A New Adventure!

Tomorrow is my first day of uni 2.0...I originally started this blog back in 2011(!) to document life at university whilst living with cystic fibrosis. Ironically CF put an end to that venture and as well my heart just wasn't in it, but as you may know a lot has happened since so now I'm attempting it again doing a different course at a different uni. There's absolutely no way I'd have guessed how things would turn out back when I began this blog! This is like a new beginning in a way and if, like me, you like things being neat and rounded my first day at uni (tomorrow) is actually exactly two years to the day that I got told I needed new lungs. As someone who likes matching socks, even numbers and a colour co-odinated wardrobe I find this weirdly satisfying! On that day I was sitting in a wheelchair on oxygen - if only I could go back in time and tell myself and everyone that everything would be ok! I'll still be blogging about life at uni with CF but obviously this will be a bit different to before as although I'm sure it'll be very challenging still I think there'll be fewer difficulties this time round. I'm so excited!

Of course I'm using my posy picture from the paper as my student card pic 😂

Saying that I still have the typical pre-uni nerves! I keep wondering if I've made the right decision. I had transplant mainly so I could spend extra time with loved ones but now I'm leaving them and moving out for the next three years, albeit only just over an hour away, but still. Three years is a long time in transplant terms! It wasn't just me that went through it all, it was everyone else as well and it brought us all closer than ever before so I'm sad that I won't be seeing everyone everyday like I do now. I want a balance and I think having CF and being post transplant as well it can be a tricky thing to do - actually it's probably the biggest challenge for anyone with a chronic illness, you do have to make sacrifices and you learn quicker than other people do perhaps that you can't have it all. But for me personally it makes me focus more on what I do have and as a result I think I enjoy it more if that makes sense, kinda like a quality over quantity type thing. I will miss my Freddydog though, I can't even think about it haha.

Whenever you start something new people say 'Be yourself!' but I think back when I was 18 I didn't know who I was and now I'm more sure of myself (most of the time!) I used to be the absolute worst for following the crowd, like if my mates didn't go to lectures then neither did I, if they drank themselves silly then I did too and so on. Now I feel far less inclined to do that and happier to do my own thing, I literally don't have the time to waste! But the good thing about having done all that before is that it's out of my system, I learned from my mistakes and I'm going into it this time a bit older feeling more confident and happier with who I am. I'm feeling extra grateful to my donor for being able to have another go at studying!

I'd love to know your experiences of uni, mature students especially! Also anyone living in Brighton and fancies a coffee/drink do tweet me or something :)