Fresher’s Week

It’s been pretty hectic, so I’ve not entered anything in the blog for a while. Professor Gupta dropped me off at the main entrance of LMH in her BMW yesterday. I lept out of the car, keen to launch into Fresher’s Week.

I've hit gold with her. Dr Malone put in a good word for me, and Anita (Prof Gupta) was happy to take me in as a lodger. Being a psychologist I guess she thinks that it might be quite intriguing to have someone like me to study at close quarters. She probably also misses her twin sons, who are away studying at other Universities. Like many Indians, she strikes me as being very family-orientated. I will fill in for the boys until they return for the holidays.

I waved to Anita, and feeling a little apprehensive, I walked through the arch of the main entrance and made my way to the Porters Lodge. I had been told that Fresher’s Week was a whirlwind of activities that helped get the new intake of undergraduates up and running. There were orientation lectures to let the wide-eyed students, freshly escaped from the confines of school, know where the main lecture theatres are located, the identity of our lecturers and tutors, the books we will need to buy, and so on. There are talks by students about their take on College life, joining the Student's Union, and the vast array of clubs on offer. And then there will be lots of drinking and getting to know people - not for me worst luck!

Already it’s all been a bit of a shock to the system. I'm feeling disorientated and a little depressed waking up in a strange room every morning, with no Rosie to call me down for breakfast. I am generally being ignored by the other students. They probably think I’m just a kid who should still be in school; a babe in the woods, a child to be avoided in case I become needy and clingy.

I’ve only been here two days and I’m counting the days until I can go back home at the weekend and hug Rosie, and fall blissfully asleep in the comforting familiarity of my own bedroom.