Back in Winchester

Back in Winchester 

After a pretty intense, near six months of my life I am back in Winchester. I have travelled from Winchester, to Essex, to Germany, to Essex and back again. The past six months of my life have undoubtedly been some of the best I will ever experience, but admittedly I’m pretty happy to be back, back with my housemates and back to some sort of mere organisation - well for me anyway. I am absolutely terrified about the next and final year of my university experience but for that, I want to make it the best and I already have high hopes for this.

It’s going to be difficult, it’s going to be stressful and at times sad, but in other respects it’s going to be amazing! Yes, it may be the last autumn, winter and spring I spend in this house, in this town and in this county as a student but by the time it is over I think I will be ready to leave. It is no surprise that over the past couple of years I have spent here that my feelings towards the place have been up and down like a yoyo. I guess it is like anywhere; there will be times you love it and others where you just can’t stand it, and I suppose with this I have come to realise it’s not half bad. It’s not as if I have never had some idea of this, but being back is confirmation of how much fun it is. Since being back I have spent so much time catching up and going out, enjoying our freedom week before uni actually starts.

I have a really decent house with great housemates. I have met a lot of lovely people within my time here and hope to meet a few more over the next year. I live extremely close to my university and another ten from town. I live in a respectable area where my Essex accent stands out amongst a high southern dialect population. Okay maybe that fact is slightly annoying. I feel safe here, although a little on edge after hearing about an armed mugging. This is extremely surprising for Winchester and I hope that whoever encountered this is okay. I also live in close proximity to Southampton which replaces the not-so-great nightlife, however when the new club opens it may be better which I’m staying optimistic about. I live close enough to Essex that I can travel home quite frequently when I’m fed up of uni. All of these aspects make me realise that it’s really not that bad. I think at times most of us who go here feel claustrophobic but Winchester is a place that you settle in to and can make a home. Even if boredom swaps most of us at times, as long as you have people around you that keep you entertained then you’re pretty much set. It’s alright doing nothing if you have people to do nothing with.

Life is full of good and bad memories, those of which can be made anywhere, and university is a huge part of life so it’s okay to have good and bad memories from that place, just as long as you don’t let the bad outweigh the good. I think that’s the main thing here. Life is what you make it and as I’ve heard my housemate say a few times, ‘university is what you make it.’ It doesn’t always matter where you are because it’s what you do with the place you are at and how you make your time there the best it can be, or at least to the best you want it to be. I wish everyone the best of luck with their final year at whichever uni they’re studying; whether it is people here at Winchester, or those at others around the UK or even in Germany – kind of assuming and hoping people will read this! Oh also, good luck to those starting their first or going into their second. J It’s a huge and daunting world out there after this finishes so make the most of the time you have to be free!

Take care,

Laura May.