I'm back, come read!

*blows cobwebs off of keyboard*

Hello there!

*blows food crumbs off of keyboard*

So it's been a while, huh? I'm still here, don't worry. Maybe the last you heard of me was that my blog turned one, exciting right? Well that was back in July. It's now September, and it's high time we got back into the habit of writing and updating this blog, don't you think?

I'm all set in my little corner, see.
I feel like nearly every single one of these entries starts off with an apology, so you're not getting one this time. So there. The simple fact is, my summer has been filled with so many wonderful moments and trips and this great holiday to the South of France... Or maybe that was a dream I had. In actual fact I spent my summer working my backside off, or at least that's what it feels like. Yep. That's right. I took on an actual job, doing actual work, earning an actual wage. Exciting, right? I'll not bore you to death with the details, but I spent the best part of my summer working 12 hour shifts in a warehouse. Told you it was exciting. So that partly explains the absence. The other part is I've been preparing myself for returning to uni here in Lincoln. I've moved into a new house, which is actually quite nice. It gets a little cold sometimes, and there's not a great deal of room. But it's home, and I'm settled nicely and I actually really like it here.

So on that note, I'd like to share my experience of my first year of university with you, my lovely friends, readers and followers. It won't be too specific. More just general exeriences and thoughts. I'll spread this out over a few weeks, so it's not some 10,000 word post that you'll never make it to the bottom of. So, without further adieu, let's get down to it!

What I learned in my first year at uni, part 1:

I'll be completely honest in saying that I had absolutely no idea what to expect when going to university. All I'd ever been told about was the drinking, and the parties. And in actual fact, there is so much more to it than that. At least for me. Think about it this way, uni is one massive lesson in life that you'll probably never get by being anywhere else, or doing anything else.

Now that my first year is over, I can safely say I had the most amazing time. I'm definitely no party animal, but I'm also no workaholic. I think I found a pretty good balance last year, and amazingly I managed to keep stress levels at a minimum. And that's perhaps one of the hardest things to do, because you really don't want to, and quite frankly can't spend all your time working, and likewise for partying, which I'll use in the loosest of terms here. Don't get me wrong. There is absolutely nothing wrong with stepping back from everything and taking a day out, or having an evening for yourself. You're going to need to. I learned that one pretty quickly after the first term. From October when I started, all the way up to near enough Christmas eve when I finally finished working it became pretty obvious that I needed to just chill. Maybe I didn't jump right in quick enough at the start, causing a bit of a build up of work at the end, but working absolutely solid for weeks on end is hard.  And I'm not just saying it, it will make you ill. When I finally stopped for my Christmas holiday I genuinely got sick. It's like my body went "okay, he's done now. We can stop holding it in".

So, find a balance. It's honestly so important. Everyone wants good grades, and everyone wants to have a good time. You can do both. Trust me.

There have been times when I've thought that I haven't been doing the right thing. In terms of a piece of work, or life in general. I think I spent the first at least two to three weeks wondering if I was on the right course. Or if I was even cut out for university life. There are times when I looked around to see everyone going into town to a club, or blasting music in the kitchen, shouting and screaming getting absolutely off their head drunk. And for me, having never experienced anything like it, it was kind of scary. It's like there is so much pressure to be like that. To get absolutely off your head drunk. And the actual truth is, you don't have to. Ever. And once I got it into my head that I was living by my terms, and not anybody else's I honestly felt so comfortable.

Always remember you're at uni for yourself. Not for anyone else. 

You can do whatever you want whilst you're there. Don't feel pressured into doing anything you don't want to. It's great to step out of your comfort zone every once in a while. To tell you the truth I've only ever stepped foot in a club twice. It's scary. It's not something I've ever done before. But I went because I wanted to. Not because any of my flatmates or friends or family said I had to. And you know what, it's really not that bad. If a boy from a mining town in the middle of nowhere can do it, anybody can.

Look, it's just lasers and loud music. That's it.

To wrap it up, I had an amazing time. I really did. Once I settled in and figured out what the hell I was doing it really became so unbelievably good. I'm never going to say it's for everyone, because it isn't. But you'd never know if you didn't at least try. And I am so glad I did. If I look at my life three years ago or more, I'd have honestly never expected to be where I am now.

I do hope that I'm not coming across as addressing anyone in particular. I get my tenses messed up sometimes, so if it seems like I'm talking about what it'd be like for you, the reader, that's not the intention.

Thank you ever so much for reading!

Until next time,
- Anthony.


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