2020: Third-year of University
During a pandemic the last two years of university was strictly academic - less of the ‘experience’ that much of us had hoped.
Maybe it was the eventful and socially roaring beginning of first year that set the course for what we had entailed it to be a vivaciously adventurous three years, that when lockdown began its fruition; seeing my course and house mates naively packing for the two weeks, assuming they would spend home - many (myself included) found ourselves significantly under packing. Thank god for the few pairs of tracksuit bottoms left last Christmas break that refused to fit inside the already-crammed suitcase!
Even more so, missing birthdays, events and time together with friends and lovers made the time apart from that thin-walled university bedroom almost unimaginable. Almost. For finishing assignments at home wasn’t as bad with the hearty meals and regular snack-breaks in between. All of which were an upgrade in comparison to the 3-minute soup sachets and noodles packets that many students were accustomed to.
Saving money was always on the agenda as a student, yet so was spending what little money we did have on complicated coffees and orders in local cafes. The vigorously dynamic streets and alleyways of Brighton made this paradoxical part of student life amusing. In first year, the amount of venturing my friends and I partook in; devouring not only the vibrant city, but the delicious and unique styles of café’s that served drinks that we became accustomed to, made us regulars and known to the waiters and waitresses in these places.
Trading Post Coffee Roasters, Brighton
The Plant Room, Brighton
Trading Post Coffee Roasters, Brighton
The drinks in Trading Post Coffee Roaster in Brighton saw us almost daily – studying, eating, conversing about all sorts from the beginning of the day till close. Only it wasn’t just me and my friends, but other students and tourists from all walks of life entering that place. Watching them walk in and out throughout the day, sitting then standing and so on and so forth, rose this realisation that people watching has just as much to do with those characters than myself. It was an exchange of moments. Fleeting as they were, the unspoken softness between a watcher and those being watched is mundane and human. That was the main difference between my first year and third year experience. When everything is stripped back, those ephemeral exchanges, even if just a mere glance or smile, was what studying alone in your living room or bedroom could not come close to reproducing. Even if it was just passers-by in the library hallway – isolation has taken away what made student lives were like.
Although, the virtual aspects of socialising and teaching was implemented to avoid the feeling of loneliness and seclusion between students and teachers, it is known that relationships and learning were still affected. Some may have struggled more than others, but the effects of the changes were significant. From missing birthdays and having to recreate the party environment through “virtual parties”; the era of ‘HouseParty’ in the first lockdown to the slow implementation of ‘Zoom’ rooms throughout the whole of lockdown, in a personal and professional sense. Much did we try, nothing really hit the same as being in a messy living room and kitchen, drowned in neon lights with a Drake song blasting in the back.
Despite all that, we’re reaching the light at the end of the tunnel.
As a condensed overview of my third-year experience – nothing much happened. It was days on end with sitting in my room, sometimes in the garden, listening to online lectures, being the only person replying to the lecturer on Teams calls; replaying the same cardio HIIT workout every few days; walks alone with Lana Del Rey echoing repetitively and continuous messages of “when this is all over…” to keep friendships alive… At least until we reach graduation.
Brighton Sea Front
