We all do nursing at Uni – so we all live together.

I also work as an auxiliary for the Trust doing agency work.

Last year I lived next door with some girls from school.

It was OK at the start but we are all just very different. I found it really hard because I was the only one on placement and they were going out every night. I love them all. But I didn’t get enough sleep!

We were First Years at uni, so probably a lot more mad going out.

The furniture. It’s alright. It’s grand….. It’s just so everybody can see the TV.

We got a TV this year – there wasn’t one last year, so I’ve been staying in a lot more watching the TV. For ambience we turn the big light off and leave that light on and the TV.

There are five bedrooms. This is the living room, kitchen, one big bathroom and 1 toilet.

This house is a lot better because we are all on the same course at uni – same days and everything.

We all get along great and are on placement at the same time.

S. is on placement now. She’s living from her own home so she’ll not be here for six weeks now.

It is a wee bit mad sometimes living here…but it’s so handy for uni.

Over Halloween it was very noisy, like really terrible.

I don’t like Halloween so I don’t go out or anything. It was crazy.

Next year is my Final Year at uni so I don’t know to live up or not…maybe.

Home is somewhere you can relax. … go and do your own thing. You can get your own cup of tea…just chill out. It’s my mum – wherever she is.

Usually I would do one or two night shifts a week. I go home on a Friday or Saturday morning after work and then come back here on a Sunday evening.

Going home is great…. it’s just all your family. 

At home I go visiting everybody at the weekend. It’s always nice to see mummy…. I miss her, we are very close.

We’ve got a drinks cupboards there… cleaning stuff… and we all just share the fridge.

We don’t have our own shelves in the fridge but we all have our own separate food cupboards.

Last year our cooker didn’t even work for ages. It was terrible… and the washing machine broke too.

We don’t have house rules or rota for cleaning  – we probably should. We don’t clean that much. Everyone just cleans up after themselves.

We would clean up if we had people coming over for drinks or something –  just all muck in and do our own wee bit.

Living here …it’s about having the company as well.

We split all the bills  – so it’s cheaper.

There’s wi-fi, electric and heating that we all have to share.

We’ve actually just run out of heating oil and just have to top it up. It hasn’t  been too bad – cold-wise – until this week. I have a wee heater in my room as well.

The uni library is not far away. Sometimes I would work at home, before I come up here – on a Saturday during the day or something. 

We were at the library last week because we had work to do. It’s just so handy.

Our exams aren’t until the end of next year but we have work to hand in throughout the year which goes toward our grade.

I always bring cutlery from my family home – just a knife and fork and spoon. I did this last year too.  

Sometimes I don’t always get to use it, but when I do I think: that’s mine, from my house.

And then …just cups and glasses. There were a lot of pans and everything here.

We don’t usually cook together – although sometimes we would if we are all on diets and things like that.

We got a slow cooker this year and we made a stew. But generally we make our own thing.

Last year I had one placement where I was working 9-5 every day and another where I was 7.30-8.30pm three days a week.  So, it just depends.

I only have two uniforms so when I come home from the hospital I have to wash the one I am wearing.

I always prepare my food for the next day to bring in with me.

Last year, when I was on the wards you had to bring your breakfast, lunch and dinner. So, I would bring a wee porridge you put hot water into… a stir fry for lunch, or maybe a salad, soup or something for dinner.

Then I would have something else when I come home.

Whenever you are on three days in a row I find it quite hard.

You aren’t getting home until 9pm and then you have to prepare all your food for the next day and shower and everything.

And get up at 6.30am the next morning.

I’m a really good sleeper so night shift is normally OK.

My room is really bright but I sleep fine. Mine is the biggest room I think, in the house.  I could sleep in the middle of the day.

I brought all my clothes up here.

Most people wouldn’t if they are going home at the weekend but I’d be normally working, or just in my pyjamas. I’ve loads of stuff at home. Both rooms are bunged with stuff.

My room at home is always a mess.

The only thing I didn’t bring up are big bulky things or things I don’t use every day. I’ve got a nice fleecy blanket upstairs…. but I’ve got one at home as well.

Last year in my bedroom we had carpet. And no we’ve got wood (laminate flooring). It’s is a lot less cosy than last year.

I’ve got a tapestry for the wall and I bought a cork board for photos. I’m just trying to make it a bit more homely, because it was just a bare room.

Some nights we do facemasks together and stuff like that.

After uni we would all sit down have a cup of tea and see what we’re doing.  We might watch Coronation Street and Netflix

We’ve all started the gym as well – though we’ve not been good the past two weeks…because  we are in uni at the moment. 

All week I’m working 9am-2pm.  If I’m working 9am-5pm I usually come home in between breaks because it’s so close. I can come home here for lunch or, to save money, bring my own food.

We don’t get student loans as nurses –  we get bursaries.

I got that wee table in a charity shop. 

My friend’s granny gave me the wee candle and S. brought all the wee statues of the Virgin Mary.

When I graduate I want to go away to Australia.

I think I want to do something like cancer nursing and will try to go to the cancer centre to see if I like it. 

In third year we get to pick one of our placements so I’m going to pick it…. and see how it goes.