13 Reasons Why You Should Study Abroad

Hiii,

I have now been back at home for a whole month! I can't believe how time has flown since January when I was unbelievably worried/excited to be going abroad for a semester. Since I have been home I've been working two jobs, one as a cleaner and one as a waitress...so overall not quite as glamorous (or exciting) as living in Spain with my friends and going to the pool every day.

Since I've been back at home people have asked me a lot of questions about going abroad and whether they should do it themselves...and it made me think about all the reasons I wanted to study abroad in the first place, all the doubts I had along the way, the stress, but also the fact that this experience has opened my eyes to how amazing it can be to experience another country....So here goes, my big list of reasons why you should study abroad.

1. Discovering new places

Whether it's enjoying the neighbourhood just next door or exploring a new country, travelling whilst on Erasmus is one of the highlights. One of the best things I did was was go to Portugal for a spontaneous trip away, despite the lack of sleep! In most cities there are organisations who will help you to settle in, and they also organise trips most weekends. Some people I know travel every single weekend, some prefer to make the most of the city where they're living...but discovering new places is eye-opening in any form.

My fave spot in Madrid, Templo De Debod

Amazing views in Porto

2. Making friends from all over the world

From Germany to Wisconsin and Switzerland to Spain, I met people from all over the world during Erasmus. I have loved learning new things from each of them- I have made a friend who lives in the mountains, one who lives by the beach, one who lives in New York City. I find it amazing that such different lives are all connected through Erasmus.

My lovely Spanish friend Elvira

My amazing housemates!

Trekking up Lisbon's hills with Rachel my English roomie and travel buddy, and Bailey from the US

3. Learning a new language

Although I spoke a bit of Spanish before I came to Spain, I can honestly say that there is no better practice than living in the country where the language is spoken. It just isn't the same as speaking it in class (usually with a teacher who isn't native to the country either)...but living in the country and speaking the language every day (even if it's just asking for directions or asking someone how their day was), is the best practice you can get. Also, making friends who speak the language you want to learn is a massive one. Learning grammar is useful, of course, but learning to speak like a native Spaniard is much more helpful in my opinion. For example I didn't know before I came to Spain that Spanish people say 'a ver' (let's see) ALL the time, just as English people say 'like' mid-sentence.

My German friend Jasmin taught me some fab German sayings!

4. Learning to be independent

If moving to a different country with nowhere to live when you get there doesn't make you independent, I don't know what will. Of course, there is the option to find somewhere to live before you arrive, but this can be difficult and it is hard to know who to trust- especially when you're communicating with people who speak a different language! I would personally recommend booking somewhere before you arrive to avoid the total panic/stress when you get to your destination. You just need to be absolutely doubly sure that it is legit (which is difficult of course). Some people I know visited the country before they started studying, with a parent or friend, to book a room, (obviously this isn't possible for everyone) but whichever option you decide to go for, it will teach you a good few life lessons along the way.

Happy days after we found our perfect flat

5. Organising your life

Erasmus forced me to become organised. From packing to paperwork and phone contracts, there are so many little things which you don't think about. There is so much to do before you arrive that you have to be totally on top of it all in order to avoid unnecessary stress. Ask anyone who knows me and they will assure you that I am not exactly an organised person...but Erasmus has certainly changed that.

6. It's liberating

At first, I found it quite daunting that I didn't know anyone in Madrid except from the 3 girls I went with. But after a few weeks it becomes exciting, and even liberating. Walking around the streets of Moncloa, where I lived, and knowing that I wouldn't see anyone from home was quite refreshing.

Another one of my favourite places, Retiro Park

The famous archway welcoming people in to Moncloa (going here for the sunset after a day at Uni was amazing)

7. Learning about yourself/a new culture

I feel like I have learnt a lot about myself on Erasmus, as weird as that sounds. When I asked my friend and housemate Rachel what she had learnt, she said "I have learnt that I can only take so much tomato pesto"...not quite what I was expecting, but very true nonetheless. Other things I have learnt: I can't cope with heat over 35 degrees, I shouldn't drink wine from Aldi, waking up early and thinking "it's fine, I can have a siesta later" is a great comfort, Aldi's waffles in Spain are the best thing to ever exist, Spanish people don't like it when you stroke their dogs, Madrid is full of green birds, paying by card is an urban myth and McDonald's is way better in Spain (go for the McPollo burger, you won't regret it.)

One of the many parakeets which call Madrid home (it took a lot of patience to get this picture)

8. Learning to be tolerant

You'll meet a lot of different people on Erasmus, so obviously, you aren't going to be best friends with all of them- or even get on with all of them. But just as it is when you move in to halls in First year, you have to learn to be even more tolerant and accepting of other people's cultures/what they want to achieve from Erasmus. At the end of the day, learning to cope with all kinds of people is something you have to get used to in any job, so in a way I'm glad that I have experienced it early on...

9. Opens new doors

Not only does Erasmus open up your mind to new things, but it also opens up new doors for more *serious* things. According to Erasmus, 64% of employers value international experience in an employee. Some studies also suggest that students who have studied abroad earn more than those who haven't (if this doesn't persuade you I don't know what will...)

10. New perspective

After studying abroad for 5 months, I now know what the rest of the world think about the English summed up in one sentence: they like our accents but think we are stupid for voting to leave the EU. If I had an Aldi waffle for every time I had to explain that only HALF of Britain voted to leave, I would be one happy person. It's actually really embarrassing studying in another country when your country will soon leave the organisation which made the whole journey possible. When I visited Granada, I was sat with a group of people from the US, Portugal, Italy and the UK talking about world politics, and the Italian turned to Rachel and I and said "I think it's time for you to leave since you aren't anything to do with us anymore". He said it jokingly (ish), but I really hope that people don't have that impression of us as the country who want to be isolated from the rest of the world.

Lovin life in beautiful Granada

11. Taste of a new culture

From patatas bravas to croquetas and berenjenas (fried aubergine in honey) I looooved eating Spanish food. My favourite restaurant, Rosi La Loca, saw me there so many times that they started to recognise me...Although I missed roast dinners, baked beans and garlic bread a LOT, I certainly miss Spain's cuisine. 

Amazing cakes in Madrid's San Miguel market

It isn't Spanish food...but Portugal's cod pies were incredible

Hands down the BEST thing I ate in Spain

Can't say no to a good old burrito

12. Getting over fears/personal barriers

Homesickness was a massive barrier stopping me from coming to Spain. When I went on a school trip only half an hour away from home when I was about 13, I cried for the whole time as I just wanted to be back in lovely old Derby (my poor friend who had to deal with me for the whole time can vouch for that). At University in Sheffield I am only half an hour away from home, which means that I can go as much as I want...so the idea of being a 5 hour round trip away from my family, friends and my boyfriend filled me with dread. But, I knew I wanted to travel, and I also knew that I would never have another opportunity like this one. And 6 months later, here I am...a lot stronger than before, and a million times more independent. Of course, there were sad days when I missed my dogs (and my family), but you've just got to keep in mind that this is only for such a short amount of time, and believe me, it'll go so fast so enjoy it while you can.

13. Once in a lifetime

Give me a chance before you call me a cliche queen...but studying abroad was honestly the best experience of my life, and if you're tempted I would really encourage you to take up the opportunity while you can. 5 months, or even 12 months abroad really isn't that long in the grand scheme of things, but you can learn such a great deal which will stay with you for life. Although I may have missed out on things back at home I still have a whole year left at Uni to do all of the things which I felt like I missed out on. So go for it! The world is your oyster so travel whilst you're young and most of all, enjoy it. *cliche queen out*

Canoeing at Buitrago with my friend Alex as the model!

Mine and Rachel's last day in Madrid together (a bit of an emotional one)

Travelling the North of Spain during our last week of Erasmus!

If you have any questions about studying abroad please don't hesitate to get in touch with me! 

Anna x

Four months in Madrid!!

Hiiii!

I am writing this post from a very busy Starbucks in Madrid's city centre, attempting (and failing) to do some 'life admin'. I've already chosen my third year modules which is SUPER scary...I can't even explain how fast the past 2 years have gone! In a year I'll be applying for jobs, about to go in to *the real world* aaaaah. Let's not talk about that.

Talking about time flying though, if I thought Uni in Sheffield was going too fast, in Madrid it feels like 10x faster! I can't believe that I have almost been here for FOUR MONTHS. Whaaaat?! I feel like I've been here my whole life and I also feel like we just got here yesterday all at the same time.

I think that time goes so fast because living in a different country still feels exciting and different...but it is easy to forget that Uni here counts towards my degree, so many nights are spent trying to get last minute work finished before a deadline (not that anybody sticks to deadlines here...)

Weekends are fun though, since my last post I have visited a teeny village just outside of Madrid with my boyfriend, introduced my brother to the world of sangria and tapas, been to a colour run which wasn't a run and turned out to be more of a kids party...started a language tandem with a girl from Guatemala, visited a new rooftop bar, went to a party at my housemate's University, went to the beaaaach in Valencia for a day, discovered the city of Segovia, been visited by my Dad, Step-Mum and baby brother, been on the longest urban zip-wire in Europe.....no wonder time goes so fast. 

I also went home for a week over Easter which was amaaazing. I'd been quite homesick the week before I went, but spending time with family and friends gave me the push I needed to come back to Madrid with a positive mindset. 

Side note: the weirdest thing I noticed when I was at home was that the air smelt SO fresh compared to Madrid. I think I've gotten used to stuffy city air, and I didn't realise how refreshing it would be to be surrounded by fields and trees again. Hahaha.

Since Easter, things have been stressful at Uni with lots of deadlines all at once. The work is a lot easier than at home, but we always get bombarded with it all at once! Sometimes it is so hard to communicate with teachers because of the language barrier (although my Spanish is 10x better than before, it is still a struggle sometimes!) Luckily my housemate Rachel and I had a bit of a break when our friend from home came to visit us in sunny Spain.

So scary to think that I only have one month left here. Our exams started last week, and today I learnt that exam season in 28 degree heat is NOT fun....I have 5 exams altogether, and they finish at the end of May. It's so crazy how chilled exams are here compared to in Sheffield. We sit exams in our usual classrooms, we can keep our bags near us, sit next to other people....it's so weird how different it is. A lot less pressure which I'm not complaining about! In June I've got an internship at Spanish newspaper 'El Pais', which is super exciting. After that my friend is joining me in Madrid for a week, and then before I know it I'll be heading home....*sad face*

This week I also 'graduated' from Uni, which was a bit weird as I feel like we've hardly spent any of our time in classes...But it was such a nice 'send off' nevertheless, with free cerveza and tapas (always good) and lots of nice words from the Erasmus tutors here.

 Anyways, I best get back to some revision....being in the basement gets pretty claustrophobic so my housemates and I have (after a few failed attempts) squoze our kitchen table onto our patio to do some work (with limited productivity when it's so hot outside...)

Ps you can vote for me as Blogger of the Month here.

Pps...around a year ago I made the huge decision to go on Erasmus in Spain...if anyone is having troubles making a decision about whether to go, feel free to ask me! I promise to give unbiased advice and not mention the amazing weather too much...

Anna x

The first week in Spaaaaaaain

Hiiii,

After months of planning, crying, stressing and anticipating, I am writing this from Madrid! We have been here for almost a week now and it has gone so fast already.

Family/friends back home have asked me how I would sum up the experience so far in a few words...but that is literally impossible. I swear I have never felt as many different emotions as I have in this week; from absolute elation to homesickness a thousand times over, the past few days have been a total rollercoaster of emotion and excitement.

Saying goodbye to my family and friends was horrible, as well as leaving my boyfriend at the airport. I could barely stomach a Mcdonald's porridge because I felt so sick on the way to the airport! But once my friend Eilish and I had waved Callum and her Dad off (who are now bezzie mates), we trundled off through security full of tears and excitement (until the security guard said 'Oh my god, you're 20? You look about 15!!!' Then it was just tears.)

Adding to the stress was the fact that dearest Rachel's luggage was 10.7kg over the weight limit (!!!) but it still gives us something to laugh about now. And off we went, Eilish, Victoria, Rachel and I on a journey to the unknown.....

Hostel ft Victoria

When we arrived in Madrid we got a taxi to our hostel, situated opposite what looked like a prison...

Our spanish skills were tested from the first minute as the man at reception had no idea what we were asking about. Eventually another man turned up to let us in to our room, which was amaaaaazing. We've got a beautiful balcony overlooking Chamberi, a big bedroom and sofa bed and a nice kitchen. 

On the first day we wandered around the main sights like the Temple de Debod and Gran Via, taking the atmosphere and surrealness in all at once. We saw two girls twerking outside the Royal Palace which was...different...and accidentally ended up in a Catholic Church mass with the biggest organ you've ever seen. We did a bit of house hunting to no avail, 4 bed flats are so hard to find, as we have figured out. On the second day we spent the day searching again, registered at Uni and took a trip to Taco Bell (really soaking up the culture...)

We also had a much needed night out, and ended up in 2 dodgy bars as everywhere you walk in Madrid at night someone will offer you free drinks with plenty of persuasion. And to our absolute surprise the free drinks were not a myth! I also experienced a Spanish speaking issue as I told some chicos that Rachel was 'pregnant' instead of 'drunk'....oopsie.

Lovin the Spanish life

Yesterday we tried relentlessly to find a house once more, with no luck and a lot of stressssss. I was told before coming to Spain that small things about the country will really get on your nerves, and I think I have found my two things (already oops). 1, SLEEPING IN THE DAY!!!!!!! Picture the scene, you've just trekked across Madrid to visit a certain office/person, you get there and they are closed for the afternoon for a siesta. So. Frustrating. And 2, The lack of signposting and directions is unreal, I'd say that so far we've spend at least 10 million hours searching for buildings which don't have signs/numbers.

But, there are also things I'm loving- Everyone here is so friendly and always willing to help you out if you're lost (which we normally are), there are SO MANY DOGS in Madrid which is an obvious plus, and I love their chilled out lifestyle...at 10pm the shops and streets are bustling with people going about their business. The buildings are beautiful, I love practicing Spanish all the time (except when I'm trying to explain what phone sim I wanted...that wasn't fun), and the sun has been shining for us. Overall I feel so lucky to have this amazing opportunity.

Our Uni building!

Last night the 4 bed search ended as we realised how impossible it was, so now we have split up and signed our own 2's. We are all moving in on Saturday yay. I feel so relievedddddd after months of relentless searching and feeling like we were gonna end up on the streets!!

Also...it was super excited to hear from home that my story in the Derby Telegraph about the kids at Findern School wearing slippers was in all the national newspapers the next day! Crazy to think that it all came from my little sis coming home with a letter!

Tonight we are going to a 'meet and speak' session run by CityLife Madrid, who organise activities and trips for international students. Exciting!

I hope you have enjoyed this post- and I also hope that by the end of my time here I might have persuaded at least someone to study abroad!

Anna x

Festivities, Forge and fantastic decisions

Hiiiii.

So a very busy start to Second Year means that I have zero time :( 

So I got up extra early this morning (10am.....) and decided to write a lil blog post. I start work at 11 so this could be a bit rushed but we will give it a go.

So what's been going on....apart from the classic extreme lack of sleep which has made another appearance after First Year, I have been working a lot of hours (more than I am doing Uni work which is a questionable decision on my part but heyho.)

I am currently saving for Madrid next February, which is getting veeery close now! After weeks of scrolling through renting websites I have finally found someone to take my room in Sheffield whilst I'm abroad which is a great relief, so all I need to do now is find somewhere to live when I get there....Luckily I am looking with 3 other gals from my course so I'm not totally in the dark. 

Also I recently became Lifestyle Editor of the Uni newspaper Forge Press, which is super exciting! It's a lot of work but really rewarding too when you finally see everything in print around the Uni. 

Surprisingly, this year hasn't been as demanding as I thought so far- I have had one deadline which wasn't too stressful at all. We had to do a location voicer for radio, which is where you go out to an event and record yourself describing what it's like etc. I went to a guide dog fundraising event with my friend Rachel- picked purely on the basis that we would get to see some puppies- a FANTASTIC decision. They were v cute. I also did a vox pop about what the people of Sheffield thought about Donald Trump...safe to say he will never be a popular guy over here, thank god. I couldn't make it through the election night without dying of sleep deprivation, but I'm kinda glad because those of my friends who did watch it said it was terribly depressing. 

I went home a few weekends ago to see Catfish and the Bottlemen with my little bro and spend some time with my family which was super nice.  Also I would definitely recommend a Christmassy day out in Leeds, I visited my friend there this week and it was the perfect way to embrace all those festive feelings.

My boyfriend visited yesterday too and we achieved our biggest relationship success to date....sparkler pictures!!

I hope you have enjoyed this post! 

If you want to vote for me as Blogger of the Month, click here. Thank you!

Anna x

Second Year, Spain and stressssss

Hiya!

Second year has officially started! (and I am already sleep deprived, poor and stresssed hahaha).

Freshers Week was fab, on the first day I ended up returning home because my little baby brother Frank was born..He is such a little beauty and I can't stop talking about him!!

The first week of Uni was fun (mainly because I only have 10 hours of teaching so I spent a lot of time sleeping and catching up with my gal pals). I have three modules this year, Online News Production, Broadcast Journalism and Media Law. It's so good to finally be able to 'do' some journalism instead of being sat in lectures doing theory work! Last week my friend Rach and I went out to do vox-pops (where you ask different members of the public the same question). We asked 'What do you think about Jeremy Corbyn?', and had a range of answers from I BLOODY LOVE HIM to one guy ranting about how Britain is turning in to Venezuela for 15 minutes.

What shocked us the most is the sheer amount of young people who said 'Who?' or 'I'm not interested in politics sorry'. I literally cannot understand how a student -or anyone for that matter- can say that they are not interested in who runs the country we live in.

Professional as always

Things are becoming pretty real with my semester in Spain next February- at the moment I'm filling out loads of paperwork and last night I put my room for rent on the internet (so I don't have to pay two rents, one here and one abroad). Exciting!!!

In other news everyone has settled in to our house....apart from 50 million problems including no hot water and leaking walls, all is well! I'm really enjoying the house life- it is a lot different to First Year, in that everything is a lot tidier and my room is a lot bigger! Also I literally love having a washing machine just downstairs (is this what my life has become?? Getting excited over a washing machine?).

However things are the same in that I still eat pasta 6/7 nights of the week and get no sleep.

Lovin house life

I hope that everyone has settled in to Uni!

Anna x

Pancakes, Plaits and 10,000 views

Hey!

How's everyone doing? I'm sure things are busy at the mo as the dreaded month of May has arrived. Well it arrived a while ago actually but the end of May is always the worst...

My first exam is on June 1st which is scary (but also I'm not too worried which is reflected in my extreme lack of revision). But lectures ended last week which means that I now have all the time in the world to revise (and do other things like go out for spontaneous pancakes and learn how to french plait my own hair).

Post pancakes..

A few exciting things have happened recently! Number one, I have hit 10,000 views on my blog which I am SUPER excited about!!! I can't believe that so many people have read my little blog which I use to ramble about random life things. Thank you!!
Alsoooo, I have got work experience with the Derby Telegraph this summer! Recently I was Editor for our first newsday at Uni which was fab so I am super excited to experience a real newsroom.

Since my last blog post things have been really busy! I interviewed the best ametuer boxer in Yorkshire which was cool, as well as a woman who was starting up a healthy living centre in a deprived area to help the women there. Since almost every one of my articles so far has been related to feminism, I thought I would carry on, and chose to base my coursework essay on the tampon tax. For that I interviewed the woman who started the petition to end the tampon tax as well as feminists from all over Sheffield, which was fab. 

Also, my wonderful Auntie got married to her fiance Charles at the start of May, which was an incredible day. Seeing her get married after years of looking up to her (from across the globe as she lives in South Africa) was an amazingly emotional feeling. 

I also spent a day in the peaks a few weeks ago with my boyf which was fun! I'm loving the sunny weather at the mo (although it does mean that there is a massive distraction from revision...) Last weekend I went home to babysit my little bro and sis which was fun, and I got to see one of my besties Lucy who I hadn't seen in months. 

Last week I took my 100wpm exam which was exciiiiiiting (I literally can't wait to stop those 9am classes). Although I'm not sure it went too well as I missed a sentence out which could definitely mean that I've failed...But I'm keeping everything crossed at the mo so I don't have to re-take it again!

Anyways I best do my first bit of revision today before my exam next week. Sigh. I really can't wait for summer now (but at the same time I'm going to be so sad to leave Uni!)

Good luck with exams!!

Anna x

Ps, you can vote for me as Blogger of the Month on this link...www.ucas.com/connect/blogs/voting :)

Six ways to survive your First Semester

Hey!

I'M FREEEEE...By that I mean my deadlines are in the distant past and consequently I woke up at 12 today. Bliss. I'm not home yet though as I've still got a week left of shorthand (yay). 

I spent Sunday recovering from a stressful week of deadlines and serving endless Christmas dinners...by going to see the Coca Cola truck in true Christmas spirit. We also had our Flat Christmas meal on Sunday which was lavely.

Happy days in F2

Anyway...

I thought I would write a little post on what I have learnt since I have been at University, about general life...and myself too. I am a big believer that making mistakes isn't ALWAYS a bad thing- the lessons that you can learn from that mistake will shape you as a person, and make you a better human being. So here goes.

1) IT IS AMAZING
I've had the BEST time since coming to Uni. I've done things I never thought I would do, made friends with people who I never saw myself with, seen so many new places and become a more independent and rounded person (as odd as that sounds).

2) Don't worry about being worried
I haven't met anyone who wasn't worried about going to Uni. One of my flatmates almost didn't come because she was so nervous about it. BUT you've got to remember that it's natural to worry...but at the end of the day you'll be fine and I can pretty much guarantee that you'll love it. Also I've met people who said that they were so worried because they were more of an introverted person and found it hard to fit in. But out of all the people going to Uni, you will be sure to find someone who's just like you.

3) Homesickness is (pretty much) inevitable
Maybe. It was for me anyway. But you'll get used to it eventually...and at the end of the day 'home' will always be home. If that makes any sense. And now I'm SUPER excited to go back for a whole month and spend time with my friends and family for the MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAAAAR (I hope you sang that too.) At the same time though it's going to be very odd going home....I'm going to miss my Uni friends so much, and it will be strange fitting back in to my life at home (where I can't get in at 5am and eat cereal from the box whilst discussing politics with my flatmates. Not that we do that...)

4) Try everything you can 
What I mean by this is throw yourself in to whatever you can. In my first week I got kind of delirious and started talking to EVERYONE and making EVERY FRIEND POSSIBLE. Maybe this was a bit too extreme...but basically don't be scared to try new things. You wont regret it!

5) The Midlands is South to Northerners and North to Southerners.
The question "Are you from the North or the South" is up there with "What's your name, what course do you do?" and all those other small talk questions which everybody asks when you get to Uni. And if you're from the Midlands, expect to receive a confused look followed by "But if you HAD to choose North or South....." Extremely annoying.

6) You think you'll join a million societies, exercise everyday and be super productive. But in reality you'll sleep in and miss lectures, stay out too late and think "First Year doesn't count, so it's okay right???".
I feel like this sums up what Uni has been like for most First Year students thus far. (Sorry to generalise all the students who have not felt this way. Well done you.) To be fair I've only missed one lecture....and a few shorthand sessions....they're at 9am, who can blame me.

Overall I've had a BRILL first semester. What a whirlwind it has been...Next time I post I'll be back in Derby!

I hope this post has been helpful/relatable:)

Anna x

P.s, if you want to vote for me for Blogger of the Month, you can do so here :)

P.p.s I will leave you with this...

The End of the Very Christmas-y Tunnel

Hello!

Hope everyone is all good and looking forward to CHRISTMAAAAS! I certainly am. My Christmas spotify playlist is in FULL SWING. Mariah can't get enough of my singing. Or the other way round.

I was super stressed at the start of the week because I have a presentation to do tomorrow in front of my seminar group, a Spanish project thing (WHICH COUNTS FOR NOTHING. Don't get me started.) and a Spanish speaking exam- which we have to record ourselves, making sure our face can be seen so we can't cheat and read it :( But I've got most of it done now Y A Y.

I can now see the light at the end of the very Christmas-y tunnel.

I spent last weekend at home putting the Christmas tree up with the fam which was FAB but I didn't get much work done. Obvs. 

Also saw one of my besties from home at the weekend and introduced her to the night-life in Sheff...and went to work the next day. Not a good idea.

Yesterday I saw my Auntie who's home from South Africa, and my cousin Josh! I was a very bad tour guide but we had a BRILL day.

I hope you're all having a good last few weeks of Uni! How fast a semester has gone eh. I will most likely do another very nostalgic post about how fast everything is going next week. I am so predictable....

P.s You can vote for me to be Blogger of the Month here! Muchas Gracias :)

Anna x

A very talk-y blog post

Hola amigos!

Sorry for the lack of blog posts! I promise myself from now on that I will make a conscious attempt to post once a week from now on. Honest.

Uni life is buuuusy! I've got a weekend job so I've been working on Saturday nights and Sunday days as a waitress at a restaurant in the city centre. At first it was super stressful as I wasn't used to working in such a busy environment, but I've settled in to it now and I'm really enjoying earning my own money again! If you have the time, I would definitely recommend getting a job at uni. 

Also, I passed my shorthand test that I talked about in my last post. Woohoo! So I now start at 9am instead of 8, which is MUCH more manageable and I now find that I can actually open my eyes during the lessons, and actually speak instead of just grumble. I also feel like I'm progressing so much more when I get more sleep. Overall shorthand is way more bearable!

I've also found time to go home a few times since my last post, which has been wonderful. Two weeks ago I went home for a long weekend and had such a good time catching up with my friends, boyfriend and family. Admittedly, on the train back to Sheffield I cried the whole way, until I eventually stopped by reminding myself of how tragic I must look to other train-goers who were staring by that point. (Embarrassing, I know.) It's not because I don't enjoy Uni, it's just that leaving home is something that you can't prepare yourself for without actually DOING it. I'm not going to lie to you, it is heart-breaking leaving your cosy family home to return to a big city where you've only lived for 2 months, where it will inevitably be cold and dark (Grrr winter). But what I can say is that it DOES get easier, and although I still get upset every time, I know that I'm coming back to Sheffield to friendly flat/course mates, and a life which I am really, really enjoying.

Glad I got that off my chest.

I'm happy to tell you that my cooking skills are improving, yay! Tonight I made a quorn chicken pie (I'm cutting down on meat after having a deep conversation with myself in Morrisons about becoming a vegetarian- but I'm not quite brave -or willing enough to give up bacon- to go the whole way). I've also discovered pesto (which I buy in a jar....so I can't really claim that it's cooking but it sure is yummy with pasta). I've also been making chilli, curry, spaghetti bolognese and fish with veg (SWEET POTATO IS THE FOOD OF ANGELS).

At the weekend I saw my friends and my cousin for a night out, which was amaaaazing. I love how Uni gives you so many new experiences and opportunities that you wouldn't have had if you were still at home. I'm loving that now I'm at Uni I can see my cousin Josh more, who lives super far away from home in Derby. But now he's in Leeds and I'm in Sheff, I'm seeing him more than ever which is indescribably fabulous:)

I've talked a LOT in this blog post. If you made it this far, wow. Thank you for reading!

If you would like to vote for me as your Blogger of the Month, you can do so here :)

Some pics in an attempt to balance out the excessive writing.... 

The Leadmill in Sheff for my flatmate Lauren's birthday!

My first article in the student newspaper! I was very excited about this:)

Record-shop shopping

You know what I said about it being cold? Yup. Beautiful, but freezing.

Anna x