University of Portsmouth: First Year Diary

October 2017: Part 8-My Day with Izzy

The day after the Zara Larsson concert, I spent the day with Izzy. I took him down to Gunwarf Quays, and we went to quite a few shops. First, we went to HMV, which was great, because I still miss not having one in Jersey anymore. Both Izzy and I were surprised, and pleased, to see how cheap the clothes were in the Vans and Ted Baker outlet stores we went to look in. Although I intentionally didn't spend much money on that day, I couldn't help but think to myself, how difficult it is to be a student in Portsmouth in terms of being tempted to 'shop 'till you drop'.
   After our (mostly window) shopping spree, Izzy and I went to Subway for lunch. This was another pleasant experience considering there isn't one in Jersey. It was a great time to just sit and catch up.
   Afterwards, Izzy wanted to go up Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth's answer to the London Eye. So we queued up, only to find that since there was already a wheelchair user up in the tower, and that there could only be one such visitor at any one time, we decided to return later in the day.
   This was probably for the best actually, because it meant that I could suggest, as I did, about taking Izzy to visit the Mary Rose Museum, as it was a place he was planning to visit anyway, with or without me. However, I said that if he went with me, it would be a win-win situation. This is because, owing to the fact that I am a volunteer there, I could get us in for free, saving us an entry fee of £18 each, as well as the fact that it was a good opportunity for me to hone my tour-guide skills before I officially started volunteering exactly a week later. I think Izzy was impressed with the museum. I know I was, although I had already started spending quite a bit of time there recently. I also hope that my newly developing knowledge contributed to Izzy's  impression of the museum.
   After this, we went back to Spinnaker Tower, ascended, and spent a relaxing period admiring the panoramic views. I waited in the cafe, on the second floor, with a spectacular view, while Izzy went to admire the view from the Sky Deck. We then went to the cafe on the ground floor as there was no space to sit in the one in the middle of the tower. We each took home an official photo to commemorate our visit.
In the evening, I gave Izzy a taste of a University social life, when I invited him to a party we were having in the kitchen that night. Everyone was happy and glad to meet him, and we played drinking games and listened to music. It was a really great night.
Izzy said that the whole day, but especially the party in the evening, was one of the best experiences of his life. I am glad about that. I had a brilliant time too.