It feels like the end of an era. Things are coming to a close and although I don’t want to admit it, something’s are never going to be the same again. Although I understand that by going to university I am not abandoning my life here in Birmingham completely, it is hard not to accept that when I return briefly during the holidays that things will be different. Perhaps it is easy to feel that I am been a bit melodramatic about the whole thing, but come tomorrow Plymouth will be the place where I spend most of my time living for the next three years. I’m hoping I’ll have an amazing time at university and I’m excited and really looking forward to it, but I definitely feel nervous about going and a little sad to be moving. Going to university is going to the biggest change to my life to date, I am going to have to become an independent young adult and make a new start when I arrive in Plymouth. I am going to have to look after myself, meet new people, make new friends, and I’m going to have to juggle university work with a social life and climbing. There’s going to be a lot on my plate in those first few weeks whilst I try and settle in and I imagine I am just as nervous as anyone else who is going to university and moving away from the safety and sanctuary of their home. There’s also a thrill to this whole new thing that lies just around the corner, a new place with new people, opportunities and the chance to be independent, definitely makes for an exciting prospect. But moving somewhere that is so far away also means that the only time I’ll spend any length of time back home is over the summer and I’m going to miss a few things when I go. No matter how much they have irritated me over the years I’ll miss my family, I’m going to miss Mirf and Carrie, who’ve been unbelievably kind to me these past few years and have taken me climbing on countless occasions. I’ll miss Zac, because who knew that been bullied by a three year old could be so entertaining. I’ll miss Lil’ Dom, my partner in crime as the other member of “the boys” as Carrie has endearingly named us. Tim my best friend and one of my few non climbing friends, I’ll definitely miss him and I think it’s my turn to bring the bottle of rum over this Christmas Eve, let’s hope it isn’t cut short this year because my sister has forgotten her keys and I have to go home to let her in. In fact I could list lots of people I’ll miss, but I’d rather instead, just like to put out a big collective thank you to anyone who has been part of one of the adventures I’ve had in recent years, anyone at RP who has taken me climbing, everyone at the 177th Scout Group who’ve always been so nice and anyone else who feels they deserved a mention but I’ve unfortunately left out.
I guess I’ll probably end up changing the most whilst I’m at university, but I hope that when I come back for holidays I can continue the adventures that I’ve started here.
If I didn’t see some of you who I know that read this before now, wish me luck! See you all at Christmas anyway.
“A journey is best measured in friends, not in miles” – Tim Cahill
Tales Of A Drunken Giraffe 