Roar writer Abdus Shaik has spent the last few months collecting the confessions and feelings of King’s students during the pandemic – here is what the last year has been like in your words.
The pandemic has taught us a lot of things, from how to cook to how to enjoy being alone but expressing ourselves has been a struggle. Some people paint, some people create memes, some people make TikToks or start a YouTube channel, and then we have the geniuses who run confessions pages that have become anthologies of our shared experiences.
After 4 months worth of rooting through confessions from all sorts of weird places, contacting friends I haven’t spoken to in months, interviewing people on the train during their daily commute, stopping people in the street, annoying the person next to me on my flight to Istanbul… I have compiled a list of confessions that most of us, if not all, can relate to.
“For some reason, I actually started to save money when I never thought I had it in me… thanks for that Covid!”
If you could relate to that then you can possibly relate to this as well:
“I need friends lol”
And this too:
“anyone want free cuddles??????”
I would say yes to both of those.
Okay, if you couldn’t relate to this then maybe you weren’t so alone. But others missed human connection, a lot.
“To the hot ginger postgrad that’s always in the laundry room, I want you.”
Others though found being stuck at home with flatmates to be a little too much human connection. Ever tried asking your flatmate to make something for you? maybe don’t.
“My flatmates asked me to make an omelette for her while she was taking a shower. I accidentally dropped it on the floor then served it for her…”
If you recognise that feeling maybe that’s why you’d relate to these:
“I nicked my flatmate’s food cause he is the best cook! and Cause I was too lazy to make pasta”
“My flatmate is a freak when it comes to toiletries. So, when I run out of toilet paper, I just borrow some from her. Don’t wanna fight a battle at Tesco for it.”
And maybe if you are feeling slightly less complimentary about your flatmates you will know this feeling:
“why did I have to get the flat with the biggest bunch of T***s in it at uni? I feel so alone FFS.”
Though for most people the pandemic meant we settled into a hum-drum routine. One guy shared with me their daily routine.
- Scratching their balls while watching TV for HOURS.
- Admiring their toenail clippings and chewing them.
- Smelling their armpits to check whether or not they need a shower.
- Farting and then sniffing the air to check what it smells like.
- Not brush their teeth for days and then chew on a piece of gum when someone knocks on their door.
But oh it was not just boys who developed a few disgusting habits. One girl told me how they passed the days.
- Not changing their underwear often
- Peeling their nail polish when they’ve run out of nail polish remover
- Using expired makeup products cause they’re too lazy to order new ones and because “no one will notice anyway”.
- Pulling dry skin off their feet?…
- Scratching their head and watching the dandruff flakes fall.
There were a few common policies as well.
- “The bigger the fart, the better”
- “I stare into my toilet to admire how much I’ve pooped”
I am actually going to stop with this list cause I feel extremely nauseous.
Some of us though didn’t just forget how to behave at home. But in public as well:
“I just stole someone’s mask from their pocket when I walked into a cafe cause they wouldn’t let me in without one”
Others though just found themselves dreaming of a time beyond the pandemic.
“when this thing is all over I’m going into town and greeting every single person like Belle does in that song about the townspeople”
In the meantime, though I think most of us have done this one:
“Am I the only person guilty of reusing my disposable mask? Like, I use it for a month minimum. I’m not gonna waste money on masks duh!?! And it’s harmful for the environment!!”
Despite all the disgusting and occasionally bad things we’ve done, we have done a lot of good too and found time to be happy despite everything. And I think it is important to list some of the good confessions I noticed:
“I donated all of the money I saved up for an Ibiza trip to charity and I’ve never felt better”
“I always thought that I wasn’t meant to be an artist but now I can cook or sketch better than anyone I know”
“The pandemic brought us closer to the ones we were physically away from.”
“Being alone taught me that I need no one but myself and that I am enough for me.”
“I slept for 14 hours a day, fell asleep and woke up late, had the unhealthiest meals you could possibly imagine but nonetheless, I am still happy.”
“I will never ever take my favourite pub and restaurant for granted ever again.” I don’t think any of us ever will.
To round us out I refer you to Kiss College London as we verge on a new year –
“#KissCollegeLondon17036 –
Expectations for Final Year at Uni: I’m gonna catch feelings.
Reality: catches covid.”
I'm probably the only one who can make you laugh on here... So go ahead and read what I've written for you
