“Where are you from?”, “Did you also take a gap year?”, “What are you studying?” and “Do you have the wristband?” are questions that filled my Freshers’ week. I wasn’t too sure what to expect but Freshers’ fortnight 2019 certainly was a great way to start my time in Brighton.
After unpacking the mountain of crockery, wholesale sized pasta and unrolling my new mat, I was ready to say bye to Mum and embrace the wonders of Freshers’ ahead. I watched all the YouTube videos before arriving and did the whole ‘leave your door open’ thing but in reality, you follow the crowd and no two days were the same.
Here is a round-up of my Freshers 2019 experience…
FRESHTIVAL HERE WE COME
From PopWorld to Pryzm, there was no shortage of cheap shots and cheesy tunes to dance to. If the screaming of ‘Come on Eileen’ followed by the roaring DA DA DA wasn’t already engraved into my mind it sure is now. I found myself liking music I had never really liked before and wearing outfits I wouldn’t be seen dead in back home. It was often on the bus ride into town that the ‘What is going on right now?’ thoughts kicked in but I was loving every second. Every night ended in the same way: sweaty armpits, moaning passengers and a game of human Tetris – was I on the underground? No, it was just the N25…
AND SO THE 9AM’S BEGAN…
The 3am chips on the beach last night were as close to breakfast as I was going to get. 10 minute turn arounds from bed to bus stops never felt so real but it was clear I wasn’t the only one. Sniffles and stoichiometry soon came hand in hand when classes began and making it a whole lecture without coughing soon became an achievement. ‘Freshers’ soon became an evil fairy godmother waving a wand over Cockcroft and beyond.
IT WASN’T ALL ABOUT GOING OUT
Hello Brighton saw many fantastic activities, like the therapy dogs and craftanoon. A personal favourite of mine was the campus cinema night, cosying up with my new friends and seeing the SU lounge covered in vintage merchandise – you couldn’t even recognise it! Even when I didn’t feel like braving the cold seafront, there was plenty to get up to without even having to leave campus.
The chaos of Freshers week precedes many of us, making the new day-to-day tasks like laundry and cooking even more alien. Traipsing through the rain to the laundry room, IKEA bag in hand, was a very strange experience. Surrounded by odd socks, spilt detergent and other students just as confused as me, being a student all of a sudden felt very real.
Lunchtimes in the SU lounge, cosied away from the rain made me happy when pathetic fallacy wasn’t out to play. Wednesday lunchtime saw me sit at a table where someone else had left some scrabble pieces that really did brighten up my day.
HOME FROM HOME?
The cheer of Chelsea fans soon became the cheer of Albion fans. I came to realise that the streets of West London were to become a memory and the Laines were going to become where I drink my favourite latte. Brighton is my new home and I’m so excited for what the next few years have in store for me…
