In the 4 years that we spent together, we’ve done many get-togethers as a course, like having picnics in Harris Garden and brunches in the common room. But this was the first time that we were all going out of Reading together, to celebrate the end of our VIVAs (and essentially the end of our degree!) Everyone was so hyped up for it and the excitement was especially palpable when we were enroute to the campsite.
The train ride there was unexpectedly enjoyable, because Katie managed to get us into the first class cabin! It’s honestly not that much of a difference from the standard cabins but the seats are cleaner and more comfy. As Megan and I were talking about our plans post-glamping/post-graduation, Sian got the job offer for her dream job and she started calling everyone to share the good news. It was such a good start to our little getaway and I loved how everyone was genuinely happy for each other.
When we arrived at Brockenhurst train station, Chloe and Coral came to pick us up. The campsite is located in the New Forest, which meant that we were driving through lush green landscapes, with free-roaming horses/ponies. We (well, just Megan and I really) were so amazed at how the horses were allowed to run “wild” and how they were so comfortable with cars and humans in such close proximity.
As we were waiting for everyone to arrive, we indulged in glasses of Prosecco and bags of crisps – there was really no better way to celebrate the end of our university life and the new job offers that people had received/were receiving. We weren’t allowed to check into our bell tents until 5pm, so we decided to take a walk to the nearby town called Burley. The walk only took about 15-20 minutes and was rather enjoyable, apart from the whiffs of horse poop that you would inevitably get along the way.
Lizzie described Burley to be a “quaint little town” – it’s an apt yet polite way to sum up my impression of that place too. On one hand, they have a handful of independent stores that we can all appreciate: There was an ice cream parlour (which we all enjoyed), a fudge store (I found it alright but some of them really liked their samples and ended up buying bags of them), a traditional sweet shop (with all the candy in huge glass jars), a pop-up cake shop (a fundraiser for the local women’s institute) and a gift shops selling cute trinkets. On the other hand, the town also seemed to be going for the “magical/witch-y” vibe. We found fairy doors (which I thought was quite cute) and a couple of shops selling witch-related products, like the various incense sticks, sage leaves and “magic jewellery”. Some of the figurines on display kinda freaked us out as well, so I suppose bits of this place are an acquired taste.
Back at the campsite, we all worked together to kick off a full night’s worth of activities. Some of us helped with starting the barbeque for dinner, while others pitched in to start the campfire. We had sausages in bread rolls with veggie kebabs and we also roasted marshmellows to make smores! The real fun began when we brought out the things that wanted to burn in the campfire, to signify the end of all the crap that we had been through in these 4 years. Some people brought their VIVA notes, I brought my notebook that I used for placements and someone even brought a very well-used bra that she always wore for placements. It was perhaps the most symbolic item in the pile of things we brought, but the fumes it emitted was also the most unpleasant (hopefully, it wasn’t that toxic HAHA).
This was followed by team games! We started off with designing white tshirts and coming up with unique SLT team names. Then there was the “university challenge”, which Coral prepared for everyone. She was the Quiz Master and she came up with interesting/quirky questions about our uni/our tutors/our shared experiences and we had so much fun fighting to answer them correctly. We also played SLT games like the Malteser challenge (which was essentially to work on diaphragmatic breathing using chocolate) to get bonus points!! At one point, we also played Twerk Pong- a game that Megan introduced to us. Instead of staying in our original teams, there were 2 captains and it was a schoolyard pick. Basically, we had to tie a tissue-box like thing around our waist, which was filled with 5 pingpong balls. When the music starts, you’re supposed to twerk as hard as you can and the person who gets all the balls out of the box first wins. It was hilarious watching it and playing it, but we were all so exhausted at the end of our turn because it requires much more energy than you think!!
We went to bed pretty late, but the birds were chirping so loudly at 4am, so we couldn’t really have a lie-in. Instead, we set up our breakfast spread on the picnic tables and bathed in the morning sun. After one last walk round Burley, we packed up and said our goodbyes (for now, because we’ll still be seeing each other at graduation!!)
It was only a short 2D1N of glamping, but I’m really glad that we got to do this together. I’ll always treasure the conversations that we shared, as we strolled through the countryside, as we stood around preparing food together and as we huddled around the campfire. It’s with these people that we can make inappropriate SLT jokes, share funny stories about our patients, commiserate with when things get tough and of course celebrate each others’ successes. I mean, who else can we make sarcastic remarks to about Total Communication? 🌚
I’ve submitted my dissertation- the baby that I’ve been working on for close to a year.
I’ve submitted my portfolio- the longest piece of work that I’ve ever put together, a 100 pages to be exact.
I’ve finished my Oropharyngeal Dysphagia exam- the last written exam of this degree.
I’ve finished my adult VIVA; I gave my diagnosis and management plan for a gentleman with Parkinson’s Disease. The 24 hours preceding the actual exam was painful to go through- I was basically on the verge of a breakdown the entire day, after receiving the case history information, but I consistently stopped myself from reaching that point, because I didn’t want to lose time being upset when I could be doing more prep. And then when we went in to watch the video, he was so quiet that I could barely make out half of what he was saying. Thankfully, things got a bit better after that. The 2 hours we had after the video was helpful in clearing my head and I didn’t think I got grilled too badly in the 30minutes of the VIVA.
I’ve finished my paeds VIVA; I gave my diagnosis and management plan for a 4-year-old boy with some language difficulties. This time, the preceding 24 hours wasn’t so bad. I worked through the case history methodically, did my prep, and didn’t feel so overwhelmed with anxiety. It’s probably because I’ve already done it once, so the entire process doesn’t seem so daunting. I was of course still nervous, but I think I was in much better control this time round.
And that’s it. My 4 years of studying Speech and Language Therapy has come to a close. I wouldn’t sugarcoat things and say that it hasn’t been difficult, because it really has been a long and arduous journey, especially towards the end. But it also feels so so surreal that I’ve gone through all of that and I’m just a teeny step away from becoming qualified.
I’ve once told my parents that my job is to understand those who are the least understood- I hope that this is indeed what I will do and that I can make a real positive difference to people’s lives. I’m really excited for what the future holds but meanwhile, it’s finally time to enjoy my well-deserved break and see the world 🌎🌍🌏
3 months later and I’m back in this city again! But this time for much longer and with different people than before. It’s so strange because there’s this sense of familiarity, yet the sense of novelty is still there. We actually covered quite a number of new places that I didn’t manage to visit the last time:
9/11 Memorial
Initially, we wanted to visit the museum, but we didn’t reserve tickets in advance and the queue was insane, so we decided to give it a miss and explore the memorial instead. 2 water features stand where the two towers once stood and the names of the victims are engraved on its perimeter. There is also a ‘Survivor Tree’ which as its name suggests, survived the attacks and it still standing strong today. Just across the road, Liberty Park overlooks the memorial. It showcases sculptures, including ‘The Sphere’ which was salvaged from the debris, as well as America’s Response Monument.
We didn’t have enough time to take the Staten Island Ferry to get a closer look of the statue, but we did manage to catch a faraway glimpse of it while we were walking down Battery Park City Esplanade.
Wall Street
Apparently it brings good luck to rub The Charging Bull’s testicles, so that’s what we did haha
New York Stock Exchange
The Fearless Girl Statue was originally located near The Charging Bull but is now standing opposite the New York Stock Exchange.
Rockefeller Center/Empire State Building
We didn’t manage to go up to the top of the Rockefeller Center on the evening that we planned to (when the weather was the best), because there were too many tourists who booked the slot way earlier than we did, so we had to go three days later instead. It wasn’t the best weather, so the sun wasn’t fully out, but the fog in the morning cleared, so we still got a pretty clear view of NYC’s skyline.
Crazy hair
Of course, we can’t miss out on the quintessential touristy places as well:
Brooklyn Bridge
DUMBO
This used to be an industrial warehouse area, but it’s now turned into this hipster area where people come to have coffees and take Instagram photos.
Only posting this bc I think my legs look great hurhur
Somehow I look better in photos where I’m doing weird things
Times Square
With more time in NYC, we managed to do non-touristy things, which turned out to be really refreshing experiences:
Broadway Dance Center
I have always wanted to try the dance studios in NYC and I finally got the chance to this time! I went for a Commercial Jazz class by Debbie Wilson, which was pitched at Level 2. For context, BDC offers Levels 1-6 and Level 2 is meant for those with 2-5 years of training. Based on this information, I was under the impression that I will get a nice, relaxed class, since I have been dancing since I was 5. However, I was proven very very wrong. It appears that the ‘training’ they refer to is full-time/professional dance training and not the casual dance experience that I have, because literally everyone else in the class had solid techniques and great athleticism (both of which I lacked). The first 45 minutes of the class was pure physical training, so we did the usual stuff like push ups and sit ups, as well as the more ‘dance-like’ training. With everyone shouting each count together and enduring ‘punishments’ together (aka more of each set) when we weren’t shouting loud enough/giving it our all, I felt so at home. I suppose its the camaraderie that dancers have when we train together, even if it was literally our first class together. The next 45 minutes is then spent learning a short piece of choreography. It took me a while to get into picking the moves up but I think I (sort of) got there eventually. I was nowhere near as good as the other dancers in class though. While they were thinking about things like musicality and emotions, I was still trying to keep up with executing all the moves decently. Nonetheless, I enjoyed myself thoroughly – it has been a while since I’ve been pushed like that and danced ‘properly’. The $22 I paid was incredibly well spent.
Live Shows
We managed to catch the recording of Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The queuing system and organisation of the former was much better than the latter, but the whole studio set-up is way more impressive in the latter than the former. With Seth Meyers, there are very clear directions as to what is happening at each point and they usher you into proper rooms to wait. The actual studio is small though and everything looks a lot bigger on screen than in real life. With Stephen Colbert, all the briefing was done outside, by the main road, while everyone is in queue, which is not exactly the most professional thing to do I think. The recording studio is much bigger than Seth Meyers though and its interior is also designed more elaborately. It was an interesting experience to see how these shows are produced – each segment is filmed individually, not necessarily in chronological order; audience reactions are carefully planned and elicited; crew members are always strategically placed to support the host (e.g. holding placards for the host to read, prompting audience reactions in a timely manner). I was also amazed at how the content they covered was so up-to-date. News that had been released the previous day was addressed in the next recording, which is essentially within 24 hours. The day after the Notre Dame fire, Stephen Colbert’s crew managed to project the cathedral’s roof onto the ceiling of the studio as a tribute. However, the major con of attending these shows is that we had to be in line hours before the actual recording started, because the tickets that we got did not guarantee admission.
Ellen’s Stardust Diner
This diner is known for its singing waitstaff and many of its ex-employees have gone on to sing on Broadway. The queue is insanely long (I think we were in line for close to 2 hours?) and there is a minimum spend of $20 per person, but it is truly worth the time and money. All the waitstaff have scheduled songs and there will be someone singing at any one time. It’s amazing how they can go from serving you food to belting out solos and/or duets the next moment, with so much strength and emotion. It may not be a Broadway musical, but it definitely comes close enough.
Long Island
We booked 2 nights in an airbnb on Long Island and it sort of became one of those chalet experiences, with a little bit of exploring in between. We started with an arcade session at Dave & Busters. Darren managed to get us a Groupon deal – $9 for unlimited plays on selected machines and 18 credits on the other machines, so we spent lots of time there. The boys were very happy with the unlimited plays on the shooting games, because you wouldn’t normally get to finish the entire story and I was very happy with the ‘extra’ credits I had on my favourite machine, DDR! We also spent some time playing pac-man and racing as a group, which was really fun.
There was a Levain’s near the house so we went there to have some cookies and then we went to try this seafood place for lunch on the second day. It was supposed to be a clam chowder place, but I liked their lobster bisque better. Their baked clams and lobster roll was pretty good too. The best seafood however, was the one that we bought fresh and cooked ourselves. We had such an elaborate dinner on the second night – we bought live lobsters (which Germaine killed), whose tails we grilled with freshly made garlic butter and whose heads we used for a lobster pasta. There was also grilled prawns, ribs, salmon, peppers, pineapples and a salad. Ken also made an apple crumble for dessert, along with the 3 alcoholic ice-creams we bought earlier. After dinner, we also spent some time to set up the camp fire outside, but that was very short-lived because the heat from the fire wasn’t enough to keep us from feeling the cold winds.
Initially, I was feeling a little apprehensive about this 3D2N in Long Island, because these people were all Ken’s friends, whom I’ve not even had a proper conversation with, so a trip together seemed quite daunting at the start. Thankfully, we got along well and we bonded over things like playing bridge, poker (well I mostly watched for this game) and of course Overcooked 2! We didn’t manage to do the things we had planned, like visiting the lavender farm, because of the terrible weather, but the company more than made up for it. It’s always nice to make new friends whom you can click with, so I’m very glad that I agreed to join in on this one.
Literally the only photo I have from Long Island (I think)
NYC truly lives up to its reputation of having good food, so here’s just a snapshot of what we had over the week:
Van Leeuwen
I had their pistachio ice cream on my first night in NYC – not bad, but still doesn’t beat the one in Copenhagen (I really miss that ice cream place omg)
Absolute Bagels
I didn’t take a picture of this because I was too excited about eating my egg bagel haha. It was as chewy as I remembered and the cream cheese was really thick with a generous serving of smoked salmon bits mixed in. Just thinking about it makes me want to eat it again…
Joe’s Pizza
This place is famous for it’s $1 pizzas but we chose to go with the ‘higher-end’ options. I got the Pepperoni while the boys got the Supreme. Like many other pizza joints in NYC, their pizzas are freshly made, so you’ll literally be enveloped in smells of fresh dough and melting cheese as you have you slice of pizza in the store. It’s salty and cheesy (and a tad oily) but I guess that’s just how it’s supposed to be!
And he added way too many chilli flakes
Bibble & Sip
They have really pretty desserts and are known especially for their cream puffs. Unfortunately, by the time we got here, there were only the matcha cream puffs left, so we couldn’t get to try the other flavours. Each choux pastry is filled to the brim with cream that is slightly on the runnier side, so each bite is incredibly satisfying. YJ also got the matcha jasmine latte to try – the jasmine notes only come through at the end of each mouthful but they compliment the matcha flavour surprisingly well.
La Colombe Coffee
This was a very welcome coffee break after an entire day of eating, so I ordered their Pure Black. They are known for their draft coffee, complete with the thick layer of foam, but I couldn’t stomach anything remotely creamy by this point, so I went with the most basic option. I enjoyed it nonetheless – their coffee is strong and well-roasted, so the cold brew was a refreshing afternoon drink.
Kungfu Tea
Bubble tea is an Asian staple so we couldn’t say no to trying a new brand that we’ve not had before. I had the Kungfu milk tea, the most ‘standard’ thing you could order I suppose, and it was not disappointing, but not particularly outstanding either. Not a bad option for your everyday bubble tea fix, but I wouldn’t hype it up too much.
Boba Guys
The matcha latte with strawberry was way too sweet for me when I tried it the last time, so I got the plain matcha latte instead – which worked out perfectly!
Alimama
We ordered a variety of cream puffs from here, but it’s most famous for it’s bubble tea cream puff, with actual miniature pearls in the filling. The other flavours we tried included ube and yuzu, but my favourite is the latter! The citrusy notes from the yuzu cuts through the cream really well. Overall their choux pastry is airy, without losing its structure and has a nice crunchy exterior. We also tried their mochi doughnuts, which are essentially doughnuts but made with mochi instead of the regular batter. The result was a very chewy dessert, which was right up my alley.
I started uni with these boys and now we’re almost at the end of our degrees! I suppose this trip is in some ways our graduation trip together? Well, whatever it is, I’m very thankful for our friendship and the common memories we have of RV. Hopefully, even as we start work and get incredibly busy with our own lives, we’ll find some time for each other and keep this friendship going for years to come 🙂
adventuresofxmm 