Daunting but a great experience!

Moving out of home to go to uni was hard at first but things got better.

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When I first moved away from home, it was because I was going to Uni, which I think made things easier, as I had comfort in knowing that I still had a bed at home, and home was only 2 hours away. However, a couple of nights before moving out, I had a slight panic moment where I questioned what I was doing and why; I was comfortable at home and I'm not a fan of change, but by that point, I couldn't back out! The day that I moved out, my parents helped move me into my new room, which was a bit old and dated, and definitely needed a bit of a paint. I got as settled as I could, but watching my parents walk away was tough because I'd finally have to start living alone with a bunch of people I didn't know. The first day was strange, but the first week wasn't as awful as I had been expecting, and I think I surprised myself. I stayed in touch with my family every day, but I was enjoying cooking for myself, having my own space, and generally having a bit more independence.

As I was getting used to this massive change, I realised that I didn't have too much in common with my flatmates, I was missing my friends from home, and seeing how much they were enjoying their time away from home highlighted the fact that I was starting to find being away quite tough. There was one memorable moment where I realised that one of my good new friends was going to live with other people in second year and I started to panic about who I would be living with. I am a worrier and everything got a bit on top of me, and going back to uni after the Christmas holidays was when I struggled the most, it was getting back into that routine after going home and back to 'normal' for a couple of weeks. I realised that I was quite lonely in my flat and I got upset quite and didn't feel like socialising, even though that might have helped, and I briefly considered leaving, or commuting in the second year. As the weeks went on, I got back into the routine of being away from home and things started to get a lot better. By the time that I moved out of halls I was feeling really comfortable with a couple of groups of friends and I realised that this wasn't all that bad.

Although my first year was tough, things got easier and easier as time went by. I lived with people in second year that I had chosen to live with, we had our very own space, the accommodation was nicer and I was feeling very settled. It was even more independent, which I liked a lot more about getting a flat. We had to sort out internet, heating, electricity and household bills and it felt like I was much more responsible, which I was proud of. My third year away from home was even better as we stayed in the same flat, someone moved out and another person moved in, and 3 of us became very close.

There were issues, money could occasionally make things awkward when one flatmate said they couldn't afford household items but was happy enough to get takeaways each week, which was frustrating as I have always been responsible with budgeting money and making sure I had enough for the bills! But overall, despite those problems, I loved having a flat that I could call my home, and I loved being able to do things exactly when I wanted to, eat exactly what I wanted, and didn't have to tell my parents where I was or when I was going to get home. I didn't miss home like I used to and I had a lot of really good friends, who I still talk to today.

I am so happy that I didn't give up, and that will forever be one of my greatest achievements, getting through a really tough few months and coming out the other side really happy and loving being away from home and loving my independence. If anyone else was in my position, I'd definitely recommend sticking it out. It does get better and easier! I know I'd forever have regretted quitting and moving home, and I think that would have impacted me in a lot of aspects in my life.

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