Summer just isn't what it used to be.
Remember back at school, the countdown to summer? Having six weeks away from lessons to hang out with your friends and do fun things with your family was literally the best time of the year (take that, Christmas). However, once you leave your home town behind and rock up to uni, summer gets a whole new meaning.
Turns out, suddenly being forced to go home, penniless and bored is a bit kick in the teeth if you're used to living a lifestyle where you're completely free to hang out with friends all day, drink whenever you want and spend three consecutive days binge-watching Orange is The New Black with your housemates. This shock to the system can leave you facing a number of (very real) struggles...
You're expected to get out of bed
It’s 10am - you’re all snuggled up in bed deep in your snooze. Suddenly you hear someone banging on your door. Surely not… not at this ungodly hour? Alas, you’re right, it’s your mum and she wants to know why you aren’t up and dressed when it’s already SO late. Where is the woman’s snooze button?!
The lectures never end
One of the only positive things about going home for summer and leaving your freedom and friends behind is that lectures are DONE. Or so you thought. Turns out your parents have other ideas, now instead of learning medieval poetry you’re stuck listening to the classic ‘reasons why you need to be home before 10pm’ speech. Something you probably won’t take well after a year of doing exactly what you want and answering to exactly nobody.
All the clubs at home are shit
You’re used to massive nights with hundreds of students and criminally cheap drinks deals. What you’re faced with when you get home, then, is a bit of a slap in the face. The local club is only open at the weekend, has never seen more than 57 people and the drinks will set you back £4.50 for a single – no tah.
As if this whole ordeal could get any worse, the excuse of ‘I’m hungover’ to stay in bed and watch Netflix the next day doesn’t fly so well with your mum, who delivers yet another lecture – this time on how it was your own choice to go out and now you have to face the consequences.
You’re all alone at night
As much as your family irritate you, you’d still like to have someone to hang with. However, your parents struggle to stay awake past 9pm, and your siblings are busy actually having a life leaving you bored and alone for most of the evening wishing your housemates were here to mess around with.
You only actually get on with your family in theory
Those last few weeks of uni you were actually starting to miss your family. You’d forgotten about the time your sister borrowed (and absolutely trashed) your favourite top and your parents have actually started being really sweet in their texts. However, 10 minutes after arriving home your mum’s already annoyed that you want to hang out with your friends tomorrow and your siblings are back to pushing your buttons. Someone remind us why we came back?
Your housemates are dotted across the country
You’ve dragged yourself out of bed, you’re even wearing real clothes. The only problem is you have nothing to do now. You want nothing more than to hang out with your housemates but they’re all over the place, and your friends from home are jetting off on exotic holidays or working through summer. This leaves you sat at home, unhappily awake, unable to join them because you won’t get far with the £2.37 you have to your name. Great.
Your mum thinks you are her housekeeper
You’ve barely stepped foot in the door and your mum wants you to do her a favour, and wash up the plates in the sink which you WEREN’T HERE TO USE. This is the start of the endless tirade of chores thrown at you every day you’re at home following. At this rate you might as well get a real job and actually get some money for your labour.
Your parents think an oven pizza is the same as Dominos
Words can’t describe the excitement you usually feel at the suggestion of pizza with your house. However, you soon realise that now you’re at home your mum actually means that she’s bought a frozen pizza for you to chuck in the oven and there’s no Garlic & Herb Dip in sight. Is there no justice?
Your family want to know what you’re doing with your life
The whole family’s coming over and it’s actually exciting to see them after so long! Well, it is until they turn up and suddenly bombard you with interrogations about your future and what you’re actually going to do with your life – as if you know the answer! What started as a fun family event has ended in the acceleration of your impending breakdown as you realise your time to figure out your life is running out rapidly. Yeah, thanks Nan.
On the bright side, one month down, just over one to go until you’re back in your onesie at lunch time with the taste of dodgy pizza and vodka still hanging around in your mouth. Who else can’t wait?!
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