Typical Days

Debra soon settled into the rhythm of University life.

Days would start at some time in the morning with a random breakfast dish, cereal maybe, possibly waffles, or there might be left-over hot-dog!

After a leisurely breakfast, she would try to find some time to review or prepare for the day's classes or assignments before rushing off to the Arts Building.


The week consisted of a mix of lectures and classroom seminars which were surprisingly informative and helpful.  Although Debra's medium was 'street art' and her central focus on social issues she, nonetheless, found that understanding the history of art and exploring the various traditions could inform her own creativity.

Even so, Debra got most excited when they had an outside assignment where the class was encouraged to create a work in their own style about a particular scene around the university.

Outside of the tutor led work there were also individual assignments, some of which Debra found a little uncomfortable - such as creating a stranger portrait.

She didn't feel very confident about just going up to someone and asking them to model.  Thankfully her new friend, Cid, was more than happy to pose for her.


Although generally confident in her work Debra was shy about presenting portraits, especially to the subject.  Cid, though, always said her loved her view of him; that she had a good 'impressionistic' eye.

However, the 'real thing' for Debra was her street art and luckily there were plenty of good places around the university where she could exercise her talents.  She loved those days where she could just head off into town, find a clean, clear, space and create something entirely her own.

At night many students would set off in large groups to party somewhere loud and full of people having a wild time.  That wasn't really Debra's style. She loved spending time with like-minded people, but always in smaller, more intimate, groups.

Perhaps chilling out with friends from her course, with a few drinks and a game of billiards.

Or sometimes putting the world to rights with other activists from one of the several campaigning groups she had joined. 

Of all the people she met, of all those she enjoyed spending time with, there was one that Debra couldn't be with and missed so much; her boyfriend from Hidden Springs, Johnny Christiansen.

They would call every other day, to share all the things that were happening in their lives.

There was, however, one event that Debra had not shared with Johnny ...

She had gone out early one evening and finding a great space at the back of one of the coffee shops started work on another mural.

She had just finished the base sketch when she heard the sound of a police siren stop as a nearby car pulled up sharply and then someone running towards her.

Without looking back she quickly darted round the corner and ducked into the coffee shop. But even before the door behind her had closed she heard a commanding voice, "Miss. Stop right there! Don't make this any worse."

Charged with defacing public property, Debra was handed a mandatory fine, a fine that would take a good chunk out of her student fund.

But after completing all the required paperwork the police officer surprised her. "Look, Ms. Slade, we take vandalism very seriously here, and I hope I'll not have to take you in again.  But the university board does have a street art scheme that supports good artists, so if you have a word with the administration and convince them that you know what you're doing they may give you a licence and possibly even a small grant to paint in certain locations. At least that way you won't get into trouble with us."

She wasn't sure that getting a licence from the university establishment was really the 'activist' thing to do but if it meant being free to create her art without getting expelled, or a criminal record, it was certainly worth thinking about...

Like A New World

Here she was, at last, Debra had arrived at Simstate University.

On a flat plain alongside the Blue Diamond lake Unicity didn't have the rugged, dramatic beauty of Hidden springs but, as she approached the central campus zone, Debra was pleasantly surprised at how pretty the town was.

Arranged around the central square, the classically imposing buildings were clearly designed to impress a sense of expectant success and achievement on the university students.

Just the other side of the campus was Debra's allocated residence, De Anda Hall.  Very simple in comparison to the academic buildings it nonetheless had the same imposing "place of learning" impact at first sight.

Debra's room, like all the others was modestly furnished; after all it was just a place for sleep and private study.

But beyond the bedrooms the residence catered for all the students' basic needs; a kitchen and dining room, two shared bathrooms, a TV lounge and computer study room as well as small but well-equipped gym.


Having dumped her suitcase in her room, Debra went down to meet her fellow residents, the people she could be spending a lot of time with over the coming weeks.

As she got talking to her 'roomies' she realised what a diverse bunch they were, all sorts of people studying all sorts of different subjects.

There was Nicole Lawry, a sweet and friendly girl studying for a Physical Education degree.

And Blair Jansenovich, who seemed more concerned about making sure that everyone knew how talented he was. He was doing Business Management, not because he needed to (according to him) but because his wealthy father had insisted.

Of all of them, it was Cid Serverus that Debra connected with best, his off-the-wall sense of humour really appealed. Though, with his shock of blue hair and laid-back attitude she would never have guessed that he was here to study Science.



Cid suggested that they all head out to the Toasted Beans coffee bar for a late night snack and coffee hit.

Debra thought it was a great idea, and a chance to start getting acquainted with the town she was going to call home for the next few weeks. So she was disappointed that most of their group decided to stay at the hall and it was only Nicole, Cid and Debra that went out.


Debra had been nervous about going to university and meeting a lot of new people but she felt a lot happier that evening. Cid and Nicole seemed really chilled and friendly, Debra was particularly pleased that Cid knew all about the films and bands Debra loved.

-- * --

The following day was mostly familiarisation with the university set-up, including a meet-and-greet in the Student Union building.

Unfortunately the head tutor for Debra's course wasn't able to make it on the day but she was able to meet several of her fellow Arts students.

Of the other students she met, Jeffery Dean was perhaps the most intriguing. He didn't say much and his distinctly styled retro look seemed at odds with the fact that he was studying for an arts degree but he had an easy charm that Debra warmed to.

-- * --

It was the  day of Debra's first lecture.  It was scheduled for late in the morning so she wasn't among the first to get up.  As she realised when she went down for breakfast and noticed that several of the boys were already hard at work (or maybe play!) in the computer room.

Something else she realised was that getting dressed was something that most of her room-mates put off to the last moment before they needed to leave the house!

Another thing she was going to have to come to terms with was the different standards of hygiene and cleanliness in the house.

Debra liked a neat and tidy home but she was not going to be the one and only cleaner  out of the eight house-mates.

Before her class began Debra thought she would do some preparatory study at the coffee shop, reading one of the introductory texts that were handed out during the induction session.  Although it didn't tell her much that she didn't already know it was a useful reminder for the sort of material they would be covering over the next few weeks

Not keeping a good eye on the clock Debra could have missed her lecture time.  Thankfully the coffee shop was not too far from the Arts Building but she still ran; just to be sure.  It seemed that running to lectures was quite common as nearly every other student she saw was in a rush to one teaching building or another!

Debra's Special Days

Carl and Malia were delighted that Dolly was taking an interest in the flora and fauna of Hidden Springs. They were, however, a little concerned when, after receiving high praise for her bug hunt project, Dolly declared that she wanted to look after some 'little animals' at home. All the more so when they realised that the particular 'little animal' she had in mind was a snake!

They didn't want to discourage her interest, but made sure that she was aware of her responsibilities for it's upkeep and that she would have to pay for it's food out of her own pocket. With her enthusiasm undiminished Carl set out to find an old terrarium to house her new 'pet'.

It wasn't long before Dolly had picked out the snake that she wanted; naming him 'Frannie' for no reason that she could explain, the Slade household became home to a San Francisco Garter Snake.

Of course it wasn't just Dolly that was fascinated by the new addition, young Desirée was also entranced by this strange creature that had been brought into her home.

-- * --

Debra was in her final year at secondary school and been subjected to more "careers information" than she knew what to do with! She already had a plan for her future, as an artist, a radical artist shining a light on society's ills.

Carl and Malia were quite happy that she could make it as an artist, and it would be foolish to try to dissuade her; but they knew it was a tough way to earn a living.

As subtly as they could, her parents would gently encourage her to complete and do well in her final exams; to have other skills to fall back on should she need to. So, it was that at one family meal-time Carl hit on a brilliant scheme ...

If Debra did well enough at school to earn a place at university he would pay for all her driving lessons and fund her first car.

To be fair she didn't need much encouragement Debra had already realised that to really take on the establishment, to be an effective "activist", she would have to know how things worked in order to argue against what she found unpalatable.  This was a deal she was happy to make with her Dad.

-- * --

Both parents and daughter were waiting nervously those few weeks after the final exams, before the results were announced ...

When the letter finally arrived, the news was even better than they had hoped.  Not just good grades but the best performance overall in her year group!

True to his word, the week-end after the results came out Carl took Debra to Valley Motors, a dealership run by an old family friend, Simon Saint.

Valley Motors specialised in rather expensive high-end cars and that was not what either Carl or Debra wanted, but they had a good "previously owned" stock and were also the exclusive dealer for the new eco-friendly models that were becoming popular.

Debra explained to her father and the sales associate what sort of car she wanted; nothing expensive, cheap to run, easy to drive, 'cool' but not 'flashy' and it had to have as good an eco rating as possible.

Although they had no suitable cars at their dealership the salesman, Emmit Preston, said that they had several that matched Debra's requirements at their other sites and he was sure they could find the perfect car for her.

And so it was agreed, they would check out the stock catalogue, make a decision and Carl would pick up the car they agreed on as soon as it was ready for collection.

-- * --

But, before then, it was time for Debra's graduation ceremony. Held in the historic city hall, with all the graduates dressed in cap and gown and parents in their best 'bib and tucker', it was a most impressive occasion.

Though, for Debra and her family, it wasn't so much about being or looking impressive; it was more a celebration of her hard work and achievement.

The city hall ceremony, and all the preparations lasted for several hours, which meant that a special delivery could be made at their Cottenwood Crescent home.

And so at the end of the main event, Carl was able to hand Debra a small but significant little gift ... the keys to the new car waiting for her at home!


As excited as she was to know that the car was finally here, and she was very excited, Debra had one more appointment to celebrate her graduation before returning home; a dinner date with Johnny.

Just across the central park was an exciting new restaurant, Margherita's, where Johnny had managed to book a table.

This was to be his graduation gift to Debra, and she could have anything she fancied on the menu.

Margherita's was not an expensive
restaurant but it was not 'cheap eats' and Debra knew that Johny would have had to save up for this occasion.

The menu was full of traditional Italian recipes and a few local specialities with an Italian twist.

The fact that it included a good selection of vegetarian options made choosing difficult.

In the end they both plumped for traditional Italian, but vegetarian; Debra went for the Spaghetti with Veggie Sauce and Johnny the Herbivore Delight Lasagna. Both delicious and fully satisfying their appetites.

It was a beautiful evening, it seemed that they talked forever, mostly about their plans for the future. Debra was fired up about having her own car and how that would make life at university much easier ... in particular being able to make more frequent trips back to Hidden Springs to see Johnny, who was still a year away from graduating.

As the evening came to an end and they made their way out of the restaurant they posed for a special 'selfie', a photo Debra would take with her to uni., a reminder of the handsome boy waiting for her at home.

The following morning Debra went out to examine her new car, a beautiful Sloppy Sunbeam in "Pearlescent Pumpkin".  It was perfect, exactly what she wanted; this car was going to be part of so many good memories!

-- * --

A couple of weeks later, a letter from Simstate University arrived, the long-awaited response to Debra's application ...

It was great news! She had aced the arts assessment and would receive a scholarship grant for her course.  It was certainly a weight off Carl and Malia's minds; that their daughter would not only attend such a prestigious institution but also be able to afford all the resources she would need.

But Debra was not the only one receiving recognition for her skills...

Malia was having afternoon tea with her good friend Jodi Bishop when she was spotted by Jennifer Bostwick, head of the local Gardeners Circle who came to join them.

Jennifer had some good news to impart; Malia had received another accolade for her expertise.  The official certificate would arrive within a day or two and the local newspaper was preparing a feature article on the local gardening scene which would include a special mention for Malia and her produce.

-- * --

The summer weeks rolled past so quickly and before they realised it, it was term time again.  This time, however, it meant that one of the family was leaving home, albeit for just a term.

Packed and prepared, it was time for Debra to head off to university.

Debra put her cases of clothes and 'essentials' in the back of the van sent by the university and waved goodbye, for now, to her parents and two sisters and thought nervously of the new challenges and adventures that lay ahead.

-- * --

Author's Note: I am very pleased to include in this chapter two creations by good friends from The Sims 3 forums:

• Margherita's Italian Grill by Meg1626 - I added a Business as Usual Bistro oven but otherwise the venue is exactly as Meg created it, see more pictures at http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/11173636/#Comment_11173636
• Jennifer Sims (she's married to Jeremy Bostwick in my game) by bouquetcatcher

The Valley Motors lot is my own creation see my Tumblr page for more info.