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Day Five



8.30am: Wake up a bit earlier than usual as we have a busy day today. We’re off to the university’s postgrad open day and I want to fit in as much as possible. Have a croissant and a cup of tea.



9.30am: Reach the university after a LOOOOONG detour (we are awful at directions but both too proud to admit it so end up arguing over who got us lost). Finally arrive and go to the first meeting. I get a bit frustrated because the staff there aren’t very well equipped in terms of disabled access and my mum can’t come to the meeting. This is constant frustration as people put access needs so far down the list of priorities. If everywhere was designed for those who need the most help it wouldn’t affect those who didn’t need it but would make so many people’s lives easier. I get angry that people with disabilities have to work so much harder for everyday things, and the way people behave like it’s a bother is horrendous. Access needs are not a luxury, ALL public spaces should be fully prepared at all times. It’s 2020, come on.



11.30am: The meeting was so generic and boring and heavily focused on the sciences, so as an arts student I had no reason to be there. Explore the campus a bit more and find their theatre, inside is the department I’m hoping to join so chat to all the people there about the uni, the course and Leeds.



12pm: EAT ALL THE FREE BISCUITS. I was disappointed not to get a free pen in the bags they gave out but am making up for it by working through the large quantities of biscuits on every surface. Get chatting to the head of admissions and they take me up to talk to the head of my course in her office. I didn’t think I’d get the chance to have a 1:1 chat so I am pretty excited!



1pm: The chat was amazing, she answered all my questions and reaffirmed that it is the perfect course for me. It’s the only course of its kind in the UK, so it’s the only one I am interested in. She boosts my confidence by saying I’m exactly the kind of person they are looking for. Just need to stop procrastinating and get my application in. The one thing I am worried about is how I’m going to afford it. Most of the loan I can get will have to go on tuition fees. It’s a pretty intense course so fitting a job around it will be tough but I’ll have no other choice. It’s times like these I wish I had wealthy parents but I’ll get a lot out of the year so I'll just have to work my butt off.



2.30pm: Go to a second meeting but again it's pretty generic so skip the tours and chats afterwards. I’m all talked out and just want to go eat something that isn’t a biscuit. Find a café nearby and eat a satay chicken wrap with an amazing cup of Yorkshire tea. Do a debrief with X and my mum. We all agree the course is brilliant and if I can get in, I should definitely go. Mum pays for lunch.



3.30pm: Mum is pretty tired so decides to head back to the flat to chill. Me and X want to explore the city a bit more so stay out. We plan to find an estate agent tomorrow and talk about the different areas that would be good to live in. Whenever we’re somewhere new we always end up walking for ages as that’s the best way to discover a place. We walk from area to area, going into different theatres and galleries to get a sense of the art scene. Walk down by the canal and get chatting about the future. It gets a bit heated as we both feel anxious, and feel the weight of this move. X is struggling a bit with taking the next step in his life and moving back out of the family home. He’s also a bit nervous about what he’s going to do up here for work, and just having a low self-esteem moment. I completely get it but sometimes I think I sound too pragmatic, which must not be very comforting. I don’t mean it but I’m struggling too and I wish I knew all the right things to say to give him confidence and make him see how great he is.



7.30pm: After walking for hours we find ourselves in a lovely bit of the city and go into a bar to have a drink and cool off. Buy two beers and sit and chat a bit more. X begins to feel better as I make him see (a little) how brilliant he is at what he does and the things he can do to move forward in his career. He knows some people up here so gets in touch with them so we can meet up next time we’re here; they may have some job opportunities for him and if not are super happy to mentor him. I’m asking a lot of him to move to this unknown place so I can do the things I want to do, so I want to make sure he feels supported and knows how grateful I am. £9



8pm: Head back to the flat to find Mum has whipped up a curry. It smells delicious! Realise we have no wine and this needs to be sorted. Head back out with Mum to the nearest Tesco Express. We can’t decide what we want so end up getting red wine, prosecco, beers and naan bread. The curry is amazing. I’ve eaten too much and probably drunk too much but who cares, I’m basically on holiday and if that’s not an excuse then what is. £17.50



9pm: We find an amazing show on BBC4 which is a draw-along life drawing class. We all grab some paper and a pencil and try our best. It’s quite hard because they keep moving on too fast so we end up drawing each other or random things around the room. I can honestly say that I am an awful drawer.



10pm: Stay up and watch Inside No. 9 with X. After a few episodes we both decide we’re too tired and go to bed.



Total: £26.50