By Petra Andersson

Why I’m on the floor at 5 am in the morning

Ever since I found out about SCA life has been quite hectic. I had already applied to a few masters when I first learned about the church turned advertising school. I applied 2 hours before deadline on a whim because that’s what my mom taught me – never hesitate and always try to seize opportunities when you see them. Probably one of the best advises I’ve ever been given. 

For my interview with Marc I still wasn’t sure what I was expecting. But I had fun throughout our conversation about the school and coming up with varies uses for an empty water glass. When I was offered a place I couldn’t be more surprised. Or overwhelmed for that matter. My already limited vocabulary seemed to only consist of “wow”, “I don’t know what to say” and “I’m just so overwhelmed” (thank you for not pulling the offer back right there and then Marc). 

I was thrilled when we hung up, but then reality hit me – was I really to move my entire life to another country and empty my bank account? Right after that Skype-interview I went to Berlin, but I had a hard time concentrating on the East side gallery, currywurst and S-bahn changes. My mind was buzzing with questions – would I be able to get a student loan? Isn’t moving to the UK in the middle of Brexit the worst idea ever? And most important of all – how on earth will I become a copywriter when I still struggle with basic grammar?

After going back and forth with all the buts and what ifs I started to track down ever single person that ever went to SCA on LinkedIn (thank you privacy settings). And in the early hours of the morning I realized that there’s only one thing I could do: listen to my gut and my mom’s advice. I accepted the offer just before heading back to work after my annual leave. I thought the hardest part was over when the life changing decision was made. Oh boy was I wrong. 

It turns out that 8 weeks isn’t a lot when you have to cram all the work you’ve planned for autumn into just one month. Especially not when you’re reviewing resumes and conducting interviews whilst trying to find your replacement, so most of the work has to be done afterhours. Add misinterpreting that final assignment for the web design-module January-you thought would be fun so you’ll have to redo all the work again. So you have to rethink your passion project. What am I even passionate about? And how will I find and read 8 books before term starts? And try to write interesting SCABs in a language you don’t fully comprehend or master. Let’s throw in some bureaucracy as well, just for fun. Try to convince the Student Loan Association that all education is not based upon credits and points. Put yourself on everyone at SCA’s hate list for email harassing them in your search for proof that this is not the case. Don’t forget that conference for the volunteer project you signed up for in March. It might be good to find somewhere to live, and what happens with your national insurance when you change countries again? 

You can get used to an average of 4.5 hours of sleep, but it’s quite annoying when your brain cease to understand dates so you don’t really know if you picked the wrong yoghurt. And then you get the three-week reminder email about starting new habits. And you have to decide between waving the white flag and turn yourself into a blanket burrito or not. And this time I chose not.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I recalled a tutor in a copywriting class who once told me about an app for meditation, and how it helped her to stay in charge of her mind when everything else was out of control. I was quite sceptic at first but made 10 minutes of mediation part of my bedtime routine. Until I started to fall asleep that is. So I started meditating in the mornings instead. Sitting on the cold floor to stay awake. And this is where you find me now, almost every morning at 5 am.

To say that I look forward to pour all of my time and energy into one single commitment is an understatement. But during the spring term madness with briefs and competitions, this will probably serve as a good reminder. It is actually possible to get through a whole day of work on only 20 minutes of sleep (However, I strongly advice against participating in that 2-hour long and unprepared lunch meeting). And some basic knowledge on how to zoom in and out of your thoughts is quite a nifty trick up your sleeve. If there’s something I have learned during these past few weeks it’s the importance of balance – to recharge you batteries every once in a while. ‘Taking time for recreation’ will probably be the next habit for my upcoming three-week plan