So, I’ve finished my exams; the hand-cramp has worn off and I have, finally, managed to wash the smell of Sainsbury’s Cava out of my hair. I am now, officially, a free woman. Did they go well? No. Do I care? No. I’m free and that’s really all that matters.

After spending a good few hours tidying my room – which is, quite frankly, my favourite way to celebrate anything – I somewhat found myself at a loss. What do you when it’s all over? What do you do when you have nothing to do? I don’t have to be anywhere. I don’t have to hand any work in. I can, and did, sleep in until 12pm and nothing happened.

There is something very surreal about being released from the prospect of exams; reclaiming your life from the dictatorship that is Tripos and re-entering the real world, it is a joy almost too big to handle. Although, while I may be free, most of my friends and most of Cambridge’s students are still suffering through the slightly traumatic time that is Exam Term.

This then is for you, everyone still pushing through, trying to make it down the home straight. Here are a few things from the streets of the ’bridge to brighten your week.

Things to remember this week:

A very little girl, maybe about three, was in Caffè Nero with her mum and picked up some type of expensive blended-juice-malarkey. Her mum turned to her and said, quite sternly, “No Ellie, put it back.” But, Ellie looked at this juice for a moment, clearly really thinking quite hard and then earnestly looked back at her mum and replied, “But I can’t mummy because, I actually do really want it a lot.” The mum laughed, and caved and bought her the juice because, sometimes, really wanting something is a good enough reason to get it.

Exam Term is pretty bleak, there are very few things to look forward to, apart from the eventual end. But, I think we should all remember to try and indulge from time to time; just to stay sane. While your bank balance may not thank you for it, if you ‘actually really do want it’, the occasional ASOS package, take-away coffee or Deliveroo, although frivolous, may be necessary to pull you through the final stint.

A girl bumped into her very tired looking friend on Sidney Street. The friend had clearly just had an exam that hadn’t gone terribly well. After being asked how it was she kind of wailed and fell into her friend’s arms saying, “I can’t even. I’m dead inside.” Her friend laughed and hugged her and said, “Babe, it will be over soon though.”

Sometimes you’re lucky with a paper and other times, you get totally screwed over. But, successful or thoroughly disappointing, no exam lasts forever. You will, after however many excruciating minutes, get to stand up, walk out and, with the help of supportive friends, (or alcohol), pretend it never happened. This term is temporary, you will be free from it soon.

Two quite young guys were drinking coffee and strolling around the Market. They were catching up about their bank holiday activities. One of them had been to see his son, because ‘Chrissy’ the mum and ex, had been away for the weekend. They chatted about Chrissy for a while and as he picked up and examined a Zippo he said, “The thing is, even though she can be a right cow, I do have a lot of respect for her. The girl does work hard.”

Often in Exam Term it feels like you’re putting a shift in and getting nothing back. You pour over stuff for hours and nothing goes in and somehow, it’s always later than you thought it was and you haven’t got through a lot of what you intended to do. But, you are working hard and that counts. Even if we don’t necessarily like them, we tend to have a lot of respect for hard-workers. There is, undeniably, something admirable about people who commit to the grind and do it with good grace.

So, things to remember this week: indulge occasionally, you’re allowed to and you probably deserve it; keep in mind that, no matter how bad it gets, it will end and in a few weeks you will be free; and, finally, appreciate what you’re doing, give yourself the respect you would give someone else in your position.