UEA freshers (2019 starters) part 2

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Previous thread and hope you don't mind that I set up the next thread @juicy0. Just did it to ensure that we carry on chatting seamlessly

That sounds great Juicy0.

We are safely back in our empty nest.

Had lunch in the Modern Life cafe next to the Sainsbury Centre today. Roast wasn't all that but it's a step up from the Campus Kitchen and the salads looked good.
DS has not started his house hunting yet but hopefully he will get on to it now.
I have wine, Call the Midwife and PEACE planned for this evening

I am back from drop off too. Ds has been unusually quiet this weekend. When he came home for a weekend back in October he couldn't wait to get back to university. But he wasn't that keen today. I think he's got settled back into the home comforts with his large, comfortable bedroom and double bed, car, home cooked dinners etc. I'm sure he will settle back into university life. Several of his flatmates asked if he'd had a good Christmas and said how much work they'd had over Christmas. Ds hasn't done any study work at all. I hope he wasn't meant to! He said he had a lab report to write up which he was going to do tonight. Talk about last minute!

Your evening sounds perfect @sluj !

DD didn't do any work during the hols either @icanbewhatiwant apart from submitting an essay on the first day she came home. She's back into it tomorrow though with a full day of lectures, it's going to come hard after such a restful break 😂

DS didn't do any Geography work either apart from submitting an essay in the first few days. He should have had a good rest but seems knackered somehow??

@NotSorry Thanks for the reminder about paying the accommodation bill. I had completely forgotten I had to do that

DS2 back today - DH and I were dismissed in less than ten minutes , but on the upside DS2 whilst enjoying the Xmas break was genuinely pleased to be back. He has a reading week coming up, but as he did not come home for the one last semester not expecting him back this time either. It falls during his birthday week, however it seems there are a couple of others in his flat with birthdays that week also.

His flat seemed a bit quiet today, one had already dropped out, and seemingly a second has now too. Several are doing nursing with placements for the next several weeks, with at least one travelling from home during that time.

After the excitement of the first term, I always think this one is a bit tougher for first years, especially if not every mandatory module necessarily floats their boat. Still it is quite a short term - ends 20th March - so just nine or so weeks.

When is reading week if they have one please? DD didn't have one in October so I'm hoping she might get one this term. She's doing Geography

@juicy0

DS’s is 17th to 21st Feb - he is doing economics - not sure if different subjects have different weeks - if you are able to look at the timetable just click each week and you’ll see they’ll be no lectures scheduled

DS didn’t seem to have any work to do - he has got a maths project which he started but he said it still had plenty of time when he got back. He slept a lot while he was here.

Ds didn't get a reading week either. I assumed as biology was a more full timetable that perhaps they didn't get a reading week. Ds has lots more hours of lectures/lab time than anyone else in his flat.

@icanbewhatiwant DS didn’t do any Biology work over the holidays either, although he did say they have a chemistry exam, I think it may be this week.
My other DS has been back at Bournemouth for a week now and he’s really missing home (for the first time) I think it’s just not as exciting going back this time and like you say the home comforts of nice food, big beds and baths are being missed.

When is reading week if they have one please? DD didn't have one in October so I'm hoping she might get one this term. She's doing Geography

@juicy0 DS stated that they have one for geography this term. Coinciding with half-term though!

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 that's lovely news, maybe DD will come home for a day or two

We had a problem with one of our dogs last night. I went up to bed at 9pm to watch tv. I'm sure the dog was her normal self. DH was at a meeting and returned home 10.45pm. Asked me if I'd seen the dog...She was sitting with her head down refusing to move or even look up. Her gums were white and she looked in pain. Anyway...to cut a long story short, we found an emergency vet, drove the 40 mins to them, she has a large growth on her spleen. We had a decision to make as to whether it was worth the £3,000 operation as it still only gives her 50/50 chance. We had the op. done. We've phoned this morn and she's doing ok. Had to have a blood transfusion, it's amazing to think dogs give blood.
We are still not out of the woods. But hoping she will pull through. DH says not to tell DS. So I haven't. He will probably be annoyed at not being told. But hopefully she will be ok and then we can tell him.
I hope not telling him is the right decision. He can't do anything even if he knows. She will stay in for several days, I don't think we will visit ourselves as she will think she's coming home and we will leave her again.

@icanbewhatiwant I'm so sorry to hear about your port dog, what a night it must have been! I'm pleased to hear things have improved a little this morning. FWIW I wouldn't tell DC either as there really isn't anything they can do it and it would just mean they're worrying whilst far from home. Let him know about it when your dog is home and out of the woods instead x

@icanbewhatiwant poor dog and poor you 😢 I hope she recovers well. Sending best wishes to you all.

Oh no @icanbewhatiwant that's awful. Glad you chose to give your dog a fighting chance with the op. Really hoping that she makes a good recovery.

Sending you best wishes @icanbewhatiwant, hoping everything works out well for the dog, such a hard thing to go through. I love my dog to bits he’s completely part of the family, I’m sure you feel the same. Hope to hear good news xx

@icanbewhatiwant fingers crossed for your poor dog. I think you are right not to tell your DS at the moment, as others have said no point in worrying him unduly. I would do the same as you if our dog was in that situation.

Thanks everyone. We haven't told ds. We spoke to the vets several times today. The dog is doing well considering. They have sent the tumour off to see if it is cancerous, which apparently is highly likely. We didn't go to see her as we thought it would be cruel to visit and not take her home. We have 2 labradors. The other is the daughter of the poorly one. She really doesn't know what to do with herself. I took her for a walk and she wouldn't go far, then was looking all round for her mum. She kept looking round the whole time. She's 7 so not a young dog but she's never been the brightest button in the box and seems to copy her mum a lot. She would take it badly if her mum doesn't come home.

I've not heard from ds today. Yesterday he still didn't know what to do house wise, the 3 are definitely going with the more expensive property 6 bed. They've paid a deposit and will advertise for 3 more students if the others drop out. One lad definitely doesn't want to live there as he can't afford it. Ds doesn't really want to but is undecided. The third chap they couldn't get hold of yesterday to hear his decision. So I have left it to ds to decide what to do.

@icanbewhatiwant How is your dog doing? I hope she is recovering well.

Ds has been to look at a house today which they all like. Does anyone know what the going rate for rent is? The rent for this one is between £555 and £575 pcm depending on which room they take. Does that sound right? Also do the leases tend to be for a whole calendar year rather than September - July?

I think once they're in off-campus accommodation, rentals are yearly @MrsBartlet. Some seem to start in July, some in August and some in September though, so what you may gain one year (in not paying for the whole summer vacation period when you might choose not to be Norwich), you may lose the next (or vice versa) - if that makes sense?

Yes, hoping your dog is doing well @icanbewhatiwant. How is her daughter doing without mum around?

Whole year leases are common 'out in the real world'. Realistically, would there be a market for all those summer holiday let's?

The rent does sound quite high, though- I'm sure that DS1 hasn't paid as much as that for any of his rentals around the Unoversity of Birmingham- is Norwich so much more expensive, generally?

Thanks @NewModelArmyMayhem18. That seems quite expensive to me in that case 😩 It would be just under £7k for the year so about £1k more than we are paying this year. I was hoping it might get a bit cheaper when he moved off campus ☹️

Ds tells me this seems to be the going rate but I may have to do a bit of research myself!

Thanks for asking about the dog. Well...in herself she looks fine. She's home, eating, walking round with her ball etc. The wound is fine. But today we got the results and it was a cancerous tumour. This particular cancer usually spreads fast. It says online that prognosis is 2-3 months. But it doesn't mean it will definitely spread. So I guess all we can do is wait and see. I've not told ds yet. I need to. Her daughter was lost without her. In the walks even though she knows mum is at home she's looking round constantly and not enjoying her walk. It was making me laugh really, she knows where mum now she's home is so why keep looking round? She's literally standing with her ears pricked looking all round her, then she runs on a few steps and does the same again for the whole walk. So if we lose her mum she certainly won't take it well.

As for accommodation I've spent a while looking. They vary from £85 per person per week. Up to £130 pwpp and higher for some of the more luxury apartment type places. We were told by several people when we looked round that accommodation is much cheaper once they move off campus. It is per week, but a lot of rentals I've seen are 50 weeks compared to 38 on campus.

Ds still doesn't know what he's doing. I think he's going to end up going with the more expensive house. He hasn't got another group to go with. The poor lad that can't afford it, I wonder what he will do.