After all, things change, so do cities, people come into your life and they go. But it's comforting to know that the ones you love are always in your heart...

Leaving a place that you adore is very unsettling. Made even worse when you leave behind people you love and are forced to break out of a bubble that you’re very content in. Living in Brighton has been the happiest three years of my life! I’ve met people who I want to know forever and someone I never want to be apart from! And I’ve never said that about anyone…So the thought of leaving is very strange. 

I never planned on being here either…if I’d revised a little more for my Chemistry A-level I could be sat in Newcastle right now. None of my other friends were going further south than Nottingham; one of us was even living at home. But as I got older I was enchanted by ideas of big cities; the images of London in my glossy magazines and the colourful terraced houses in Skins captured me irreversibly and soon became an itch I had to scratch.

As soon as I got to Brighton I felt like this was the place I was meant to be. It sounded ridiculous but anywhere south of Birmingham felt like another world which deep down, underneath expectations, I wanted to be a part of. When I selected Brighton as my insurance choice, I always wondered if I would end up here.

Me and Cath have been planning travelling since we were sixteen. Five years ago! But we underestimated how difficult it would be to save at Uni (especially living in Brighton, by the way. Maybe I should have considered this, but in a way, I’m glad I didn’t). My desire to go hadn’t reduced in the last five years; in fact I wanted to go more as time went on. What prospect is more enthralling than travelling the world with your best friend?! I can’t even write about it without wanting to scream from the rooftops with excitement.

Up until about two days ago I thought I could save up money working full time in Brighton, but after long consideration, I realised the impossibility of this; with having to pay rent, bills, live and fund my lifestyle, moving back to Manchester seems like the only realistic option.

I’m terrified if I’m honest…Shill will hopefully be in London so it’s not too tragic, two hours on the train every weekend is something we can and will do. And all the girls will be at home. For those of you who are in long distance relationships, maybe even transatlantic, I’m sorry if you’re thinking, ‘my god girl, you wanna try living in MY shoes’. But I’m a bit of a hopeless case when it comes to missing someone. When he went travelling last Summer, 85% of my brain was occupied at all times. Yeah, I know what I sound like!

It’s not just that, it’s the girls. Hannah! One thing I did in this whole decision is completely fuck up my organisation.  I told Hannah we would live together next year and then obviously had to retract this, for which I feel very guilty about. And not just guilty, disappointed! Living with Hannah would have been so much fun, we would have made a hilarious team.

There’s so much talk about starting Uni…but what about finishing? I genuinely think it is just, if not more daunting. At least when you start you have a whole year to get used to it by getting drunk, getting fat and sleeping.  (Y)