An ode to the people I’ve met at uni

Chances are I could never admit this to you in person


When I moved in to my accommodation in September 2014, I never expected to meet people like I did. I didn’t think people could influence and change you that much. They say some friends are here for a reason, some for a season and some for a lifetime: I met people that fit into those different groups.

I learned that sometimes the people you thought you’d get along with and you’d spend the most time with aren’t the expected ones. Uni taught me to look beyond appearances and to not judge on first impressions. I’ve met all sorts of people in my two years of university. Some will fade away, some left my life as quickly as they arrived, some made me feel important, some made me feel misunderstood. But overall they all impacted my life and this is for them.

For those people who answered a phone call in the middle of the night, if it was raining or snowing, to cheer me up.

For those people who made me go out and get really drunk before a really important deadline I had the next day.

For those people who proved to me you can manage university while having a job and going to the gym every week to stay healthy.

For those people who dropped out in the middle of their degree because they couldn’t fake it anymore and wanted to find their real path.

For those people who overcame their mental health issues in order to be happy.

For those people who, even though I never reached for them in times of doubt, always had my back and were ready to climb mountains for me.

For those people who taught me that conventions and fashion rules are not to be respected and you shouldn’t feel the need to fit in.

For those people who taught me you can hide a lot behind a smile.

For those people who were always ready to take a break and procrastinate during exam periods and writing essays.

For those people who quit their job even thought they needed the money and the experience because they felt abused.

For those people who led me to self-introspection even when I felt I had my life in order and in control.

For those people who encouraged me to cut loose and go crazy because it doesn’t really matter in the end.

For those people who pushed me to wake up in the morning to show up to a 9am seminar.

For those people I could never find time to see, but when I ran into them once every three months they would offer to grab coffee and talk for hours.

For those people who were different and proud of it.

For those people who made me question the purpose of life, and the existence of other planets, and the origins of feelings at 3am after a couple of glasses of wine.

For those people who didn’t feel shameful to open up and crack under the pressure.

For those people who, whatever was happening at that time in their life, kept a smile on their faces and moved on, proving to everyone they could do it.

For those people who kept everything for themselves and carried their problems bottled up in their hearts because they’d rather suffer in silence than annoy others with their personal issues.

For those people who stood up for their beliefs, economic, political or religious, without thinking for a single second that it was an act of bravery and hope.

For those people who taught me strength, hope, loss and emotional availability.

For those people I hurt.

For those people I loved.

To those people, thank you.