10 years ago this week I got my GCSE results. I remember because I was on the way to Soul Survivor with the church youth group, I also remember because my Mum phoned me to tell me my results (The problem with being on a bus with about 50 young people is that you can’t hear yourself think let alone compute what you’re being told!).
(Our results came in a brown envelope with our names on it rather than on a board! Click for Source)
8 years ago last week I got my A Level results, Yeah that wasn’t so good. I got my results and I knew they wouldn’t be great so I left school pretty much straight after getting my results – I didn’t want to hang around while everyone was celebrating their As and Bs. I got home and stood in the dining room with my results on the sideboard in front of me. I can’t remember how it exactly went down but I think my Mum asked me was I okay and that was it – I was mess of tears and stress. I’d heard all morning on the TV and Radio about how many people were getting great grades and they were exactly what they wanted – but what about me, I’d got Es and Us. The chances of me getting into university were about a billion to one or something crazy.
I pulled myself together and called Clearing and somehow got a place on my first choice course – it was a Foundation Degree with the option to do a third year to make it a BA (Hons) I was doing what I wanted to – I was going to university and I was going to get a degree, it wouldn’t take any longer than normal just it would have a different title for a little while.
4 weeks ish later I started university and met Kewey, LB and S.
5 years ago, I handed in my dissertation, turned 21, got married, moved from my Parents into a house with Chris, graduated and then unemployed, pretty much in that order in fact.
I had a few temp jobs then….
4 years ago I got the job I’m currently still in.
10 months ago I became a mother of sorts. At first it was a temporary arrangement but now it’s heading towards being all official. I’m a Foster Mum to a 13 year old.
Did I ever expect that life would go this way? No not at all. If you’d asked my 15 year old self was I going to marry Chris, I’d have probably told you, you were a little crazy. He was my best friend – wouldn’t that be weird? (It was only when I was in my late teens that it finally occurred – your best friend can be your boyfriend/husband too!!! It does happen!!)
If you’d asked my 16 year old self when I got those GCSE results what I was doing next I didn’t really know. My school were a bit sucky when it came to guidance and in the end I pretty much went along the list of A Level choices and picked what I wanted to do.
When I was at university in my second year I also studied for an AS Level in Sociology. I’m not 100% sure what it was that interested me about Sociology but I wanted to learn more and I was hooked. I think if I had the choice to pick my A Levels and university course knowing what I know now (but still have the same experiences and still meet the uni girls!) I’d probably pick something Sociology or Anthropology based – I think it would have been harder work but I think I’d benefit more in the long run.
For now I focus on being a foster Mum and helping Chris be the best he can be when it comes to The Fountain. Who knows maybe one day I’ll be able to go back to University and retrain – for now I’m here and I’m going to enjoy it.
