has different rules for Ring of Fire. Is six dicks or chicks? Who knows...
It probably isn't the best idea to lose your glasses and shirt in the same night. I hate drunk me!
The 6am fire alarm will happen when you are most hungover.
Hive is where dreams come true and your dignity goes to die. Here we, here we, here we fucking go!
Night busses are a saviour. Until Ben from along the corridor throws up down the stairs.
Primark on a Saturday when you are hungover is a grim experience.
Trying to secure a flat is the single most stressful experience a first year can face.
Many hours will be wasted trying to talk to someone from a utility provider. I know all the lyrics to Taio Cruz's Dynamite now but I just want to set up a direct debit.
Overdrafts ARE needed. When does the next student loan payment come in?
The biggest thing I've learnt is that time goes so fast!!
I'm halfway through my degree and I don't know where it has all gone. There's so many things I still want to do while I'm here in Edinburgh. One thing is for sure though, the friends I've made along the way and the memories we've shared will never be forgotten, nor will the sound of that damn fire alarm!
