UEA (2019) Surely 2021 (and getting on for halfway through our DC's degrees) things have got to get better????

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

New thread following on from the previous one.

Lots of and into 2021.

We have a centimetre here which is rapidly melting. DS1 has sent a photo of his Norwich snow but DS2 still appears to be asleep. I have changed my channels to watch BBC East news and weather forecast and it looks like more to come for Norfolk. I have told DS1 to put his electric blanket back on the bed

Our pup was pleased to see snow. It's turning to rain already.

Things have gone quite quiet on here, hope everyone is doing OK.
DS2 has written to UEA and asked to withdraw, based on his MH, he’s now got to pull together supporting information from his doctors and therapist.
I’m not surprised, in fact relieved really. He probably should have taken this year off and not gone back in September but he didn’t want to give up at that point.
I don’t know if he will go back to it or not, but if he does I want him to wait till Sept 2022 as I don’t think much will have changed by Sept this year.
He will stay in his house for now, he still can’t come to Canada and we now have extra restrictions here as they really don’t want anyone to travel, so are bringing in quarantine hotels at a cost of $2000.
I just have to hope that things will change later in the year.
At least he is happy in his house with his flat mates, he’s now got to think about what he wants to do next, we are going to give him a little breathing space, but then he’s going to have to have a more long term plan.
We will have to pay for his living expenses and council tax as he will loose his student status.

@Itscoldouthere that’s really tough. I hope you are ok being so far away.

Huge credit to your DS2 though. It cannot be anything but a difficult decision. From the outside looking in, and just picking up from what you’ve said on these threads, I really think he has made the right decision for him, and if his studies are something he wants and feels confident in resuming in the future then that door remains open.

More importantly if he is happy in himself for taking this step then that should stand him in good stead going forward.

itscoldoutthere
That sounds like a positive move for your DS. Its important to try a few things and different paths when you are young, and have the courage to change the plan when you realise its not right. I'm glad he is in Norwich with friends and can take some time to work it out.
Hope you are ok too?

@boys3 yes we are OK about it although obviously in the long run it may bring some extra problems but hopefully we will work it out.
To be honest if we’d not already been committed to going to Canada we probably would of suggested he defer this year as he obviously was still having issues when the year started. I think if things had been different and uni had been running normally he might of got back on track, but he fell behind with the remote learning so quickly I knew his heart wasn’t in it.
I just have to hope it will all be ok in the end, if we were in the UK he would have come home and just lived in his bedroom, so in some ways he is still learning some life skills and resilience.
I do have sleepless nights where I worry about him and he goes off radar sometimes and won’t answer calls, but he’s got our support and he knows that.

@Itscoldouthere at least he's made a positive decision and he's happy to keep living where he is. I hope you are ok. It's tough being so far away. But like you said...if you were here he'd probably stay in his room, he will have to decide what he wants to do next.

Mine has found the last 2 biology exams really hard. I know it's been a tough year without all the hands on stuff they should be doing.

@icanbewhatiwant I think the exams were what made him face up to the situation. I suggested mid last term that he should consider withdrawing but he got really cross and said I’d given up on him, so we left it, but we knew he wasn’t doing enough and I think the pressure of continually failing was making him more depressed.
Maybe he will never make it back but hopefully he will have the option should he choose it.
I really don’t know what he will do next/now but we will have to get some type of plan, at the moment we are a bit out of ideas.

Hi @Itscoldouthere just read the update on your DS2. I think he has made a very mature decision. Hopefully, taking the pressure off for the time-being will give him the headspace to work out what he wants to do next. It's positive that he's enjoying living with his housemates too. All credit to him and to you and your DH for supporting him.

On a separate note, I've seen the freezing temps in Canada - down to -50C!!! How is your dog coping.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 ha ha yes it has been super cold in some places, my BIL lives near Calgary and they get winds they call Chinooks (hope that’s spelt right) which makes it really cold and we’ve certainly seen on the weather -50!

Here in a Montreal it has been cold but we are more like -22 feels like -29 but they are saying it’s going cold all through Feb.
DS2 has been a bit down again, spending lots of time in his room, staying up late gaming. He’s struggled to get info from his doctor which he needs to send to UEA as his withdrawal documentation. It’s rather frustrating for me as I want to help him, but he’s not really reaching out.
I am trying to plan coming back to UK but it’s all becoming very difficult as we now have quarantine hotels coming in here mom 3 days for everyone coming into the country at a cost of $2000 so I don’t feel I can come back yet, I can deal with having to do 4 weeks quarantine but if it’s going to cost silly money I’ll just have to wait, but it has put a rather unpleasant dampener onto being here.

Sounds too cold for me - I've turned into a hot-house flower as I've got older. I've just remembered that my parents were considering emigrating to Canada when I was a child - so glad they didn't!

These new coming into the country quarantine regulations are a total PITA if you need to come over for a family emergency. If only they'd been quicker off the mark last February rather than letting so many families go off on their skiing holidays (even though the threat of the pandemic was already looming large).

I hope everyone and their DCs are well. Things seem to be looking a lot more promising on the Covid front, so perhaps some cautious optimism.

DS2 may have a new house share for September. Although I thought the response of Norwich to my question of whereabouts it is was not particularly helpful

We are all good. I feel we at least have something to look forward to now. As we aren't far from Norwich I will go and meet ds and his gf for a walk after 31st.

I was hoping ds would get some practical lessons as the schools are going back. But so far he's been told it will all be online. He's had 2 biology practicals in 14 months. Not good.

Hello lovely UEA people, it’s all been very quiet on this thread. Hope you are coping with lockdown, staying sane?
Have many of you had the vaccine yet?
How are your DC doing?
Anything happening re going back into labs/lessons for students?
Not much change here in Canada, still in lockdown/ curfew and hardly any vaccines here, they still haven’t even done the 80 year olds, can’t get the supply of vaccines sorted!
Strangely hairdressers have opened, so I have at least had a haircut.
Not much change with my DS, he still hasn’t officially withdrawn from uni, he’s just surviving (hiding) in his bedroom. He has finally (last week) told his flat mates what’s going on.
I’m making plans to come back to the UK, but boy is it complicated and expensive.
Meanwhile we seem to still be in deep winter, it’s been really cold and everything has turned to ice, I feel like I could do with crampons on my shoes just to walk the dog 😂

Pfizered a couple of weeks back, with DH booked in for early next week.

The UK has been as far from being an exemplar in how to handle covid as it is probably possible to be, but credit where credit is due the vaccination programme, plus the early commitment to purchase before anyone had any real idea which if any might work, has been hugely successful.

Country living for DS2 next year as his houseshare is in Hethersett, which from the map looks to be a few miles outside the city.

Due to get my vaccination for Mothers Day in Sunday and I'm hugely grateful for that. Easter holidays are fast approaching and I am expecting younger DS back for a while but older DS is staying in Norwich as he will be in the middle of his finals. It feels like there is light at the end of the tunnel finally.

Glad to hear you are getting vaccinated, I must say, I have been super impressed with the vaccine rollout in the UK, most of my friends have either had the first jab or are booked in. I got a text from my doctors this morning 😊 not much use for me here though!
I don’t know what’s gone wrong in Canada, there was so much early reporting about how they’d ordered millions of shots, enough for 6 shots for every person, how they were going to donate their excess to poor countries etc etc, but the reality is they can’t get the supply in to the country. Nothing is made here, and only about 150,000 coming in each week, which then have to be shared amongst all the provinces, so I’m not expecting to be offered anything till September time.
I think Canada is rather shocked and embarrassed about the situation.

Boys3 that will be interesting for your son to be living more in the countryside, I presume that was his choice and he has transport?
I’m planning to come back once some of the restrictions lift, no point in coming sooner, although I’m desperate to see DS and try to help him work out what he’s going to do, I did freak outa few weeks ago as he stopped communicating with us, but thankfully he’s been a bit better the last few weeks.
We have started French lessons via zoom twice a week, I’m finding it rather challenging I must say and we get set homework as well 😳 I always need a large glass of wine afterwards!

I think from looking at Google maps that Hethersett is only just outside Norwich, about 4 miles from campus. He has a bike!

Learning French, all that reminds me of is the Eddie Izzard sketch Le sing west dans l’arbre. Is the Quebec french accent quite strong as well? I’m a bit surprised by the vaccine problems in Canada, hopefully supply will improve and it will really get going.

It's great to hear from everyone.

@Itscoldouthere that's not so good about the vaccines out there. DH had his 2 and half weeks ago. I haven't yet....I'm under 50 so not in a priority group, I don't expect mine until end of April or May. I started to learn french last lockdown as we have joined our village twinning group. I went to France the year before with ds3. The family we stayed with didn't speak much English. So I decided to learn, but I didn't get far, I just can't remember it. It literally goes over my head and is all forgotten by the next day 😞

Ds messaged today to say their Wi-fi is not working. Apparently he has a 3 hour seminar this morn. and 2 this afternoon. Not quite sure what I'm meant to do. Also messaged last night to say his car battery is flat, he hasn't been driving it that much. So dh will sort out getting a new battery as it broke down in Tesco in the snow as well. It's a newish car too. Ds only messages me when something is wrong.

I'm looking forward to 31st March when we can meet others outside. Dh and I will drive to Norwich and meet Ds for a walk over Easter. I'm sure he has no plans to come home.

@icanbewhatiwant sounds like Biology is ramping up then, which is good, I hope they get labs back soon.
There has been 6 in my DS house. (House of 8) but a few a planning to go home for Easter so he may end up on his own for a bit, but I expect they may get back to a full house afterwards, I suppose it will depend how much opens up at UEA for the last term.
I’m planning to come back to UK end of March/early April, so that once I’ve done my quarantine It will be the time when you are allowed to travel within the UK, so that I can come to Norwich and see DS.

Oh my god the French lessons are so exhausting, how many ways can there be to make the sound at the end of a word, why do words have genders, why is everything so hard 🤷‍♀️
No way will I remember it all. Before we were allocated our actual teacher, I spoke to a teacher who had come from Paris who said it took her 6 months to fully understand Quebec French. Our teacher is Québécois born and bred, so I think we are probably learning Quebec accented French (or Keybec as they pronounce it 😊).

Dh and I have been to change the battery on ds's car ourselves. So we saw him briefly. I think he wanted us to go in for a cup of tea. I told him we will meet properly in a few weeks for a walk.

Internet was back up and running.

They just said on anglia news that all students at UEA should be returning after Easter🤞

Hi, apologies for jumping onto this thread, but could any of you advise re help/support for mental health issues. I can see one of your DCs is having some problems too
Have DD in first year. She took a big dip a couple of weeks ago, it's quite serious and she's just opened up to me. She had difficulties before. My plan is to phone up and ask more about what is on offer so that I can signpost her to right bit and also concerned that her flatmates who are supporting her get some help too to help her. Obviously none of them have really made any links to anything beyond their flat and a few people they could get to know in the autumn so it all feels very much like a pressure cooker.
I don't want to put too much detail here, but any suggestions appreciated.

Hi Lanadelgrey, you are very welcome here.
I'm sorry I haven't any direct information for you but hopefully someone can suggest something. Is your DD still in halls? Perhaps she could come home for Easter to get a break? Unfortunately I don't think you can rely on the flatmates to help much unless they have all been together through the lockdown and have forged a strong bond.
Have you tried the website? The UEA Instagram and twitter accounts have lots of info on too.
I think this last lockdown has been hardest for many people and 1st year is hard enough as it is. I hope someone can give you some practical advice soon.

@lanadelgrey I’ve sent you a PM as my son is having MH issues.

@lanadelgrey I'm not much help either. But I hope your daughter gets some. It must be difficult when they are a distance away.