EDITOR’S LETTER
Help! I need somebody!
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Kinga Siejek
No, I am not listening to The Beatles (though they do
have some catchy tunes), it is a ‘mantra’ of sorts that
has been a friend of mine for the past few weeks.
Reasons?
Well, when I was a student, I still lived with my parents.
They lived close by Campus, so it was a 15 minute
drive. So I was lucky that I always had them near, be it
if the car needed a check up (my father is the mechanics version of a car whisperer in my eyes), or a quick
snip of the locks (my mom will always be my number
one hairdresser). I always had them close by to rely on
on for help.
So when they decided to go on holiday (well deserved
I might add), I finally thought that this would be my time
to see what it would be like to live alone (yes I still live
with my parents now, but it aint easy getting a place for
yourself in this economy PLUS someone had to look
after the family pet).
I thought this would finally give me the ‘freedom’ I was
hoping for; but instead I ended up crying myself to
sleep the first few days. Why? What can I say, I’m a
mamma’s girl. It was so strange to not have her there
to talk to every night before bed. But I am glad to say,
after a good talk with myself (I think the dog thought I
lost my mind) I got into a flow of doing things, and it all
seemed to be working out.
THEN, the hot water stopped running. You never really
do appreciate something until it is gone, and hot water
was one of them. So for a whole week I had to boil water every morning. Worried with what was happening I
called up one of the emergency numbers my dad left
me - a friend of the family (my dad knows me too well),
and he managed to organise someone to fix it.
AWESOME. Nothing else could go wrong, right?
The first two weeks (after my water incident) went well.
Then one morning my car decides it is taking a holiday
and doesn’t want to start. JOY! Now my car whisperer
is still living the holiday life... OVERSEAS... hehe.
So after a phonecall to dad, with only telling him one
word, he knows exactly what is wrong with the car, and
he can fix it when he gets back - in two weeks. Luckily I
have dad’s car to
drive for now, but I
miss my little green
Wasabi.
Now you might think
this sounds like a sad
letter. In a way yes, but
there are definitely a
few lessons to learn
from my crazy story:
2 - Student 24/7
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Life does not take a holiday. No matter what, things
will be coming at you whether you are prepared
for them or not. You just have to keep calm and a
solution will present itself.
Always count your blessings. For me, they are the
friends that have been looking out for me to make
sure I haven’t burnt down the house, or given into
emotions. These are friends that you might have
not thought about, but you know are only a phone
call away when needed.
Freedom comes with a cost. While I love having
the house to myself, and being able to do what I
want, there are still responsibilities that must be
taken care off. Remembering to lock the doors,
feeding the doggie, cooking and cleaning for yourself, paying the bills, etc. It happens to everyone
and you need to make sure you are prepared for it.
Be grateful for the family in your life. With my whole
family (excluding my folks and brother) living in
Poland, I don’t get to see them as often as I would
like. A phone call here, a Facebook message
there... So my folks were my lifeline to my family.
Even though they are off climbing mountains and
visiting the relatives, I still send messages and call,
but can’t wait for them to come home so we can
have our fun chats again.
There are many of you who probably know how I feel.
Especially those in residences... It is a hard change
from being in a family unit where there is always
someone to help, to having to learn to be responsible
for yourself, away from home. But what I love with the
idea of residences is that it takes you from one family
to another. You have House Parents and HKs and new
‘neighbours’ to help you out. So while yes, you start
going your solo route, there is still someone close by to
help you out if you are in a pickle.
So for this semester I have only one real Pearl of Wisdom to share... Be grateful for the things you have and
help those who may not have. You may have needed
and gotten help for something, so don’t be blind to others around you who now need help as well.
Make this part of your semester resolution...
Now dry your eyes, smile and read on!
ENJOY!