Being a First year for a Second time in a Pandemic
While most people are lamenting the loss of a normal first-of-university, one where COVID doesn’t prevent us from mixing with who we please when we please, I would like to offer a more positive perspective.
I quite enjoyed forming friendships with people in such an intimate and novel environment. Of course I will concede that all of the COVID rules were (a necessary) evil. Having Microsoft teams open 24/7, and only meeting about a third of my course mates in person is pretty undesirable. Spending a couple months in a row with no option but our communal kitchen for legal socialisation definitely wasn’t ideal. I also acknowledge different people handled and were impacted by this pandemic differently, and it could be truthfully said that perhaps I was a bit irresponsible at times, and this may be why I am okay with how the year turned out while others certainly are not.
However, in general, I think the friendships people made during this time are much more durable, dimensioned, “tried and true” for lack of a better phrase, than perhaps the friendships we would have made had we been going out every night getting shit faced and then cramming into a lecture hall the next morning.
In advance I would like to excuse the niche, Imperial references that are going to crop up as this reflection continues.
I was lucky enough to live basically on campus in South Kensington… Prince’s Gardens to be exact. Given, it was impossible to not run into at least 20 fellow students everyday – even if this was just on the way to Gail’s, Sainsubury’s, or of course, in Dyson. Looking back, these interactions definitely kept everyone going as well as rooted us all in this strange closeness. We were all bored but not defeated. We are a group of students with a lot of ingenuity, and despite our courses being demanding, we still had time to explore.
Because we were limited in our ability to “go out” we dug deep roots into our routines and local spaces. There were a few spots where you were always guaranteed to see people, and these people you got the opportunity to know really well. This is the basis of community right? And in my opinion, a really great one.
Although I would love to see some of these Imperial nerds take on a club in central London, and as great as it will be next year to have all of our labs, workshops, lectures, and learning experience in person, we certainly took COVID-19 by the protein spikes this year and told it to GTFO.
For the sake of brevity and to make this a more interesting read I am just going to breakdown my experience by term. Hopefully my memories and bullet points aren’t too too personal, and fellow ICL students, especially those in South Kensington, will be able to relate. Maybe even smile fondly in honour of a strange but wonderful period. Imagine what we will think of all this a few years down the road…
TERM 1
The union is still open (Andrea introduces me to Jo! Forever grateful)
The Marquis tent at the union was always happening
People would pile in and then table hop (how much fun you had depended 110% on the table you were at)
Everyone floods Hyde Park once the union closes
Primrose Hill!
PRET?
“What’s your name?” “What course do you do?” “Which halls are you in?” Become the most used questions of the first week of October
A few awful freshers events where if you were dumb enough to buy a ticket and go (me) were an utter waste of time and something good only happened after (this is where I met Theo, Mejdi, Jay, Archie, and Ben Lovell)
The people that arrive late (me) feel a bit out of it because some students have been moved in for two weeks already and it seems groups have already started to form
There is already a clear divide between the accommodations
The reps of different courses also become quite apparent
People attend various, somewhat forced meet-ups with their courses (Des Eng goes to Borough Market and I meet a lot of people, Keion and I spend a lot of time wandering around exploring campus together and eating peanut butter and honey sandwiches also the FIRST TIME I MEET MAX IN LG KITCHEN was eating a peanut butter and honey sandwich and I thought he hated me)
Halloween happens which is quite fun for everyone. Jo is a snake and I wear her fairy lights all around campus. At this point, security is still somewhat kind to us… they haven’t lost their patience yet
Another lockdown is announced (with hopes the UK will open by Christmas) and lots of our friends leave
November and December is pretty dead, people fall into their own routines and start to get close with the people they see everyday
Dyson still is only used for studying and small groups hanging out together
Ben King has a place in Bond St and numerous Imperial people cycle through, not to mention all the randoms that he brings back from Primrose
I have my one and only COVID scare / test and build the COVID container and make a big deal about it for all of 50 hours
Sophia surprises me with a visit and ends up moving to London with Cam so lots of people start coming out to Richmond to get away and hang out
Lots of SAS people are in London and we occasionally meet up
This is when I am closest with my old Beit squad (I will always love you guys!!! I hope we reunite again sometime and reminisce over all the weird stuff that has gone down)
I get a bike, get a bike stolen, and then get another bike
Going to pret with the group of cool Pret people becomes the hottest thing to do in South Ken
Gabor 1st Floor gets kinda famous after a party or something and people start showing interest in moving to our floor
Diwali happens and Miriam gets closer to us and I get really close with people on my floor
Thanksgiving in Dyson is the first time people use the space for an “event” and we even use the wine glasses (this is also when I met Pim, Wisdom, and Julia after they wandered in wondering what tf these dumbass Americans were doing)
Kiran and I hang out for the first time and I venture with him to my first British party in Willesden Green, after the night bus home around 02:00 I think we might become good friends
We have a few exams and submissions before break (teamwork makes the dream work)
OJ comes to visit and Ben takes his leave
CHRISTMAS
Lots of imperial people leave and basically just me and Keion are left on campus
Rohil entrusts me with his key <3
Everyone does their own thing for a bit
I third wheel with Cam and Sophia constantly, the only thing there is to do is walk around parks in the freezing cold
Celebrated in Richmond with Cam, Sophia, OJ, Pranav, and Christian
New Years 2021 was an absolute disgrace I was ill and slept for 36 hours then Singapore people came to GABOR 1st FLOOR KITCHEN to make dinner, then we went to Rohil’s room, then the police did a tactical surrounding of Prince’s Gardens and we hid from them inside
Most people come back for Term 2 but some don’t and everyone realises they should have studied a bit more because there are exams coming
Keion and I start smoking a shit ton of cigarettes which lasts well into term 2, this is a terrible habit but at least I learn how to roll
Me and Keion start to think we are better than everyone else because we just go to Gail’s everyday
TERM 2
Exams
Dyson really becomes the social spot, people take all their lectures from here and spend entirely too much time messing around… but it makes people really close
People accepting that lockdown won’t end anytime soon and start making their own fun
IT snows!
Sunday’s group is formed and we settle into a nice new routine of doing yoga and relaxing every Sunday at Keion’s
I meet TOAST for the first time and finally get to taste Kiran’s cooking (he catfishes everyone with it) and his tik Tok light room (everyone knew he had that room that people loved to take photos of and he definitely got Inspo for it from tik Tok over quarantine… he still isn’t super close with me and my friends yet plus he lives in FALMOUTH, but Cam bought champagne and came over to all have a late Wednesday lunch together I guess that was the beginning of it all)
Rohil’s birth is celebrated and we all take a nice good trip together
Me Oli Fran Yana and Kiran all get stopped and searched by the police trying to cut through Hyde to get home from one of Cam’s gatherings (at this stage the most exciting things to do are get off campus every now and again to go see outside friends, and people mostly have their groups sorted out but are all still very friendly and open to meeting people)
The first dyson “party” happens! Oli breakdances outside afterwards
Valentines day (means something different for everyone and I won’t go into all the details I know so let that evoke whatever individual memories it does for you)
I get a Burberry jacket and become the new local hype beast
Max (we are good friends by now), Kiran, Keion all get haircuts
The weather seems to be nice at times, or at least by nice I mean we find 12º and 14º weather balmy so people start to spend more time outside and there are some cute picnics
The dyson roof is discovered with Rohil and Kiran
Once we find dyson roof we start really getting adventurous and go all over the place
Medics and select finessers start getting vaccinated ;) and there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel
Pret is still the fun thing to do
There’s always a good bit of drama mixed in iykyk
Andrea had me download Tinder and I use it a bit and get acquainted with some of the upperclass Des Eng 😆
POKER NIGHT
First massive LG party happens
We have a few more exams and the people leaving for easter break leave, but, happily for me and Keion, way more people are staying this time!
EASTER
“The boys” group is formed, meaning a lot of the guys I hang out with start getting drunk together in Gabor every night and bond and run around prince’s gardens naked
Sleepover in Rohil’s!
Slowly things start reopening so we can shop anD OMG go back to the union
I start the SNC challenge and Raphi becomes a good friend]
Poker becomes a big thing on my floor
Fucking around quite a bit but also once everyone comes back we have to settle in for exams
Everyone is happily friends at this point it feels (Alex is loved by me and everyone on the floor, all the different groups around south ken get along well)
Ken returns!!! Finally
TERM 3
Exams LOL
Celine comes to London and I make a really good new friend
One really fun night at the union with the wholllleeee squad including VZ and Cam ofc
Many restaurants outings bookings bars etc with different groups of people
Keion’s birthday!
A bit of healthy drama crops up now that everyone is becoming a socialite again and meeting new people and spending time with different people
I start working at the union which is actually quite fun
Do some random stuff like promoter imperial and have photoshoots that turn out terrible and the icl instagram exposes me for the world to see
Many dyson parties (usually after the union)
People taking some more trips together 🤫
The Ratio forms (better late than never)
I get some Dior Jordans in the mail and continue my journey to being a hypebeast
More parties and going out happens and everything feels pretty fun and wholesome because people are mixing and meeting and realising that they like each other a lot after periods of potential tension or getting out of touch
People start flat hunting which is fun and stressful at the same time, and of course some people have people to live with and others don’t and others are changing at the last minute and everyone has their own bit of drama surrounding it
Marie Therese’s birthday with the iconic cowboy hats
Most courses are finishing up exams and their year but Des Eng just gets absolutely destroyed by Computing 2, electronics, and HCDE
Most people are losing their will to work with the weather being so nice and everyone just goes outside instead
I engage in a bit of public indecency in Prince’s and I am always outside sunbathing or doing yoga with Miriam
We go swimming in Swam lake at Hyde on a random Monday night completely sober for no good reason
Dyson begins to get so abused that the security are on us within 20min of starting a party so these start to dwindle
Common rooms open and close again because security is sick of us
Security chases us out of prince’s gardens and establishes a secure perimeter each night to keep us from congregating because they’re sick of us
Rojeanne’s birthday
Socialising calms down a little bit because people are either fed up or if you’re des eng you’re dying
OJ comes back for a visit and meets the new imperial people
The last week of first year is a bit more quiet than everyone imagines it would be but everyone still has their fun and it’s wholesome and the drama sorts itself out
I break my knee like an idiot the night after the Biology gala but all in all on the last night in halls I sit in Rohil’s room icing it with someone’s frozen vegetables I stole from our kitchen and we try to watch Harry Potter before all of our friends bust in and pile onto Rohil’s bed and we shush everyone so Jasmine doesn’t come and it feels like a very nice circular ending
There are definitely so many memories I forgot (deliberately or otherwise), and lots of people I love to bits but didn’t get a chance to mention. I could sit and write about different memories for hours, but to some extent there are things you want to keep in your head and know that you share them with yourself or a few other select people and that’s how it’s meant to be. If you seriously read all the way here good for you, I hope you smiled once or twice, or something I wrote triggered a flood of your very own memories.
Fill out the form below if there is something integral I forgot, or something you would like to be added just for the fun of it. If people actually looked at my website maybe we could be successful in creating a long living and growing list of first year memorabilia but for now my own word vomit will have to suffice. Honestly as I write this I am on a ferry in Greece with my mom from Milos back to Athens to end the trip. I am concluding the end of the first holiday I have taken in nearly 2 years, and all the while writing about my second first year at university. It’s quite a sentimental moment and I am so happy to have met everyone that I did exactly the way I did. I am sure the years moving forward will only get better, and I hope you feel the same.
