To 'The Dream Team'

This is going to be a sappy post, I have to admit this now. I'm approaching the end of my degree and it's emotional. The last three years have been flooded with memories and wonderful experiences and will always be something I cherish. ANYWAY, as you may or may not know, last year after spending first year at Staffordshire University, I travelled back for second year. I spent 5 days on campus before I was invited to The University of Salford to "look around", what I didn't know is that I would get offered a place then and there. The lecturer told me I had a week to make the decision but within 5 minutes of leaving the building and being sat on the grass outside in a deck chair (a place I'd come back to frequent regularly), I knew that it would be STUPID of me to pass up such an incredible opportunity. So 5 days after moving back to Stoke, I packed up and moved back home for 2 weeks before starting at The University of Salford and I haven't looked back since, it's been a whirlwind.

So you're now caught up and this is where the actual blog post begins...(sorry). On my first day at this university, I met these wonderful faces ------------------------------>
I knew from the second they walked into the classroom that I wanted to be friends with them. They were funny and chatty and super friendly and suddenly the sheer terror of being the new kid melted away. I found my people. A group of likeminded, talented people who I now love so dearly that the thought of leaving them next month is just as painful as leaving the dog and the family every semester. These 4 gorgeous people have been there through everything, they looked after me when I didn't know anyone, had no clue where I was 98% of the time and only just about managed to get from my flat to the bus stop to the uni and then back to the flat again.

They invited me out and took me to places that I wouldn't have been brave enough to visit alone. They brought me out of my shell and showed me that my anxiety doesn't have to make me a hermit in the flat. They've been insanely patient with my brain and never gave up on me, something that I cannot even begin to express the gratitude for. Coming from being homeschooled, I've never really had a lot of friends and if you asked me to name friends before these 4, I would be able to name 3 really close people in my life. I've laughed more than I  have done in years with this gorgeous bunch of humans and I've finally started to feel like I'm finally living instead of being a prisoner of my mental health issues.

They don't care that I have these things "wrong" with me, they love me regardless and are insanely understanding and patient with me. When I'm poorly I know I can go to them and they will be there to sit and listen and help me rebuild and fix things. They've given me a new-found confidence and I now feel like I can do anything with these 4 beside me. I cannot wait to see where these 4 head in life and I know that we will always be there to support each other. I am so extremely grateful for these human beings and all of the support, kindness and friendship they have shown me over the last two years, they are my humans and I love them insanely.

For years I thought that I would be stuck living a life where people would come in and out of my life, fading away when they got bored of my brain being sucky. But I know with these 4 that this is so different. I went from being an anxious human being who would always say no to invites to go and do things to now being the one arranging places to go and time to spend together. I couldn't have done my degree without these 4 and I feel super lucky that they are mine.

Thank you gang, I love you!
Rebecca
xxx