Dear Me: A Letter To My Twenty-Two-Year-Old Self

Dear Me at 22,

What did I tell you?!?! You got in and youve just spent the past 3 years having the time of your life in Scotland at drama school.

You have made friends that will last a lifetime and learnt skills you don’t even realise you have until you need to use them!

Understandably, you are now terrified. Moving to London is a really big step and it isnt always going to be easy.

You are going to live in a complete shit-hole (excuse my french) for 8 weeks. There will be zero privacy, there will be people smoking weed in the kitchen when you just want a bowl of cereal. There will be multiple languages under one roof, and, every time there is an Arsenal match, a strange man will rent out your front wall to sell hot dogs from. You do, however leave before you go mad.

You will lodge in a room in an elderly couple’s house. They will have strong opinions. They will tell you “there are two things we do not do in this house: Smoke and Fry” in reference to the stir fry you were making. You will end up eating microwaved sweet potatoes and cooking chicken breasts on a mini george foreman cooker in your bedroom to avoid the kitchen looking used and another onslaught of opinions. (though you lose half a stone because of it – ha!)

You will however have a great performing job that will make all of this so much better!

You will live in several other places, including the place where the shower never does stop leaking into the floorboards, but you have a concierge… back with mum and dad in Bristol for a bit (whilst trying to find a place from there….madness!)….and then the place that has the most gorgeous views over london you have ever seen.

You will live with some amazing people and you will learn some valuable life skills:

• The “manager” you speak to when you call BT for the 100th time is a different person every time and definitely isnt a manager.
• Sometimes, fuse boxes explode.
• Equally, sometimes locks just stop working and you won’t be able to get in.
• Finding a house in London is really hard (and you do not cope well with it!)
• Tea will make pretty much everything feel better.
• People will try to touch you up on the tube. Sometimes they will desists with a death-stare. Sometimes they will need asking “Can I help you?” assisted with a death-stare.
• Ranting at your mum on the phone really does help – though I’m not sure how much she enjoys it….

You will also have some amazing jobs and some incredible experiences:

– You are going to get thrown on stage for a part you aren’t the understudy for with an hour’s notice and   you absolutely smash it! (not arrogance, just pride!)
– You are going to sing at the Royal Albert Hall and at the London Palladium.
– You are going to spend a lot of time in recording studios – some of which are glamorous, and some that smell a bit like feet.

– You will even dabble in modelling – which I know sounds like madness to you right now! (see my “Left At The Altar” post)
– You will do a play in an art gallery and sing in a tiny red dress sprawled on a grand piano! (see the photo at the top of this post!)
– You are going to sing at ‘The Ivy’ wearing a floor length red dress!

Take it one day at a time – it will get intimidating and scary, but you are going to have so much fun over the next few years so enjoy it! Oh, and when you have the urge to start a blog – do it – it’s bloody brilliant fun!

Have fun!

Rosie (aged 25)