Hard Core Commuter - Tate Modern

3.00pm and currently walking to my platform at Ealing Broadway making my way home. A nice friendly quiet time to end the achedemic week without that horrid crowd of people at rush hour.

Bridge over river Thames
Morning walk to station. 

I am going to be making more if an effort, blogging my Photography experiences now I have begun Uni. What's good is that I can now write posts on the move. The downside is without Wi-Fi I can't post till I get home.

Today I went to the Tate Modern for my first Uni/school trip.

A longer commute with the underground but once I got there I could remember some familiar faces from the previous days. I hung around with two new girls I met and though we got lost in the gallery we were clicking away with our cameras and having a good time. It was pretty good that we all were commuters seeing as I felt like I was the only one not living away from my home. Surrounded by camera nerds I love it!!!

Ealing Broadway Station taken on Hipstamatic App iPod
Touch/iPhone

I'm feeling good.....

First week of University almost over. I can't believe it.

I'm feeling more confident about myself than I ever have in my life because, well I don't know. I suppose I have  had a lot of support over the past couple of months on the upcoming track to Uni from friends and family and I feel very appreciated at this stage therefore it makes me appreciate myself. There is also the aspect of going to a new city and making friends, beginning a course that should hopefully set me up for a career in Photography. For once on this blog I don't feel like I want to complain. I don't tend to be the negative kind of girl at all; optimism is always something I strive for but everyone has their down and dark moments.

The hour commute to Ealing Broadway is a mixture of things; Beautiful countryside speeding past you, letting your mind wander with your iPod soundtracking the journey. It doesn't half stop at every station though when you are whipped back into reality panicking mildly to see if you should be getting off. Lots of walking too as well as train. Walking too and from my house and then another fifteen minute walk once I have arrived in the West of London.

My first day was Monday; my heart fluttering away as I was finding the most suitable piece of clothing that would give me the optimum impression of myself. After resulting to a maroon cable knitted jumper dress, that hugged my figure without looking trashy; I headed out of the door 20 minutes early than being early/on time to catch my first train to Ealing Broadway.
I certainly felt a sense of home when I got there. Always living in the same place surely would have made me feel lost but I could really feel my feet here.
The enrollment was pretty lonely thing. Once I went through the glass doors I was handed a Student Union card for the Freshers week but feeling pretty hungry I headed for the refreshments bar for a muffin and some water. There was a lot of people watching going on, while I was sitting at round table on my own. People seemed to already know each other; maybe from the Halls or from a similar area but I quite liked I was doing this on my own. I did however feel that I should probably start making friends and talking to people this was never an easy talent of mine. I am a friendly face that people come over to talk to. Not often have I been the kind of person to form contact because I had always been to shy. None the less after I finished lunching I had my picture taken, picked up my ID card and sorted through Finance. Three hours and that was it. Done. Enrolment complete. I did take a look at the SU Bar, Freddies, named after the legendary music man Freddie Mercury of Queen.

Tuesday was mainly an Induction Day. I became familiar with my tutor, Neil and the Photography staff. I was given my timetable of two days a week (lecture time) though I believe that will be subject to change once I've made friends with the Dark Room. I feel like I am on way being a Digital Photography genius but still using Auto (GUILTY) I am still technically known as an amateur. Film, depth of field, apeture and f-stops are still mind-boggling to me. I have some knowledge but I can't yet apply them. That, I thought I would be learning come the second year...err no actually next week. Am I the owner of a film camera? No. Ah this is going to be interesting. I always feel like I'm the last one to finish, come practical assignments. Everyone seems to be know-it-alls in my class..well the outspoken ones anyway. Least I have made a friend who chilled out with me over the day. Even visited the library for Photography books. What nerds.

Exciting day tomorrow and I should probably be catching up on my sleep right now, regardless of a Wednesday day off. Early start, commute begins and off to the Tate Modern for a Photography exhibtion. Finding my own way there...interesting. Never done London on my own before.

I know this is a Photography blog but for those of you out there keeping count..I will add some photos soon. Words speak louder than pictures right now.

Ta

Want to visit my Flickr photostream with the featured photos in my blog and more then click the following link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brown_eyed_dreamer/

Photography at University...one step closer..

I guess it really shows how long it has been since I have written, but I am liking Blogger's new interface; the old one was just not inspiring, I was never really keen, but this WOW!

Now, this post isn't about me talking about Blogger updating itself or how long I've written because more often than not, thats how I start my posts. Agreeably boring, I know.

University:
Now this certainly sounds like a big word, an overwhelming word that is on the lips of many of my friends at this current time. Some have already made tracks, the furthest being best friend from secondary school, Molly, who has taken a five hour journey up to York to begin the next chapter of her life. Where am I going? London! West London that is pretty much a forty-five minute train journey from my little village on the river Thames that I have literally spend my whole life growing up.
Unlike the majority of friends who are going to University, I'll be enrolling tomorrow for the FdA course in Photography and then at the end of the day...coming home....

Yeah..that doesn't sound quite how the normal stretch of University life is but coping with the fact I haven't been allocated a place in Halls means that I will be commuting two to three days a week for my lectures.
It would have just been so much easier for me to live there and as much as I hate cooking, cleaning and all sorts, I actually WANT to do those things. I'm a person of many facets. My inner child is very much still with me but I need to put aside that part of me for the time being and really concentrating on the responsibilities of growing up. It just hasn't really hit me yet that I'm going to University. It's like saying it is Christmas Eve today and tomorrow will be the exciting Christmas Day and what do you expect...presents. My day tomorrow feels like the big Christmas Day but without the presents...just the big meal, which to me will be the meeting of new faces and the induction of my course.

I'm not really the religious type but Christmas Day isn't really about presents and we all know it, but it's the thing that most un-religious people look forward to. As much as I love it too, I feel that we're being kind of greedy and I can relate to that with my accommodation. Christmas is about the message of being Thankful. I should be Thankful that I'm going to University and the one I have wanted to go to since I set eyes on it. It has been competitive statistically this year and some people didn't even get the University they wanted to and had to go through clearing. Some may not have had that at all.

I wish the best of luck to my friends who are living away from their homes, it is such a big big thing and very very brave. I may get my accommodation soon but for the time being I need to stop being selfish and be Thankful I'm getting half of what I wanted rather than nothing at all.

I'm still going to Uni but just in a different experience to everyone else. I suppose I have always been the kind of person who goes against the crowd.

Here is to the beginning of Photography!!!