The Ides of January

"The Ides of March" is a famous line everyone seems to know, but did you know that for the Romans every month had an Ides? Today is the Ides of January, if we went back in time to Roman paganism we would all be watching circus games in honour of Jupiter and probably receiving gifts as bribes from the politicians to keep them in the senate.

Certainly sounds a lot more interesting than how I spent my January Ides. 

One exam down (Roman History yesterday) but still two more to go (Saturday and Monday) means revision is still on the timetable. Archaeology BC, so much information, so many dates, so little time. But I persevere. I'll be extremely glad when they are all over. I found out my lectures for semester two don't start until a few weeks so I'll have the rest of next week to have a little fun.

In the meantime, revision. Today I did a brief overview of all the topics: evolution of humans to development of lithic technology, origins of agriculture to development of states. Tomorrow I'll go more in depth.

I split up the revision with a Father Brown episode, it's on at the perfect time for an afternoon break and I also went for a run. Four weeks Christmas holiday meant I didn't run, a lot. And I want to get back into doing it consecutively again. It was raining earlier so I waited for it to stop, I did a 4.5km route. I ran down into the next village Blaby and up to Bouskell Park. My plan was to run around it but actually it was so muddy and puddly I had to walk some for fear of falling over and slipping in the mud. On my way round it though I discovered an "ice hut" which was pretty interesting, something I hadn't expected to find.

It was a little creepy, in the middle of some trees, silent and dark and foggy.

Mud everywhere, there were bigger puddles than those too.

I got my Roman History essay back too yesterday. I scored a 2.1 which I'm pleased with, on the comments the marker put that the question I had chosen was difficult and I answered it well which was great to know! Sometimes I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. One comment that stung a little was that they thought that if I had read over it before submitting it would have been better, a little presumptuous I had read over it several times. I guess that's what happens when it's the last essay due in before term ends and you've already given in two others. Still, I think I was very pleased with it.

Vale Ratae Corieltauvorum (Goodbye Leicester)

This time tomorrow Semester One will be over. It started off so slowly, but it has really speeded by these last 10 weeks have really flown. Which I'm glad for because I can't wait for the Christmas holidays, four whole weeks off. Well kind of, I have three exams in January to revise for but that wont take up all the time.

I already have my exam timetable, luckily none of them are at 9am, all are afternoon ones 2.30pm-4.30pm. Roman History is the first day back, then the two Archaeology ones split over the first Saturday and following Monday. Yes that is right an exam on a Saturday. Apparently because of the amount of modules and stuff they run the exam week Monday-Saturday so they can fit them all in. I don't mind so much it's only two hours of the day.

Today I had my Latin exam. Well can you really call it an exam? It was open textbook so we got dictionaries and notes it was pretty fun and I think I did okay, I got 97/100 on the mock last week but our tutor said he would make it harder for the real and it was so we shall see in January how I did. It was a four part piece, some maths numeral reading questions, grammar functions on nouns and verbs. Then sentences to translate and two inscriptions. The first was a funerary inscription which we had to transcribe, translate and then explain, then repeat for a coin. So Latin is now officially over, we do Ancient Greek next semester. Which I'm looking forward to even more but I hope we can do modules in Latin in next year because I'd love to keep it up. 

In the exam I think I found a mistake/spelling error. It's always worrying when that happens, however I did my best but after we had finished I was talking to some of the others and they said they had noticed it as well. In the verb section we were asked to translate "audistis" it doesn't exist. The root is the fourth conjugation verb "audio" to hear, but it had been coupled with a third conjugation ending "istis" my guess is it was either supposed to read "auditis" - you hear or "audivistis" - you heard. However I did check the dictionary a million times to see if there were any third conjugation verbs with the root of "aud" but there were none. 

My room is just about packed up now for going home. The washing machine has been going crazy, I think I may be one of the few students who tries not to bring back all their laundry for their parents to do. Just clothes and things to pack up when my dad brings the suitcase tomorrow. I'm really excited to be going back, even though I went up twice since going (October, November) it has been a while and I'm looking forward to spending the Christmas period with my family and friends. What is even more exciting is that I am getting put back on the car insurance! I am so grateful and happy, I have really missed driving. First trip will be hopefully be driving back from Leicester to Wakefield after I get picked up tomorrow. I've missed the little orange machine. 

Busy-ish weekend. My sister is volunteering at Nostell Priory so she needed cover for work so I offered to, it will be nice to be back at my old job even if only for a week. Also a nice little bit of extra money in time for Christmas, which as a poor student I can't complain about. Even nicer, my old boss has some other work for me to do from home creating I think sort of revision/note guides on English for his ks3 students so that will be really fun and something nice to do over the holidays.

I have now finished my Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award. Finally, I'm sure my assessor is sighing with relief. Just have to wait to get some dates back now for when I can go for my presentation. That should be pretty exciting, sometime next summer I think.

So of the three essays I have handed in I have the results for two of them back. On my Archaeology one on Cave Art I got 68 which is equivalent to a high 2.1, two marks off a first. I was feeling really pleased about that such a huge improvement from my non-assessed essay. Then I went to get my Latin Source Project back on Augustus' res gestae and got a score of 70. Which is the mark for a first! Very much pleased with that and it gave me the motivation I needed to get through the Roman History essay which I will get back after Christmas.

Tomorrow I only have one lecture 12-1pm and it's just a summary on what the exam will be like in January so that will be okay, and then homeward bound. Happy times.

Weekend Coach Trip(s)

So a downside of being at University is that I don't get half term in October, although I think it makes up for it by the fact that I get a whole month off at Christmas, not sure that I want to wait that long for my holiday though.

Instead I kind of had a mini weekend holiday back home. Friday at uni consists of one lecture 12-1pm, so after that finished I got a bus into the bus station in town and hung around for my coach to the North of England. It was supposed to leave at 2.45pm but it didn't really get going until 3.15 so a later arrival into Leeds. But all good the coach was nice and comfortable but still three hours, a good opportunity to catch up on notes though. After I got to Leeds I had to get a train to Wakefield, then my mum came and picked me up with William. He was super excited to see me which was really cute! He'd grown up a lot since I saw him last, it's crazy how much little kids change in such a short space of time. Spent the Saturday with the family and then church in my home ward on Sunday which was great I got to catch up with everyone. Then I had to get back to Leeds for my coach back so my dad and Louisa dropped me down at the bus station. I sort of fell asleep on the way back which was one way of getting through the trip. All in all not a bad way to travel, though I definitely prefer car.

Short night's rest after a late arrival and then an early start for university 9am lecture. What a horrible time to have a lecture on a Monday, I'm sure out of all the lectures in the week that is the worst attended, and the people who do manage to make it are usually half asleep.

This week seems to have gone very very fast, before I know it the weekend is creeping up and that means another trip homeward bound and beyond. The last one I think until Christmas, who knows we'll see. This will be a busy weekend though, coach up on Friday and then Saturday is hairdressers appointment (I trust my home town hairdresser too much to try a new one and they had no slots last weekend). Following that is a train ride further northwards to visit some friends who I haven't seen for a very long time, dare I say ridiculously long time, for a catch up and birthday celebration! Then another week in my home church ward before the coach ride back to Leicester.

The worst bit is packing and unpacking. Actually it's quite funny, because of the coach time up to Leeds and the times of my lecture on a Friday I have to take my suitcase to uni with me, and I do not have any mini suitcases. It is still a pretty small suitcase it just doesn't look it compared to everyone else's tiny ones and consequently it looks like I'm going away for a month not a few days - though I will say it isn't jam packed, but I guess you can't tell that from the outside.

Two essays are in the mix but then that seems to be it until exams start in January. I've managed to keep quite on top of them, I've taken six books out of the library to read up for my sources so so so much reading. But it's going well. My archaeology essay is on the ways cave art has been interpreted and my ancient history one is on the relationship between the people and their gods. Yes some mythology at last!

Preparation is key.

This week has been a handful. Many postal deliveries bringing me course texts and a laptop to food shopping and picking up other general bits and pieces to send me on my way.

Packing is the worst. I'm not taking everything with me but with the giant pile of stuff I am I wonder how I ever managed to fit it all in my room? Three suitcases and about a several more large bags of stuff as well as three banana boxes of books/food and I think I have everything I need. Of course, they key now is to fit it into my new room.

Luckily for me, or so I consider, I am not having to stay in university accommodation. Not that I have anything against it - I actually didn't even look around Leicester's options - but I feel I have the better deal. Renting out a room in the house of a family friend. Not only will I have a much better chance of feeling like living at home, but I just imagine it being so much more comfortable and a better atmosphere, undisturbed nights and a lot more freedom. Though of course there are trade offs. I have had to purchase a bus pass to cover travel but I'll take that.

Next step is to find a job, I have found one I want to apply for but I have to wait until I get my timetable so I can put down my available hours of work so that is on hold until next week! It's close by and would give me discounts which is fantastic fingers crossed when I apply next week I'll be able to get it.

Tomorrow is packing the car day, which basically involves hauling everything from my room down two flights of stairs and trying to fit it in the car. Hooray. That promises to be a fun morning/afternoon.

But despite the hiccoughs I am really excited to be finally going to the University of Leicester to study Ancient History and Archaeology! Roll on Monday for day 1.