Lincoln. What can I say? You stole my heart – more than once. You were my confidant when I needed someone to confide in, you were my friend when I wanted fun and you were my find when I felt lost. As the city that I moved away from home to for the first time, you had a lot of expectations attached to you with the million dollar question being; could you be my new home?
The answer, is yes.
You were there with open arms and not a trace of foreboding. You were what I needed at the time; cosy, humble, warm, accessible. I’ve come to discover that not all cities have these qualities – but you were unique and boasted your own version of epic, with your Steep Hill to give us all a challenge, your historical and visually satisfying Cathedral sat atop, not to mention your swans – those real life wedding napkins that delighted me.
I moved away to Lincoln from Doncaster when I was 18. I’d never really planned to do a degree but there I was, at the beginning of my academic journey in a brand new city with absolutely no idea where it would lead me. I was brand new; I’d never been on a train alone, barely travelled. I had a lot to learn, but I look back now and can see so clearly how Lincoln as a place made a daunting transitory period of in my life feel a lot less daunting.
So, I’d made a friend out of the city, now it was time to start my course and make human friends!
This didn’t prove quite as difficult as I’d imagined, thank goodness! After my first few days, looking around the city alone, visiting the library to buff up on my reading and sitting on benches in various corners and just thinking – woah – I met my first friend in the accommodation I was going to be living in. We were on completely different courses, she on Recreational Management and me on English. But we got on really well and the next couple of weeks, before Uni actually began in the September, were transformed into a hazy mist of drinking, dancing and getting ‘hit on’ in Lincoln’s biggest nightclub at the time, ‘Ritzy.’
I look back on those weeks before Uni and can’t believe how much we’ve changed. Me and my friend are completely different people now, we were so young, naive and in many ways not ready for what we had embarked upon. I actually think now that 18 is too young for some people to be starting Uni, when you are still so young and making all these decisions that shape up the rest of your life. It’s only natural that so many students hit the bars and clubs looking for mischief. But that’s another subject for another day.
I consequently made more friends during my first month in Lincoln, the Autumn of 2004. There were meals together and numerous nights out just being daft and getting to know each other, talk of what our lecturers were like, what books we were reading, (or NOT reading!) hazy hangovers, even an impromptu trip to Skegness!
Things were great. Or they seemed so. The sad fact is, I was feeling pretty lost; I didn’t have the right technology to constitute writing essays properly, I literally had this ancient desktop computer from the 90’s that barely worked and I hardly knew how to use computers anyway, (I managed to stay out of the loop with IT at school and somehow got massively overlooked – there’s absolutely no way that would happen now, it’s completely compulsory.)
I felt confused and anxious often and like I had absolutely no idea what I was doing or why I was there. I’ve not revealed to many people exactly how anxious I felt but to be honest, it was probably obvious with the fact that I left Uni and Lincoln that November and moved back to Doncaster with my tail between my legs. I’d only been there two months.
Looking back, I can definitely see why I did. I was no where near prepared or ready for such a challenge. I shouldn’t have gone. Not at that time in my life anyway, I was so clueless about everything – I couldn’t cook, use computers, could hardly type and was very distracted by relationships. I was like a tiny pea in a huge ocean, just getting swept from one wave to another, gradually dissolving.
It turns out that leaving was a good idea, even though it upset a few people back home. But I realise now that it’s so important to go to Uni prepared, mentally, physically and academically and I just wasn’t. I took a few months out, with absolutely no idea what my next step would be. I worked in a bar and supermarket and earned a bit of money, eventually talking myself into starting at Lincoln again that coming September 2005.
This time, I did it. I completed my course three years later in 2008 and graduated at Lincoln Cathedral. It wasn’t easy, I still had many challenges that I faced during that time but I was just determined to get through it and get my degree.
Lincoln was there as the backdrop to this time in my life and I’ll always feel massively connected to it for that. It does have a soothing quality about it. I think, as far as cities go, Lincoln is quite peaceful. I recommend going to visit. Obviously, many people reading this may not find the same sense of bonding and connection as I did with it but you still may enjoy all the great things that this quaint city has to offer.
To finish this post, here are a few ideas of:
Things to do in Lincoln
-Tackle the Steep Hill.
-Visit the quaint book and trinket shops, pubs and cafes.
-Visit the swans on the Brayford.
-Look around the Castle and Cathedral.
-Go on a ghost walk – Lincoln is meant to be quite haunted.
-Go to the Christmas Market – This is on for a couple of days at the beginning of every December and has rides, treats and gifts galore!
-Skate on the ice rink in the New Year – It only comes in January for a few weeks!
The moral of the story – make sure you choose the right University course in the right place at the right time for you, don’t just start Uni because everyone else is and you’re not sure what to do.
Oh, and visit Lincoln!
