Durham University

[KingscoteStaff]

The continuation thread for those with DC at Durham, or applying to Durham, or alumni, or staff!

September 2021 finds us packing, unpacking, meeting old friends and new, and all with our fingers firmly crossed for a positive year!

@Meery, wasn't it a great welcome!
I forgot to say earlier but we asked about food and the dining hall was opening for lunch and supper today so it is all fine.
We only stayed an hour because I could tell dd just wanted to unpack by herself but her room mate hadn't arrived yet or anyone in her landing area. I hope she met some freshers over lunch.

Hi @springsoarrow.
Her roommate isn’t there yet..I think perhaps there may be the other half of the pairs moving in tomorrow.
The room is lovely
It has all been really well planned by the uni so it pretty much ran like clockwork. Refreshments put on for parents too (while freps chatted to and helped Dd )
Dd had day1 LFT test ( walk in ) on palace green .. really pleased how easy that was too.
Good luck to all those arriving tomorrow. Your Dc will have a great day

Dd's roommate also not there yet. She was hoping it would be someone to talk to straight away, everyone else on her landing has had their doors shut but she has met one girl now to go to supper with. Hopefully they will all appear this evening.

Ds has possibly the pickiest room in Trevs , right up the top overlooking the bar but he seems happy and the others on the landing have their doors open , they were going for dinner together . Lovely welcome and they made such a fuss when they found out I had been in Trevs , I felt like a film star😮

That should read pokiest, now in a lovely little hotel in North Yorkshire and meeting friends for dinner , although I am exhausted! Hope everyone else’s drop off goes well

No @Peaseblossum22 my dd is sure hers is the smallest. She is top floor too. We were unceremoniously dumped for landing people and are now taking a breather before going out for a meal on the Bailey. Hope to catch up with dd tomorrow am before travelling back. Have a good evening all who dropped off today, and safe travels to those dropping tomorrow.

Lol @Peaseblossum22 .
Glorious afternoon here- I hope people arriving tomorrow have good weather too.

Dropped ds! Super friendly freps helped out at Van Mildert. His rooms seems tiny, I think he was quite shocked at the size. DH and I didn't do UK Uni so weren't sure what to expect. He is also top floor and right beside the loo but convinced him that no one is above him to make noise and v convenient to have loo nearby . Left him looking a bit nervous but happy to see that there were some boys playing football and lots planned for the evening's entertainment.

So glad I bought a fan! His room was v stuffy. The shared kitchen looked quite grim, and no hob so we took the saucepan home...

And good to see no queues at petrol stations once we got out of London!

Well we have done the Durham run. Arrived at 11 to freps holding beep for South and honk for John Snow, full blown party atmosphere at the college, music blasting out, very helpful freps helped carry more than half of his stuff up several flights of stairs. Hats off to Durham, we couldn't have felt more welcome and the parking was well organised with use of the park and ride. I am glad it wasn't raining as they literally made us unload everything out the car onto benches and Dh then moved the car to make way for more cars. Which was understandable but organised chaos.

The room is lovely and very clean. We unpacked everything so we could bring the suitcase home with us and a million blue Ikea bags. He got his computer set up, logged into wifi etc so is very happy. Only one other student in the flat when we arrived.

We took him out to lunch away from the madness and then returned to the room to collect the suitcase etc and the whole flat had arrived. Did his LFT which is negative. Phew.

We drove down a road past other colleges, Trevs and Marys, freps were lively and it all felt really positive.

I found myself chatting to some smartly dressed young chap while DS registered at VM... I assumed he was a FREP.... turns out he was the college principal. Oops.

I'm so excited for all of your DC being dropped off and starting their Durham lives. I see all the Trevs' posts on Facebook and it looks like the Freshers' Reps are doing a great job.

Reading your posts makes me feel bad that I didn't involve my parents more! I'd had a year out and I don't think I told them a thing beyond asking for a lift up. Oops.

All the best to those dropping off tomorrow.

@chopc IME my social life was 100% college

@Meery Welcome to hexagon land. It's not easy when there's only one right angle in a bedroom is it!

Good luck to all those moving in today!
There aren't many around in dd's landing at the moment and she hasn't met her room mate yet so is feeling a little lost right now. Hopefully by this evening she will be caught up in the buzz but currently feeling a bit deflated and lonely. Has tried messaging the girl she thinks is her room mate but hasn't had a response. I do wish the whole allocation and sharing thing had been sorted earlier and they had had the chance to message beforehand. She has met a few international students so had people to talk to last night and go to breakfast with.

Well, this all seems very Real now
All packed by the Master Of Luggage Jenga, just tidying up a bit.
DS showed us some photos and videos of the Butler welcome yesterday - it looked so lovely and friendly! So my wibbles have subsided a bit, phew!
We have yellow items for car

@LeiatheSchnauzer tell her to whack the doorstop in and prepare to be one of the first friendly faces today’s arrivers (and their parents) see today!

@LeiatheSchnauzer I hope your dd has a better day today. These early days are so hard. I guess the international students have already been there a while? Are there still rooms empty for people arriving today?
It does seem a bit odd that they have sharers arriving on different days.
My dd is a returning student so not moving in until next Sunday.

@KingscoteStaff and @SpringSparrow, thank you. She has her door open now but her landing is also a corridor to other areas so feels quite intense with people streaming by but not stopping. She thinks the rooms on her landing are currently empty but also one or two quiet boys who don't seem to want to talk.
She wasn't allocated a moving day but was given a choice, it just seems a bit sad that she hasn't been given her room mates details or when they are moving in however she has now replied so does know when to expect her which is good news.

@SpamhappyTootsie - am loving your luggage Jenga comment!

I walked past JoBo after I dropped DS off yesterday and it looked amazing. The college didn't exist in my day!

I'm hearing that the M1 services stations are out of fuel now. When I drove up on Friday the guy at the till at Leicester Forest East was adamant they wouldn't run out as they get multiple deliveries a day.... but shit happens. I hope those of you dropping off today manage to get there and back alright.

I haven't heard anything from DS about his first 24 hours.... other than a gloaty WhatsApp last night about how well his Fantasy Football team did yesterday!

Details on M1 fuel - no fuel at all junctions 23-15 - lorries only at junction 15.

That's pretty rubbish isn't it? The motorways are meant to be prioritised.

After all the meticulous planning and packing ....... we had forgotten the duvet ! 🙈🤦🏽‍♀️

On the list it said duvet with cover - I had ticked off as we packed the cover

And as we ordered both mattress protectors and bed topper - thought one of them was the duvet 🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️

(Got one now from Dunelm and on way back to college - a lot of traffic now which wasn't there when we arrived just after 9)

Well DS had first night at Stephenson. Big Freps welcome which was really helpful! Lovely atmosphere, DS was first to arrive in his flat, which was a bit miserable, as it was all dark & empty (but that was just my take). When we called him after we left, two other boys & 3 girls had arrived & it sounded v noisy! The Frep system is so nice, they all had a college meeting & were taken to the college bar later on, where DS unexpectedly met a boy from his primary school, so he was happy! Lots of things planned today, which is so great for them.

Journey up from London was quite easy, once we accepted we had to take my mini, as absolutely nowhere in N London to get petrol! Once out of London, on the A1, no queues for petrol. He seems v happy!

@SpamhappyTootsie we saw yellow bows on cars yesterday heading into JoBo, greeted by Freps who were lovely as they greeted us too and we were just killing 10 minutes in the park and ride. They have pom poms and are very lively!

Ds said he was going to stick a post it note on his door with his name and socials on so they could all get onto a group for the flat. They are just waiting for one person to move in, they assume, today.

The College WhatsApp groups were very helpful as my usually quiet son already "knew" other people before he got here. Actually as we walked in to his college, one of the other freshers who had recognized him from the group chat walked up to him - and invited him to hang out with a bunch of them at the college bar!

First night there and he's very happy. Roommate hasn't moved in yet but will shortly I imagine.

College matriculation and first formal this evening!

Well we have just arrived in Durham!!

Just getting an LFT and then onto Collingwood!

Lovely weather up here.

Still driving...it is a very long way to Durham!

If anyone else forgets things DC said to say there are loads of poundland and wilko style shops right in the city centre . All v cheap. Apparently loads of parents carrying newly bought duvets, clothes racks, towels, crockery.