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Open Letter: To The Next Occupier

To the Next Occupier,

This is tough to write which is weird because you are never going to read this. I mean you might but let's face it it's unlikely. You might be wondering why I am writing this? This isn't to you, this is to those who are actually reading this. Well at the beginning of this month. I graduated. From my degree from somewhere, I have spent the last three years of my life. But the thing is that I spent two years of my life in this house. Now your house. It wasn't perfect but let's be real what is. I thought that this could somehow be a self-help to you on how to live in that house but I think that this is for me and let's be real you will figure it out. A chapter of my life has literally ended. Two years of my life were spent in that house but so much happened there and I know that by writing this it might help. 

So let me begin by saying this was not what I was going to write today. Every time I see this in my drafts, I think No way, I think I kind of thought that it would never happen. I started to continue working on my novel yesterday for the first time since November before University got too much and I stopped but it seems ironic now. You see I am currently procrastinating on a scene in which the main character doesn't understand why the other character is so upset about going to university and I know why. (The funny thing is that I procrastinated this too.)

University was a place where I accepted who I was and was about to be myself. To some people, I came across as shy and anxious which is who I am and I have accepted this. I discovered that I have a mental illness which makes me that way and I have accepted that. On the other side, I have discovered that I can be myself. That weirdo who loves singing and dancing (badly) to my favourite songs and who doesn't care whose watching. A girl who at times can be sassy and adventurous and sometimes likes to take risks. I have discovered so much about myself from this place which went way too fast, it doesn't feel like three years. I think I have turned into one of those people who questions the time. "It's gone so fast," they said. And I will reply, "Yes. Can I do it again." Because although University has given me some of the worst days and experiences of my life it has also given me some of the best. I would do it again in a heartbeat. 

Seriously.

Without this place, I wouldn't have had the best experiences of my life and discovered things that I love. One of those things is that I love to write. I think of the time that I discovered I could write. It was in my first year and I discovered that that idea that I had in my head could be written. The same idea that currently has 30,000 words written. I wouldn't have joined my University's Writing Society which means that I wouldn't haven't met all the people that I know now. I wouldn't have explored writing which is something that I love so much and want to continue doing. 

Most importantly are the people that I met. I met people that I saw for less than two hours and I feel like the made an impact on my lives. There were people that I met along the way that I know I am never going to forget. I will remember the times that we spent together. Laughing. Crying. Talking. Just being there in the moment. I will remember. The truth I don't know if we will stay in touch. You may have noticed that I am terrible at texting and consistent contact. This is because I want to have a face to face conversation and if I even had one with you I won't have forgotten it.

So I guess that the whole idea of this post is that to me University was one of the best things I ever did. I know it's not for everyone but for me it was the right choice. 

I have a degree now, only the second one in my family and it's a 2.1 at that. I worked for blood, sweat and many, many tears to get it and I am so happy. So much so that I wanted to stay (for 2 years) as I am doing an MA.

So to the next occupier, I hope university is all that you want it to be. I hope that it is the rollercoaster that it should be. You will learn that way.

Good luck!

Amy

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