Welcome back to my first year diary. I hope everyone enjoyed their break off for Christmas! It was a weird period of time due to that one subject beginning with ‘c’ that we don’t mention around here. It has been good getting back to college and having a routine that doesn’t consist solely of afternoon naps, Baileys hot chocolates and turkey. Personally, I have eaten my bodyweight in stuffing and Quality Streets. Even though we didn’t get that much snow and it didn’t feel like Christmas with the weather, it was a well-deserved rest for students after such a crazy first semester. Even though I was upset to see the decorations being taken down and the halt of Christmas songs on the radio, the looming spring and summer brings a lot of positives. It’s crazy to think how fast this academic year has flown by already. There are so many things to look forward to in this semester including the longer evenings, warmer weather, and the taste of summer in the air.
I look forward to evenings down at Salthill, sunburn lines, farmer tans and reappearing freckles. Once April hits, I will be walking around Galway with a 99 cone in my hand most of the time, for me that’s just a given! As I have heard, Galway is at its best in the summer. Let’s be honest, anything is better than the winter weather with torrential rain and wind that would break umbrellas. As this is my first year as a college student there is a thought in the back of my mind that I will have a four-month summer holiday. I’m getting ahead of myself here, there many modules to be completed and trips to the library to be done before summer hits!
Personally, I found it quite weird to go home and catch up with friends over Christmas that have went to various colleges. Even though we were only separated for four months in the first semester, I can see different aspects of peoples’ personalities changing. I know its defined as ‘maturing,’ and it was great to see my friends blooming into the people they are supposed to become. We all now have the space in college to find our own personal interests and gain knowledge in a new environment. I couldn’t believe how different all of our college experiences have been so far. Christmas was a great time to stop and reflect on the whirlwind of a time this semester has been. There are so many new and exciting aspects of my life I didn’t have this time last year and that’s all because of college!
The one piece of advice I was given going to college was “say yes to everything because the time will fly and slip from you.” It is so true. I don’t find Thursday evenings coming around and suddenly I’m hoping on a bus to go back home again. Last semester I was so consumed with getting used to everything, and my goal now is to just enjoy every minute as it comes. In my course the past week has really been an introduction into the second semester, so I have had the time to settle back into my surroundings. I will tell you one thing, I didn’t miss having to buy my own food shop!
Anyways I hope you enjoyed having a little glimpse into my thought process for this semester. There are so many things for all students to look forward to in the coming weeks. It will be great to get back to reality and to create a routine. I hope everyone enjoys the first few weeks of this semester and makes the most of the opportunities that come their way. Thank you for reading.
