Happy December! I can’t believe that the Christmas month has come around so quickly! It doesn’t seem like yesterday when I was writing my first (ridiculously long) post about Freshers Week! As the end of term approaches it’s been time for a little bit of Christmassy fun this week in my flat! Coursework deadlines await me next term, so I’m trying to focus on getting everything together before the Christmas break – but having a little fun in the process too!
Our house has really been getting into the Christmas Spirit – we’ve planned a Christmas meal and a Secret Santa ready for the end of term – I’m so excited! It’s so clear that everybody is getting ready for the vacation and the holiday period – a few of my flatmates have bought advent calendars and there are so many decorations pinned up around campus: from snowflakes and tinsel to fully decorated trees; it’s so great! A few of us also watched Frozen this weekend, eek! It’s little things like this that really make me think about the friends I’ve made here – just being able to chill and watch a film is something totally invaluable; we all get on so well!
Speaking of Christmas spirit, we’re all buzzing at choir too because we have a concert coming up soon, at the cathedral! Annoyingly I’d missed a few rehearsals because of my horrible cold, but to return to Christmas songs was wonderful! We’re looking at some really lovely pieces, including ‘Carol of the Bells’ and ‘A Swinging Christmas’, as well as an ‘alternative’ piece: the Russian Dance from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker – it has no words, just lots of ‘la, la, las’ which is proving a challenge, but I’m sure it’ll be beautiful when it’s polished! I’m looking forward to the concert so much! It’s a little nostalgic, I guess, because we used to have a choir service when I was at secondary school!
I had my last coursework deadline of the term this week! I’m still in a little bit of shock that I’ve actually submitted essays at uni – at uni, people! I know it may sound a little strange, but just the fact that I’m looking at all this material and trying to compose a real argument, without the constraints of A-level marking criteria, seems a little unreal! For any prospective students reading this, you’ll understand what I mean! I’ve spoken of expectations before and handing these essays in is a way of trying to meet the expectations we’ve set ourselves. It’s been the chance for me to make an impression and I really want it to be good! It’s so hard to explain! Aside from this, though, all the essays are handed in….YAY! And breathe! There’s still a lot of work for me to be doing in preparation for next term, and this is certainly no time to stop, especially because I’d like to have a little time off in the vacation, so I’ll be heading off to the library this week to get in some preparation for next term’s assignments!
However, I did take a little time this weekend to visit lovely Liverpool! It was an opportunity for me to see some family and have a quick catch-up on my flying visit, as well as to visit the Andy Warhol exhibition at the Liverpool Tate. The exhibition was amazing – it was the weirdest thing ever to see these iconic prints and sculptures in real life! What was even weirder was realising that I’m only just over an hour away from there! My geography isn’t the best, hence why I chose History, but I couldn’t get over how close it actually was! For any budding shopaholics Liverpool is definitely worth that hour’s trip! It was so great to see some family there; we went for breakfast and had a proper catch-up! The Albert Dock has been renovated since I last visited and it is wonderful! Liverpool One is adorned with Christmas decorations at the moment and it is stunning – I don’t think my photos do it any justice! Hopefully I’ll be able to make a return trip in the future – just taking a day like that away from it all gives a little breathing space from uni life.
As Christmas approaches it’s important that I keep my focus so I can have as much fun in the break as possible – so I think I’ll stay cosy in the library for these next few days! I hope I’ll be able to brush off the Christmas jumper a few times though when I’m not studying!
Thank you for reading, guys – have a lovely Christmassy week!
History Hugs,
Eleanor :0)