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Having finished my first year at college two months ago it feels like I’m well into the summer now. Living back at home with your parents takes some getting used to. But since being back I’ve concluded that surviving the summer as a student really isn’t that difficult.
The answer: a laptop.
They are beautiful and wonderful things! Whether you use it to watch everything ever on Netflix or, as in my case, to play The Sims 2 obsessively, it can provide you with an endless source of entertainment. However, claiming that you’ve had a productive day because you’ve managed to watch two whole seasons of Once Upon A Time—or insisting that you've been super busy because you’ve raised 20 virtual children, graduated from university 15 times and built a mansion from scratch—probably isn’t the best way to survive summer. Especially if you want to do more than just survive, and instead thrive as a Christian.
Thankfully, amidst the hardcore Sims 2 playing, I have actually left my room to go further than the kitchen. Having such a long summer has provided me with a great opportunity to do things and go places. This summer I’m returning to a Scripture Union camp for 11 – 15 year-olds, this time as a leader, and I know it'll be a real highlight of my summer. It’s great to have the chance to give up my time to share my faith and experiences with young people and to learn from them and the other leaders. In addition to this, there are many Christian conferences taking place over the summer (and many with student discounts), which has allowed me to break up my time at home by going off for a week here and there for some great teaching.
Having such a long summer has provided me with a great opportunity to do things and go places.
But most of my time this summer will be spent at home with my family, friends and church family. So far I’ve found this to be really nice, but also a little strange. Living at home again has temporarily removed some of the responsibilities that I’ve had to deal with over the last year, such as cooking, cleaning and doing dishes. I know I definitely took all of these things for granted before going to college, but without these responsibilities I’ve felt less independent. Having to be in for dinner at a set time, having to tell my parents what I’m doing and where I’m going—and sending a text if I’m going to be out late to save them worrying—is a difficult routine to get back into.
Seeing friends has always been one of my favorite things to do, and this summer is no exception judging by the number of coffee shops I’ve visited already! Catching up with my old college friends, and even friends from primary school, is fun and often really interesting. With some friends it's like nothing has changed at all, whereas with others it's been a little awkward, as since going to college we’ve found new and different interests. I guess this just shows the nature of how people change and move on.
Returning to my home church has been surprisingly difficult as it feels like a lot has changed. For me this has meant a number of new faces and new people in leadership, but also the younger people growing up—most noticeably in height but also in maturity. There's also a sense in which I now feel torn between my church at college and the one back home, as I'd call both my church family. This has been particularly hard to get used to.
Through all these things—at home with parents, out seeing friends and spending time at church—I want to live out my faith by being a good daughter, a supportive friend and a committed member of the church family. To do this, I've learned that I need to invest time in each of these areas.
Top tips for surviving summer as a student:
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