Hey ho, let's go!

Hello no one! 

Today you get a photo of make-upless me surrounded by bags.

Lucky You!

The great migration begins tomorrow, so I spent all day shoving my life in a large plastic suitcase (above). It took time, effort, precision and elimination. Several times I was forced the empty the bloody thing on the floor, toss a few items aside and start again.

And after seven attempts.

It still wouldn't bloody close.

I even had to sit on it.

So, here are my five packing top tips!

(why five? Because it's my blog, that's why.)

1) Time: Don't leave your packing to the last minute like I did. It's a tough and laborious job and therefore needs time and above all, thought.

2) Space: Don't worry too much about travelling light-you're moving to a new and unfamiliar place, better to have MORE than you need than not have enough. 

  

3) Home Comforts: With your brand spanking new life, it's important not to forget the old one. Bring those things which mean the most to you. Above are some of my best loved books (along with some new reads!) which I'll be using to isolate myself from my peers for the next couple of years.

4) Save money: Yet another good reason for packing as much as you can into your carriable compact is (as American's call it in my head) that sweet sweet green. As a student you're going to be poor as a fish wife. (I presume they're poor) so buy in advance and save while you're down there. The more you bring with you-the LESS you'll have to waste your loan on when you move out.

5) Be Yourself: It's the biggest cliche in the book but it's possibly one of the best. Whatever you're taking to your new space make sure you don't forget yourself. The Casablanca poster might make you seem like a film buff, but if you've never seen it the gesture's relatively empty. Don't adorn your room with snaps of the coolest bands in attempt to fit in if you've never heard of half of them. Don't be ashamed of who you are, everyone is nervous and eager to fit in, by a months time everyone will have accepted your tastes...however strange they might be.

Thanks for all of your lovely comments in response to my first post...it was quite unexpected! 

This time tomorrow I'll be discovering if my personal top tips payed off and (I expect) missing my little village.

So Sayonara Cheshire,
Hello London!
-K.Ashton

Out of the Frying Pan, into the fire...

BEGINNINGS

Essentially this blog is a record of exciting, hyperbolised beginnings.  

 

My names Kate; I'm eighteen years old and I live an embarrassingly middle-class life in Northern England. For as long as I can remember my small-town village life has been a delicious reflection of the BBC's Jam and Jerusalem...with maybe a dash of the Last of the Summer Wine sloshed in for good measure. My childhood has been country fairs, winter walks, crafty markets and enviable friendships.

However...

...That is all about to change.

   

I am soon about to up-route my world and embark on a spectacular adventure...well as much of an adventure as someone with my face can have.

I am at last off to University.  

And not just any university in any town in any region; I'm moving from my quiet suburban village to busy and frightening London town.

Let's face it; it's something we all do. Well most of us anyway. Where once further education was a dream only to be realised by the rich and haughty, degrees are now almost as commonplace as breathing and the big move away is seen by most as an inevitability. But even students moving to their local university halls will no doubt be preparing for a huge culture shock. While this change may be expected of most it is in no way an easy task to perform; whether you're attending university to gain a plethora of new skills, retain useless knowledge or simple party yourself into a state resembling a paralytic fish, that first year of your new life will be, in one way or another, a living hell.

So that's why I'm here.  

A regular source of whimsical (most likely) useless information will soon be appearing on these magical, virtual pages along with recipes, analysis, progress record and that which fuels the blogging world: photos.

So read about my soon to be catastrophic attempts at being a normal student, there's bound to be some frustrating stories in there for you to enjoy...or if nothing else, it can act as a distraction from your own crippling academic stress, overbearing debt and student-related misfortunes.

It's out of the frying pan,
into the fire.
-K.Ashton