Hey your grandmother is probably a university student!

It should come as no shock that I'm a university student. Hey your grandmother is probably university student.

For my first year I lived in a dorm like apartment that doubled as a hotel during the summer months. The staff were extremely wonderful. I developed a second mother in the cleaning lady! Not as bad as it sounds. Maintaining the building for the summer months takes more then cleaning energy of a full-time college student.

The place was very lovely and certainly quiet. It had a few downfalls, including a communal kitchen. And a very tiny bathroom but compromised for the tub. I will miss it! Why you ask? I'm moving into a new apartment with three other people.

It's a street much closer to the university, however the 6 minute commute is all up hill. I'll be taking the bus for at least the first couple of days until I get used to walking the hills again.

As I grow up into an adult who lives on her own. I've learned some valuable yet painful lessons.

Last year I learned:
1. Paying bills sucks! This year I turned nineteen and for the first few months I didn't have a way to contact my parents via phone so it was number one on my list of things to get - but with that came a bill, every month.
2. Overall, this next one probably applies to ALL my lessons, I depended way too much on my parents. I was never made work a job AND go to school. My parents paid for all my back to school stuff, any material things I wanted, all my medical supplies, even more so groceries. So I learned that EVERYTHING is expensive.
3. Money only goes so far. Living on a loan is tough.
4. Remembering appointments and when to get up in the morning. I rarely ever missed my alarm to go to school, but I have been late, even cancelled appointments sometimes because I forgot about them.
5. Everything is on you. When you live on your own, and you don't pay a bill, or miss an appointment, or hand in a paper/assignment late, it's your fault.
6. Not everyone is going to like you. You'll run into people that are going to rub you the wrong way - dust yourself off and find someone who is all about positive things.
7. You're going to make mistakes. And, yes you will regret them. For a long time! Don't beat yourself up over them. Move on.
8. Love - though at 19 I have lots of time - will pass you by if you busy making bigger plans. Sometime you just need to stop and smell rose to load you up with cliches.
9. One bad mark doesn't mean it's time to give up, it means try harder next time.
10. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Notice that most of the things I've listed are pretty major major. A little help every now and then is not a bad thing. Whether it be someone to talk to when you're stressed, a tutor to help you with a tough subject, or a family member/friend help with a bill your short one month.
11. People and things change - I'm sure this is no surprise to anyone really, but it's worth drawing your attention to.
12. Don't be afraid to try new things. I live in a very small town. Even when we go into the city, there isn't much there. I moved to a university that is housed in one of the larger cities in my province. It's like having the world at your fingers. New types of food, clubs, bars, activities, parks, coffee shops, alternative lifestyles, acceptance, you name it, it's there. So even though things are new - try them. You might actually like them.

I'm sure there are plenty of other things I've learned that I neglected to mention, even I am more that I will learn MUCH more lessons to come.

What have you learned in the past year? Or better yet, what are you learning right now?

~ N