Freshers’ Week is in full swing at Cardiff University, so it feels very strange to no longer be a student, especially since I haven’t got a job yet and so still have that pre-beginning of term feeling. Since I’ve got a lot of free time in between sending off job applications, I helped out with the Christian Union welcome events for International students last week, which was tiring but fun, and have been along to a couple of the CU’s Freshers events, and along to the Freshers’ Fair in the Students’ Union yesterday.
Every Freshers’ Week up until now, there have been some people present who had been around throughout my whole time at university, since I was a young and innocent first year. But at the CU Pub Quiz on Monday, I realised that I was the oldest person there, and that everyone else there were people I’d seen arrive. It was an odd moment, one small but significant watershed realisation. I’m no longer a student, and now I’m moving on from student life, albeit slowly at the moment! That brings with it very mixed feelings of both loss and excitement about the future.
But I’m still around, and can still enjoy the company of students, and be involved in studentdom to some extent. One of the things I want to do now is find ways in which I can contribute to the life of my church, Mack, and I think that encouraging and supporting the students is probably one good way that I’ll be able to do that. This afternoon, some of the Mack students are getting together to discuss what the church does for the students and what the students can do for the church, so I’m hoping that will produce some really good ideas.