4th October 2021, my first day at Durham University. Let me take you through it.
I took an Arriva bus (it only costs £1 with a student card, thank me later😉) from Ushaw Moor at 8:15 and rode it all the way to the city centre. There I met my friend and we walked to the Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) together, which is where we have all of our lectures. It was the first time that I was going to the university after quarantining for almost 10 days since I arrived from India.
On my way, I saw the prettiest bridge I had seen in my whole life of 18 years! The Kingsgate Bridge. What a beauty she is! I couldn’t help myself but capture it on my phone. Not spending too much time there, we walked and finally reached the science site.
I had a 9 am lecture on my first day which was pretty daunting. The Professor wasn’t very enthusiastic about it either so we were all sailing in the same boat. First lectures are usually introductory but it depends on how the lecturer wants to take it. My tort Professor started teaching in the very first lecture (so don’t have high hopes for yours!) I found myself hysterically taking down notes as he spoke and later, couldn’t make sense of 70% of what I noted😆 (and that’s totally fine for a first attempt!) Then we had a 4-hour break for the next lecture so we rushed our hungry tummies to Zing café in the TLC and devoured a hot panini.
My next lecture was English Law and Legal Method, and the Professor was really cool and friendly. He didn’t teach anything curriculum related so it was just an introductory lecture. Halfway through, as he talked about how law is more interesting if you look beneath the obvious, he took off the black sweater he was wearing to reveal a flower-printed orange shirt! Handclaps and laughter filled the theatre. This we called “The Epic Costume Modification”.
That made my day 100x better. This is what I took away that day: university is not just about being serious, writing exams and studying. There’s another side to it- a side that allows you to seek fun and happiness, make friends, find Professors revealing their joyful side and devour hot food from the cafeteria. And university life doesn’t last very long so enjoy it while you still can!
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