Term 1, Year 2

I went back to University on 20th September, two days before rep training began and the fun started. Freshers arrived sometime after that, then it was Freshers' week, then it was the start of term, 10 lectures and four seminars down for each module down, three KitKat ChitChats (don't ask), one Pub Golf night, one trip to A&E and too many "on a scale of one to ten"'s. The first term has gone and there are five days left till Christmas and my bank balance is at an all time low. So instead of shopping in the ASOS sale I thought I would go through some of the best moments of the first term - in pictures. woohoo! 

Here we go...

Freshersss

We were christened Welfare Reps with our yellow t-shirts - me sporting a very deep tan. Sadly its faded, everyone else having "welfare bombs" consisting of red bull and coke - yum.

The reps got close at Pub Golf - involving downing pints of cider black, me downing a J2O as I can't have alcopops - drama and several TC's and far too many attempts at Zoolander - of which pictures cannot be put up, they are dreadful

The pub golf couples 

I just had to add this photo - Apols. 

Not as easy as you may think! it was rather cold 

Talks were in full swing with one couple about how many children to have. 2?

It was the first house party at the end of Freshers' week and it was safe to say everyone got rather too tipsy, to the point where it was normal to drink out of teapots and read books about "sexual fulfilment" - Natalie and I were far too busy hiding ducks and taking labels of tins to get involved with that. There definitely needs to be more house parties. 

Becca's house party was pretty amazing too. There needs to be a big house with lots of stairs to fit a lot of people in. Our flat party at the end of term got a little crowded with a capacity of only 25 people. 

"I promise you it is only water" 

"smooth drinking"

this picture sums up the sober-ness of everyone

Creeps

 CREEPS! HOW COULD I FORGET CREEPS. Nestled at one end of Middlesbrough is a bar called "Medicine Bar" and the medicine they serve is incredible (just the drinks, of course). Still a place that most people from Durham will refuse to go to because it involves mingling with Teeside University students - but everyone needs to try it once in their life. Natalie and I go as much as we can (that is, when there is a theme that I actually know, Arctic Monkeys sing "chasing cars" right?). We went twice this term, once it was Motown theme, which NEVER fails to disappoint (even with high expectations from February) and the time after that it was 90's theme? - actually I forget what theme but it is incredible, and the cocktails are amazing!

Before the Motown theme - something was funny. 

We always get bombed. 

The second creeps outing - always getting creeped on

Outside Trev's - looking like right tourists - which we were.

The "rep social" that turned into six of us (admittedly the President was ill and had to go home) on a Durham Colleges Bar Crawl - a very interesting night which involved us all trying very strange college drinks (and wishing we hadn't), running from bar to bar before they all shut, not telling anyone we were from Queen's Campus and spending far too long in Castle bar, because, lets be honest it is one of the best, apart from Chad's - that one was very interesting too. With a London Tube map turned into a map of Durham - très clever. 

Halloween

Halloween. Now that was an interesting night - cue me finding a Winnie the Pooh bear in a charity shop and pulling it to pieces, the poor thing. However, it was a great find because it was also a bag! (winning) So I really did look like a walking zombie, or at least something demented. This photo still scares me. Sarah and Natalie looking beautiful, me looking like something off The Purge. 

The Parents vist. 

With the Grandma during her visit. 

This is always a happy time. They take you shopping to buy food, they pay for you to have dinner at nice places and you get to stay in a nice hotel (thanks to my perks from work). We stayed two nights at the Marriott in Durham and got thoroughly spoilt by my mother and grandmother. This photo was taken at Gadd's Town House in Durham - probably the best restaurant there, its incredible (save the pennies to go though! Its not an everyday thing!) 

Winter Ball. 

It was 9pm on a Saturday evening and myself and Natalie had got a Dine in for 2 for £10 from M&S and were watching X Factor when the call came that helped us make our decision to go to the Winter Ball. We were too late to go to the drinks reception but we quickly got changed and went to pre's and had a pretty good night in Middlesbrough and what I was told by Ben was an old cinema... still not sure about that, it was more like a pub. But it had a pool table, a huge dance area and one of those photo booths... which some people didn't realise the photos would be made public the next day. Cue a Masquerade Summer Ball. 

"This used to be an old Cinema" 

The last few nights and turning 20. 

It was time for our first house party. Who am I kidding... we live in a tiny three-bedroom flat. What you can see from this photo is pretty much the extent of the flat. We invited 50 people, only expecting 25 and that was plenty, because after people turned up who we had no idea who they were (Thanks to the flat door being left open) it got quite warm and cosy in there. We had a DJ, Red Bull practically on tap and two of us turning 20. We were celebrating the end of term, the end of teens and the end of the year. 

I cannot believe how quickly this term has gone, or the year. It feels like yesterday that I was writing my candidate number of my Biology A Level exam and now its 18 months later and I'm nearly half way through year two. 

It has been a year of the unexpected and if there is anything I have learnt from Uni is that everyone who I know has left is very jealous. So enjoy it while it lasts! I'm planning my second degree already... or not. 

Now it is two days to Christmas, I'm sat here after taking four days to write this post, watching Christmas films, supposed to be wrapping my Grandma's presents (bird food... and other things, obviously), getting ready for work and praying I don't get blown away when I leave the house. Where is the snow?!

Anyway, I hope however you spend the last week or so of 2013 is pretty amazing and I hope you have a fabulous 2014. 

I will say that at least twice more before the end of the year! But you can't hear it enough!

Love

RHS x