THE LIFE OF A FIRST-YEAR STUDENT

Does it matter if it’s rainy or sunny at the University of Peradeniya? The weather is hardly the biggest issue when you’re just another fledgling at the university. Rather, the clashes in the timetables that make you walk all around the university in the span of ten minutes are the ‘101 guide’ to the university grounds. And, when you finally figure it out, the next impending problem would be,"Where do we have the class?” and another fifteen minutes are promptly wasted in looking for a classroom sufficient to hold the class. Finally, when you’re seated, panting for much-needed breath, you barely have time to start the lesson you were so interested in the day before when you packed your bag. That is if you ever pack your bag the day before or are you the typical university student who just chucks the books five minutes before you leave the hostel room? 

Ever met the monkeys that swing from one tree to another? Have you noticed the young ones they carry on their bosom? Yes, you do. What’s amazing is that they add so much character to the scenery and you are quite fond of their typical habits and daily rendezvous. But, once you settle into a college student’s life, you come to the horrifying realization that, no, these creatures aren’t as innocent as they look. They pluck the food out of your hands and walk into hostel rooms as jovially as if they belong there, carefully perusing through the items before picking out the most valuable ones like milk powder and your favorite biscuits. They also make you slip and fall, get horrendous wounds and scare the life out of you. Why you may ask? Well, apparently, they rank higher in the university hierarchy.  

The food, dear friends, as you and I are typically aware, we barely have any time to eat at all. The university offers us a range of canteens which, in my humble opinion, is a good thing. All our bases are covered from the most famously known WUS canteen to the milk and juice bar. However, a problem we do encounter is that we do not have the time for it because our lectures tend to range from early morning to late evening and when you’re finally done with the most tedious of days, almost all the canteens are closed and as hungry students, we flock into the famous ‘Sooriya Arana’ close to the Ramanathan hall that happens to make a mean fried rice. Even if eating daily could be difficult when we do get the time, the Nescafé and the rice from the WUS, the avocado drink and the fruit salad from the juice bar and the hot milk from the milk bar are simply unforgettable. It’s the Chef’s kiss if you may.  

Did someone say exams? Oh, those. Yeah, those can be the bane of your entire existence. Just when you feel like you’ve settled into the university structure the next thing our lecturers love to do is spring exams on us. O, Woe is me; Ophelia says during one of her soliloquies and she was right. Mid-terms and exams and please add assignments with either the APA or MLA style into the combination and we’re all good, aren’t we? The fun fact is, you never know there is an exam until just a week before because the lecturers love to see our faces turn pale with the realization that we have done no work in the past eight weeks other than complaining about how difficult everything is. So, the week becomes busy. Studying while walking down the pavements, while eating at the hostel dining rooms, and staying in without having fun because everyone is worried, and they all want to score well because every mark counts. When the exams are over, and you breathe a sigh of relief, you realize that this was the first of many and you get a headache just thinking about it. I think it’s about time we found the person who said that university will be easy.  

 

Last but not least, do you remember the question from earlier about the weather? That’s what this is about. Peradeniya is rarely greeted by the warmth of the sun. Rather, it is always cocooned by the mind-numbing coldness that comes along with the rain. Once upon a time, afternoon rain was a euphemism for reading books with a cup of hot tea or coffee. Now, it’s the stark contrast of getting your clothes either partially or wholly wet while walking to your next lecture or catching an ever-famous cold that latches on you for days or the mud all over your clothes and sandals that makes you feel awful.  

 

Also, you shouldn’t forget how you look forward to going to the “Wala” to watch the drama only to get soaked and shiver against the weather that spares no one, even the graduates from the past two days. Honors or a general degree is not a division because the rain hails above everyone.  

Being a first-year student at the University of Peradeniya is a difficult task but all the more enjoyable just because it’s the way it is. 

Written by:

Rtr. Rovena Natasha (Blog Team Member 2022-23)

Edited by:

Rtr. Ishani Pitigala (Editor 2022-23)