This week, Mel talks about the imminent ‘lifting of lockdown’, the inevitable impatience and sudden increase of work in the build-up to it.
The end of term is nearing, and I am finding myself drowning in coursework whilst looking ahead to the first evening I can sit in a beer garden with my mates. This time feels like the final hurdle. I am (rather unsuccessfully) trying to find the motivation to get on top of everything and make sure I am in a position where I am able to enjoy the lifting of restrictions when we eventually find ourselves in that situation. Ideally, I would like to be able to go out and see my friends as much as possible when we are able to, but unfortunately, the opening of hospitality coincides with spring term coursework deadlines, and I am stuck in a strange limbo at the moment.
I hope that anyone else who is feeling a similar way right now is doing okay. To the freshers who are confused about what to expect next year, the second years who are disappointed at the loss of opportunities, and the final years who are valiantly working through to the end of their degrees, you’re doing so well. Easter is around the corner, and while there will be a lot to get done, it is also a chance to get some rest. I’ve been thinking a lot about going home and how I am going to fill my time, and here are some things I have resolved to do:
1. Family Time: I am aware that as things start opening again, I will be keen to go out and spend as little time in the house as physically possible. But before then, I would like to fully appreciate my family, as, should life go back to normal, I will not have as much time to just exist with my parents and sister at home again.
2. Get Back to Work: Gyms should hopefully open on the 12th of April, and I am very much looking forward to getting back to lifeguarding to see my work friends again and start funding my summer!
3. Academics: I would like to get on top of my work, putting myself in a position where I am prepared for summer term and able to submit everything with enough time. And, as mentioned earlier, I would like to take advantage of when things start opening again, which is uni-dependent!
4. Friends: I am beyond excited to get back to seeing my friends again, ready to switch out zoom calls for in-person meetings! This whole situation has shown me how important it is to surround yourself with positive people, and I am eternally grateful to my lovely friends.
I still have a week to go until I go home, and a few weeks yet until lockdown starts lifting, so until then I shall continue trying to motivate myself and spend time with my housemates before term ends! This blog has acted as a procrastination technique for me, so I am off to plan an essay now… Send Coffee, Please!