This time of year is obviously a time for celebration. Everyone is starting to get into the Christmas spirit with the start of advent; Christmas decoration week at college and Secret Santa shopping, it’s hard not to feel a little bit festive. Without meaning to pull a negative out of a happy time, I’m starting to feel a little bit sentimental about where we’ll all be in a year’s time.
By this time next year, many of us will be nearing the end of our first term at University and preparing to return home for the Christmas holidays. Ready to see friends and the many landmarks that good old Maldon offers. We’ll be ready for big home cooked meals from Mum after too many Pot Noodles and chips, and surprisingly, we’ll probably all be looking forward to a slight detox from all the alcohol consumption. College will just see a role reversal, with the year 12s being handed a large case of email-refresh syndrome and the year 11s just getting settled in to college life. I’m almost certain that it will be as if we never left our friends, however it does feel hard to think like that at the moment. I’m sure that the majority of years 13s have got emotional at least once when considering how life is going to change in the next year; it doesn’t at all undermine the thrill of applying to university and the excitement that comes when thinking of actually being there, although it is inevitable when it comes to change. I think the worst thing about the prospect of moving away from home is the thought of being forgotten by the people you leave behind. You start to think that your family are going to transform your room into a guest bedroom and that you’re never going to see your best friends again. We all know that none of that is true, but it doesn’t stop it being a persistent worry for us all. One of my best and oldest friends is currently studying at Aberystwyth University in Wales and I’m really looking forward to seeing her in a couple of weeks, I’m always wondering how she’s getting on and constantly trying to find ways to talk to her and find out, so you’re definitely not forgotten, when you go.
It is inevitable that we will think about how different things are going to be this time next year, but realistically, Christmas shouldn’t be the time for it because next Christmas we’ll be home and still enjoying the family Christmas and Secret Santa with friends. The truth is we’ll probably just have more interesting stories to tell. I’m trying to install something my best friend said to me the other day, as a motto for my life. She said “Don’t leave before you’ve left” and I think that pretty much sums up what I, and many others, have been doing recently. I’m constantly thinking about how much things are going to change and trying to make sure everyone remembers me, which is resulting in me forgetting to enjoy the time I’ve got left in Maldon, and at plume.
Happy Christmas Everybody and give the email refreshing for Uni offers a rest over the holidays, we don’t need the stress!
