UEA (2019) dealing with the unexpected and on to 2nd Year

[juicy0]

New thread for the parents of 2019 freshers. Thank you all for sticking around!
At the start of the year we never would have guessed the topics that are currently being discussed in this page but I'm grateful we still have each other to help navigate our way through this with our DC.
With the emptying of 1st year rooms seemingly on hold for many until the end of lockdown our thoughts will soon turn to 2nd year accommodation and whether term is likely to start as normal in September.

I found it quite sad seeing an empty UEA and the flats feeling abandoned. Its nice to have rescued the stuff though.
PS its clear DS never cleaned his room either

"DS was rather sad, but he did take me to see his house for next year, it’s quite a nice looking detached house in a quiet cul de sac not far from uni." I think that's an encouraging sign @Itscoldouthere.

I can picture the 'discarded at a moment's notice' scene for their flats. DS has already told me that he's got lots of pizza boxes in his room. I too suspect he won't have cleaned in six months of being there....

@NewModelArmyMeyhem18 yes he does seem to want to go back and live there, but I think all the work he has to do is such a big block to him that he can’t think about it properly.

I’m trying to get him to break it all down into small sections so it’s not so scary, but it really is slow progress. We do have a timetable for when the questions will be set and when the work has to be submitted so it is manageable, but he hasn’t committed to anything yet.

He did agree that I could write to student services to make enquiries as to how his lack of attendance/submission of work was not picked up on. He said at the start of term all the lectures said not to sign in for friends as they checked registers, as a person continually not turning up was a sign of depression!

I hope your DS gets on OK, I hope he doesn’t get too effected by the weird atmosphere, I think I’m a bit over emotional at the moment as I did feel very sad about the whole situation and couldn’t help reflecting on how different it all was from a year ago when we went for open/offers days, but I do think that’s because of DS current situation, hopefully not everyone’s as gloomy as me!

We didn’t know what to do with all the food from the freezer, the bins were all in the kitchen with bin bags in but I didn’t want to leave food as I don’t know if they are being emptied. We brought it home and chucked in the bin here. We left stuff in the other bins though, glass, plastic, cardboard.

I’m trying to get him to break it all down into small sections so it’s not so scary, but it really is slow progress. We do have a timetable for when the questions will be set and when the work has to be submitted so it is manageable, but he hasn’t committed to anything yet. That's very sensible. I can imagine it might seem like an insurmountable mountain to climb for him though at the moment. Baby steps...

@Itscoldouthere glad to hear your son took you to see where he will be living. At least he's positive to that part. Is he still going to do some exams? I know you said he had to take some if he wanted to continue. I asked mine how his last exams went and the only reply I got was "well, I passed" that was it. So I don't know if he did well or not.

I didn't take a vacuum. Ds's floor was very dirty. But if the cleaners don't vacuum what can they do? Mind you...ds wouldn't vacuum if there was one.

Having booked DS's tickets to collect his kit, the train on which he was supposed to be returning has been cancelled (WTF). Apparently he could use it on the next available one but don't want him hanging around a station late into the evening. Wondering whether he could stay in his room overnight? Or AIBU.

Sighs.

I dont see why he couldn't stay in the room. Who would know? Dont forget there is no food available though so he would need to get a meal deal somewhere.

How annoying for him

I’m sure he could stay in his room, hardly anyone around. Might be a bit boring for him though.
It’s not far to walk to the Tesco express.

Thanks for your thoughts @sluj and @itscoldouthere.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 I hope he’s ok and does get too freaked by the Zombie Apocalypse feel of the place 🤣
Only joking, he could probably get a deliveroo/ domino pizza, more choice than I can get out here in the sticks 😊

@Itscoldouthere yes...same here. I keep getting emails from deliveroo with offers. But I download the app and get told it's not in my area. Never mind...we don't need fast food 🤣

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 did ds go?

Tomorrow @Itscoldouthere.

Hope your DS gets on ok today @NewModelArmyMayhem18

I’m driving to Bournemouth today with DS1 to clear out his room.

House sale is now back on track (after getting 3 new offers after showing it a few weekends ago) hoping to move out by the end of July.

Thanks @Itscoldouthere - there seemed to be a ridiculous number of things to remind him about before he set off including to keep his face mask on and use hand sanitiser regularly.

It now looks as if he should be able to get there/back okay. The email sent out saying one of his trains had been cancelled seemed not to reflect what the website was saying about tickets to buy etc... Fingers crossed.

A nice day for you to go down to Bournemouth too - hope the move out goes okay. Hope you manage to take in a few rays by the sea, if you have time.

Good news on the house front too. I think the 'blip' probably has been really beneficial to you as a family given DS2's need for your support and time to think and consider his future.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 unfortunately we didn’t get to see Bournemouth, although he took me to see his next years house.

It was quite a full on day, I couldn’t believe how much stuff he had, the car was so full. Had to spend a long time cleaning his bathroom as it was really stained with limescale and as it was brand new when he moved in, I thought he should try and get it back to how he moved in, as we don’t want to loose his deposit.

3 hour drive each way, meant I was rather tired, I’ve not driven so far in months!

I hope your DS got on ok, I presume he didn’t have that much stuff in his room ? I’m sure it was a long day for him.

I can’t remember if we paid a deposit at UEA? If so I presume they won’t pay back until everyone has moved out of the whole flat.

Hi @Itscoldouthere you must be exhausted particularly if you had to play Mrs Mop too? Hope you can relax today - a mother's work is never done

DS was laden down, waited an hour for a bus to deliver him back to the station so it was a bit touch and go as to whether he'd get his train. No cancellations in the end despite the rogue email indicating otherwise?????

However, he went and managed to bump into one of his flatmates who was clearing out their room at the same time. I think they did social distance but they were indoors - honestly. So much for trying to fine-tune logistics!!

He had a fair amount to bring home but more of an issue is where to store it all. It feels as if our house is packed to the rafters despite me doing regular clear-outs....

I think they collect a lot of kit. I remember never having more than about three suitcases full of stuff even right at the end of my student days.

With the benefit of hindsight it would have probably been better for DS to try to find a small storage unit. It's only two months until he's planning on going back...Oh and he forgot to hand in his keys so will have to send them off fairly pronto.

He also bumped into a couple of friends on the bus who he reported are living on campus illicitly (i.e. not paying rent!). Dangerous if no-one knows they are there and something untoward happens.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 well done your DS for doing it all on public transport, makes me feel like my DC are over pampered.
I’m glad he managed to get the train ok, interesting to hear about people still living there, I wonder how often flats are checked? In Bournemouth they have security staff on the building so you wouldn’t get away with it, DS was emailed to say that staff would be entering their rooms to regularly ‘flush the loo’ bit weird if you ask me.... they had also unscrewed the shower heads from their hoses.

I’ve now got a room full of stuff that they will need to go through.
DS2 stuff will have to go into storage with our house stuff at the end of July, but we will take DS1 stuff with us, as the friends house we will be staying in is much closer to Bournemouth than where we currently live.

I’ve no idea how I transported my stuff as a student, I was in a single parent family by then and my mum couldn’t drive.
When I left my uni to go to London to work, I travelled on a 125cc motorbike, I couldn’t even go on the motorway as I was a learner, god knows how my stuff got up there, I presume a friend with a car must have taken it, there was certainly no parental involvement!
Oh how times have changed... (god I’m sounding old 🤣).

DS2 told me he forgot to bring home the flat Christmas tree 😳 must say I’m relieved about that....

I wondered whether there were any foreign students still there. Ds had a lad from Delhi in his flat. I asked ds to find out if he made it home. But he wouldn't message him.

@icanbewhatiwant there were definately a few people around who looked like they were living there when we went last week. I know you can rent rooms over the summer, although I think it’s a limited amount, so it would be possible to stay all year, but it does feel like a ghost town, so not much fun.
I just hope everything starts up again in September

The shower heads and toilets will be to do with keeping the pipes flowing and preventing legionnaires disease - I saw a bbc news article re: hotels earlier in the week - they have to run the taps/showers for 5 minutes in every room once a week

Yes, I was quite impressed by DS just getting on with it. Let's hope he hasn't brought the lurgy home with him, although he said it was so quiet on public transport that I don't think he will have had close contact with many people.

His stuff is still cluttering up the hall - I can't face trying to get his heavy bags upstairs yet and he doesn't seem keen either...

I agree about changing times. I have a distinct memory of carrying two large and very heavy (crammed with textbooks) suitcases (before the days of wheelie ones) on my own to and from university. Once when it was snowing, a random woman in a car stopped and gave me a lift back to my student house because she took pity on me!

You were brave heading for the bright lights of London on a motorbike @Itscoldouthere!

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 at least he wasn't challenged on public transport as to where he was going with cases. I know they have said only use public transport for work....A chap got on the train at Diss station (next stop from Norwich) with his golf clubs, planning to get off at Stowmarket, the next stop to play golf. The driver asked him to get off. He refused. So the train driver spoke via tannoy to say the train wasn't leaving the station until the man with the golf clubs got off! 😳

Hopefully, it was evident that he was a student in transit. He didn't get challenged at all. I can't imagine he will be the only one making the journey on public transport.

Golf clubs clearly tell a different story .

I would imagine though that when shops start to reopen next week, more people will be using public transport to get from A to B. Walking is well and good but only if you live close enough to where you want to go.

DS is definitely looking forward to going back to Norwich and UEA in the summer which I take to be a positive sign.

Today should have been the end of term for DS2. Instead, he is now getting very bored at home. There doesn't seem to be any work on the essay or independent studying. He is looking forward to a proper summer with his home mates but is also very keen to start year 2
DS1 has now finished his 4th year but is still in Norwich with his house mates. Its amazing how quickly they grow out of living at home. Going to uni is the perfect transition, halfway between living at home and being independent. My two are pretty self sufficient already and I will have few worries when they do actually leave home. Though I will have lots more money

When do all of your year 2 house let’s start?

I’m currently working on the assumption that DS2 will go back (although there is a lot of work to be done first) but he doesn’t get his house till September 15th.