Lockdown in March saw many students cut their residency in university cities and towns short, returning to their family for a length of time that nobody ever predicted would be so long.
However this time round, as many cities, including my own university area in Glasgow, enter Level 4 of Covid-19 restrictions, more have opted to stay as universities and colleges have been told they will remain open unlike the initial lockdown.
Glasgow in itself is eerie, it will never feel normal seeing Queen Street Station and Sauchiehall Street anything less than mobbed, yet that will remain the reality for the coming weeks as all shops except those deemed essential are given the all clear to stay open.
The week prior to me moving into my accommodation, Glasgow became one of the first areas in Scotland to experience a tightening of restrictions, with households no longer allowed to mix indoors. This was obviously a shock and quite upsetting, and definitely added to the stress of moving away from home, especially due to the fact home now seemed a lot safer in terms of the virus.
“now more than ever, I think it’s so important to make it feel as homely as possible.”
Fast forward a few months and Glasgow is placed in Level 4 which is as close to actual lockdown as we will experience under Scotland’s five tier system implemented to try and stop the spread of Covid-19.
Being in my second year of university, and staying home for the first, I was definitely excited to move as I had in my head all of the fun things I could do that would just be round the corner, however it is fair to say 2020 served up a completely different reality.
“I feel I would have an overriding sense of what could be if I had experienced life away from home previously.”
I don’t think student accommodation truly ever feels like home, however, now more than ever, I think it’s so important to make it feel as homely as possible. Pictures covering the ugly desk backdrop, fairy lights anywhere they fit, trying to make the four walls that hold the room that was once for rest but is now a virtual classroom too a place to feel completely at ease.
It was strange not having freshers. It is strange having no clue what some new course mates even look like in person. I hate the phrase ‘new normal’ when discussing the virus as I refuse to accept any aspect of normality. It makes me almost thankful I stayed at home last year as I feel I would have an overriding sense of what could be if I had experienced life away from home previously.
“Despite the negatives, I certainly have a lot to thank this lockdown for.”
As I stayed at home my first year, I spoke to my friend and course mate Molly to see what she feels the key differences are living away from home in Glasgow last year compared to this year and she said:
“This year I am living in private accommodation, much further away from the university than my student halls last year and that adds to the general feeling of isolation from university life. It has been a huge adjustment only seeing classmates on a buffering zoom call as oppose to spending hours crammed into lecture halls with them.”
Despite the negatives, I certainly have a lot to thank this lockdown for. I have made friends for life in my flat and accommodation, I have definitely made my room and flat look a lot nicer than I would have otherwise, and this has definitely had a positive reflection on my mood. It’s not at all what I expected when I planned the move however it has in no way been a bad experience in the slightest.
Rachel Louise Gibson
Featured image courtesy of Rachel Louise Gibson.