So... where do I even begin with this?
The first point of call is a very big sorry to all of you for not posting for a good while. There is a very big reason for it, and I will explain it a bit better during this post. While more could've been done to avoid leaving it for so long, the situation at hand was a bit more awkward than anyone thought.
For now though, we can leave that and focus on our main topic - Reflecting on a first year of university during a pandemic.
This year was definitely an experience, in more ways than one. The amount of hope that was given and shattered not by the universities, but the government was just phenomenal. If I had to give a number, out of a possible 8 months I could've been there, I have been able to stay there for a total of..... 3 months. Yup, 5 months worth of work has been done at home. Such a joy for a time where exploring new surroundings and experiencing new things are supposed to be the pinnacle points of the journey. What the majority of us ended up getting was a few months of hope combined with a lot of mandatory screen time. Classes set up online seems very different to those that are in person. Depending on the size and company, there'll always be a different environment. I could tell with how I interacted with my lessons how they seemed to feel weird. I'm still hoping for more in person learning next year definitely.
While I wasn't able to stay there for long this year, I was still able to meet some amazing people. I got to see different perspectives from different people both on and off my course, a few laughs and a lot of sightseeing too. One of the things I don't regret this year is how easily I said yes to spontaneous ideas. Thanks to being at home, scheduling went out the window for me, so having this slightly new attitude to actions was quite nice. Wanted to go for a coffee? Sure. Go to the beach and get some good pictures? I'm down. Travel an hour away to visit a dog? 100% all for that (this happened and it was totally worth it). While it meant I wasn't revising, I was taking in an entirely new experience that I didn't wish to miss out on. While I've missed out on a lot more than I wanted in the past, I was making sure that I could make a plan and stick to it.
Unfortunately, the moment I make plans, it all goes wrong.
It's been over a month now, but I had to prematurely leave my university campus as a complication back at home happened. That complication being...my mum passing away in hospital.
It was sudden and a shock to us all. Even more so to me, it was just a mess and a daze as I was five hours away and unable to go and see her. With this sort of situation, you don't know what to truly feel. I did cry, but I also seemed to just get myself together and pack with my roommate home. Again, I won't go into too much detail about these sort of thoughts, I might save that for another time, but I will say that having to explain why I'm not able to do my work/be in university was something I never thought I'd have to do.
If I had to sum up the year overall, it'd be unexpected. The good and the bad balance out in a sense, as they were luckily at different points in time. It was great - I was able to go and experience so much in a short amount of time. Gone further down than ever before and find people who have welcomed me into their lives as I have with them.
It was not so great - While studying at home, I was also helping to take care of my mother. We loved her (we always will love her), but there were times where no one could physically take it. It was a whirlwind of a year, and a heartbreak in multiple forms.
For me, the hardest year I could imagine might be done with, so as long as there's some semi-normality for the next two years, everything should stay afloat.
And this blog? I will definitely be trying to keep up with more content on here! I have plans to do more reviews, more life talks and anything else that takes an interest, whether it be nostalgia or new hobbies. For now, it's just the matter of putting words to website, and taking each day as it comes.
It might be slow and steady, but here's to the summer and the next new term
-R (12/06/2021)
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