The Start of Something New
Dear Violet and Allegra,
I'm at uni!!!! I can't believe I've made it this far into my life. I mean, I have thought about meeting each of you in my early 30s, but I never acknowledged that part of that plan was having to undergo the chunky chapter of getting a Bachelor's degree first. Wild.
At the moment I have just endured my first week of uni (sans the rest of my Sunday, but rounding up I've spent a week at university so far) which we call 'O-Week' and it's been an entirely different dimension to my own expectations. I've defied all expectations that 'one week ago Marian' could fathom, including establishing a decent friend group and making friends beyond my hall. I've also had barely any time to myself just because a majority of it is spent in the common room or walking around town with my newfound friends. For once, I feel proud of myself in the social aspect of my life.
The hall I am living at was the only hall I visited on Open Day. During that time I dreaded the look of it, but now that I'm settling in I'm appreciating its little perks, like how small yet still livable the rooms are. I also wonder if I could have been in the same social situation if I were in a different hall. C reassured me that no matter the circumstances, if I had gone to the different hall or a different university I still would have made friends, but I'm especially thankful for the ones I have made. I also feel strangely thankful that I get to make my own reputation since that was something in my highschool life I was struggling to develop as I spent 7 years at the same school rather than 5.
There's a small, vulnerable part of me that believes I won't have these friendships for long as we're all studying different things. There's three people who study biomedical science, two who study engineering, one commerce, one arts, and then there's me who studies biological science. This probably means the hunt for more friends shall continue, as I've yet to begin my lectures, go to the gym, and join a few clubs.
As someone who strictly believes her introversion and social anxiety will remain a constant in her life, I don't feel as overwhelmed with the social interactions I've had. Beginning was the only thing that was hard about this process. On the first day, once my family left me, I spent three hours to myself sorting out and decorating my room, as there was nothing planned for that time. After getting my room to a decent state, I had this heavy feeling that my hallmates were undergoing an event that I didn't know about. So, I made my way into the common room and joined the people sitting there. I remember I couldn't stop shaking and stuttering and sweating (really romantic habits, I know) and that the conversations would run to an awkward pause sporadically, but looking back at that I realize how necessary it was to happen. When you're trying to make new friendships it comes with a guarantee that you will run into the most awkward of moments. Hopefully, those friendships develop into something deeper to the point where you'll look back at the first meeting and laugh. I acknowledge that not all friendships are like that, and many will fizzle out before you get to a certain stage, but as the saying goes: there are more fish in the sea.
I've gotta go and get breakfast before we endeavor on our beach day out. I'll hopefully see you later.
Love,
Maui
I'm at uni!!!! I can't believe I've made it this far into my life. I mean, I have thought about meeting each of you in my early 30s, but I never acknowledged that part of that plan was having to undergo the chunky chapter of getting a Bachelor's degree first. Wild.
At the moment I have just endured my first week of uni (sans the rest of my Sunday, but rounding up I've spent a week at university so far) which we call 'O-Week' and it's been an entirely different dimension to my own expectations. I've defied all expectations that 'one week ago Marian' could fathom, including establishing a decent friend group and making friends beyond my hall. I've also had barely any time to myself just because a majority of it is spent in the common room or walking around town with my newfound friends. For once, I feel proud of myself in the social aspect of my life.
The hall I am living at was the only hall I visited on Open Day. During that time I dreaded the look of it, but now that I'm settling in I'm appreciating its little perks, like how small yet still livable the rooms are. I also wonder if I could have been in the same social situation if I were in a different hall. C reassured me that no matter the circumstances, if I had gone to the different hall or a different university I still would have made friends, but I'm especially thankful for the ones I have made. I also feel strangely thankful that I get to make my own reputation since that was something in my highschool life I was struggling to develop as I spent 7 years at the same school rather than 5.
There's a small, vulnerable part of me that believes I won't have these friendships for long as we're all studying different things. There's three people who study biomedical science, two who study engineering, one commerce, one arts, and then there's me who studies biological science. This probably means the hunt for more friends shall continue, as I've yet to begin my lectures, go to the gym, and join a few clubs.
As someone who strictly believes her introversion and social anxiety will remain a constant in her life, I don't feel as overwhelmed with the social interactions I've had. Beginning was the only thing that was hard about this process. On the first day, once my family left me, I spent three hours to myself sorting out and decorating my room, as there was nothing planned for that time. After getting my room to a decent state, I had this heavy feeling that my hallmates were undergoing an event that I didn't know about. So, I made my way into the common room and joined the people sitting there. I remember I couldn't stop shaking and stuttering and sweating (really romantic habits, I know) and that the conversations would run to an awkward pause sporadically, but looking back at that I realize how necessary it was to happen. When you're trying to make new friendships it comes with a guarantee that you will run into the most awkward of moments. Hopefully, those friendships develop into something deeper to the point where you'll look back at the first meeting and laugh. I acknowledge that not all friendships are like that, and many will fizzle out before you get to a certain stage, but as the saying goes: there are more fish in the sea.
I've gotta go and get breakfast before we endeavor on our beach day out. I'll hopefully see you later.
Love,
Maui
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