I arrived back in Southampton last
Wednesday and since returning I’ve been hit with the reality of deadlines and
upcoming exams! I had a wonderfully relaxing time while in Sweden but have now
had to switch into to ultra efficient work mode in order to meet all my
deadlines. It was much harder than I anticipated to focus and get work done
while I was at home visiting family and friends so I’m going to have to
compensate by spending more time in Hartley Library over the next few weeks. It’s
hard to imagine what life would have been like had I chosen to stay in Sweden
and live at home while attending university. I guess I would have adjusted, but
I think moving out on my own has been a really great experience in many ways
and I've come to realise that I’ll probably never live at home again. I can’t
really imagine moving back; I’m too used to my own ways now, but in any case
it’s always nice to visit.
This
photo was taken on my walk to the bus station the morning I left Sweden. I was
really lucky to have surprising warm and sunny whether during my stay.
Leaving
Sweden
So exams are approaching which means I’ll
be occupied with revision for the next few weeks. Luckily, due to the dance
season being over, I should have more time on my hands since our weekly classes
will be more casual (now that we’re not rehearsing for any performances).
Furthermore, tonight the Jazz dance society will be having our annual AGM and a
new committee will be elected. I remember debating running for President last
year, worrying over whether or not people would vote for me. Now I have society
members facing the same hurdle and I’m the one trying to convince them they
have nothing to lose by trying for a position. Nobody will hold it against you
if you run for a position but are not elected, in fact most people won’t even
remember. As one of my favourite quotes sums up: “doubt kills more dreams than
failure ever will”.
Myself
and the contemporary dance president after this year’s Pure Dance show. We were
each given something as a thank-you for our work throughout the year.
On the subject of societies and committees,
I’m excited to reveal that I will be the new president of the University’s Green
Action society! Green Action organises events and campaigns to do with
environmental and social issues. Over the past year they've primarily been
focusing on a Fossil Free campaign as well as organising visits from several
guest speakers. In all honesty, I only very recently found out about the
society through a post on the University’s conservation society’s Facebook
page. As I've mentioned before, I will not be continuing with dance next year
(the intention being to give myself more time to focus on my degree) however I
have long wanted to get more involved with some of the charity and volunteering
societies. After being on a committee this year (and President no less) I had
ideally liked to join the committee of one such society but thought my chances where
pretty slim, seeing as my involvement was pretty poor this year due to dance
commitments.
In any case, I decided to attend the AGM for Green Action and find
out more about what they do. After spending the first forty minutes asking
questions and getting to know the current committee members I decided to run
for President! My main interests are within food and energy security, both of
which are strongly connected to many environmental and social issues. I’m
excited to see what I can do with this opportunity and I’m looking forward to
working with and getting to know some new and interesting people. But for now
it’s best I get back to focusing on exams…
Kristin
No comments:
Post a Comment