Graduating and Growing Up

For the last three years I've been pushing my poor little spoonie body to its limits studying for my English degree. It's been hard, and I questioned many times whether I could really do it, but all the hard work has finally paid off and earlier this week I graduated... with a 2:1 nonetheless! 

Those of you who've donned your gowns and mortar boards to wave goodbye to your university careers will know just how busy and stressful this day can be (or is that just me and my unorganised family?), and for those of you who haven't, it's a pretty jam packed and demanding day! And while I could barely move by the end of the day and the post-external malaise hit me like a ton of bricks, it was oh so worth it. Though I graduated along with my class of around five hundred people, I felt like a bit of a star for the day... there was photos, champagne, Pimms, more photos, cake, yet more photos and a delicious meal at what I can only imagine is the best burger joint in Britain- if you life near Nottingham and haven't paid Annie's a visit, then you simply have not lived. 

But graduating was simply the beginning of my super busy week as this weekend saw my best friends and I pack our bags and head off down to Brighton to celebrate the baby of our group turning 21.  Blessed with beautiful weather and only the occasional rather dramatic thunder storm, we spent our little break chilling on the beach and stuffing our faces with ice-cream and chips- it was absolutely ideal. While I was still suffering the aftermath of graduation and spent a lot of the weekend feeling more ill and in more pain than I'd care to admit to any of my perfectly healthy friends, I wouldn't have missed this for the world. You see I've been friends with these very special girls since I was eight years old- we've faced senior school together, became teenagers together, been there for every first kiss and first drink, holidayed together, fallen out and reconciled, and visited each other across the country during our time at university. When we were young we would imagine what it'd be be like to be grown-up, what jobs we'd be doing, the boyfriends we'd have and where we'd be living- and now we're here. We're all now officially adults at the grand old age of twenty-one, we've all graduated and we're all now facing the rest of our lives in the big wide world. It's terrifying. 

Having just received a good degree from 'the most employable university in the country' you'd think I'd be perhaps relishing my last bit of freedom, travelling the world before I start my graduate job in the big city. But I'm not- I'm at home attempting the greatest of challenges- recovering from M.E. On a bad day, I'll admit, this really gets me down. I wanna be getting out there, earning money like the rest of my peers, however I have to remind myself it's not all bad. While I may not have the career I thought I would by now, I have the boyfriend that as a young girl I always dreamt of, a wonderful family and thirteen years later my friends and I are stronger than ever. 

This growing up business is pretty damn scary, but at the same time it's so exciting. I'm already a lot better than I was this time last year, so who know's what the future holds... with any luck a little more good health is coming my way!

So here's to the next thirteen years girls!

Alice

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