Keeping It Real - October 2006

As much as I love Orkney, and I do, I was very keen to leave for university this October. I think there comes a point for everyone when they should step outside their comfort zone and leave home, and for me that time had come.

I was scared when I left, but just over a month down the line I haven’t regretted the decision to fly the nest for even a second.

The journey down was fine, though I had what seemed to me to be an obscenely large amount of luggage: a suitcase, rucksack and holdall, not to mention the back pack on my front. It turned out that most people had come with at least a car load so I was worried that I had left something important behind.

The first task after arriving at the flat was to introduce myself to my flat mates. First impressions really count and they have subsequently proved accurate. The five other guys are all dead right and there is a good atmosphere in our new home.

By Sunday night I went to bed totally drained from the day’s experience but happy with my surroundings and looking forward to the inductions of Monday morning.

The first day at Uni was one of numerous welcomes, with the staff introducing themselves to us in the lecture theatre. This carry on continued all week in one shape or form: being shown rooms, meeting other students and members of staff, enrolling on our modules and just generally finding our feet.

Coming to Sunderland in June for a visit has really helped me to settle in quickly as I was able to picture the place in my head and get used to it before I arrived.

Socially I have never worked so hard in my life as I did during my first two weeks!

Every night during those first 14 days I was out drinking, with only one exception – and that was only because the toll of the previous five nights had left me barely able to speak – a first hand encounter with the mythical freshers flu! Add to that the fact that, because we had all just met, I spent every waking hour shaking hands and trying to remember people’s names and where they live - something that becomes almost impossible after about 20 introductions and a few pints.

Another big excitement has been the city itself. It is a great triumph for me to be able to find not one but two pairs of nice shoes that actually fit (I’m a size 13!). As well as the shopping there are so many bars and clubs playing different music with a different atmosphere that even after a month we still haven’t been in anything like all of them. A week ago I went with a group of friends to Newcastle to sample a night out there. It was fantastic, the clubs and bars were very cool and the people are very friendly.

I always used to have a serious fear of metro underground transport and missing train connections, a phobia I have finally been able to release (though I still miss my push bike even if the Metro is suited to lazy students like me).

My digs are on the opposite bank of the river to the university buildings where I study so each day I have a 15 minute walk over the bridge and along the banks to class – a small weapon in the war against the beer gut at least! It’s also very refreshing for me to be living so close to water. I think being on the banks of the river all the time and being able to see the sea has helped me to feel at home, I doubt I would cope so well if I was really buried in the city.

Real work has begun to kick in now and believe it or not I’m really pleased it has. I like to keep busy and having a few projects, both academic and recreational is important to me. I’m currently working on a 15 minute TV news program within a team of 15 students which is really stimulating. Unlike radio, you physically can’t do a TV program with one person, (because you need camera operators, a producer, vision mixer, sound mixer, floor manager lighting operators to name a few) so this means that we are constantly working in teams which is good fun. I also have a couple of essays to keep me busy if I can find a spare second. As well as these required tasks and classes I have teamed up with another student in my radio class to start working on a program which we hope to do on the student radio station, Utopia FM, when it starts its next broadcast in May. We have booked one of the radio studios for a couple of hours a week and we’re practicing our technical skills and building up an on air rapport. Its great fun and very worthwhile because there is a real chance that if we submit a good demo to the Utopia management we will get a day time show like breakfast or drive time, so I’ve been told anyway. It’s also a good way for us to get one step ahead of everyone else because when it comes to our class being taught how to do this kind of stuff next year, we will be confident with it, which is always a good position to be in I feel.

I have to say again that I am loving every minute of university life and I would encourage anyone who isn’t sure what to do after they leave school to get involved!

If I had to give one comparison between Sunderland and Orkney I would have to say that you can get a pint of fosters for as little as £1.50 in some bars here but the biggest advantage about Orkney on a night out, for me, is definitely the lack of smoke in the pubs and clubs. Roll on the smoking ban in England. Till next time. Cheerio.