It's that time of year again! Back to Birmingham for my final year of my university degree. Where has the time actually gone?! I been globe trotting again, well just around Europe since July so now in September I thought it was more than appropriate for me to return to Birmingham. With this being my final year I'm expecting an extra serving of pressure surrounding my studies but I'm not going to let that ruin my social time at all! It's a family affair this year, with my brother joining University College Birmingham as a fresher I'm going to make this final year an eventful one!
Birmingham has changed some more since my departure from the Maltings for Summer. It's been great to see the long awaited opening of the new Library of Birmingham, as it was getting quite tiresome continually walking past the building works on a daily basis. I have already joined the new library but I plan to make use of the facilities throughout this year as I have my Dissertation to consider. Change is good! Captured to the left is the finished project, along with the restored Birmingham Repertory Theatre. So, I have made my vow to be a dedicated student and committed member of Birmingham's new modern and cutting edge library! I really don't want to be eating my words because I want to be sporting a graduation gown in September 2014! I must admit that one thing that hasn't changed in Birmingham is the weather, its been god awful the last few days since I've been back at the Maltings!
There are some places in Birmingham I love to go back to, places that just don't change even though I'm not a fresher anymore. I love walking through the Mailbox into the city centre, its a walk I won't forget when I do eventually move out of Birmingham for the final time this summer. I wouldn't change the German Market for nothing, its coming back this November on my birthday! For that reason alone I want it to snow already! I'm tired going to the same old haunts, I want to mix things up this year by going to Sparkbrook for a Balti Curry as its the home of Birmingham's Balti Triangle. But when the weather gets better it could be a nice idea to visit the Botanical Gardens in Edgbaston because its been an age since I last visited. Here's to pastures new, I'm really excited for this year because its my last at university!
I'm no longer a fresher but why should I slow down? This year I have decided to entertain a few of the events from this years fresher's programme. Captured to the right is a photo of me wearing the bar crawl t-shirt for this years fresher event. It was a crazy night for many reasons, but to start I was contemplating selling my t-shirt because my brother wasn't making it clear whether he was going out or not. I had resided to the fact that I wasn't going out so I made my way to my old flat to see if one of the girls wanted a spare t-shirt, thankfully they go a tee each so we hit the town in-pursuit of PopWorld! We bopped to the Spice Girls and lots of other cheesy songs before hitting Risa for the final stop of the night. Sammy and Sophie decided to call it a night, but out of the blue my brother phoned me to see if I was still in Risa. We partied the night away and I know I've made some good friends with his flatmates, they're just lovely people! Once a fresher, always a fresher!
Friday just gone it was University College Birmingham's 2013 Summer/Autumn graduation ceremony, it was mad to see friends from my university experience progress with their completed and respected qualifications. It was great to see Lucy Houghton yesterday night to celebrate her graduation from University College Birmingham, I'm not quite there yet but it will be my time soon enough! I look forward to my time but I'm not going to wish my time away because its great being back in Birmingham!
Travelling must be in my blood, or is it the convenient central location of Birmingham that makes discovering new places so easy? Whichever way I know that in November myself and my friend Lyndsey will be making the trip up to Liverpool for a night of mayhem. I have previously been to Liverpool back in 2011 to see my Disney friend Kat and to see the delights of the Mersey River. I'm really looking forward to this weekend as it will hopefully be a great way for us to relax and forget about our Dissertations! Nonetheless, our Liverpudlian escapade will be exciting, Lydnsey has never been to Liverpool so I hope she loves it!
I am definitely one for the theatre, going to see a show just shakes things about because it doesn't leave me with a hangover the next day. Last semester myself and Lydnsey went to see Hairspray: The Musical at the Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre, it was a great show and with the tickets not costing the earth we really enjoyed our inexpensive and cultural experience. We are looking to revisit the same theater in March to see Singin' In The Rain! I adore the film, so I'm hoping for the stage version to be equally exceptional! To complete our cultural crusade we're looking to spend some time in the city of Cambridge, lets leave the boating to the professionals so we can safely admire the charms of that university city! I just hope that all of our university work doesn't stop any of our traveling plans! I'm not allowing myself to book another international trip because I want to try and do something interesting over the summer in 2014!
Joseph Harrison