Hello everyone and welcome to my blog! Thank you all for joining me on my journey!
I have been in my own flat, with my boyfriend, for almost 2 months now. We settled in quickly to the realisation that we are FULLY INDEPENDENT OF OURSELVES! Which is a scary thought in itself! Living in my own flat was something that I have wanted for quite some time, so I had some massive expectations of what I had expected it to be like. I thought it would be fun to make a list of expectations vs realities of what I have found, so far, living in my own flat would be like.
1: FREEDOM! So I had been living with my boyfriend and his mum after getting a job in London for almost 2 years and I felt very restricted. Although I knew that I could come in and out when I liked, and I saw my parents as often as I could, I felt very stuck and I was conscious that it wasn’t my house, so I didn’t want to abuse this privilege. In the last 6 months of me living there, I was feeling really down and longed more and more to have my own place. I thought I would have more freedom and my own space, where I didn’t feel like I was stepping on anybody’s toes. The reality is actually a bit sad. I didn’t get a job as quickly as I expected to, and I am still currently looking. Most of my time is spent in the flat by myself, occasionally going out to do some chores, so I still feel restricted. However, I do get to see my parents more often which is really nice, even if it is just for the weekend. My partner and I also get to have some amazing weekends together which I absolutely cherish. So, it isn’t all bad. To be honest, I like having my partner to myself and spending that quality time together which we didn’t get in London due to work and university commitments.
2: NEIGHBOURS! We were told that there were master students next door to us, so we thought there would be no problems in getting to know our neighbours. Our floor only has four flats, including our own, so we thought there would be no problem in getting to know everyone as we thought they would be our age anyway. However, we soon realised that the estate agents weren’t that honest about our neighbours. We had an argumentative family next to us, although I don’t think they’re living there anymore because there is never any noise in that flat, and our other neighbours were rude and didn’t really want to know us – no sign of master students! This was quite surprising! Turns out that even though we are living in a block of 51 flats, it is just as isolating as if we were in the middle of the countryside! We never see anybody coming or going, and the only reminder that we are living in a block of flats is the occasional fire alarm that goes off.
3: FINDING A JOB! As mentioned before, I really thought I would find a job quickly. I had an interview two days after we moved in and I thought, even if I wasn’t successful, it wouldn’t take me long to find a new one. Two months in and I’m still looking, and I only had one other interview. So many people have told me to take advantage of it and that two months isn’t a long time, however being on my own with no income is quite depressing. I am bored most of the time and getting more and more worried about finances. I wish I had been less optimistic, that way I could have saved up more money so I could be more financially stable.
4: COOKING! This is an expectation other people had on us, rather than my own expectation. People were quite worried about what we would eat. We still get comments saying how “thin” we’ve gotten and if we are eating properly. The answer is YES! In reality, we eat really well. We love cooking together, and it only takes 15 minutes to make a good meal. It isn’t impossible to cook a well-balanced, healthy meal that consists of things other than pasta and pizza. In the future I would love to write out a recipe on some of the meals that we eat.
So, that’s all for my expectations vs realities! In all honesty I feel really blessed and lucky to have this flat that we’ve worked so hard for. Despite some complications during our first month, and the loneliness of not having a job, I really enjoy living in Nottingham and I can’t wait for the challenges ahead.
I hope you enjoyed reading this. What are your expectations vs realities when you moved into your first apartment?
Love always, Jodie x