It’s 28 years since I arrived at the University of Queensland to move into Women’s College, ready to start my journalism studies.
No-one from my country Queensland high school was moving into the same residential college. My boyfriend was an hour or so away studying in Toowoomba.
It was just me, my dodgy mid-’80s perm, a jar full of 20 and 50 cent pieces for the public phone and a trusty pair of Dunlop volleys. My best friend – who had stayed in our home town to study nursing – this weekend reminded me on Facebook just how excited I was.
I can’t exactly remember that excitement but I do remember not being scared and being determined to change my identity. From that first day as a “fresher”, I introduced myself as “Nikki”, not Nicole. I made up the spelling myself because I liked the symmetry of the “k”s and the “i”s and to this day, if someone calls me Nicole, I know it’s a relative or someone from my past. I’m immediately afraid.
That first week – O Week – was a blur of parties, sheets being turned into togas, way too much alcohol, meeting new people {friends for life} and cementing the beginnings of the next stage of my life.
And right now, my eldest son, is doing the same. Not at Women’s College 
but at another res college on campus at the same uni. In my mind, it seems just like yesterday that that was me. Such delusional thoughts are, of course, a clear indication of just how bloody old I actually am.
Many things have changed since my time on campus. Back then the only person who had a computer in her room was an exchange student who came from a wealthy New York family. It was one of the first Apple Macs. We were in awe. Now, kids {or young men and women} are handed instructions on arrival about how to hook their laptops up to the university’s online network.
As for accommodation, my son is not doing it tough for his first year of study. No, he is not. This is his river view from a very modern room.
We moved him in on Saturday … along with the parents of the other 140 young men starting uni at this college. At the table at the welcome lunch was a girlfriend who I’ve known since before Ben was born and another girlfriend I met when the boys were in kindy. All of us joined again in this circle of life – and our kids’ lives.
We’ve had a few texts from him in the small amount of time he has between bonding “activities”. He has shared the fresher nickname bestowed upon him, has had little sleep and sounds every bit as pumped as I was back in the day.
He will be very fine … and I know I will be too
What I wore
Down to business …
I needed a back to uni outfit that was practical enough to carry boxes from the car to the room and unpack said room but also not be out of place for the parents’ lunch and information session. Plus, I needed something that would keep me smiling when the tears threatened to flow at any given moment.
Remember the soft polka dot peplum top I featured in this post? After writing it, I couldn’t help but go and check it out in person. I liked what I saw, especially the sale price tag, so it came home with me {I bought the XL as I wanted it to be floaty on me}. The Cat Hammill neon blue tassel necklace I found at Willow & Bird worked perfectly back with the new top.
Country Road top | Cat Hammill necklace | NYDJ jeans | Misano ballet flats
The Misano ballet flats*? An inspired move as we decided to take a walk around campus in between sessions. The neutral colour provided the perfect balance for the orange jeans and neon blue in the top and necklace.
Let’s just say that this outfit was a very, very long way from some of the “gems” I used to wear circa 1985 …
If you went to uni back in the day, what would I have found you wearing? Did it take you a year to grow out your perm too?
PS. That boyfriend? He’s very happily married to my best friend from uni {pictured with me above right} and is also the Godmother of my son. There’s that circle of life thing again, yes?
* The Misano ballet flats were gifted to me for editorial consideration, in accordance with my disclosure policy.
