Productive Procrastination.

In recent posts I've droned on about the swamp of university essays I'm currently wading through. Well after a month of library time and research term has now started, my first 5,000 word beast and I'm polishing up a second (thankfully shorter) essay at the moment. However, staring at my netbook screen for 12 hours a day is not the most exciting thing and I keep having to think of treats (such as trips to the water fountain or loo) as incentives to get keep me writing and get my a couple of hundred words closer to the finish line.

However, I'd be a massive liar if I said I've been that focused the whole time. at times I've been productively deceptive with myself, as my creativity's dark side thinks up jobs to do in order to put off getting out my laptop, all in the name of productivity.

Some of you may be familiar with the YouTube sensation that is Jenna Marbles. Some of you won't be, but all you really need to know is that you she is a vlogger who posts weekly videos. One of the first video I ever saw of hers was 'Things To Do Instead of Cleaning Your Room'.

Well Jenna, I think I must have crossed a threshold of lunacy, because I've recently been a room cleaning, laundry doing machine, in order to avoid essaying.

There's a fine line between efficiency and procrastination, however, over the past few weeks suggest that I may have actually found a decent balance. I may not have been on task the whole time, but a lot of my procrastination has actually been productive, and consequently lessened my academic guilt.

During essay and exam season students can easily get sucked into a black hole of Red Bull, sleep deprivation and an 'All Library, All The Time' mentality. But I think my weird new habit of 'Productive Procrastination might actually help me in this last week of essay madness and the upcoming insanity of revision and exam season. Sometimes ticking off the little jobs actually help- I cleaned out my diary earlier this week. after pulling out all the pieces of paper I'd rammed in there it's not only a quarter of the size- but I can actually use it for planning without fear of unleashing a paper tsunami!

You know I'm getting really hyped for climbing Kilimanjaro in September and essay madness has both pushed me into a state of super excitement and possibly made me a better Adventure Leader. Having so many deadlines has made me really organised and lots of deadline close together has made me better at forward planning. I actually submitted my last Adventure Leader report early because during moments of total essay mind block I'd take a couple of minutes to contact my group and check on their progress and totals. This meant that I actually had all the information I needed and had made personal contact with the guys. Not only did my report write itself in minutes, but I got the mood boost I needed after my essay failure had started to drain all my drive. I felt even better knowing how well my team our doing, so fair we've collectively raised over £23,000 for Practical Action and the Meningitis Research Foundation... and I've just had them more stash delivered to get out on the streets and keep fundraising.

They say "If you want something done, ask a busy person" and I think there's a lot of truth in that. From my recent experience a busy person loves new tasks- they great distractions, but don't making you feel like a complete time-waster the same way that a cheeky half hour on Facebook might.

The more 'productive' I am and the more jobs I tick off my check list (e.g. two loads of laundry, hoovering my room and changing my linen) only leaves me with less excuses not to turn my attention back to my work.

That's it really. Even this blog was a cheeky bit of procrastination- but hey, I achieved something. I made a whole thing- even if it is just a blog post!

I'm going back to editing now- good luck to all the other students out there currently in essay mode and fearing exams. Remember, there's always a way to take a break without feeling like you're wasting time and soon enough you'll be on a roll!

Here's your musical reward. This is my friend Flik singing an amazing song which I have now had stuck in my head for days. I'm trying not to learn how to play Cups until I actually have hours to spare because I know I won't be able to stop until I've got it down to pat.

Getting on a Roll...

So last week I had a right good moan. Having spent hours on end in the library I was getting nowhere and feared never reaching a reasonable word count, let alone making any sort of coherent argument, submitting an essay prior to a deadline and obtaining a respectable mark towards my degree.

However, towards the end of the post I had calmed down a bit, remembered that I'm an optimist at heart and set myself some practical targets:

1) Finish at least one of my essays.

2) Take note of something blooming marvelous in my life and tell you all about it on my blog. 

I also set a made a secret third target... (3) Go home and see my family and friends again before true essay panic and exam revision starts.

I can't quite believe it, but I actually did quite well...

Last week started slowly. My first, and most important, target seemed completely out of my reach. The essay I was focusing on needed to be 5,000 words long, my concentration was waning and the words were coming s.l.o.w.l.y. However, on Wednesday I finally started to get some flow  and come Thursday evening I felt confident that I could finish on Friday and, time dependent, even catch a train to London.

Words cannot express my state of euphoria when I walked out of the library on Friday at 4:30pm, instead of my usual 8:30pm. Not only had I finished an essay that had been drawn out like a form of cruel and unusual punishment but I had no reason not to head home. I even arrived early enough to go to the pub! I was so happy.

Having finally gotten my head into the essay game and crossed off a big one from my list as I flying high. Therefore, not only was I happy to go home, but I could really relax and enjoy it. I spent almost all of Saturday out with Mum, trying on clothes... and being spoiled. I got an outfit for a family wedding next month and a gorgeous beige leather jacket. Oh, and mummy might have paid for everythingI told you; SPOILED.

I also got to spend a lot of time with my great friend Jess, who I haven't seen properly to natter to since we went on holiday in September. 6 months is TOO LONG!! It was really nice to just sit in the pub (and then at my house because the pub closed) drinking wine and chatting about... everything. We caught up on everything that's been happening and we hadn't gone into detail on; made plans for the summer; discussed what we'd like to do once I graduate; discussed how much we like wine; talked musics and films- and even had time to reminisce from juniors through to sixth form. Such fun!

Now, that's 2 targets met and celebrated. What about the third? Did I not notice anything beautiful that I just had to rant about? As I already mentioned there are loads of little things about the last few days that have made me happy and excited about the near future, but what's really got be excited right now is the prospect of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in September. It's so exciting. I spent all of Sunday morning in bed with a cup of tea and my Traveller's Atlas reading about the East Africa... and then branched out and set my sights on the rest of the world. It's so exciting!

The bed buddy's of a wannabe explorer and amateur adventurer...

I now miss home and want to go back. I can't wait for essays and exams to be done so that the sun can come out and I can play!

Anyway, it's back to the library grindstone now, I hope to finish my short essay quickly so that by the weekend I'm only editing and glossing the two that are due throughout next week. Hopefully I'm now well and truly on a roll. 

Watch this space for more info and excitement about my upcoming Kilimanjaro trek and African adventures!

p.s. Enjoy the video. I'm a little bit in love with Nina Nesbitt right now. She has a great voice and is a pretty talented song-writer too...

Dusting off the cobwebs

Hello all,

In case you wondered (which you probably didn't) no, I didn't die. So just to clarify, in case anyone has stumbled upon this this sad little corner of cyberspace in the past few months: nope, I'm not dead. Just boring...

The past few months have actually been crazy busy, just with the daily grind of student life. This includes lessons, a lot of reading (and not enough time for reading), charity hijinks with Warwick RAG and sporting endeavours with both the Netball and Polo clubs. However, all of this is just normal... and the antics of university nights out might not have a place on the internet. You never know, my mother may one day stumble upon this blog- now that she can both use Microsoft Word and her website of choice- Ticketmaster! I'm now a fortnight in to, what the university has most hilariously  named, the Easter 'vacation'. Such funny people...

Personally, I have 3 essays to research during this time and 13,000 words to churn out, polish into proper English and check for just a  glimmer of intellect. Research has been going well, I say this simply because I have managed to motivate myself to spend many hours in the library and trawl through many an old book. The older and smellier the better. However, it is my more recent attempt to jump from research to writing that has motivated this blog. Over the past two days I have been starring at my netbook screen. The nuclear mode of StayFocused has been activated-  Facebook and Twitter are now unavailable to me. Yet sadly, the words just do not come.

Floor 3, the crazy silent floor, where even sipping water might just be too noisy!

Therefore, here we are. You're reading this. Ha! as if you're still reading! This post was motivated my my friend Andy King (a RAG colleague and amusing chap) who this evening launched a new blog, opening with a traditional 'Hello, this is my new blog' post, about being a serial Blog Abandoner. Along came the guilt; had I abandoned my blog? My poor Erasmus lovechild!

Dear Blog,

I am so sorry. Please don't doubt my affection for you, I'll try to do better. I will remember you, and I shall endeavour to use you as an outlet to see the little gems of glory in everyday life. I promise...to try...to remember. Luckily, you're not like a hamster and if I forget to take care of you, you won't die and linger in the corner of a cage I can't even see under a pile of books until the smell becomes so bad that I suddenly remember and go, Oh, ssshhhh...                                            

This week I have a lot to do. Here are my aims:

1. FINISH at least one of my essays.
2. Take note of something blooming marvelous in my life and tell you all (and but that I mean absolutely no one) via this lovely blog.

Bye all... HAHAHA! You're not still reading...

**If you are still here, check out Andy's blog: http://andykingwrites.wordpress.com/2013/04/07/dear-reader/. I like that it's like letters, beause as you know: I LOVE LETTERS!**

***PROOF: http://incaseyoudliketoknow.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/without-moving-anything-but-your-heart.html ***

A real page turner.

When I was home my mum gave a book. A book she read over a year ago, but I've had to wait for, as naturally she leant it to all of her sisters and half of her one thousand friends before I got my hands on it. It was definitely worth the wait though and I gobbled the whole thing up in less than a week. God love transport for the time it gives to bookworms!

"Make it a rule never to give a child a book you would not read yourself."
-George Bernard Shaw

The book was Me and Mine, a portrait of an Irish family living in London. It was heart-warming, anecdotal and quite honestly it made me think so much of my own family. Not just because they were from Longford and reading the Longford Leader, which once reported my own parents marriage- completely inaccurately! This book is a real page turner and I quite literally couldn't bare to put it down. I'd thoroughly recommend it to anyone. It depicts family exactly as I think it should be, a hub of loving intrusion and jest, both in spite and because of each member's imperfections as well as their strengths. 

"The definition of a page-turner really aught to be that this page is so good, you can't bear to leave it behind, but then the next page is there and it might be just as amazing as this one."
-John Burnside

As you know, at Christmas I got a Kindle. This was a very practical decision, supported by two very simple reasons. 

1. Books are very expensive here, especially foreign ones.
2. I have my luggage allowance to think of, and lots of books would certainly weigh me down.

As much as I enjoy playing with my new toy and the delights of finding literary freebies, it was wonderful to have a real book in my hands again. A real page turner, complete with pages to turn!

Having devoured this treat so quickly I have now returned to my new found technological ways and you could say I'm even being conscientious by having started North and South, by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell. This is one of the set texts for 'The English Nineteenth Century Novel', a module I hope to take next year at Warwick. I'm really enjoying it. I can't help but wonder if people really were as eloquent as characters in these old novels though. Margaret Hale, the protagonist, speaks so poetically as she describes her old rural home to her new friends in the North that I wonder have we forgotten the power of poetry, simply become too lazy to fully describe all that we perceive, or rather have become sadly unaware of the beauty and the music in the world around us? 

I'm just a quarter of the way through now- thank you Kindle and your handy little percentage bar- and am really enjoying this read. I hope the rest of the books on this reading list treat me as kindly.

Also, yes... I have seen a BBC adaptation of this tale. And no, it doesn't hurt to imagine the dashing Richard Armitage as the leading man, John Thornton. Do you judge me, fellow Literature students? 

I'm going to stop now as I have a book to be getting back to...

p.s. If you like the sound of either of these books, here are the links to them on the Waterstones website.

• Me and Mine, Anna May Mangan,  http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/anna+may+mangan/me+and+mine/7441649/
• North and South, Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell,  http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/elizabeth+cleghorn+gaskell/north+and+south/8585681/

Back to Reality... briefly.

Last week I went on holiday, to the glamorous destination of Home. It was a really lovely trip, however brief. This was a whirlwind tour, calling in three counties in just six days. It was a wonderful though, due to both the pleasure of spending time with my family and friends; and the peace of mind I got from sorting out some administration and logistical elements regarding my upcoming return to reality.

The act of going home is simple as are the feelings are warmth and ease that it gives. It’s an age old and pure idea which is rooted in the very centre of who we all are. We can always take a step back, return to the place we started from and the people who love and know us best and figure out how best to move forward. The moving forward part is the challenge and even though I wasn’t at home in Essex for most of my trip I was so grateful to my patient and loving parents for putting up with my incessant phonecalls about housing and module selections. Mostly that just told me that I was making sense and making good choices, but sometimes all you need is someone who knows you well to say ‘yes, that sounds good. It’s a good choice for you’.

As a side note, other amazing things about home which brought a smile to my face with their sheer simplicity included getting off the plane to non-humid, crisp, albeit a bit chilly air (it’s different in other places!); rain that just drizzles nicely rather than simulating monsoon season; red meat in crazy served with any kind of potato; using my iPhone and having a very hectic ‘recent’ list; and Cadbury’s chocolate.

I began my mini-tour of the UK with a much needed trip to Warwick Uni, to see so many of the beautiful people I’ve been missing, meet the new RAG exec (which I am so proud to be a member of), hand in some boring paperworky things and check out and sign  for my house for next year. Busy, busy, busy!

I stayed with my friend Charlie, who is currently a very busy bee with all things Physics related and more, and so I think/hope he didn’t think me horribly rude for being here, there and everywhere whilst abusing his hospitality. Here’s what I managed to squash into my 3 and half uni days, he’ll probably be interested to know where I kept disappearing to, in fact...

Monday was an early start and the train to Leamington Spa, where the lovely Tara (as mentioned here and here) met me, having jumped on a train from Birmingham.  We had a pub lunch and did some shopping, kitting me out with a new bikini for what I hope will be a very sunny summer. I then went onto campus to meet up with Charlie for some ‘yay, one exam down’ drinks... which of course resulted in a plan to go out. Notorious Mondays are always a laugh and I had a brilliant time, both catching up with some of my friends at re-drinks and bumping into so many mates at the club. I did enjoy every double take, dropped jaw and ‘You’re back?!’, always followed by a big hug.

Despite all this nocturnal fun, Tuesday was another early start and a very productive day! I began with addressing my housing situation for next year, which has been a many month long saga- things are harder when your not in the country! I'm really excited about the group I'm living with though and our awesome location. Having finally viewed the flat I signed the contracts, only 6 weeks later than the rest of the gang and then headed off for a catch up with my friend, Lucy. This was a great catch up and I got to grill her on some second year modules, which she's been taking this year in order to get her and investigate some module based rumours that I'd been hearing. More about that later.

Tuesday evening began with a RAG meeting. I was so chuffed when I was voted RAG week co-ordinator for next academic year, and have been feeling guilty about my absence and consequent lack of involvement since being elected, and so this was a brilliant opportunity to get to know the new exec and talk about what's going on and to share what Beavis, the President, and I had been brainstorming about RAG Week! I'm really excited to get back to these lovely people and do some good work in the autumn. Will also be digging into organisation very soon.

Unlike here in Italy, back home we have to apply and request modules nice and early and so these decisions have been on my mind for weeks now. You may remember how the Venice visit of March served as an information point about modules offered by the Italian department and so I sorted out three out of four modules for next year then and there. However, my English option has given me much food for thought over the past few weeks and whilst having a fairly good idea of what I wanted to do this uni visit was the perfect opportunity to both catch up and grill some of my fellow English Lit students. Between that resolve, those chats and the aforementioned 'I think I'm doing the right thing Mum? Dad? Yes?' phonecalls I fnalised my decision and submitted my form (early, I may add). Sorry David, Lucy, Ella and Sam! And a huge Thank You for all of your insights! I felt both relieved and pleased to have the decision made and out of my hands. First choice: 'The English Nineteenth Century Novel', with 'Literature of the Second World War' and 'Victorian and Romantic Poetry' as back ups. I think I'll be happy with whichever I get, and there's always final year if I find myself longing to do one of the others.

With the lovely Will You remember him from here

Wednesday was another mad day with key features including seeing Sarah, my friend and future housemate, to catch up and discuss the house a little bit. A tiny bit, in fact. Other things seemed so much more important at the time. During this epic teatime I got a text from Charlie and duly agreed to a night out at the SU (Student Union). This was a very easy concession to make as Wednesday in sports' night, the Union is packed and the music is old, cheesy and very easy to have a silly dance and sing-a-long to. So much fun!

Thursday morning called for the much anticipated coffee date with the wonderful Mr Sam Clarke, who I was very disappointed to miss out on seeing over Christmas We didn't have much time as he was between a lecture and seminar but we caught up nicely on what we'd both been doing, followed up with questions about letters and we've started plotting some fun for when I'm back in the UK 'for real'. After this and another impromptu coffee with my friend, Felicity, I headed off to Banbury to see Fiona. You may remember her from my birthday.

With my Bestie

Fiona is one of my very best friends and one of our greatest grievances is that it's this year, this year in which I am in Rome that she is on a work placement in Banbury, only twenty minutes away from my university. Shocking! However, I was very pleased to get to visit her, meet her colleagues and friends and go for steak, because that is what she and I like to do. We then went out for a big night and we had a lot of fun in various establishments with some cheeky offers and cracking tunes- yes, she has made me a fan of Call Me Maybe- but we ended up leaving earlyish as we had so much more to catch up on and so little time together!

Friday was back home to Essex and dinner with my family. I was so sorry to end up having so little time truly at home but we went for a cracking dinner and in true family fashion there was no one single of conversation, but always at least three different ones running simultaneously- which is impressive for a table of five. Later, two of my best friends from school came to join us as well as some of my brother's mates and all told it was a good night.

Unfortunately, Saturday brought a fairly early flight back to Rome and I was greeted by a warm sunshine. You know that excellent moment when you're going on holiday and you get off the lane to find the air so warm and dry that you know you're abroad? It was that! That summer feeling. I was glad to be back, as I'm keenly aware that my time here is running out. I really want to make the most of all the time I have left, but... I'll tell you a secret, after such a short trip home I've been a tad homesick since I got back. I didn't really get enough time with anyone and can't wait to be reunited with them all soon.

But for now, Rome, sun and fun! After all, it won't be long until I'm truly Romesick!

Without moving anything but your heart.

"To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart"
-Phyllis Theroux

 There is no greater pleasure, in my humble opinion, than coming home to find a letter waiting for you on the mat; addressed by hand, in the familiar script of a friend. This is proof that whilst you may be divided by geography, you’re remembered and cherished.

Adorable postcard from Tara!

Those of you that know me well will be well aware that I’ve been a huge advocate of snail mail for a very long time and know few joys greater than the postman’s fruitful call. Having grown up n a large Irish family my cousins are spread al over the world; Ireland, America and even Australia, yet these boundaries never keep our family behind with the news. I mention this because one of my closest and longest friendships in that which a share with my cousin, Laura, who I’ve only ever seen in the flesh about four times, and yet by our letters we’re truly as close as any cousins could be. Having become pen pals aged about ten and eleven respectively we’ve shared, advised and supported each other through school, girl wars, boy drama and more.

Another of Tara's offerings.

If anything my generation has been completely spoilt, we live in a world where even if you move to opposite ends of the country for university you can still, if you choose to,you can still chat to your best friends for hours every day, or get their advice on outfits, be it a shopping or night out wardrobe decision. But is that what really counts? When you really think about it, it's still virgin territory. Pick up a novel and you're reminded that even as recently as sixty years ago postal correspondence was the predominant, if not the only, means of communication. Yes, it's not as convenient. Yes, it takes longer. But it's also more thoughtful, shows someone's taken the time to put pen to paper and even gone out to buy a stamp. It shows that whatever they've written, even if it's silly or 'just because', it was worth waiting for. Furthermore, it's tangible proof that someone's thinking of you, missing you and wanting to talk to you.

"Sir, more than kisses, letters mingle souls; for, thus absent friends speak."
-John Donne

Mumma wishng me luck in
my new home.

As I mentioned above, I've been enamoured with the concept of snail mail and letter writing since I was quite little. So what a treat it as to find new fans of the letter as I moved away to university last year. Living in halls, we all loved finding a little coloured envelope in the box and even wrote to each other a bit over the holidays! Who were these pretty envelopes coming from? Well, besides from thoughtful mothers with a touch of empty nest syndrome, lots of school chums discovered the magic of mail and started recording the full versions of their university tales in letters, and sending occasional bursts of loveliness in the form of postcards, such as some of the ones pictured here, courtesy of my friend Tara (as mentioned here).

Cadbury Treats for Christmas.

Colourful Easter wishes

Since moving to Rome in September my postal appreciation has expanded to an even greater enormity than  could have ever imagined. To tell the truth, I'm like a little kid on Christmas morning with every arrival. From my mum's sporadic offerings of support and love (pictured) and the simple joy of my birthday cards finding me here. Being away over holiday periods obviously was hard at times. I was so happy to go home for Christmas, but I found the build up difficult as (a) it wasn't cold enough, (b) there weren't enough festive lights and (c) I didn't have my advent calendar. It meant so much to me to receive a long letter from my best friend, Fiona, in the first week of December, Cadbury's chocolate calendar included. As I've mentioned before I didn't go home for Easter, but was saddened by missng my family revelries. It therefore meant a lot when my parents sent me a card full of  Easter wishes signed 'All Love' hoping I'd 'do whatever the Romans do (WITHIN REASON)'. Sending a card is such a simple  thing, but it always means so much. With a positive correlation between meaning and distance travelled.

"Many people walk in and out of your life
but only true friends
leave footprints on your heart."

 Naturally, I've been thrilled to receive letters from new correspondents, and wonderful friends. Sam Clarke, fantastic fellow Warwick student, has had me in stitches with his commentary on my existence and Tara has kept the adorable postcards (no idea where she finds them!) coming, enclosed in letters. Fiona and Laura are as loyal as ever and I know I can always rely on word from them. Letters to Laura are like my diary, accept my diary writes back, gives me advice and even tells me when I'm being an idiot. She also praises me when I've shown maturity, self-restraint or compassion.

Speaking of postcards, shortly after moving overseas I found out about an excellent scheme: Student to Student. This is the perfect solution for student snail mail. It's free, so why not try it out?! Grab a postcard, scribble some love out for your fellow student of a friend and just put STS where the stamp would go. I've been doing this all year to let people back home know that I miss them. Give it a go, you've nothing to lose!

Dad's offerings from Vienna. 

"What a wonderful thing is the mail, capable of conveying across continents a warm human hand clasp"

-Author Unknown

Well, I could go on for hours but I'm sure you're all bored by now. If you've ever done a Year Abroad or lived overseas comment your opinions on the power of post! Either way, never underestimate the power of post.

Collection of letters since moving to Rome!

Boats for buses

This is a Venetian bus...

Gondole 

There's nothing more satisfying than that feeling of coming home. This weekend Anna and I realised how enchanted we've become with Rome, as it was with great reluctance that we headed over to Venice. On a 7am flight. Our unwillingness to miss out on Saturday night antics and drag ourselves out on a trip (which we' previously been excited about) is a real testament to how much I now love my life in Rome. Yet duty, or at least Warwick's Italian Department, called and so we headed out... at half three in the morning, to catch a night bus, a coach and a plane to Venice.

Disgruntled 8am faces

When we arrived, at 8am, running off merely two forty five minute naps, we were even less pleased with the state of affairs. However, a morning of aimless wandering in the labyrinth of Venice's streets and watery dead ends we soon calmed down and enjoyed the sunshine by the canals. At first we were amazed by how extremely peaceful the city was, and then we realised that it was in, in fact, Sunday morning and so everyone was taking it easy. Just like Lionel Richie.

After a couple of hours spent like this we thought it was, perhaps, about time to find out where we were staying and having received the address via text (of course we didn't think it was something important to note down before leaving the house!) we bought a map and headed off. Venice truly is a maze and every now and then the road stops dead at a tiny gate to the canals and you have to back track and start again. Therefore mission 'find the hotel' became something of a game... which eventually we won. The university had organised for us all to stay in an old convent and so we were greeted by the tiniest Italian nun who showed us to our room where we promptly passed out until dinner time.

By the time we awoke the rest of the Warwick group had arrived and so there was lots of excited chatter and catching up to be done, topped off the the incredible scream let out by my friend, Lauren, before she ran at me and gave me the biggest hug. We had a midnight curfew to respect and so we swiftly headed out to find dinner and drinks. Drinks here meaning a Spritz-Aperol, which seems to be enormously popular in Venice... and now with our entire group. For the rest of the trip all down time was marked by the query, 'Anyone fancy a Spritz?'

Spritz o'clock

Monday and Tuesday morning were spent with two of our faculty members from Warwick, feeding back on what we'd been up to, how our Module Reports had gone and planning for our return to Warwick. More about that in another blog, I think. It was great to hear what everyone's been up to, that we were not alone in our struggles whilst tackling Italian bureaucracies and  looking forward to which modules we'll be taking next year, because in English Universities, such information is freely available and registration is as easy as pie.

The weather was as beautiful as the city itself and we spent most of our free time breaking off into ever changing small groups (mixing it up so as to guarantee the chance to catch up with everyone) to wander the higgledy-piggledy madess of Venice's tiny streets, sit out in the sunshine by the water and get lots of gelato and numerous rounds of Spritz-Aperol. It was heavenly!

Sitting on the dock of the bay

Catching up over lunch

Catching the sun by the Rialto.

Unfortunately, despite our midnight curfew we all still ended up going to bed far too late every night whilst being expected to breakfast at eight. This compounded with our nocturnal travels left Anna and I equally grumpy on our journey home and we reverted to our happy habit of blissfully ignoring eachother whilst seeking solace within our Kindles. Luckily, the delirium of our over-tired state usually hit us both at about the same time and therefore every now and then the clouds of discontent would clear to make way for insane bursts of song.

All in all it was a good trip. I really enjoyed all the time I got to spend with my Warwick friends, and I think many more advenures will come as a result of this trip (lots of invitations flying about!) and I was some spellbound by the beauty, mystery and elegance of this aquatic city. Yet I cannot deny how happy I was when we finally made it home to Rome and my bed. Venice is fabulous and in the end I enjoyed the trip just as much as I'd orignally anticipated but now it's wonderful to be back in Rome and my fun life here. Because at the end of the day, Rome is where my heart is.

Putting it to the test.

As you know I've been in Rome for five months. Living and breathing Italia. Speaking Italian both academically and socially; both soberly and drunkenly. However, this past week marked the real challenge of my linguistic abilities as I attempted to compose my first Module Report to send home to Warwick. A minimum of 1,500 words to be written in coherent and grammatically correct Italian discussing all that I've studied and sharing my observations of all things roman.

Pause for major freak out and appropriate amount of procrastination.

Now as I’ve mentioned before I am a bit of a geek. I sometimes like to get absorbed in a project and involuntarily secrete the facts and anecdotes I’ve retained over the subsequent weeks, months and sometimes years. I like playing with language to clarify my point and imply more. I also really like plans and lists, colour coding and pretty notebooks.

However, I dislike the notion of things that I ‘must’ do and so very often, unless I get swept away by a very early wave of enthusiasm and obscurity I will leave all things all things that ‘have to’ be done until about three minutes prior to the moment in which they ‘have to’ be accounted for. Don’t judge me, because I know I’m not alone. I have the entirety of the BA Student World behind me.

It’s not procrastination. No, procrastination is all the fun little mini tasks, facebook discoveries and coffee trips one makes mid-writing session. What ails me, and impedes my academic efficiency is ‘the Dread’ That disgruntled, under-appreciated little brother of ‘The Fear’ (often known to come calling and chain students to desks prior to exam season). The Dread is the premonition of how dull the essay, or report, writing process will be. It’s not playing with words, it’s not even the fun research and learning part that leads to colourful spider diagrams and obscure opinions sprawled over various scraps of paper (often covered in biscuit crumbs). No, it’s the hours of drudgery that turn the pretty diagrams and fun debates you’ve been having with your peers (because that’s why we’re on Facebook in the library) into lines of black blobs on white paper. “How many blobs” I hear you cry? Why, however many your tutor has demanded. Eurgh.

I planned my report three weeks ago. Decided exactly how many sections to include and how long each one needed to be. I made lists, thorough lists in a brilliant notebook (hardback, Union Jack cover, red ribbon bookmark- you see the notebook really is more exciting) and with a zest which I can only attribute to my long absence from academia I even wrote the first paragraph more than a week before my deadline. But then it all came flooding back and true to form after two days of extended breaks and excuses (and probably only about two hours of actual writing, because let’s face it, 1,500 words isn’t very much) I was exhausted and my spirit was broken as a stared at my laptop screen and smiled to see my very dry, methodical report about my first semester in Rome.

Obviously I’m exaggerating. I didn’t want to write a report. I didn’t see the point and I know that whoever reads it will probably find their experience equally as dull as my own (writing that is, not Rome). However, the real challenge was that this was the first time, since I began studying Italian aged 11, that I’ve ever had to write an extended piece and it did make me realise how many short cuts we use with languages.

Conversationally, for example, you don’t need to understand every word that comes out of the other person’s mouth. Generally if you understand 7 out of 10 you can take their meaning well enough. When responding it’s ok if you don’t know or forget a word because you can just go round the houses a bit and explain what you mean and check that the other person has understood you. Online and texting we use a million short cuts and no full sentences. Oh, and of course, in an essay you can’t lace a sentence with profanities... although sticking “cazzo” in every sentence would certainly have helped me reach the word count more speedily!

I’m half way through and actually at the end of my report I was pretty pleased. I wrote the thing fairy easily (when I paid attention to the task) and didn’t have to look too many words up. However, my grammar needs some work. By some I mean a lot.

New goal: I’m doing well, now it’s time to do better.