Connected Conversations | Remi Watson

Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hi! My name is Remi and I am in my second year, studying a Bachelor of Nursing. I am also the second-year nursing student representative for the Adelaide Nursing Student Society, a Peer Mentor and work as an Assistant in Nursing for the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network, which I absolutely love. I am from the small country town, Ceduna. I moved to Adelaide in January last year at the young age of 18 to pursue my career in nursing and I am currently living in Mawson Lakes. I’m a very active person and love to keep busy! I like going to the gym, walking and playing music. When I get together with my family, we love to go to the beach or go on an adventure or just hang out and play cards!

What aspects of studying and learning online did you enjoy the most? And… what were the parts that you didn’t like?

Studying online has been a major challenge for me in many ways. At times, I was lacking motivation and structure to my day– two very important factors for study. I was also challenged by the changes to our assessments due to COVID-19. I did, however, really enjoy learning how to use different platforms and was pleased to still achieve the same results by using Zoom to meet with lecturers and holding online study groups with friends.

How do you manage your time while at home?

When teaching initially moved online, I struggled to develop my new routine and structure. When I am not studying at home, I have been doing arts and crafts, going for walks (to get coffee!) and cooking. I tried my best to stick to a study routine, however, I found myself easily distracted and procrastinating. One thing that has greatly helped, is having stickers on my desktop for each subject with what assessment I have and when they are due. Then I have a ‘Need to Do’ list and put that list in order of priority.

Is there anything from the past few months you would like to see implemented on a permanent basis?

I would love to see hand sanitiser being available everywhere you go! I would also love, and hope, that the care and concern shown for the elderly continue. That may be writing them a card, doing their food shopping, catching up on FaceTime or visiting in person (adhering with the government guidelines, of course). It is important to remember the vulnerability of the elderly and that they need love and care too!

What did you miss most about regularly being on campus?

I miss my routine of getting up early and heading to university on the train, grabbing a coffee (vanilla latte with almond milk) and then going into the lecture theatre for my lecture. And then between classes… catching up with friends, studying together or going to Rundle Mall and shopping.

All things considered; what good things have you discovered or learned during this time?

Earlier in the year, I decided to only do three subjects a semester and take a year longer to complete my degree. There were several different reasons I did this, but the biggest was to give me some time to work on myself and my mental health. This step has changed my views and expectations about university, especially as I came to realise that it’s okay to change your plans and not everyone’s path to their career is smooth and straight… and I am okay with that!

Name three things you won’t miss about this current moment in time.

Not being able to go and sit in cafés to study.

Getting questioned everywhere you go before you enter.

Not being able to do my meal prep due to the limits on certain food items.

And the three things you won’t forget…

The battle for toilet paper and getting excited when your friends would show up at your door with some.

Very low fuel prices (for a university student this was very helpful).

Watching people become TikTok famous over the most ridiculous things because what else was there to do?!