Y2-18: Weeks 36, 37 & 38, day trips and leaving Bath!

Here I come with the last post from my second year in Bath, time certainly flies!

Monday the 30^th of May was a bank holiday meaning that everything was closed. I didn’t do much to be fair; slept in, ran some errands and did some tidying up in the house. I also went to a free screening of ‘Me Before You’ with Amélie and Esther, since the Slackers Club was offering one. The film was fine; not the best, but for a love story it was alright considering I don’t particularly enjoy romance films. Also, it was Canary Islands’ Day so I got to show a bit of pride in my home with some nice pictures of the landscape. I was really missing the sun!

The whole week was pretty chill. Having just started the holidays, I focused on getting a few things done now that I had time: updating the blog, figuring out storage space for my belongings over next year and how to take it there, starting to pack… On Tuesday Vidushi invited us over to her house for Indian food because her aunt and grandma had come to visit, so despite the rain we made our way to Combe Down and enjoyed a good Indian dinner. Begoña still struggled with the spice though… 

Joel left the house on Wednesday morning, forgetting some stuff behind that we had to partly mail to him and also get someone to pick it up for him, and in the evening we went to ODEON to watch ‘Alice Through The Looking Glass’. I really loved the film, the costumes, make-up and scenery were absolutely gorgeous and, although the plot was nothing special, I really loved the film.

On Thursday I was going on a day trip to Stonehenge and Lacock with Cristina so I met with her to get the Lion Tours’ bus. It was so much easier and less time-consuming to get the tour rather than attempt to make our way on our own… The bus was late, but it finally arrived and we were only seven passengers: a Malaysian girl studying in Birmingham, an American couple, a Canadian couple and us two. The day was sunny and lovely, albeit somewhat windy, but I really enjoyed it. I finally visited Stonehenge after wanting to go since I was a little child. To be honest, I thought the stones would be more impressive but the thing that impressed me the most was the location: it was in the middle of nowhere, literally. I found the interpretation centre very helpful to understand the site and all the other interesting facts about it and its surroundings. 

Then we made our way to Lacock which is a small town very popular for film locations because it looks just like it did three centuries ago at least. It was super-tiny but it has been home to ‘Downton Abbey’ episodes, BBC telecoms and the Harry Potter films. In fact, we saw the Potter house, Slughorn’s house and also the Abbey that doubled as Hogwarts in the first film. It was really quirky and cute. We also got to see one of the Wiltshire horses and some lovely views of the English countryside. Once back in Bath we were starving so we had dinner in Pizza Express before parting because I was going for drinks at The Westgate with the French lectrices and a couple other second year students. It was lovely to see them before leaving, everybody was talking about their plans for summer and their Year Abroads and the lectrices were great offering to help if we needed. As a bonus, we got to listen to them speaking English for a change!

On Friday I treated myself to a pancake brunch because, why not? And in the evening I met with Cristina and Rebecca to go and watch BUST’s production of ‘Hamlet’. It was the first Shakespeare play that I have actually watched and it was hard to follow because of the Old English, but I really enjoyed it. They did a fantastic job after only a week of rehearsals and I was really glad I got tickets! 

On the Saturday Amélie’s parents came over because she was leaving the following morning so they had to load all her stuff in the car and I spent the day packing my bag for my Amsterdam trip and also met with Cristina in the evening to plan another day trip, this time to Wells and Glastonbury, once I came back from the Netherlands. If you want to know more about my adventures in Amsterdam and Utrecht, click here: http://gathering-smithereens.blogspot.com.es/2016/06/june-2016-amsterdam-utrecht.html?m=1

Back from the Netherlands, life got really busy. I spent Thursday and Friday virtually packing all my stuff to have it ready to take to the Storage Centre and, believe me, that is tough work. You cannot imagine how much stuff you can haul in one year, despite having reduced it down over the last months. I managed to pack it all in the end (yippee!). It was only Bego and me in the house by then, which felt really bizarre and even more so because we had both packed everything. Begoña left on Saturday morning and the house was left incredibly empty. It was really strange because I was the last moving in, so I had always seen the house filled with our stuff and now it was the opposite. Plus, living out of a suitcase for a week… sounds familiar? #throwbacktofreshers 

Anyway, the best thing to do was to stay out of the house so on Saturday afternoon I went into town and met with Cristina. We went on the Tower Tour, which I’d done before with Erin but I didn’t mind doing again. The views from the Abbey tower are incredible, even more when you can recognize what you are looking at. Then we headed to the Fashion Museum because there was an exhibition. History through 100 objects or something similar. They had made an exhibition of the changes in fashion from the 1600s up until now using objects and pieces of clothing from the archives. It was amazing! I love fashion exhibitions so I am glad I got round to visiting it, it was great. We also got to try on some puffy dresses ourselves… Right out of a Jane Austen novel I might say… After that we just walked around and had some frozen yogurt before heading back home and just about avoiding the rain. That night I decided to watch ‘Encore’ on my lonesome. Not a bad night.

On Sunday, Cristina and I went to visit Wells and Glastonbury. As it was a Sunday, the bus timetables were a bit more limited, but we managed to visit both and come back in time and fortunately the rainy weather cleared off throughout the day. First we took the bus from Bath to Wells, which takes a good hour and a half, and once there we visited the Cathedral, the Bishops’ Gardens and the Vicars’ Close. I liked the gardens because of all the wells and flowers, but my favourite was the Close. It is one of the only remaining medieval streets in England, and it was a sight! 

Then we took the bus from Wells to Glastonbury and had to get off in the middle of nowhere because the main road was closed off because of the party celebrating the Queen’s birthday. So much love for the royalty. I loved Glastonbury, the vibes of the town were amazing with so many hippie and alternative people; it reminded me of home! Sometimes I miss having people so chill around me, Bath is quite a posh place and it lacks that kind of atmosphere… In Glastonbury we first visited the Abbey ruins. It must’ve been quite a sight before it was demolished. Then we went to the Chalice Well gardens which are literally a hippie commune that runs a garden with healing properties or so they claim. Not amazing. And then we walked up a massive hill to the Tor. The views from the Tor were absolutely breath-taking! There was a map identifying the hills and towns and you can clearly see the inspiration for the Accommodation names on campus: Solsbury, Brendon, Polden…  After than we went back to Glastonbury and used the time left over before the bus back to roam around the shops. I couldn’t help but buy a choker and a pin. My favourite things of the day definitely were Glastonbury town and the views from the Tor. It was worth such a long trip just to see those!

My last week in Bath was really, really busy. On Monday I finished packing and had to run some errands. I then went to my last bootcamp session in which there was only four of us and was run at the University Hall so we were running up and down the lecture hall stairs. It was a lot of fun but really hard work. I will see what I can think of to keep up the exercise next year… And, of course, Game of Thrones before bed. On Tuesday I took some stuff to give to charity and did some shopping in town. I got myself some new matte lipsticks that look amazing (love me a good lipstick!) and then headed up to campus to have lunch with Vidushi who had just started her placement at University. She is very happy with it, so I am glad. After that I had the training session for the June Open Days in which I was working. They briefed us on all the information we needed and then got to meet out team leaders and members. I was allocated the East Car Park Welcome Point so I was right outside the East Building giving Welcome Packs to the prospective students and their families and giving directions. That evening, Beryl and the new tenants came over to have a look and I sorted out how to leave the house on the Saturday.

On Wednesday I woke up early and Jason, the van driver who helped me last year too, came over to help me take my stuff to Stroud to the Storage Centre. It is quite a drive away but he was super nice and also had a new puppy with him that was so cute. We chatted away and he also helped me load the unit at the storage place. I managed to fit everything in only one unit so that was such a great victory! Once back home I did the groceries (well, bought some ready-made meals for the last three days) and cleaned the house. Since it was raining, I decided to stay at home and chill. I did some online language tests for Erasmus and defrosted the freezer (omg water puddles everywhere), and just relaxed and went to bed early since I had to wake up at six to get to work the following day.

My experience working at the Open Days was amazing! I really enjoyed it. Even though I had to get up really early to get to campus on time to set everything up before people started to arrive, and it was really demanding, I had tons of fun! I met a lot of lovely people: Isaure, Barney, Andrew, George… and had a great time helping out on both days. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t help much but we kept on smiling and welcoming everybody to our great University. I loved the fact that we got to talk about our experience and why we love Bath, I felt it was a way of giving back to the community at University. I can’t wait to take part in more Open Days when I go back in fourth year!

Even though I was exhausted after working all day, that didn’t stop me from doing stuff in the evening, making the most of my last two days in Bath. On Thursday I finished cleaning and went over to Vidushi’s house for dinner. We ordered Domino’s and chilled for a bit. And on Friday, after saying good-bye to the campus, I packed the suitcase and sorted the router to hand it back to Virgin on my way to town to meet Vidushi. We went out for a couple celebratory drinks at the happy hour in Turtle Bay.

Forgive my face in this... :P

I left on Saturday morning to come back to Tenerife for the summer. I really wanted to go back home to the sun and sea. Plus, there was not much going on in Bath once the exams finished and pretty much everybody had left, but Bath has become a second home to me over the past two years and it was hard giving it up. It felt unreal to be leaving Bath for over a year, but next year in France and Italy will be blast, I’m sure, and I will be returning to England in 2017. I can’t begin to imagine what it will be like when I have to leave permanently after I finish my degree… But, for now, so long Bath, you’ve been a treat!

June 2016: Amsterdam & Utrecht!

A couple of weeks ago I took a short trip to the Netherlands to visit my friend Sofía, who is au-pairing for a family there. I was done with exams and needed a fun getaway, so what better time to come and visit?

I woke up fairly early on Sunday the 5^th and got ready to head to the airport, having to say good-bye to Amélie and her parents in between because they were also leaving that morning. The trip to the airport ran smoothly; no suitcases to check as I was only there for a couple of days so I was travelling with a cabin bag. Plus, I have been to Bristol Airport (or any airport, for that matter) so many times that I have nailed down my security check routine and can get through in a matter of minutes: liquids and creams in a bag, technology on top so I can just pull it out, travelling with trainers and no belt if possible. I’ve become a pro, trust me. Once in the waiting lounge, I grabbed some coffee to keep me going and bought lunch to eat during the flight, which was an hour long - just long enough to chill and eat. I arrived on time in Schiphol, at around 2pm, and Sofi was waiting for me outside. I was so glad to see her, it felt unreal!

First, it was incredibly hot the few days that I was there: hot and sunny. Not going to complain because British weather lately is nothing like Summer and I actually got a slight tan, but let’s just say Chopi and I are not used to these temperatures anymore… Then, the train back to Utrecht. We were supposed to take the Sprinter, which is the high speed train, but there was a problem with the trains that day (and neither of us speak Dutch to understand the messages) and so we took the Intercity, which takes a bit over an hour rather than half an hour. Anyhow, it was alright because we got to catch up during the train ride and I got to see other towns in the Netherlands. However, we were just one stop away from Utrecht Centraal, when the train stopped. Stopped. Like, we all had to get off. We were in Utrecht Overrecht, no trains to Centraal seemed to be arriving in the near future and the information screens were full of delays – not how Dutch trains usually run. Anyway, we checked Google Maps using the station wifi (because Sofi doesn’t have data) and decided we were close enough to her house to walk there, so we got out of the station and started walking into what looked like a migrant or worker-background neighbourhood which Sofi has never been to before, looking for Griftpark. After a couple of minutes, we asked a lady if we were going the in right direction. Well, apparently not. We’d got off the wrong side of the tracks so we had to go back to the station and start again. On our way back we saw a bus heading to Centraal and a mass of people coming from the station. The bus and stop were packed so we thought it would be faster to walk rather than wait for the next bus and try to get on it. This time, we were on the right track… and we suddenly realized Sofi had her bike at Centraal

station. Anyhow, after half an hour walking under the sun, we finally got to her house, which literally looks like IKEA. She went to get her bike back while I took a shower and kinda unpacked my stuff. What a long way back!

After Sofi had returned, we met with her friend Maialen and headed to a nearby café where her host mother was; she offered to buy us a picnic dinner at the supermarket before we went to the park. We got some salad and tomatoes – all super healthy- and went to Wilhelmina Park, which is just down the road from where Sofi lives and was lovely and sunny. We joined Elle and Carla for a bit and then Luisa and Oihane also came along. Lovely chill evening and with the sun setting so late during the summer, we stayed until after 11pm. We didn’t do that much on the Sunday since getting back to Utrecht from the airport was such a hassle, but I really enjoyed meeting her friends and just chilling at the park instead, I love these kind of Summer nights. Once we were back we were quite tired but had a catch-up before bed. It had been a while since I’d seen Chopi so it was about time!

On the second day we woke up early (technically even earlier since the sun was out at five, but we got out of bed at 8) and made a breakfast fit for a Queen : Mediterranean style – rye toasts with olive oil and tomato, orange juice, coffee and fresh fruit, ready to start the busy day ahead! Since Chopi was free both Monday and Tuesday, she was able to be my guide both days. On the Monday we decided to visit Utrecht. We thought riding a bike would be a good idea. The thing is, I don’t really cycle (even though I know how to, but I don’t own a bike), plus the bike she gave me had pedal brakes and the seat was incredibly high so my short legs were having trouble reaching the pedals while sitting at the same time… The result? I had a lot of trouble getting started and then whenever I had to stop (which in the Netherlands is a lot with all the cycling paths and traffic lights), it took me three tries to get going again…

We had a bike adventure around the outskirts of Utrecht first. We went to the countryside around the city passing by Wilhelmina Park and the Rietveld Schröder House. The latter is a house built in the 20s that looks incredibly modern, it was amazing! The fields in the countryside were also great and I loved the bike ride there because there weren’t a lot of people so I didn’t stress out, contrary to the city… We also went to the University campus, which is super modern, and to Sofi’s favourite spot, a lovely lake in one of the parks. On our way to the city centre we dropped off the bikes at the house and then walked to the centre. 

We saw Dom Tower, the country’s tallest tower, and the old part of Utrecht with the canals. I loved the city centre with all its streets and it was buzzing with activity on such a lovely sunny day! Then it was lunchtime so we got some food for a picnic and headed to Griftpark to find a spot in the shade (love the sun but I’m way too fair ie. sunburn menace). We were at the park for a couple of hours just chatting, sunbathing and chilling. Luisa and Anika joined us with some sangria and after a while we decided it was time to get a move on and walk to a mill (can’t go to the Netherlands and not see a mill). 

It was a bit far away but we walked near Centraal station, the Town Hall and the Muslim quarter with the Ramadan chants. It was nice to see the other side of the city, the more modern side with the steel and glass buildings and immigrant quarters. Everybody seems to get along quite well which lately is a relief. The mill itself was nice; we were going to sit near the canal but there were ducks, swans and geese around, not too welcoming, so we sat in a nearby park instead to catch our breaths before heading home. That night we had pasta bolognaise for dinner before heading out the door again to meet Sofi’s friends at the park; got to make the most of the good summer weather when it makes its appearance! And in lack of a beach, the parks in Europe are just as good! We stayed there until late with all the Spanish girls. It is funny to hear them speak about their ‘kids’; because as they are or have all been aupairs they talk as if they were mothers, which I guess they kind of are, but it still makes me laugh because they are so young and it is so bizarre!

On Tuesday it was time to go to Amsterdam. I’d been to Amsterdam before, when I was a kid, and I remember absolutely loving it and telling my mum I wanted to study in Holland (in spite of not knowing any Dutch but, oh well, that’s a whole other story). It was not all as I remember, there seem to be a lot more tourists nowadays, but I guess when I was eight or so I wouldn’t have focused on the amount of tourists either. The city is as charming as always nonetheless. After getting ready, we rode the bike to the station (this time, I went as a passenger on the back which is actually a decent workout trying not to fall off. Fortunately, Sofi is used to carrying weight so she was fine carrying me, kudos to her). 

This time we got the right train and within half an hour we were arriving at Amsterdam Centraal which is an impressive red building that looks like a palace, and made our way to Dam Square with all the tourists and human statues gathering between the buildings. 

Then we walked to Magnum Plaza, said to be one of the prettiest shopping centres in the world and it sure was. It was quite strange actually because there were a lot of pieces of art on the walls amongst the high end shops, quite an odd combination. Then we went to Anne Frank’s House but did not go in because we didn’t have the time nor tickets. I remember going there as a kid and the thing that struck me the most were the height marks on the wall, they were the proof that people actually lived there for years. 

After that we made our way to the Museumplein where the main museums and the famous ‘IamAmsterdam’ sign are, stopping by the Flower market for some Gouda tasting and souvenirs. It was lunchtime by the time we got to the Museumplein so we went to grab some lunch at the supermarket and found a spot in the shade to eat before going into the museums. I found it so cool that they had ping-pong tables in the grass so you could play. If it hadn’t been so incredibly hot, it would have made a fun break! After eating, we entered the Van Gogh museum. Fortunately, I had a friend of Sofi’s museum card so I could get in for free so cheers for that! It was really cool to see the original works now that I have actually studied History of Art. Now I understand what I am looking at. I like going to museums and with my parents I’ve been fortunate enough to have visited a lot of museums and art galleries, but I feel it is only now that I have actually studied the different periods that I can look at a piece of art and understand what is behind it, be it the idea, the movement it adheres to or the technique. I especially loved a couple of the paintings and also reading about his life. Then we went to the Rijksmuseum because I wanted to see Rembrandt’s ‘Night Watch’. The museum is way too big to explore in one day so we stuck to the 1600-1700s works before making our way out. Then we decided to try to find the Begijnhof, an old group of houses or Béguinage around a small and peaceful slot of grass in the middle of the busy touristy streets. It took us a while to find because it is hidden away from the crowds with only an arch to mark the entrance, but we finally found it. I really liked it; it was a break from the hassle of the other streets. 

After the Beginjhof we tried to go to the Jewish Museum but it was about to close when we arrived, so instead we headed to the Red Light District with the famous prostitutes on the shop windows and then stopped for some beer near a canal. It was time to go home after that, we were absolutely knackered from all the walking so we went back to Utrecht and had dinner by the lake with Maialen. It is such a peaceful place; I can see why Sofi loves it. It was also hilarious on our way back when Sofi lost control of the bike on the turn to leave the park and we crashed into a log and fell from the bike. We started laughing like mad and an Asian couple came for help but I’m sure they thought we were drunk or something! Fortunately, we were fine but we laughed all the way home!

Wednesday was my last day in Holland. Sofi had work that day so in the morning I got ready and made my way to the Spoorwegmuseum or Train Museum which is near her house. It was a lovely museum with lots of different trains from different eras and interactive rides and visits. I really enjoyed it. I found it interesting to see a wagon from one deportation train that took Jews to concentration camps, it gave me the chills but I’m glad these things are shown to the public – this is how history’s mistakes won’t be made again, by educating ourselves. 

Since I had some extra time to spare after the museum, I walked to the centre and saw the Pandhof garden and church garden which had been closed when we’d visited on Monday. I also popped into H&M to take a look at the sales, but didn’t find anything eye-catching… Once back home I had lunch with Sofi and then we took the little girl to her dance lesson. It was so hot outside! We sunbathed in the porch and then I decided to leave because I had to go back to Amsterdam and to the airport, and after the experience on Sunday I’d rather have extra time than run late in case there were problems with the trains. Anyway, Sofi had work so there wasn’t much else I could do. I said good-bye to everybody; Sofi’s host family is amazing and I’m really thankful that they let me stay in their home. And I’m going to miss Sofi but it sounds like she’s going to have a great Summer so she can’t really complain… And I’ll probably see her in September before going to France.

I walked to the station without getting lost – I’m pretty good at orientation, that is one thing I’m proud of! And I had no problems taking the Sprinter to the Airport and passing security. So I was there a lot earlier than I was expecting and found myself on my own in the waiting lounge (which I had been to for a connecting flight earlier in the year, so I knew what was there anyway). I chilled for a while and had dinner at MacDonald’s and then found out my flight was delayed for over an hour. I was so glad for the four hours of free wifi that are available at Schiphol Airport! I got some coffee, watched some YouTube, walked around… And finally, after nearly four hours in Schiphol, the gate was opened and we were allowed to board the plane having to put our cabin bags in the hold because it was so overloaded. After a really long trip back, I finally arrived in Bath, two hours later than expected, but finally home after an amazing break in the Netherlands. Thanks a lot to Sofi and her host fam for having me x

 PS. Can I just mention how lost I felt when people spoke Dutch? It sounds like nothing I know so I couldn’t make out any words and it felt like I had lost one of my senses or something. #languagestudentproblems

My advice for second year university students

Hey! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Zoe and I am a Modern Languages and European Studies student at the University of Bath. I have just finished my second year at University, with all the changes that implies, so I have decided to write up an advice post which I hope will be of use to some of you. All based on my experience, of course, and closely tied to life in Bath, but I’d like to think it is similar elsewhere too.

PRIVATE HOUSING

In the UK, as far as I know, you are entitled to live in university accommodation (also called halls of residence) during your first year, mostly to adapt to University life and get to know your peers before second year, when you have to move out into private accommodation. In Bath’s case, there is a bit of a housing crisis going on at the moment in which there are too many students and not enough houses to rent; I signed the contract for my second year house in February 2015, after having done some house hunting for a couple of weeks. Not too early, but not too late either, I’d suggest as soon as you are sure of who you want to live with (and don’t rush into this, time shows you what people are actually like), you start looking. This year we were four in our house. My housemates were all from Brendon Court, the hall of residence I lived in as a first year: two other girls I’m very close to and a guy who does the same degree as me with a different language combination.

We were really lucky to get a very well located house, pretty decent, rent on the lower end of the scale and close to the bus routes. Here is a break-down of Bath’s zones as far as I know:

a.       Oldfield Park: the student-area par excellence, the vast expanse of houses behind the train station. I lived here, just off Moorland Road, which is a nifty road full of shops. There is a Co-op, Sainsbury’s, tons of charity shops and a couple restaurants and cafés among other useful shops. Rents vary, but they can be anything between 280-450 pounds a month, depending on the property. The area is well connected, with the 20C, 10, U1, U18 buses running frequently, and you can easily walk into town if it isn’t raining. Quite the deal to be fair.

b.   Town: the ideal place to live, close to everything you might need – clubs, restaurants, shops, supermarkets… However, rent is certainly higher (+£400/month) and you risk not getting on a bus, which are jam-packed coming from Oldfield at peak times.

c.       North of Bath: I don’t really know how to call this area (probably has a name but I don’t know it). I mean the houses north of the Crescent and Circus. Still close enough to town (albeit on a hill) and price-wise, I’m assuming similar to houses in town. Bus connections are not great though, because the closest bus up to campus leaves from the Abbey, so be prepared to walk every morning.

d.      Southdown/Combe Down: quite big and nice houses, rent-wise prices range, again, but student houses in Bath are all pretty much around the £400/month mark. Bus connections are alright, but you are likely to rely on buses every hour or going into town and then getting the University buses.

e.      Bathwick Hill: the hill up to University, ideal place between Uni and town but I personally did not know anybody living there this year.

f.        There are probably more areas that I don’t know about; when we were house-hunting, our main goal was to find a place that was decently priced and near a U1/U18 bus stop.

*Rent prices don’t include bills, by the way.

When it comes to house-hunting, make sure to look out for signs of damp, check taps and water pressure, check the security (locks, fire blankets, extinguishers), check that windows are double-glazed/there are radiators in all rooms… It is quite tedious and daunting, and it is hard to do on your own so I’d suggest you split the checklist as it is easy to get carried away prying on the current tenant’s belonging… Houses in Bath are pretty old so damp is a major problem and, as someone who is asthmatic, I was really concerned about it. When it comes to signing the contract and all that bureaucratic stuff, the University can help you out. In Bath, check out the Student Advice and Representation Centre (https://www.bathstudent.com/advice/ ), they checked our contract before we signed it and were happy to help with any questions we had.

Once you move in, make sure you check the inventory and try to have a good relationship with your landlord and neighbours (introduce yourself to them!). Also make sure you know what your responsibilities are (for instance, we had to call and pay for a jetting service to unblock our pipe because the pipes were our responsibility, but when it came to changing the kitchen tap to stop leaking, it was the landlady’s responsibility – the contract should state all this).

Most importantly, try to make yourself feel at home. I found this the hardest. As it was an old house, things were not as neat and tidy as campus accommodation: mismatched furniture, empty walls, peeling wallpaper, carpet, some black patches on the walls that worried me… The first few weeks before I started classes again and got into my routine I felt awfully homesick. This time I was moving on my own, no parents to help me unpack; the house wasn’t as great as home and I missed the sun and my family. But once I had decorated the place, it started to feel like my room and, eventually, you get to know the house – the noises, the perks and the problems – and it sort of becomes your second home. Just give it some time.

HOUSE CHORES

So, now that you live in your own privately-rented house, you have to take care of it. In our case, we found the best way of doing it was splitting the chores. We were four, so each one was responsible for cleaning their own room and clean after them in the communal areas (ie. toilet, living room, kitchen, shower etc.). These were cleaned thoroughly once a week. We split it up so that each of us only had to clean the house once a month (four people, four weeks, duh) and we kept track on the kitchen blackboard. Pretty efficient and convenient. Make sure you meet up with your housemates and come up with a plan from the start to avoid arguments.

Concerning the laundry, the Circuit Laundry nightmare was finally over. We had our own washing machine so we could wash the clothes at home, but it being England (ie. rain all day), they took forever to air-dry in the house. Unless the sun was shining outside or the radiators were on, drying took genuinely forever so thank-God for the launderette at the end of Moorland, those driers saved our lives. Definitely recommend having a tumble drier in the house if you can afford it.

MONEY MANAGEMENT

When it comes to house expenses and bills, you have to decide as a house. Shop around for Internet and Electicity/Gas companies. In our case, we used Virgin and Npower respectively, and the water was provided by the landlady. We just paid by bank transfer and then paid back the person who was billed for the instalment. Another tip is to restrict the use of radiators. Hot-water bottles and blankets are a must, but it gets to a point when you do need radiators. We had them on twice a day Autumn through to mid-Spring; make sure you turn them off when you don’t actually need them anymore, the temptation is strong. House stuff like sponges, cleaning products or kitchen paper one of us would buy as necessary and the split the cost and get paid back.

When it comes to food, we started differently than we finished. In the beginning, the plan was that each week one of us would cook a meal per day for the house. There would be one main food shopping a week “for the house” with the cost split among us and we’d have one meal ready and the other one, usually lunch, to organize as each of us felt was convenient. It worked for a while, despite meaning having to plan in advance all the cooking time when it was our turn to cook. Then the trouble with dietary requirements and lack of time started to arise and we ended up giving up on house cooking. It was personally better for me anyway, because I would eat what I wanted and just had to prep meals in advance. This is key. If you still don’t know how to cook properly (and I know there is some of you out there), then learn. I would cook on Sundays and have food ready until Wednesday and then cook again for food until Saturday. Meals of the sort of garbanzas, veggie stir-fries, chicken, baked veggies, samosas… Balanced meals with protein, carbs… that I could keep in the fridge and warm-up as needed. It saved me so much money because I didn’t have to buy food on the go on campus, which after a while can get really expensive. And also a lot of time because, by bulk-cooking, I didn’t have to spend time in the kitchen after a long day and I would just be able to warm up food in the microwave and move along with my day (and I hate cooking, so that feeling was amazing!). Also, pro-tip, if you don’t have much time between your lectures to queue for the microwave on campus, bring along a samosa or salad, something that doesn’t need heating up; the queues get so long you might end up having to gulp down your food otherwise!

Anyhow, the main thing is to keep on top of the expenses. Check your bank account from time to time, or even keep a log of what you spend. Then you will be able to indulge on a meal-out, some food delivery or a proper night-out without feeling guilty!

BUSES

Ah, the bus madness. As I said, I was lucky to live near a bus stop, one of the first stops on the line where students get on so usually I’d manage to get on the bus, but still a nightmare.

First, decide which company you want to use. Wessex (U18) has smaller buses that run less regularly but they are a lot cheaper. First buses (U1) now run frequently during the day and they are 24/7 meaning that you can take the bus home after a night out. Also, there are double deckers going into town and articulated buses going down to Oldfield, meaning more capacity. However, they are more expensive and quite popular, so they get full very quickly. This is the option I went for. I’d also like to add that the academic year ticket gets reduced a couple of weeks into the semester, so maybe waiting a little is cost-effective, but don’t quote me on that.

Second, the queue that you get at the stop is amazingly long, it doesn’t matter which bus you are taking, so if you want to have a shot at getting on it, you better get there early so you are at the front of the queue; there have been times the bus didn’t even stop because it was already full from the previous stop once it came along… Personally, it got to a point when I’d rather get up earlier and get a bus a little earlier than necessary; this allowed me to skip the crowds and stress and arrive on campus with enough time to grab a coffee and reply to some emails before strolling into the lecture. Not too shabby, I’d say. It’s just a matter of figuring out what works best for you. Oh, and you’ll spend quite a lot of time on the bus so make sure you have music/something to read with you because sometimes it stressed me out, particularly during rush-hour when the buses can be stopped near Dorchester Street for literally half an hour. Usually, it is a half an hour ride from Oldfield to campus, if not less, but that is when there is no traffic, so be wary.

YOUR DEGREE

You’re doing a degree here, remember? And this time the work actually counts towards your degree results. My advice? Keep on top of the work load, obvious, right? By second year, you know what to expect with exams, the different teachers, the assignments… However, be warned because they raise the standards, they really do. I felt the drop on my marks even though I still worked hard, so make sure you plan your time and don’t leave things for the last minute (particularly if you need to do a lot of reading for your course).You will have a lot of things on your plate: studying, potentially also working, doing other activities, doing house chores… Make sure you prioritize and manage your time properly (be realistic and allocate reasonable time slots for the different chores; a 300 page French novel isn’t going to get read in an hour and a half) so you don’t stress out; it takes some practice, but it is vital. There is a lot more pressure on you in comparison to first year and you might feel you don’t have enough time. The temptation to skip lectures is very real because who wants to have to wake up really early to catch the bus and make it to a boring 9am? Might as well stay in bed. But no, pull yourself out of bed and do it, even if you need to chug down a whole venti to keep you going, but do it, really, because at the end of the day, the effort is for you and your future alone, no one else’s.

During your second year, you will also get bombarded with a lot more emails about Career events and opportunities and training sessions. Give them a read, don’t just delete them directly. You might find something useful. For instance, I went to a Careers Event on Interpreting and Translating this year, which is the career path I want to follow. I learnt a lot and got into contact with people who can potentially help me along the way. Even if it isn’t an event to help your long-run career plan, a lot of you might have a placement year which they have to prepare for and send applications, and this year is usually the third one, so make sure you attend the information sessions or workshops your Department might organize for you. I have my Year Abroad coming up next year and I spent a good portion of my second year going to information sessions, brushing up my interview skills, improving my CV and cover letters and managing all the ERASMUS paperwork. Not fun, I admit it. It was really tedious and required a lot of hard-work but it was worth it! And don’t be disheartened if you don’t get the first job you apply for, keep trying!

SOCIETIES, CLUBS & GOING-OUT

Finally, the fun part of University. From my experience, now that you don’t live on campus it will be a tad harder to make plans and keep in contact. It was easier when living in halls because everybody literally lived a couple of minutes away, but now you will probably be all scattered around town. Meet up for lunch or coffee, go out to the park, go to the cinema, host a house party. Don’t let yourself sink under the workload and make sure you also have fun and mingle because this is the time to do so. I did feel like I had less time or less will to go out though, not going to lie. A 9am kept me from going out the night before, a long day of lectures and other commitments left me knackered and ready for bed – but that didn’t mean I didn’t enjoy myself. I still went out from time to time, I explored Bath properly (still am), and I took part in clubs and societies (by the way, if you are able to, I’d recommend getting involved in the committee positions of your favourite societies. Looks great on the CV and it is a way of giving back to a club you love!)

After being in University for a year, you finally realize what works for you and what doesn’t. During the start of my second year, I was adamant on choosing the right societies this time. I gave up volleyball and shifted to fencing – greatest decision ever. I had a two hour training a week and although I still suck at fencing, I had a really fun time! And it’s not all about the training, they also organized socials so we got to know each other better and enjoy ourselves. I also took up boot camp as another means of doing sport, which left me full of sore muscles but felt great at the end of the day. And I also joined some societies like FrenchSoc and, of course, BUSMS, the Bath University Student Musicals Society (if you read my blog, you probably already know all of this). I was missing some sort of artistic past-time during my first year so joining BUSMS couldn’t have turned out better – taking part in shows was not only fun and gave me a break from the degree, but it also increased my confidence and taught me great time-management skills. I’ve met a lot of amazing people and learnt a lot of new skills over the past year. So, if you were happy with your first-year society choices, by all means keep them up! If not, don’t be afraid to change it up and try something new, you’d be surprised! I would have never pictured myself up on a stage singing and dancing!

MY OPINION

On a more soppy note, I am not going to lie, I miss the fresher life – less worries and the convenience of living on campus -, but I have had a blast as a second year and wouldn’t have changed it for the world. Although being a returner means you have a lot more responsibilities, be it academically with your work weighed for your final mark, be it on a day-to-day basis having to live in your own house with all that entails (cleaning, cooking, bills…), I am proud to say I have had a demanding but awfully fantastic time in Bath this year. It might have started a bit gloomier than as a fresher, not having all the excitement of the new people and new place, but I can say I made it through and have had a great time studying what I love and making the most of my time. I have learnt to keep on top of my work-load so that I have enough time to do what I enjoy, be it training, watching TV series or rehearsing for a new show, and I have opened up to new experiences because that is what you do at University. And if nobody wants to join you, shame on them, go ahead and do it on your own – it is better to solo jump on the deep end than later regret not giving it a chance! I am going to miss Bath next year and can’t wait to be back for my final year - hope your second year is as fantastic as mine was, if not better!

Zoe, over and out.

Find last year’s advice post for freshers here: http://gathering-smithereens.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/my-advice-for-freshers-aka-first-year.html?m=0

If you want to read more about my University adventure, click here: http://gathering-smithereens.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/MyUniversityExperience?m=0

Year One: http://gathering-smithereens.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Y1?m=0

Year Two: http://gathering-smithereens.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Y2?m=0