University life for freshers (2019/20) - Christmas backpacking (or not) and festive homecomings with all the tinseltastic trimmings!

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Previous thread.

I will come back to you later @strawberrieshortcake as DD is just undergoing DSA assessment right now.

@Benjispruce
I'm sure dm went round telling everyone how happy I was to be back etc but actually I felt like your dd and really struggled-as did my db who liked to rule the roost and was not pleased to see me and showed it.

DD1 is quietly getting on with being back. I think she had a clash with dd2 in town yesterday, but they solved it, probably with dd1 compromising mostly. Ds is delighted to see her, and told me he keeps checking that she really is here.
She settled down to do some work this afternoon and ds and dd2 have just broken up and we're off to Harry Potter's world tomorrow.
She saw her college friends on Monday and is seeing another group on Friday.

I have to say that I have loved having DD home this time (so far!!) apart from just one or two niggles. I was really looking forward to her getting home. However I completely understand those of you who aren't finding it so rosy. After DD spent 2 months away working in the summer, returning home in September it was awful! I was so ready to wave goodbye to her going away to Uni and I felt so guilty that I wasn't wracked with sadness and despair of her leaving home. I couldn't wait for the house to settle down again! Every other parent seemed so upset and there was me almost cheering! Maybe this holiday we all know what to expect so it's a bit easier. Something to hope for at Easter holiday time perhaps?

Fingers crossed for future homecomings being smoother. She’s full of cold, glands swollen too and it’s really come out since she’s been home. Just hope we don’t catch it but I’m normally pretty robust as I’m a primary school HLTA.

@Piggywaspushed we won't/can't sort out some sort of Virgin equivalent of Sky Go

If you have virgin you can use the Virgin go app to stream live channels. Including BT sport if you have that on your subscription. My DS does that on his iPad at uni

Yes, but (she says trying not to channel the impatience she feels towards DS) we don't know
a) our area code
b) our account number
c) a registered email
d) a password !

Never have to use any of those things to watch telly in the old fashioned way!!

You have your virgin media username and password for the website - I think it just uses that

@Ginfordinner, I know all DDs lectures are online, haven't asked DS. Both say the lectures are just an intro to the subject matter - they have to do a lot of reading, but they aren't doing STEM so may be different for them?

DD's lectures get put online a couple of days later. She has been given a voice recorder so that she can access them sooner and so she can pick up any questions.

Still waiting here for dd to come home. She's back Saturday, and then apart from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day she has a full rota for the week. At least it'll replenish her bank balance a bit. She finally found a house for next year, so she won't be fretting about that. We were starting to get concerned as they were pipped to the post on the nice ones she'd seen, and they were thinking they were going to have to take the one with flood damage or the one with the murder basement. They've ended up with one with a gloriously large and light kitchen (after the one they have with no windows or table it'll be amazing), a nice garden and a fortnightly cleaner! I do worry that The fact that it's a yearly let (are they all?) means she'll be unlikely to come home next summer, but I'm going to have to face that at some point.

I hope all those who are home already are finally settling back in. It's weird for everyone I think.

No, I really don't mrklaw. I have never been online.. I am a very long established customer form way back in the day when you filled in paperwork...

I am the same. In fact Sky never send anything. Usually now every few months I do log in to the sky account on line to print my bill (yes I have paper files at home). I have had over the years to write on the file the very complicated various things for accounts like that - not the password which in ever write down but something that allows me to remember what it is. With BT I think we had something like 4 different accounts/log ins depending on whether it was for one or other landline and broadband line and it was different for logging in when not at home to get BT wifi I think it is on the go. In my case I have just tried to use the children to work it out when they are home as the service if usually for them (other than skygo which I watch on my computer as when the children are home I never have any access to my TV at all so just am in the habit of watching "skygo" on my computer in my office which is one reason I needed that password/account.

These companies certainly don't make it easy. (I don't have virgin here and our broadband is via over head cables from BT or open reach i should say as our roads in outer London have no cabling).. On my sky file along I have 4 sticky typed labels I drew up for that which gives sky go log in which seems to be 3 bits of data needed including password to watch sky on my computer, then a nother viewing card number, then separate details for logon to a sky mailbox

Oh Dear - DS appears to have food poisoning (defintely not alcohol related!). He went out with friends to eat at about 8pm last night, and started being violently sick at about 3am and hasn't stopped yet. He's had to ring work and tell them he can't go in. He works in a pub, and they asked if he was sure he couldn't make it!!! Errr - I wouldn't want him working near food and drink right now!

Lots of norovirus about, aka The Winter Vomiting Virus? Hope he’s better soon.

Sounds nasty. DD seems to be getting slightly better, throat still making it hard to swallow but less chills and glands a bit smaller. Just dropped her at work for a twilight shift. She’s been a bit nicer last two days. Perhaps it is just the transition. I am absolutely pooped. Christmas season in primary school is not for the faint hearted. 1 more sleep.

@Benjispruce, she must be exhausted with partying till the end of term and now working - what a trouper!

@blametheparents, hope he doesn't pass it on to you!

Yes she’s exhausted. Just for the record, the job was her idea and she has signed herself up for extra shifts in excess of her 3x 5 hr shifts pw. No pressure from us.I think she’d be a bit bored if she wasn’t working. She heard today that a friend who got into Cambridge to study maths has dropped out!

So DS was picked up today, having realised that tomorrow 's lectures aren't on. I'm already on the 3rd load of washing. Naturally he is now out for the night. I think he's relieved to be home, but his friend who was studying at the same uni confirmed today that he is deferring until next year due to his ongoing mh problems. I doubt he will go back tbh. DD home tomorrow. Hope she doesn't bring washing...

DS1 back Sunday so another early morning trip to the airport, hopefully traffic wont be too bad but I don't care. So excited, last saw him in August

Sad to hear some of our dc's friends are pulling out of uni after a term....

DS is ill. It started with a migraine after a school reunion and he's still in bed three days later. Most of his college friends are ill too - their bodies have obviously given in after 10 weeks of university life abuse. Can't believe he's been home almost a week.

I'm so not organised for Christmas. All the washing from DS's return, working and supporting elderly parents has taken its toll. I'm working right up to Christmas Eve and the house is a wreck. Hopefully I can pull things together at the weekend!

We seem to be about the only household whose university student did all her washing in advance of leaving for Christmas. The conundrum of paying for it when her bank card had gone AWOL was causing her far more concern than the 'missingness' itself, but the 'freeze card' function (and being able to pay for stuff by phone) takes a lot of stress out of the situation, I suppose.

DD only had a small bag of washing, but I insisted on stripping her bed and washing the mattress and pillow protectors as well, so it did end up as more washing than she intended.

That sounds tough for you Jano69. I hope your DS feels better soon.

DD has yet another cold. Due to her CFS she hasn't really been burning the candle at both ends like so many DC on here so, in a way, it has perhaps meant that being at university has taken less of a toll on her physically. Plus she is a vegetarian who can cook and does actually eat a lot of vegetables, so she has eaten pretty healthily. She mentioned yesterday that she snacks more at home than when she is at university.

I mentioned earlier that students seemed to fall into two camps - those who absolutely love university, and those who are so unhappy that they leave. So I asked her, on a scale of 1 - 10 where 1 was hate and 10 was love where she stood. She gave university a score of 8, so all is good.

She has made some lovely, supportive friends and has said that they can't wait until they all share a house together.

I will have to ask DS where he falls on the 10 point scale. I don't think his ill health has been down to excess as such. He just hasn't been ill in years and has suddenly been exposed to lots of new germs. He seems fine now but does need feeding up. He has been cooking and eating quite well but doesn't snack when at uni, which must have accounted for a lot of his calories. He is naturally skinny. I am concerned about his friend. I doubt he will get out of paying for his accommodation until the year end as there are spare rooms. I think one of DS's other friends may also leave and because he hasn't made so many new friends I think he will be back here more than he should be.

Have a reassuring 8 out of 10 from my DS too which is so lovely to hear as he was devastated when he didn't get the grades for his first choice Uni.

I'm placemarking this thread to read later.
I started the 1st few posts, everyone looking forward to seeing their uni kids again.. Then read the last few, and smiled. My kids are both at uni. I am nodding throughout.
Merry Xmas everyone 😊