New Beginnings in Newcastle: First Year

Hellooooooo! Long time no see - I didn't do much at all last week so didn't have anything to write about, hence why I pushed my update back a week! But now I'm here and ready to catch you guys up on my happenings

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Bucket list update
Goal #2: Get a student bank account - This is finally done! I've ended up having it separate from my normal one, but it's not an issue, and tbh it gives me a way of making sure I don't accidentally spend money I need for like direct debits and other things like that

Goal #4: Do a huge clear out of my (home) room, throw or give away loads of stuff I don't need - I've been doing this this week, and my room now looks so bare Here's a picture of how my desk now looks - it's usually an absolute mess but now it's all clear (all of the drawers have been emptied too )

I also have bin bags full of clothes to give away, and others full of rubbish to throw away, so my room does looks a bit of a mess I suppose It's only temporary though!

Goal #8: Get a haircut - I had this done today! I really don't like my hair being long, and it was a bit long for my liking Now it just sits on my shoulders and I'm much happier with it! (Do I do a face reveal one day or nah? )

Goal #9: Buy things to decorate my room with - I did this tonight I won't go into detail of what I've bought as I'm planning to do a tour in pictures of my room once it's all pretty!

Goal #11: Pack all of my stuff up and go! - Obviously I've not gone yet, but packing is basically complete aside from the things I'll have to pack on Thursday morning! I've packed most of the clothes I want to take, with the exception of a couple of bits as I want to wear them this week But yes my life is now in bags and boxes dotted around the house, I'm ready to leave like right now tbh, but I have to wait a few more days

(The suitcases are what I'm taking, the bin bags & Homesense bag are stuff I'm getting rid of )

So I'd say I've been good this week!

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University update
So a few days ago I got an email from my peer mentor! He told me in the email to send him a message on Facebook as he's the mentor of a few of us and he wants to arrange a meet up during Freshers, so I did that today but haven't had a reply yet. So I'm glad I've got someone to call on if I ever need help with anything! (He's a third year maths student so I can even ask for maths help )

I also got an email from my accommodation telling me to complete my induction with them (basically a load of guidelines I had to agree to) and book my move-in slot! I went with 11am-1pm as it gives us enough time to drive up there hopefully avoiding traffic, gives me time to say goodbye to my family, unpack my stuff, get my bearings and do anything else I have to do before it's really late So that's dealt with too!

I also found out who 2 of my other flatmates are, so that brings us up to 4! I think there may only be 4 people in the flat altogether, but there could be 4, 5, 6 or 7 so I may be surprised on the day? Tbh part of me hopes there are more than 4, as I'm currently the only girl in my flat and yeah kinda want some girls to befriend

Other than that, not much has happened on the uni front as I'm basically just getting ready to move! Thursday honestly can't come soon enough

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Miscellaneous update
This week I've obviously been spending quite a lot of time sorting my life out (quite literally), but I've also met up with my grandma a couple of times - first time was just for a catch up that then turned into a day in town together, and then the next day she took me shopping for some basic food and toiletry essentials She also gave me the stuff she's been collecting for me over the past few weeks, and I ended up returning home with bags and bags full!

On our little day out in town we went to Starbucks for a pit-stop and I tried the pumpkin spice latte (how seasonal) - it was delicious! Extreeeeemely sweet and I didn't actually manage to finish it (may get it in a small next time) but omg it was so lovely I know I talk about coffee loads in my blogs and I'm sorry if that annoys anyone I just enjoy it!


So yes, on our shopping trip we went to Aldi and got loads of basics like pasta, sauces, salt & pepper - all of that kind of thing (stuff that I'll need and won't go off before I get there!) And obvs because it was Aldi it didn't cost that much
We then went into Home Bargains and got loads of toiletries (and medicines of course so I can fight off freshers flu ) and y'know what? You really do get a bargain there! My grandma is super savvy After this we went and got a bite to eat and then went back to my grandma's flat, where she gave me all the stuff she's been gathering <- me afterwards! I ended up leaving her house with 2 pairs of boots, 2 coats, some funky cheese graters (idk either), a duvet, pillow protectors & cases, a fluffy cushion for my bed, a bed throw, a container for cereal, a bag full of coat hangers, a photo frame thing, and that's not even everything So I think we may have a bit of a job on our hands trying to fit all my stuff into my uncle's car But that's a problem for Thursday looool

In other news, Strictly Come Dancing has started again, so it's officially the season in which I'm basically a granny Nothing better than Strictly and Bake Off, I tell you

Aaaaand I think that's all I have to say! I did add some new things to my bucket lists this update, as more things popped into my head that I thought deserved to be there!

But yeah, the next time I update I will be in Newcastle! How mad is that? I'm honestly super duper excited, and reading other peoples' Freshers Blogs is just making me even more excited! I just can't wait

Until next time, let me know if you want adding or removing from the tag list!

Hellooooooo! Long time no see - I didn't do much at all last week so didn't have anything to write about, hence why I pushed my update back a week! But now I'm here and ready to catch you guys up on my happenings

---

Bucket list update
Goal #2: Get a student bank account - This is finally done! I've ended up having it separate from my normal one, but it's not an issue, and tbh it gives me a way of making sure I don't accidentally spend money I need for like direct debits and other things like that

Goal #4: Do a huge clear out of my (home) room, throw or give away loads of stuff I don't need - I've been doing this this week, and my room now looks so bare Here's a picture of how my desk now looks - it's usually an absolute mess but now it's all clear (all of the drawers have been emptied too )

I also have bin bags full of clothes to give away, and others full of rubbish to throw away, so my room does looks a bit of a mess I suppose It's only temporary though!

Goal #8: Get a haircut - I had this done today! I really don't like my hair being long, and it was a bit long for my liking Now it just sits on my shoulders and I'm much happier with it! (Do I do a face reveal one day or nah? )

Goal #9: Buy things to decorate my room with - I did this tonight I won't go into detail of what I've bought as I'm planning to do a tour in pictures of my room once it's all pretty!

Goal #11: Pack all of my stuff up and go! - Obviously I've not gone yet, but packing is basically complete aside from the things I'll have to pack on Thursday morning! I've packed most of the clothes I want to take, with the exception of a couple of bits as I want to wear them this week But yes my life is now in bags and boxes dotted around the house, I'm ready to leave like right now tbh, but I have to wait a few more days

(The suitcases are what I'm taking, the bin bags & Homesense bag are stuff I'm getting rid of )

So I'd say I've been good this week!

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University update
So a few days ago I got an email from my peer mentor! He told me in the email to send him a message on Facebook as he's the mentor of a few of us and he wants to arrange a meet up during Freshers, so I did that today but haven't had a reply yet. So I'm glad I've got someone to call on if I ever need help with anything! (He's a third year maths student so I can even ask for maths help )

I also got an email from my accommodation telling me to complete my induction with them (basically a load of guidelines I had to agree to) and book my move-in slot! I went with 11am-1pm as it gives us enough time to drive up there hopefully avoiding traffic, gives me time to say goodbye to my family, unpack my stuff, get my bearings and do anything else I have to do before it's really late So that's dealt with too!

I also found out who 2 of my other flatmates are, so that brings us up to 4! I think there may only be 4 people in the flat altogether, but there could be 4, 5, 6 or 7 so I may be surprised on the day? Tbh part of me hopes there are more than 4, as I'm currently the only girl in my flat and yeah kinda want some girls to befriend

Other than that, not much has happened on the uni front as I'm basically just getting ready to move! Thursday honestly can't come soon enough

---

Miscellaneous update
This week I've obviously been spending quite a lot of time sorting my life out (quite literally), but I've also met up with my grandma a couple of times - first time was just for a catch up that then turned into a day in town together, and then the next day she took me shopping for some basic food and toiletry essentials She also gave me the stuff she's been collecting for me over the past few weeks, and I ended up returning home with bags and bags full!

On our little day out in town we went to Starbucks for a pit-stop and I tried the pumpkin spice latte (how seasonal) - it was delicious! Extreeeeemely sweet and I didn't actually manage to finish it (may get it in a small next time) but omg it was so lovely I know I talk about coffee loads in my blogs and I'm sorry if that annoys anyone I just enjoy it!


So yes, on our shopping trip we went to Aldi and got loads of basics like pasta, sauces, salt & pepper - all of that kind of thing (stuff that I'll need and won't go off before I get there!) And obvs because it was Aldi it didn't cost that much
We then went into Home Bargains and got loads of toiletries (and medicines of course so I can fight off freshers flu ) and y'know what? You really do get a bargain there! My grandma is super savvy After this we went and got a bite to eat and then went back to my grandma's flat, where she gave me all the stuff she's been gathering <- me afterwards! I ended up leaving her house with 2 pairs of boots, 2 coats, some funky cheese graters (idk either), a duvet, pillow protectors & cases, a fluffy cushion for my bed, a bed throw, a container for cereal, a bag full of coat hangers, a photo frame thing, and that's not even everything So I think we may have a bit of a job on our hands trying to fit all my stuff into my uncle's car But that's a problem for Thursday looool

In other news, Strictly Come Dancing has started again, so it's officially the season in which I'm basically a granny Nothing better than Strictly and Bake Off, I tell you

Aaaaand I think that's all I have to say! I did add some new things to my bucket lists this update, as more things popped into my head that I thought deserved to be there!

But yeah, the next time I update I will be in Newcastle! How mad is that? I'm honestly super duper excited, and reading other peoples' Freshers Blogs is just making me even more excited! I just can't wait

Until next time, let me know if you want adding or removing from the tag list!

Hey guys! I was like 2/3 of the way through writing this yesterday when TSR swallowed it so I gave up and left it to redo today instead But I am currently in Newcastle!!! I moved in on Thursday and it's been really strange so far, but I love my room and my flatmates all seem really nice so I'm sure I'll get along well with them!

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Bucket list update
Goal #10: Refresh myself on maths and do the practice tests - So as I've previously mentioned, I have a maths test on the Tuesday of freshers week, it doesn't really mean much apart from to gauge how much we know etc., but since I'd done no maths in almost 3 months I figured it'd be best to do the provided practice tests as a bit of a refresher! The tests are on pure maths content only which is alright, the first and technically easier test was on AS Maths content so things like algebraic fractions and logs and stuff - I'm really bad at logs so I had to relearn the rules and kept messing the questions up, but managed to get there in the end! The second paper was on A2 Maths content and for me this was easier because I took to it quite well and it was more recent in my mind, there were things like differentiation and integration in there and while I had a few wobbles with integration I quickly realised my errors and corrected them before the time was up The thing I struggled with the most was formatting my answers as it was on a website with an answer box, but I learnt how to do it and then I was fine. In the end I did get 100% in both of the practice tests, but since you were allowed to reattempt each question unlimited times until you got it right, and I looked stuff up for test 1, I know I wouldn't have got that in the actual test. But since they were practices and I feel more confident about Tuesday as a result, I'll take it

Goal #11: Pack all my stuff up and go! - I finished all of my packing and brought all of my stuff downstairs on Wednesday night (there was an ungodly amount of it ), and then on Thursday we drove up and got me moved in! I checked in at reception and one of the helpers helped me cart all of my stuff upstairs... to realise we were in the wrong block so we had to go back down and up again somewhere else But we dumped all of my stuff in my room and then had a nosey around... the flat is absolutely lovely! Have some photos


So all in all I managed to complete 10/11 of the things on my pre-uni bucket list! The only one I didn't explicitly do was learning some cooking skills, but since being here I've had 5 meals and none of them have been pot noodles so I think I'll be alright (that and I totally don't have a drawer dedicated solely to snacks or anything )

Now we can move onto the first term bucket list!

Goal #1: Decorate my room so I'm happy with it - I've definitely succeeded here! I was lucky in that my room was lovely beforehand anyway, but it was very plain so I'm glad I've added my own little touches to it All I can say is god bless Command hooks tbh


All in all I'm chuffed with my room! The ceiling lights are really bright so usually when I'm in here I either just have natural light from my window, or have my fairy lights on as they give the perfect amount of light!

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Combined University & Miscellaneous update
So now that I'm actually at university this section will actually have something substantial in it!

On Thursday my uncle and grandma arrived and we loaded up the car - it was a bit of a squeeze but we got it all in! We set off at around 9:30am and arrived at my accomodation at just before 11:30! We all got out while my uncle went and parked closer, I registered and then we hauled all of my stuff up to my (wrong, at first ) flat! I was the first to arrive which I'm kind of glad about as it meant I got first dibs on cupboard, fridge and freezer space and no flatmates would get in the way as I was unpacking my kitchen stuff! We decided to make my bed up and then stop for some lunch as I hadn't eaten anything all day

but I didn't even eat much of that for some reason Then we cracked on with sorting out my kitchen stuff before my move in slot was over and my family had to go home and leave me! I said my goodbyes (mum cried, my grandma and I were tough cookies ) at 1pm only to have my grandma call me 5 minutes later as they couldn't get out of the building So I let them out and off on their way back to Leeds in the rain

After they'd gone I took full advantage of being the only one in the flat, and so I sorted out all of my kitchen stuff. Just as I was washing up some bits (mugs from coffee, utensils, knives and chopping boards before their first use), Flatmate #1 arrived! He just popped his head around the kitchen door to say hi and we introduced ourselves before he went into his room to sort out his stuff. After I'd done washing up I went into my room to start sorting that mess out This took me AGES. At first I unpacked all of my stuff, clothes etc and put the suitcases wherever I could fit them. Then as I had more space I hung my tapestry and moroccan style lights up, before getting tired and bored so I went into the kitchen where I met FM#2! I sat in the kitchen for a while, waiting for more people to come in and say hi, but no one did so I got bored - thought sod this and went back to my room to carry on decorating It was then when I made my fairy light photo wall, which I'm so pleased with I then propped open my door while I sorted out my desk, so that if people wanted to stick their head round my door and say hi they could, but no one did Once I'd fully sorted out my room it was about 5:15 so I chilled on my bed for a while, before closing my door and phoning my grandma as I'd missed a call from her when I was decorating. We had a nice little chat and then I decided to go into the kitchen to see if anyone was in there. Both FM#2 and FM#3 were, so I introduced myself to FM#3 and the three of us had a little chat. No one could figure out how to get the TV to work so I became the techie of the flat as I managed it FM#3 was eating and FM#2 was cooking while I was in there, so after FM#3 had left, I decided to bob to Tesco to buy something to cook for myself as I had nothing in Came back home and cooked that to reasonable levels of success, ate it and then since no one was in the kitchen (apart from FM#4 who popped in to grab a mars bar from the fridge, didn't introduce himself or anything lol) I just went back to my room for the rest of the night (sad, I know)

In my room I decided to start making a big organisation spreadsheet for first year, with things like my timetable, budget planner and a meal planner (so far) in it, so I can track all the stuff I need to. If I'm missing something important then please let me know and I'll add it in! I then went to bed at around 12:30am, absolutely knackered I ended up having an awful sleep and woke up in considerable pain!

Yesterday I woke up at 8am completely exhausted and sore, but dragged myself up and made myself some breakfast (I made far too much and only ate half of this, whoops)


I then came back to my room and had a shower, which was amazing, but the light in my bathroom is on a timer and I must have been in the shower too long as the light turned off with me in it And it turns out the sensor is outside of it too, as I was dancing around like a lunatic trying to get it to come back on but it wouldn't so I had to finish off my shower in darkness! As soon as I stepped out of it, the light came back on so at least I could see what I was doing when I was drying myself

After this I got ready and started typing up this blog update I'd got to the breakfast point before TSR refreshed itself and I lost the whole thing! So I got frustrated and said I'd redo it later, which I didn't end up doing as I'm doing it now instead I then had a right palaver trying to get my printer to work, I even had to buy an add on for my wifi in order to use it! The cheek!! But I eventually managed to print out my provisional registration document, so I gathered that and my passport, and walked to uni to register fully! The walk to uni is surprisingly nice tbh, it's a mile walk away so takes about 20 mins, and I have to walk through Northumbria's campus to get there, but it's easy enough and on the way back I didn't need the help of Google Maps Registering at uni was dead easy, and they then made my smartcard up for my (the photo is absolutely vile and I have this for the next 4 years, the joys ) so I'm now a fully registered Newcastle University student After this I went into the building directly opposite and registered with a GP, so if I ever get poorly I have somewhere to go And then it started to rain so I walked home again.

I stopped at Tesco on the way back and bought myself a meal deal, and ate that in the kitchen. While I was eating, FM#5 arrived!!! Not only do I actually have a 5th flatmate, they're a girl!! I did almost give her a heart attack as the table thingy is around the corner and she didn't expect someone to be there, but after she'd gotten over that we started chatting and agh I'm just so so so glad to have a female flatmate!

After this I decided to go out again, I walked the other way and went to Wilko where I bought some bits and bobs (incl. a bin for my bathroom as I didn't have one), and then Morrison's where I bought some bits and bobs of food and drink, before going back home again. I unpacked my food bits and then went and chilled in the kitchen for a while in the hopes some people would come and chat. I took my laptop with me for something to do but didn't end up using it at all, just kinda stared at it blankly. Eventually FM#4 came in and we properly introduced ourselves and had a chat, he's now probably the one I've spoken to the most so far! FM#5 introduced herself in our flat group chat, and I found out that her and FM#1 have gone home for the weekend so I won't see either of those until Monday. FM#4 had to go and get ready to go out, so I put the TV on and started cooking some tea. Decided I couldn't be bothered doing anything that required any skill so ended up making pesto pasta with cheese, which was quite nice. I accidentally made 2 portions so I've put the rest in the fridge to have another time Then after I'd eaten I watched some TV, did the washing up and then went to my room where I chilled for the rest of the night before going to sleep at 2am.


Another pretty poor nights sleep last night, but better than Thursday night at least. I woke up at 9am unable to fall back asleep, so I got up and went to go make breakfast to find FM#4 in the kitchen... with friends.... drinking alcohol I just kinda made some breakfast and ate it in there not really saying much - I don't want to get into the habit of eating in my room so I made myself stay in there, but it was a bit awkward

Then I came back in here to retype this, and here I am! Tonight my accommodation is throwing a party and everyone gets 5 free drinks each, then discounted entry to somewhere in town, so I'm definitely going to that (imagine me being at uni for 2 days and not having drunk a single drop of alcohol yet lol). And they're also giving free burgers out to people between 11 and 4, and I've found a few other people living in this accommodation village in one of the Newcastle group chats so we're all gonna go down and get burgers together a bit later on. As for now though I need to get myself ready!

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Sorry this update is a day late and really long and rambly, it's just been a really weird week I guess. Freshers starts tomorrow so hopefully things will start to liven up a bit around here, as it's been really quiet so far! I'm hoping that tonight will be good and that my first NCL night out won't end disastrously Until (hopefully) Friday, have a good week everyone!

Let me know if you want to be added/removed from the tag list