Degree = Done!

Its slightly odd writing this from my sofa at home, but I thought it was time to finally get around to blogging something to prove I haven't fully forgotten about it!

So really what I want to say is that it finally happened(ish). MY DEGREE IS FINISHED! Done! No more studying chemistry (at least for the time being)! I hope having 6 exams explains my absence from blogging, and I truly hope never having to repeat that ever again, but as I don't get the results for another couple of weeks I don't want to speak too soon.

Studying really did take over the last couple of months but other exciting things have happened, most notably that I am going to be moving to Oxford for the summer to do an internship at the OUP which I am very excited about! There is still a bit to be sorted out which always taints the excitement of moving to a new place but even so I am fully looking forward to working and doing something totally different. But I am quite aware its going to be a fairly steep learning curve and probably quite tough at times! Also on the off chance that someone might know of a room I can rent for a couple of months in Oxford please let me know - I don't want to be homeless! Plus I'll cook for my new housemates!

I also passed my driving theory test over Easter (whoop!), but unfortunately I haven't had many lessons since due to having so much uni work and time just running out. I promise I will start up again soon when I am settled somewhere. I was actually starting to get vaguely okay but even though it goes against all my independent views on life I would to so happy to let someone else drive me everywhere for the rest of my life. There I said it. I actually have no desire to drive. It's far to stressful, I get all in a flap, and it's probably not a good idea for anyone involved! I am much more relaxed and know what I am doing when it comes to public transport...

There was also organising ChemSoc Summer Ball to pass the time during revision which is always so rewarding once you start to enjoy the evening! However I think I know that event planning isn't quite for me, such hard work and late nights!

Me and Luke*

4th years! 

Everyone kept telling me to have to a drink and relax. So I did!

Since finishing exams it's been nice just having some time off, catching up with friends, eating, drinking, dancing and generally just having a lovely time! So for the time being I am sure I will be keeping you all updated through blogging about what I get up to during the summer. I guess I will also be updating on what I will be doing come September, but right now it still feels like I will be heading back to soton in the near future, although that isn't the case, It still doesn't feel read that I am done with uni, such a scary thing to have to write down.

For now though, rather than being overwhelmed by the concept of being a grown up, I have to get back to stripping wallpaper from my bedroom walls to try and get the room all decorated by next weekend. This currently feels very ambitious so wish me luck. Having to sleep in my brothers room is no fun!

Finally to end, a few snaps from the last week or so!

Finally got around to doing some baking! The primrose bakery banana loaf was amazing, and the extra mix was great turned into little muffins! 

The quiz team mascot, the cheeky little onion of knowledge!

If you are ever in Southampton go and have a burger at the Rockstone, It was so good, and I can;t believe it took 4 years to finally make it there for dinner, 

* Probably the only nice photo of Luke and I ever!

Productive Procrastinating

So I have been meaning to write a post for a while now. In this I mean I have thought about it more than once after each fun weekend I have had over the last couple of months.*

But then the only time I really sit down and blog is when:
1) I am feeling a bit like I have 100's of things whirling around my mind and writing just something down makes all this clearer.
OR
2) I am putting of doing something I should be doing.

Right here, right now, it is most definitely a mixture of the two. I am putting off doing all the things I know I should be doing. Talk about everything coming around at once. Life really does follow that funny little phrase about two buses turning up at once or none at all. (I do want to point out none of these things are bad but with a graduation date hurtling towards you at about 148 mph it can all feel a little bit daunting).

But what I really want to do is put a few little things about what I have been up to 'recently' down on internet paper form.

There has been lots of catching up with friends in a variety of different locations including Bristol, Brighton (twice) and a holiday to Dublin! I could probably write a whole post about each of these weekends, but this would probably end up being food reviews and I haven't reach that territory on this blog yet.

A Lovely Weekend in Bristol seeing my fave Emma's 

Leighton girls ready for a fun night out in Brighton. Also the night I happened to each a meat pizza before telling my friends I had stopped being a veggie. 

A wonderfully sunny, relaxing, funny few days away in beautiful Dublin with one of my fave girlies. 

We take the odd decent selfie ;) 

 

An England catch up with 2 brilliant chicas! And obviously we had to have afternoon tea.

Plus I have also been home for a week (mainly to see the doggy of course), been to the casino for the first time (I am holding my opinion on this), learnt more Salsa steps, won a pub quiz and spent far too much money on train travel. Gah, one day I will pass this bloody driving test, yet another thing taking up my time at the moment. I am determined to drive (I've started so I'll finish), but as I am sure the people around me are bored to death with my driving stories I'll leave them out for now.**

Right now along with ChemSoc event planning, driving, job searching (yep still on... ish), studying for my final ever uni exams and trying to fit in some gym classes I am not sure how much time I am going to find for blogging in the next couple of months. But then again the boredom of revision will probably lead to procrastination...

On a final note I am genuinely not sure if I am looking forward to graduating. As much as I want to stop studying chemistry writing this little post its made me realise how sweet life at uni really is... Someone slap me if I complain about being a student every again!


* No tapas or test tubes have been involved.
** I haven't run anyone over yet, so success?

It's not always as it seems...

After a friend comment that they had been reading my blog (thank-you!!) and felt pretty up to date with my life out here and what I had been up to I wanted to share some of the more day to day goings on of life. Oh I wish that was the case and my days were filled with cultural activities and my evenings filled with Sangria. Unfortunately no, there are still mundane and boring things which need to be done. Shopping; Laundry; Cleaning; Working; Studying; Cooking; blah blah blah. You get the message. Once the original, ohh this is all new and exciting feeling has left life these tasks soon loose any interest you had with them for a couple of weeks. I promise doing your washing in a different country is no more exciting than in your family home. 

I think that studying abroad (which I have explained numerous times is not quite what I am doing) is sold as a romantic dream of a semester long holiday full of weekend trips, nights out, constant socialising and generally no hard work at all. Maybe that is the case for some, but I can guarantee it ain't always a holiday. Not only does it rain here *shock horror* you still have to work. And you have to work away from the support system you made back at your home uni. The people who understood when you literally didn't want to go to your room because it just meant there was another few hours of work waiting on a Sunday afternoon, the people who would get drunk with you on a Friday night because you were fed up after 3 long days in the lab where nothing had worked, and the people who would meet you during a lib session for tea to make you laugh!

I am not in anyway saying that life is bad here. It is not. For example last Saturday I went out, got free G&Ts, visited a street food festival and saw some cool music. And I constantly get to chat to people from all over the world (although there is no reason I can't do that back in the UK it's just less often). I am also still wearing shorts in October which has to be a plus right.

But I just wanted to point out that life isn't always what it seems on social media, blogs and the like. You really can put a different persona out there which only shows your life in a good light, and makes out that you are always having fun... Maybe this isn't a bad thing though. Since starting my #100happydays on instagram I really have had to find good things which happen everyday, and these are the parts of my life I want to share with people. Yes I can moan to my close friends and family about the not so exciting thing but there is a reason I only share the good stuff. At the end of the day it makes me happier. I enjoy scrolling down looking at the cake I had 5 weeks ago and remembering where I was ect. I wouldn't want to look back and see a load of work pilled up which I did one day.

Just a quick look at some of my favorite instagram snaps which highlight in my day to day
life. (Mainly food I know but you should have realised that by now!)

So what I am really trying to say is no life isn't always what you see on social media, but I think personally the good happy times are what you want to share with people!

But enough moaning! I have drunk far too much alcohol this weekend, acted a little out of character probably because I wanted to live the crazy study abroad dream, but at the end of the day I only have 2 months left here so I will just have to make the most of it...  My flight is officially booked for the 17th December and time is passing scary scary scary fast as I am sure my fellow Barcelona girls (and all the other chemists abroad) will agree with. 

Love these crazy ladies! 

My parents and little bro are visiting next weekend which I am very excited about especially now mum is fit and well enough to come for sure. I can't wait to show them around especially because mum and Tommy have never been to Spain and it'll be Tommy's first time on a plane. I do feel a little sorry for my dad having to fly with the both of them. And if anyone has any ideas on the best thing to do with the family when they've visited you abroad let me know. 

I'll make sure I will update you all soon with some of the fun I have next weekend! 

Finally feeling at home?

I promise myself that I will blog every week - but I don't. Maybe I will have to set aside blog evening once a week to ensure I do. (But don't quote me on this!). Also thank you to everyone for their great responses to my last blog post! It is great to know it is being read (even if its only by a few) so all comments and feedback are welcome.

The week I came back I spent in the lab, and did very little practical work because the lab was still officially shut but I did finally admit defeat and remind myself I have to write a dissertation whilst I am here. Limited work has been achieved but there is a word document none the less. That is an achievement right?

I went on another walking tour last Saturday, and it was slightly different to the others I have been on. It was aimed at a younger audience, backpackers, students ect.. so it was slightly less orientated around history as the previous tours but more information about visiting the city itself but good non the less! (I wish I had done them the other way around but if you are only here for a short time I would highly recommend the runner beans tours most)

From the Parliament square in Barcelona - Not sure why I love this photo but I do! 

Then as the lab was going to be virtually empty for the next week I decided to use the time to do a 'super intensive' Spanish course last week! It was great fun. I would like to spend longer there and improve more (but I am living in Spain so I should be learning all the time yes?) but maybe I will have the chance to do something similar next summer to help me keep up the skill. I also meet some really lovely people, went out for dinner, went to the beach and had great fun all week. I want to keep in touch with some of the people I meet there for sure!


I then yesterday went to the 1st meeting for Erasmus Student on the Beach and meet more lovely people - who I am  actually meeting this afternoon to attend another Erasmus meeting! Finally I feel as though I am meeting so many people, and I have made more contacts in the last week or so than the whole month I was here to begin with. Maybe I have finally turned a corner (or Spain is finally leaving the vacation period!) Both are probably true. It's totally relevant to me here that friends aren't going to find you unless you put yourself out there.





Anyway unfortunately its back to 'normal' next week! Not that any 2 weeks are the same here - and I am determined to keep that up but it does mean I can start gym classes again (YAYYYY I have been seriously missing a stress relieving aerobics session) and can finally go to the bank ect.

So a final word of this post is that I am finally feeling much more at home here. I am finding friends, catching the night bus alone - not dangerous because I have never seen so many people on a bus here is Spain before, scrapbooking my time here, ensuring I watch my favorite TV shows on i-player and getting back to a slight routine. Maybe this summer wasn't quite as I would have planned but the next 3 months are going to be great, I am sure of it!

Also if you can't tell I ate lots of great food this week!