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You thought your Freshers Week was bad, listen to mine…

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Leeds chapter.

On my drive back up to Leeds ready to embark on my second year of University, I had a good three hours to reminisce over all the mistakes I made last year. I thought I would share some of these mistakes, proving that you really aren’t the only one. Within my friendship group we have an ongoing joke that my life is a series of unfortunate events. Basically, this is just their excuse to be able to laugh at my expense.

Let me take you back to that week full of blunders, (too much) booze and embarrassment. 

It was September 22nd 2013, moving day. After suffering the long drive up North with my stomach in knots and my parents trying to calm my nerves, I was awkwardly chatting to people who would soon become some of my closest friends. Later that day I was told pre-drinks would be at 7pm. I got myself and my empty stomach ready and headed over with a litre of Smirnoff Vodka in hand. My first night of Freshers began. Unbeknown to me at the time, my evening would well and truly be over only 3 hours later, sitting on the floor outside my new room pushing the key into thin air, thinking somehow this would get me inside. For this, unfortunately, I had no one to blame but myself. I drank an obscene amount of alcohol and managed to ‘get with’ one of my flat mates (which continues to haunt me to this day)! Thinking about the following day still makes me shudder. I successfully missed my first day of induction lectures and I was dry retching until 4pm… First night at Uni, I’d call that an achievement, wouldn’t you?

“Bbbbzzzzzzzzzz,” this was a noise I became particularly accustomed with over my first 2 weeks in Leeds. When I initially moved in my parents and I noticed a few dead wasps on the floor, we simply cleared them away and thought nothing of it. How I wish the story ended there… Over the first week, I noticed that I would get at least 5 wasps a day flying around my room, but my naivety continued and I just let them out of my window. However, things reached a new low as I woke up one day from an afternoon nap; I could hear the distinctive buzzing and was vigorously searching to find this wasp, until I discovered it crawling up my jumper. As you can imagine, this resulted in me running around like a lunatic and simultaneously crying like a baby. After going back and forth with complaint forms to my accommodation reception, pest control finally arrived and removed the NEST of wasps living in the roof of my room… I have to say, it wasn’t exactly the warm welcome I was expecting! 

The next dilemma also involves my accommodation. For some reason the laundry room and I did not seem to get on so well. My first wash was stolen because I forgot to go and collect it in time, so some lucky person has few pairs of my ‘granny pants’ and a bed sheet. This, however, was not my biggest trouble with the washing machines. One evening, I was innocently catching up on reality TV in my room when I received a text from one of my flat mates saying that I should check the ‘Devonshire Facebook Page,’ with a considerable amount of laughing emoji’s. I sat confused and logged onto Facebook to find a message posted publically to all of my halls saying, “To Megan Williams, after doing my drying, I found 3 pieces of undergarments and a little sock, if you want to come and collect them I live in G1.1, I am sorry for this inconvenience.” I was mortified, especially when I saw comments such as “I’d keep them if I was you ;)” and “what do they smell like?” Not ideal in front of all the people you’re meant to be impressing! But do not fear, I did successfully get my pants back, although this was not trauma free either. When I decided to go and collect my items, I was not only greeted by the boy who found them, oh no, but his whole flat lined up outside, giggling at me. It wasn’t my proudest moment.

University, as repeatedly reminded to me by my parents, would be the best years of my life. Well, 7 days in and I wasn’t so sure… 

 

Image Source:

1. http://www.boutiquedigital.co.uk/general/54-reasons-know-youre-yorkshire/

2. http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photos-bee-cartoon-image24668603

3. http://metro.co.uk/2010/08/06/big-knickers-make-a-comeback-as-g-string-demands-plummet-471756/