WHAT I WISH I HAD KNOWN BEFORE STARTING COLLEGE

A LETTER TO MY YOUNGER SELF

Dear Cecil,

How are you doing? I hope you are enjoying your last days of holidays. I know you are nervous and excited for college, so let me reassure you that there is no need to worry. It is very easy for me to tell you that, because by the time I am writing this I have already been through the worst part (even though there isn’t a “worst part” after all), but believe me, you will be more than fine.

First things first: you should know how much you are going to love the studies you have chosen. Languages are your thing and that is everything that you will do. It may sound boring but you are going to have loads of fun. Don’t listen to the people who tell you that “there are no jobs for translators” or “Don’t study German, there are many people who already speak that language. You should learn Japanese”. You are now studying Translation and Interpretation and you have as well chosen German regardless of what everybody said and it makes you happy, end of the story. However, you will miss having a Literature subject or something like History. Languages are great but you have always loved reading and learning more about other things as well, which is something that you won’t have, at least in your first year. Use your spare time to learn about these topics you also like.

I remember you wanted to get a part-time job during college. Well, I’m sorry to tell you that this has not happened (yet). You did apply for some vacancies but there was no luck. Do not beat yourself up, it is fine, focus all your energy into studying. There will be more opportunities! I know you wanted to start earning your own money, but in the meantime you will need to learn how to manage the money you already have (which is very important as well), so here are a few tips. Stop buying food after every class! Yes, now I am punishing you. It is very tempting to spend your change in vending machines around campus, but you should not do it. Bring snacks with you for when you are starving after a long day. The same goes for your lunch: meal prep the night before and put everything inside a lunch box. I have to congratulate you for that, because you have never forgotten your meals and you are eating pretty healthy. Going back to managing your money, why don’t you put your spare coins in a piggy bank and start saving to go studying abroad? This is something you have always wanted and although it may take a bit of time to figure out when and where you want to go, it is good to start gathering a decent amount of money. Keep looking for a job, maybe you find one out of the blue. Looking into and understanding your financial aid is important. You can refinance your loans as well but it’s important to look up all you can on making smart money decisions now! One last piece of advice: take advantage of the discounts you have for being a student! You can have special prices transportation wise, as well as cheaper menus in some coffee shops. Always have your student card with you, you never know when you will need it.

Going to college by train is something you will find awkward at the beginning, but eventually you will get used to it. You will read a lot during the way to college (maybe you should invest in a good e-reader, paper books are kind of heavy) and some days you will get really tired, especially when there are no seats and it is 8 am. There is going to be a day when you will share the 20 minutes journey with your new friends, since some of them have to pick up the same train as you. It sounds great, doesn’t it? After the first week of college or so, you will start hanging out with these guys and are going to become very close. You will have lunch together, hang out after classes, laugh in the middle of the lesson when you were supposed to pay attention to the teacher, start sharing some adventures… You will soon realise that there are people who share the same interests as you and that they are actually very kind and friendly. Take care of them.

I don’t know what else to say, enjoy this time of your life and keep doing what you do. 

Best wishes from your tiny-wiser self

BOOK REVIEW: HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD

Hello dear readers of mine! Today I'm doing a book review on "The Cursed Child", the latest (and the last) Harry Potter book. It has been on the market for a while and I finished reading it about a month ago, but I decided that it was the perfect book to do my first review.

Here's some general information:

Original title: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (parts one and two).

Author(s): JK Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Throne.

Number of pages: 330

Published: July 31st 2016

Genre: fantasy and fiction.

On the back cover...

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on July 30, 2016.

Summary

The main characters of the book are Albus Severus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy (Harry and Draco's sons). The two kids meet in Hogwards and they become best friends, something that bothers both parents. The relationship between Albus and his father isn't the best one as the kid has to live up to his father's expectation: he is the son of "the Boy Who Lived". One day Amos, Cedric Diggory's father, reaches out to Harry Potter, who's now the Head of the Departament of Magic Law Enfocement. He wants to bring his son back from the death because he has discovered that the Ministry of Magic holds a Time Turner, something unthinkable (and illegal) since all of them were distroyed after the Battle of Hogwards, nineteen years earlier. Somehow, Albus overhears this conversation and decides to tell Scorpius. From then on, the two guys start planning how to get their hands on the Time-Turner without their parents noticing it, and the adventure begins!

Personal opinion and thoughts

This book was a birthday present and I was very excited when I received it. I have always been a huge fan of the Harry Potter books (and movies) and I couldn't believe that there was an eight book coming out. Something that surprised me was the fact that it wasn't a novel, but a play. I'm not used to reading theatre plays and I realised that it was very fast to read, but nothing really happened. Being used to reading the enormous Harry Potter books, I felt as if it wasn't deep enough. The description of the actions was very superficial and there weren't any unexpected changes or turns. 

I really appreciated that Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Draco and the other "original" characters had a relevant paper in the story, even though the most important ones were their children. I did have very high expectations for this book and I have to admit that I haven't been completely disappointed. The idea was original and it had the kind of vibe that the other books used to have. However, I think that it has lost the "essence" and now it's all about squeezing the juice out of the Harry Potter sensation. After almost ten years of publishing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows they release another book with the same concept as the previous seven but a bit watered-down, just to keep up with their fandom. I don't blame them, cause I was the first one to look forward for book, but I think that the Harry Potter myth should have ended with the last book in 2007. 

Rating

Overall I give it a 7/10.