Off to University

As mentioned in the weekly post, Saturday was the day that LB was going off to University. It's a big milestone and I'd been dreading it for months, if I'm honest, because I know I will miss her a lot. I don't mean that to sound selfish and make it all about me, it's not. I'm just being honest. 

I've felt sad at times on and off for weeks, but I think that was a good thing, because I was actually processing my feelings, allowing myself to feel them and then by the time we actually took her to her student halls, I felt okay and much more positive. 

It was quite a long drive across London, to South London, where she'll be living from now on. I have to admit that South London, to me, is like a whole new country. I rarely venture there. The drive down was a good opportunity to get a feel for it and it was interesting. 

I was reassured when we got to her actual Halls of Residence, as it seemed to be in a nice quiet residential area, but within reach of public transport.  They even had a free mini bus that takes them to the nearest Tube Station at various times.

The accommodation seemed nice too. She is paying extra to have a very small ensuite bathroom, but I think she'll really appreciate that.

Here's a few pictures from her room:

It's not a huge room, but it is clean, modern and well thought out, with her own small fridge/freezer and lots of storage, both in the ensuite (not shown in the photograph) and the room itself. (There's a big wardrobe too, but I couldn't get this in the photograph).  

I was really pleasantly surprised.  She took a car load of things with her and after everything was put away, it didn't look too cluttered, which was good. I did a bit of the Mother Hen thing, cleaning the surfaces and putting her bedding on the bed, so that I knew she had a nice clean bed to get into that evening. I couldn't help myself.

She even has a distant view of the Shard in Central London, which was cool. Not a great photo, I realise, but a cool view nevertheless, despite it being so far in the distance. (The netting is to keep the pigeons off I think, this was just a small side window).

I was very reassured to see that the accommodation, as a whole, was very well organised, with hall reps to help the new students as they registered and got their keys. They had also organised events and trips into London and to other places, to give them a chance to get to know one another and the city. 

There was a full timetable of events for the next two weeks, so there should be plenty of opportunity to make new friends. There is also a gym and common room (where refreshments were kindly put out for parents and students) and LB's room is right opposite a small laundry, so there'll be no excuse not to do her washing!

I don't think she'll be cold this winter either, as her room was very warm, without any heating on. So warm in fact, that we needed to go out and get her a fan. We left her settling in, whilst OH and I went to get some lunch and buy her a few bits that she needed or had forgotten.  We also got to have a good look around the area and local high street, which was very diverse and interesting and there's a nice park near to her accommodation too.

It wasn't too busy on the day, as the main day for students moving in is next Saturday, but LB wanted to go on the earlier date to get settled in. I think it was a good decision, as I think it will be manic next week when the majority of students arrive.

We returned with the fan and other bits and then left her to it. I thought I would be more emotional on the day, but I was able to keep it in check and not spoil things. I'm really excited for her and it was good to see that the accommodation has really thought a lot about the needs of the students, which put my mind at rest. I was able to leave feeling confident that she's going to really enjoy her time there, which is all you can ask.

I'll keep you posted with updates about how she's getting on, as I find out myself.