"For the next three months, it was all about carrying on with life and making through each day the best that I knew how. "
Spring. It had always been seen as a symbol of new hope and beginnings. It was the time of the year when the Sun decided to shine for a few more hours each day, new leaves started to decorate the bare branches of the trees and flowers began to bloom again.
For me, I spent most of my time after work preparing for the upcoming exam. Studying and working at the same time was taking a toll on me but luckily Wantying and Alicia were there to make everything easier.
We formed a group chat and discussed everything that was going on with our lives - the good and the bad - and I would never have made it without them. Jessie, Ron and other pre-regs helped me a lot too in the preparation process. Honestly, I did not think that I would be able to find any friends like them anywhere else and I was absolutely grateful that they had come into my life.
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| Pink and white. |
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| A box of happiness. |
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| Maitre Choux. |
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| The trees came back to life. |
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| Black pepper steak with Digimon Adventure Tri. |
Due to a work event, I had the chance to go back to Nottingham. It was funny how life could change so much in such a short few months. Everything was the same yet everything was not the same in this city.
When I strolled down the streets, there came a moment of relief. It was a rare moment in which I thanked myself for making the right decision of moving down to Dorset, a place far away from Nottingham. The city was still as lovely as it was but I was glad that I was not part of it anymore. I did not think that I would ever be able to walk down the streets that were all too familiar every day and not be reminded of all of the good times and people who used to live here.
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| I had lost count of the vast amount of time I spent on train this year. |
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| Still the best burger in Nottingham. |
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| Reunited in Nottingham! |
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| Brunch after work interview in Bournemouth. |
As busy as we all were, we still managed to make time for one another. Four of us met up in London and went on an awesome food trip. The meet-up in London was definitely the highlight of spring. It was comforting to have some time off and spend it with people who knew me best.
Although we could only spend just a short few days together, it did the perfect trick of rewinding and recharging so that I could go back to juggling between my revision and my job.
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| Finally tried out the good steak at Flat Iron. |
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| Watched Zootopia together. |
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| We all loved different drinks. |
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| Breakfast at Wolseley. |
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| Wolseley fluffy pancakes with berries - the reason we came. |
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| Welsh Rarebit. |
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| Poached eggs over fish cakes. |
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| With Vivian. |
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| Alicia and Wantying. |
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| The best ramen ever and we queued for a long time for them. |
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| Beautiful ceiling inside Kanada-Ya. |
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| Our starter. |
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| The authentic Japanese ramen. |
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| Ended up ordering more bowls. |
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| Japanese fried chicken. |
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| Tower Bridge. |
Frankly, I had never prepared or worked so hard for any exam in my life and I was over the moon when it was finally over. With the exam done, all I had to focus on was the one last month of pre-reg work.
Thanks to the final two training days, I had the opportunity to travel to Plymouth, which reminded me a lot of the seaside towns in Europe. Unexpectedly, it was the surreal scenery along the journey, in which as if the train was traveling on the ocean, that literally took my breath away.
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| Exam in Bath. |
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| Waiting for my train with Jessie and Alyssa after the exam. |
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| Beautiful Plymouth. |
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| Fish and chips with amazing sea view. |
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| Hottest day of the year in the UK. |
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| This was the best English breakfast that I had ever had. |
Finally, it was time to say goodbye to Weymouth. It wasn't an easy year for me and time moved through slowly but it was what it was. There were good and bad days but still, it was one year of my life and it was a decision that I had made for myself.
If there was anything new for me this year, it was that I learnt how to stand on my own and live with only myself. Or more accurately, it was on how to be alone and still be genuinely happy about it. And that I was actually good enough for myself.
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| Weymouth beach |
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| Best ice cream in Dorset. |
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| Goodbye, Weymouth. |
Yes, spring, for most people indeed, represented new beginnings. However, for me, it was about closing the pre-reg chapter of my life. With my pre-reg life officially over, my three-month summer break began.
Talk Me Down - Troye Sivan
