Now that the Institute Bar and Bloomsbury Fitness are allowed to open up again - we spoke to the staff that you'll be meeting there. Make sure to say hi to them when you see them!
James Worth, Student Staff Institute Bar
How has life been for you over the past couple of months?
Life over the past few months hasn’t been entirely easy. Although – until now – I’ve been lucky enough to avoid the financial stresses as I live at home, carrying out any of my research has been awful without proper library access. Being reliant upon outdated works is not exactly fantastic, and it’s resulted in a series of research topic and source revisions, which has caused me no end of anxiety. I’ve also missed walking around campus and just having the option of popping in to the Students’ Union Bar for a quick drink if I fancy it one evening. It’s certainly been a drain on my mental health, as at times I don’t even feel like I’m really living as much as surviving. But it hasn’t all been terrible; in fact, it’s been a little wacky and at times outright bizarre. Outside of discovering myriad uses for technology, I’ve discovered how much not having an outside life affects your perception of time! One moment it’s Monday morning and then, before you know it, it’s Friday afternoon, and you’re readying yourself for Zoom drinks. I don’t know about you, but my whole year has been a rollercoaster which I don’t really remember except for key snippets. If I were given the choice, would I ever want to relive this year again? Absolutely not. But do I begrudge it? No: it’s been an experience, and we’ll probably be sharing our individual experiences during this period of time for years to come.
How do you feel about returning to work on campus?
I must admit I feel some trepidation at the possibility of returning to campus for work. Certainly, I cannot wait to be back, to be around my colleagues and being able to connect with them, and to begin to return to the friendly and supportive environment of UCL SU. However, I cannot deny that I have concerns about the potential third-wave and pandemic still. Having already caught a strain of this Coronavirus once, I can assure you it’s not something I’m keen on catching again. That being said, I’m sure that everything will be fine as long as we take necessary precautions and work together to be safe.
What did you miss most about being on campus/ working at the gym?
Honestly, I miss everything about it. All the little things – from colleagues to customers to simply being at the campus itself – become all the more endearing the longer I’m away from it. But if I had to choose? Being able to see my friends again on a regular basis – there’s no real competition. I’ve made some amazing friends both in the colleagues I work with and in the students I study with; and in either case they have moulded me and guided me into who I am now. I can hardly wait to be around them again.
What should students get excited for?
I think Students should get most excited for being able to see each other again. One of the hardest parts about this past year has been the social solitude and reliance upon more abstract or indirect ways of keeping up with friends. Mental health has taken a huge dive this year, especially for those who live alone or away from those they care about. So if anything, be excited for that: after all, that’s one of the most enthralling and thrilling parts about University! Well, that and the library access of course.
Tanya Dudnikova, Student Staff Bloomsbury Fitness
How has life been for you over the past couple of months?
My life has been surprisingly busy - I've been working at a radio station plus producing podcasts and doing a bit of work as a film and TV extra as well, so it's actually been pretty hectic! It's definitely nice to get out of the house every day and meet new people, so I feel very fortunate to have been able to keep that up throughout the lockdown. I've also been getting through a million movies - I just finished WandaVision, and Zack Snyder's Justice League which came out last week!
How do you feel about returning to work on campus?
I'm really excited to get back to campus and back to work. I weirdly love doing the opening shifts at the gym - it means I'm up and out of the house by 7am and somehow makes the rest of the day more productive. The gym is normally quite quiet in the mornings, so if you want to avoid the crowds I'd definitely recommend fitting in a gym session before lunchtime, if you can!
What did you miss most about being on campus/ working at the gym?
I've definitely missed the people the most. I love my colleagues and it's been weird not seeing some of them for many months, after seeing them so regularly last year, so I look forward to catching up properly next month - we've already been chatting about doing staff drinks at the IOE bar or Phineas as soon as we can. I've also missed the free staff coffees from Print Room - one of the best perks of the job for sure!
What should students get excited for?
Naturally I think everyone's excited to hang out with their friends in person again! It will be amazing to have that social aspect of university back again - Zoom calls just aren't quite the same... Plus, I think most of us are getting a bit sick of home workouts by now, so it will be amazing to get back to an actual gym again! I find that I always push myself twice as much when I'm working out around other people so I'm suuuper excited to get back to that!
Cherry, Staff Gordon’s Café
I've been on campus from the very first day we re-opened Gordon’s Cafe. So since mid-September Gordon's Cafe has been in some ways the only part of pre-covid normality (without the queues!). Staff, students and anyone working around could still come in for their early morning coffee or their hot lunch. It’s been great to see people and get to know some of our regulars who come to the café almost every day now. At the beginning it felt weird to have all these extra safety measures in place, but now I don’t even notice them anymore. I’m just happy that we were and still are there for everyone who still has to be on campus.
It’s great news as well that some of the other Union spaces are opening very soon. Step by step we’ll go back to a more normal life.
Cami, Student Staff Bloomsbury Fitness
How has life been for you over the past couple months?
In the last couple months I have been able to really focus on my studies and work on myself. At the beginning of lockdown I have set some goals that I wanted to achieve before going back to work. One of them was to learn how to do headstands, and I did! It took many tries and a lot of patience, but I am happy I am finally able to do it.
Not being able to see family for over a year has been extremely hard, however, I have received amazing support from my friends from Bloomsbury Fitness.
How do you feel about returning to work on campus?
I am extremely excited to go back to work. The social aspect of it will definitely help my mental health which, sadly for many of us, has been affected by the national lockdown.
I am also confident about returning to campus as I know the Students’ Union works really hard to make sure all staff and students are safe.
What did you miss most about being on campus/working at the gym?
I definitely missed my friends the most. Working at the gym is not just a regular part-time job for me. I have met amazing people and learned a lot from everyone’s experience. Everyday at the gym is exciting as I get to socialise with students from many different backgrounds and with different passions.
I have also missed working out regularly with professional machines. The home/park workouts were starting to get really boring!
What should students get excited for?
I think students should get excited to working out at a gym again. Many rules will still be in place as our safety comes first, but at least we are now able to start having the social aspect of working out again. Seeing new faces and getting ourselves out of the house will definitely be a big improvement for everyone.
