Almost a Month Back in Essex

I really shouldn't be writing this now.

I have to read more than 60 pages of Le passager de la pluie, a story about a woman who got raped in a southern France small holiday resort in autumn. I think I am on page 24. Also I have to do two French listening exercises, prepare a Spanish essay test for next week, and finish the German model particles (or whatever it is) exercises. In short, I have A LOT to do.

Last year, being a first year Modern Languages student, I kinda slacked a lot. My modules were not particularly difficult, they weren't demanding and I didn't really have to do a lot to be able to cope up with my lessons - I even got a first in the finals and got into the Dean's List. I spent a lot of my time doing (voluntarily) work for Model UN society, where I was the fundraising and volunteering officer.

But it all has changed completely. This year I am challenging myself so I took tests and jumped a level in German and two levels in Spanish, doing all three languages in Advanced level. I leave every class with more than 20 vocabularies that I should have memorised in the evening of every day but so far I have successfully memorised 0 words. I'm also starting my frontrunner placement at the Communications department next Monday while preparing to start a new society. Therefore I can safely assume that I will be very busy all year long this year. However I am enjoying the huge load of work on me. It feels good when you put in a lot of effort into organising every day and really feel that you are actually learning things throughout the week. This degree is not for nothing.

Tomorrow will mark the one-month period since I came back to Essex. A lot has happened. I went to Paris for Yunni's wedding, became friends with new people, became acquaintances with old friends and also started trying out new societies, even sports clubs!

The only thing that I still don't get very used to is the fact that we now live in the Quays which is 15 minutes away from central campus with a very unreliable bus service. But there's a silver lining - I know someone almost on every floor of my building, everyone just sort of lives in House 5. Other than that I have fully pulled myself back together, attending all classes (14 hours a week) and cooking (pasta and some other easy food) and even started jogging (when I feel like doing).

To second year!