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Saturday 21 September 2013

Louder than sirens, louder than bells



It occurred to me when all of the new baby freshers started appearing in Leeds (I can tell they're all appearing as their trolleys full of supernoodles and frying pans getting in my way in the aisles of Morrisons when I'm trying to buy excessive amounts of chocolate and biscuits...) that 5 years have passed since I was squished between six thousand boxes and bags in the back of my Dad's car and driven across the pennines to my new home in Leeds. At that point I had no idea whatsoever what the next few days were going to be like, let alone have any inkling that I'd still be here with no intentions of leaving five years on.

Looking at all these new little people in my city (and silently judging the horrific quantity of baseball caps that the youth of today seem to possess) made me think back to my own 18 year old self finding my way through this strange new city I was going to be calling home for the next three years of my life. All through sixth form I'd been massively excited for my big move to Leeds but a few weeks before I was due to leave I suddenly got really scared of the big unknown world I was going to be jumping into. So much so that I managed to pull some strings to get a place on a course at Liverpool University instead and was all set to change my mind about where I was going. Until the admissions tutor at Liverpool told me I needed to officially give up my place at Leeds before they'd accept me. I did everything I could not to have to do this and buried my head in the sand for a few days but eventually put two and two together and realised my reluctance to give up my place at Leeds was probably to do with the fact that deep down I knew I was doing the right thing moving there. 

At this time of year, I always end up thinking about how different my life could have been if I'd accepted that place at Liverpool back in 2008. In the end, I made the complete right decision- I've grown up so much in the last few years (in some ways at least... there's still a big part of me that thinks I'm only about 15!) and most of that is to do with making Leeds my home, making roots in a new place and meeting some of the best people in the world in the process. 



6 comments:

  1. I moved for uni too and I something think about how different life woulda been if I hadn't. It's funny how one little thing can change your whole life.

    Lauren
    livinginaboxx

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  2. I moved to Leeds for university way back in 2007 and it stayed my home for the next seven years, I met my husband and we settled down. The city holds so many special memories for me I was sad to say goodbye to it in June but we're off on our next adventure and I'll always cherish Leeds as my home away from home!

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  3. Ah you've given me the post uni blues! I can't believe it was SEVEN years ago since I was a wee fresher.
    And the noodles bit made me lol, I get them in my local asda all the time piling up on pasta and cheap booze

    xx

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  4. This is SO interesting Kaz! I was rejected from my first choice of university when I was 18 as I didn't get the grades I needed- and in hindsight, I'm so pleased I didn't. I never would have had the amazing experience I had in Cardiff, and certainly wouldn't be who I am now. You definitely made the right decision in following your gut miss! xx

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  5. It's eight years since I left Yorkshire to move to Newcastle for my university days, use to surprise me so much when I was doing my masters the difference in how busy the city was during the summer and then the sudden arrival of freshers! I'd actually planned and hoped to have been living in Newcastle still post university days but actually ended up in America - oh life!

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  6. LOVED this Mrs, so so true. I nearly didnt come to Cumbria to Uni and Glasgow was actually my first choice. Its nice to sometimes think where would i be if 'this' had/hadnt happened. Sort of a Sliding Doors moment!!

    Hope you are having the loveliest weekend xxxxx

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