One year on

Since June I’ve been wanting to write a post about my first year of university but I wasn’t too sure how to go about it. It was on my walk to work the other day that it came to me, I’ll look at it as a ‘one year later’ sort of thing. So that’s what I’m going to do.

In all honesty I wanted this picture for the blog's thumbnail hence why I've put it here. However these gals are my besties and course mates, I couldn't ask for anymore

So, let’s imagine we’ve gone back to summer 2018. It’s a heatwave. I’m on my summer holiday’s post A-levels/pre university, I’m working 2 jobs, I’ve re-evaluated who I spend my time with and I’m just at this odd point of waiting to go to university. Overall, I wouldn’t say this summer was the best of my life despite what everyone else’s Instagram posts were saying, in all honesty it was a bit shit.

Now let’s go ‘Back To The Future.’ – side note what a good film, heard Dermot O’Leary talking about it on the radio today so that’s probably where this reference has come from.  

We are now in August 2019. What’s happened so far?

I’ve completed my first year of university. There were many stand out events, lots of highs and the odd low here and there. At no point during my first year did I think about dropping out I’ve loved it all from start to finish. I must admit however there was an incident when my dog went missing in the city and I couldn’t have imagined being in the city with her missing. I was being dramatic and very on brand I know.

What have I actually been doing? I’ve properly worked on 3 shows while at uni, by ‘properly’ I mean that my name has appeared in the programme with my job title next to it, it’s actually very exciting.  

I worked as lighting crew on my first show and it has been universally acknowledged that I’m the weakest person ever to attempt to lift a theatre light. They are really bloody heavy, in my opinion at least. 

My second show was ‘Welcome to Thebes’ I’d say my role was all round wardrobe bitch and dresser. I absolutely loved working on this show, I made banana loaf what felt like every day for the tea breaks I’d have with my designer as a moments peace from sewing or running around town for costumes. I even made unlikely friends with a girl on my course, we’re two ends of the spectrum and even though we wound each other up at times I wouldn’t have wanted to be on that show with anyone else. 

We wanted a candid and we got a candid. 

My final show was a dance production of ‘The Hand Maids Tale’ where I was a member of the set crew, this show was by far the most tiring and intense but without a doubt I’ve never laughed, smiled or eaten so much junk food in my life. It also turns out I can make a really good fake dead body and I’m debating whether or not to add it as a skill on my CV.

This is one of many dead bodies. And yes I did get my hair caught in the chain.

In the realm of uni I’m pretty confident in saying I smashed 1st year.

I’m now excited to start my 2^nd year of university where I’m going to be learning about puppetry (Punch and Judy eat your heart out) and do my very own cosprop costume. I’m also the full on designer on a show, normally a 2^nd year design student is an assistant but my lectures have trusted me with being a costume designer on a 3^rd year show, I’m praying it all goes well but if it goes tits up I’m sure it’s nothing a little banana loaf can’t fix.

With regards to my life that’s not uni it’s actually all looking very peachy. I’ve made a boss group of friends up in Liverpool and I wouldn’t change a thing in world. When we go back in September we’re all living a lot closer to one another and by this I mean there are two houses next to each other and mines over the road with another of my gal pals. I can already tell that we’re going to have even more brews, nights out, laughing fits and group cry sessions than we did last year.

This is us being crayons

This time last year I was a single pringle not ready to mingle and not sure if anyone would ever want to mingle with me again. On December 8^th I went to my mates Christmas party where I helped to cook our buffet style roast dinner (this was roast number 3 of the festive period I’d cooked) after our food we were playing ‘Just Dance’ when two 3^rd year lads walk through the door, one of them was a lovely scouser who was good pals with my friend, the other I hadn’t met before. He was tall, gorgeous, funny and the most northern person I’ve met in my life, we went out as a big group into town after the party. Like usual it got to point where I wanted to come home this time it was because the DJ had remixed WHAM and it was truly awful, this tall handsome stranger I’d met a few hours prior walked me home to my front door. It was 5 ½ months of countless pub quizzes, 7 odd dates, 3 hugs, a kiss on the cheek and daily messaging when this boy I met at Christmas became my boyfriend. Needless to say I’ve never been happier, ever. Correction. We’ve never been happier.

Look at those smitten kittens!

In some ways it feels like everything has changed in a year; new friends, university and an amazing partner in my life. In other ways it feels like nothing has changed; I still love unicorns the colour pink and anything Miley Cyrus, some old pals are still my best pals and I’m still as quirky as ever.

To all the people that have added to my amazing 1^st year of university I thank you from the very bottom of heart and I hope you stick around for whatever 2^nd year throws at me.

Don’t forget everything is coming up roses!

NV xx