The year started off with me working towards my A-Levels in the hopes of getting into university. I'd like to think that I worked hard, especially considering that for one of my courses I didn't have any timetabled lessons so I did it all myself. I probably could have put a bit more effort into my Chemistry. As much as I love Chemistry and enjoy all the theories and equations, I just couldn't bring myself to put 100% effort into it, because I saw my two A2 written exams as battles that I could never win. But overall I feel I worked hard enough, and I even managed to read 1-2 books a week on top of all of my work and revision. Also, throughout the two thirds of Year 13 that 2013 covered, on top of all my work and reading, I managed to strengthen many of the friendships I had formed in Year 12. This would probably have to be my second best -or maybe even joint first- achievement of that academic year as I gained four true friends that I hope remain in my life for many years to come.
Thankfully by mid-July my A-Levels were a thing of the past -aside from my results. It was around this time that I began my training for my first ever job. Once I had completed all my training and handed in my availability form all I had to do was wait until August when I began my job as a Support Playworker. Sadly I was only given four days of work out of the 12 I was available to work throughout August. My four days were really good though and I felt very rewarded by the end of it. I'm looking forward to the Easter break when I'll hopefully be able to do some more work.
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| One of my many panoramic shots of the Devonshire coast. |
Also during August I went on holiday to Devon for a week with the 'Larks'. This was the first time I'd been on holiday in years and it was also the first time I'd been on holiday with people other than my family. It was a really nice week! I would have preferred it if we hadn't of stayed in caravans. That being said though it was lovely being such a short walk from the beach, which we probably wouldn't have got if we had stayed in a hotel. It really was a great week though. There were ups and downs but that's to be expected with any holiday, especially when you're with such a large group of people. Overall the company was good, the sights were really pretty and the pools were warm; I couldn't really have asked for much more.
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| A week or two after every Lark holiday an award ceremony is held. My boyfriend and I were awarded 'Most Loving Couple', which is a title that I am very proud to hold. |
Then after I arrived home it was time to start thinking about all the things I needed to either buy or pack up to take to uni, and deciding what were necessities and what were not. By the time I moved you could barely move in my room because there were so many bags and crates. It turns out I over prepared myself for living away from home, as much of the stuff I took with me has yet to be used. Oops, haha!
I must admit that I'm really enjoying living independently. It doesn't always go smoothly, but then again nothing ever does. Only on a few occasions have my boyfriend and I had to raid the cupboards to find something to throw together for dinner and we've only had the electricity run out once; so I think it's fair to say that we're coping quite well.
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| I'd say that for me the worst thing about living away from home is being away from this cutie for long periods of time. |
Once October began I officially began my psychology course at the University of Bedfordshire. I was a little apprehensive at first as I didn't really know what to expect and was really nervous about meeting new people; but I'm loving it now. My course is really interesting and I'm enjoying all of my units, even Research Methods! I'm also enjoying my counselling unit. When I first saw it was one of my units I thought it rather pointless with regards to my degree and that I'd hate it. I still don't see how it links to my degree specifically, but I understand why I have to do it and I'm actually finding it really interesting. I also didn't have to worry about making friends. Although I wouldn't say I've made any strong friendships yet I have actually met and befriended a fair few people.
Then three weeks into my course it was my 20th birthday. I came home for the weekend, along with my boyfriend, and had a lovely time. I've already written a post on my birthday weekend so I won't go into too much detail here. But to summarise the weekend: I was spoilt, ate too much, found a new favourite drink and left appreciating my family more.
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| The aforementioned new favourite drink I discovered at the Hard Rock Café in London. |
Skip ahead two months and it's Christmas. This year I didn't really feel Christmassy. It got to 5:30pm on Christmas Eve, when the Crib Service at my boyfriend's church was about to being, and even then I didn't feel in the Christmas spirit. It didn't even feel like it was going to be Christmas Day in a matter of hours.
My Christmas was pretty good overall though. I definitely got more than my fair share of lovely things! I got a lovely, cute pair of Bambi pyjamas and a pair of thick bed socks that are lined with a fluffy material; both of which are super cosy and comfortable, and are things that I never would have picked out myself but am very glad that I own. I also got a beautiful leather jacket that I intend to wear with pride whenever possible. I got a lot of shower gel and other such toiletries which is great as it saves me spending money when I run out of the stuff I am currently using. I got lots of DVDs, including many Disney classics; and I also got a number of gift cards for a range of different shops that I look forward to spending in the new year.
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| Wrapping presents: the best part of Christmas. |
This year also saw me become a little more adventurous with my appearance. I've started wearing skirts for the hell of it, instead of for school and special occasions, which is something I haven't done since I was in primary school. I've also started to wear lipstick which is something I have never done before. I also had a full fringe at one point but that didn't last long once I saw pictures of myself and realised how terrible it looked.
So that's my 2013 in a fair-lengthed nutshell! I hope you all had a lovely 2013! Tell me about some of your 2013 highlights in the comments; I'd love to hear them!
-Hannah.
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