Letter 125

*some may be travel related.

In just 14 weeks my stress levels will dissolve into the floor and I will embark on the first period of my life which will not be followed by education. It seems crazy to even think about but I am so ready. Other than travelling, I have a list of small and big things that I can’t wait for when I’m no longer at university. So here they are.

1. Have a massive clear out

I seem to own a lot of things even though I rarely find myself buying anything for myself. As I will be moving out of my flat, I will be significantly reducing my belongings to the bare minimum because I just don’t need it. I plan to be ruthless with clothes and donate as much as possible to charity, I’m going to be giving away my architecture materials to new students and condensing all of the random crap I have clogging up every corner of my bedroom. I live for this kind of thing so I can’t wait!

2. Live with my boyfriend

As a temporary solution to my living situation I will be moving in with my boyfriend as I don’t feel its worth getting a flat for only a few months between travelling. Luckily this means I get to live with my boyfriend which I honestly cannot wait for. We spend so little time together because of uni so it will be nice to see him every day. Hopefully I can handle the other 3 boys that come as part of the package.

3. Work a 9-5 job

I never thought I’d be the person to get excited about getting a regular job but strangely enough I am. I can’t wait to leave for work at a normal time after a leisurely morning (sometimes my days start at 6am) and then come home at 5pm with no more work to do. I can’t wait to be able to clock off which is impossible when you have so many deadlines to meet and coursework to do.

4. Get my deposit back

This is something I have only recently thought of, but at the end of my lease I will be getting my £500 deposit back which will be a very healthy injection to my funds! Alongside the wages I will also be getting, my bank account shouldn’t be looking too shabby.

5. Join the gym

I plan to save the majority of what I earn, for travelling, but I do plan to get a gym membership. Firstly, I need to get back into shape. I have become more and more potato like and need to become the slender carrot I know I can be. I also want to have a backup shower if the one at the flat becomes a bit crowded.

6. Take up yoga (properly)

I own a yoga mat and plenty of workout clothes, however they don’t really count for much if the only time you wear them is when you run out of clean jeans or to clean the bathroom. I have a terrible back from years of staring at a laptop screen so I intend to fix my body with a spot of yoga when my time is all my own.

7. Eat better food

I’ve been thinking for a while now that I would like to become more vegan. At the moment I eat very little meat, however I do like fish, and I eat a reasonable amount of dairy. I would like to start cutting down on these foods and become ‘more vegan’. I don’t think I will ever become vegan but I intend to work harder to eat less animal products which will help the planet and make me healthier. I think it will be a slow process and also involve me simply making better choices rather than cutting things out altogether.

8. Burn all of my uni work

(Or actually store it all very safely because it’s actually important). Basically just remove any traces of uni life from my immediate surroundings and store it discretely and safely away from my person.

9. Resume learning Spanish

I worked really hard to learn Spanish way back in first year, before completely a course at uni on it which improved my speaking even more. I then put it into practise for a couple of weeks in the summer but I’ve since gone rusty. When I finish uni I intend to get back into it using my trusty duolingo app and a couple of Spanish books I bought way back when.

10. Spent time with my mum and best friend

Since being at uni I’ve been home for a maximum of 2 weeks in one stretch. That means my time with my loved ones has been limited and I can’t wait to just spend some time with them both. I’m going on holiday with my mum and then hopefully a city break with my best friend in the summer and the quality time is much needed. I also intend to reconnect with friends I’ve lost touch with over the years or just haven’t spoke to in a while.

11. Grieve

I don’t want to dwell on this, but the last few years have been incredibly tough. I lost one of the most important people in the world to me and have had other sad times along the way. I’m someone who doesn’t show emotion easily and this results in a whole load of emotions building up inside. In all honesty, they’ve been building up for 2 years now and when I finish university, I will allow myself the time to grieve.

12. Not set an alarm on weekends

I can’t remember the last day I didn’t set an alarm. There’s always something for me to get up for – normally uni work. I can’t wait to sleep in on weekends because the entire day is free for me to do whatever I want. I probably won’t sleep past 9 but it would be nice to wake up naturally once in a while.

13. Go for guilt-free cocktails

I’m not a normal uni student. I don’t go out clubbing or eat shit food or miss 9am lectures. I work really hard to get everything done and never go out because I’m always working. When I don’t have an architecture degree hanging heavily over my head I’m going to be the one asking if my friends want to go out for cocktails and have a great time not worrying about work. (Of course they will all still be at uni but that’s okay – they will come for the odd cocktail.)

14. Not be boring

Like I said, I don’t go out. But that doesn’t mean I’m a boring person. Uni may cloud this side of my personality and I can’t wait to show everyone that I am actually fun. I’m going to be so chilled I will basically be horizontal.

15. Write more letters

This is letter 125. I still find it crazy that I’ve written 125 blogs – even crazier that there are a few people out there that read them. I’ve had the blog for almost 2 years, but when I’ve finished uni I really intend to let it blossom. I can’t wait to invest more time into it and create something I’m really proud of. I wonder what date it will be when I’m writing letter 200? I’m hoping by the new year.

 

Here’s to the next 14 weeks of hard work and then my graduate life!

Thanks for reading,

From Lou

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