Hi all,
Well, this will be my last “Note from the Road”, now that I’m NOT on the road anymore.
I moved into my permanent flat on Monday, so I’ve officially landed in Bristol. After spending just shy of two weeks in temporary housing, it was nice to get into my own space. Dorm living was amusing while I was on the road, but not for the long term. And this wasn’t much fun, as I was in a single dorm room – I actually missed the hustle and bustle of a hostel! The house was for international students, and this is a funky thing. You find an eclectic mix of people here –this is either cool or weird. I saw a bit of both, though a bit more of the latter. But people were very friendly, and it was an easy, convenient place to drop my pack for a bit.
That said, I’m happy to be in a flat, my flat, with my stuff, once again. The movers came Monday – what a treat to have someone to set up furniture and unpack boxes for you! Granted, the entire contents of my bedroom ended up ON my bed, but it’s still better than having to figure out later what to do with all of those boxes and wrapping materials. I’m relieved to see that everything actually fits in the flat, given that I hadn’t seen some of it in 3+ years, and had no idea what was in some of the boxes. I think the flat should be ready for public viewing in a few weeks – I’ve had to buy a few pieces of furniture, and they haven’t arrived yet.
Aside from the flat stuff, I’m pretty close to creating my existence herein Bristol – it always takes longer than you think. Banking, utilities, postal stuff, student card, sports pass. Oh, and the financial stuff with the university and UCB isn’t sorted out yet (read: my stipend isn’t in place yet), but I’m assured that this is happening, and there’s at least a flurry of emails.
Since arriving in Bristol, I’ve been out with the lab crew a few times, which has been nice. In fact, there was a post-viva celebration (PhD defense) on my first full day in Bristol, and I ended up going out to the pub for a few. Well, a few turned into a few more (as it does), and I was out ‘til 5am. Nothing like embracing the student life from day one! Another fun night was last Friday, when we ended up at a local club called The Tube. A few of you have been out in Bristol and may know about this, but the rest of you should know that you can’t really say that you’ve been out in Bristol until you’ve gotten down with DJ Derek. It’s not just that he spins really good reggae –he’s also in his 70s! There’s this chilled out, grey-haired, tie and vest-wearing, bespectacled guy mixing music, drinking pints of beer, singing along, and generally getting down with his bad self. If only I had a camera!
Thanks for reading all of my posts (or at least skimming some of the lengthier ones). The past 6 months has been the best, most amazing, wonderful, revelatory, FUN time of my life. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to find new parts of the world, see and do amazing things, and meet some truly special people. It’s funny how the world has become much bigger and much smaller at the same time – there’s so much more to see than I even knew of before I left. But now, having been around the world, nowhere seems as far away as it once did. And that’s a great thing.
On a personal level, this has been such a rewarding experience. I remember the day I left London ; I was literally shaking from the nerves. Excited, but terrified. And now, I just see an endless list of future destinations as possibilities, without the fear. I mean, I did everything I wanted to do, and more. I climbed a caldera on Santorini in the Greek Isles, went to India and survived Delhi belly, rode an elephant and pet a tiger in Thailand, saw the amazing temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, walked on the Great Wall of China and saw the Terracotta Army, watched dancing Elvises in Tokyo and karaoked ‘til dawn in Kyoto, hit the backpacker trail in Australia and dove the Great Barrier Reef, bungy jumped and walked on a glacier in New Zealand, and slurped down endless blue cocktails on a beach in Fiji. What made it all even more special was that I did it alone – being solely responsible for what I was doing, where I was going, was so terrific.
Before I left, I had hoped that some friends might be able to join me for pieces of my trip, but I’m actually glad that it didn’t work out. Turns out that I LOVE travelling alone – you meet more people, and you get to choose what you want to do, when you want to do it, and for how long you want to do it. What a revelation. Amusingly, you’d have to really work to convince me now to travel with other people in the future – that’s how much I loved doing it by myself. It’s so empowering, liberating, and just plain fun!
Plus, it turns out that I’m actually kinda good at travelling. And that it suits me (not hard – wandering the globe without the responsibilities of a job would suit a lot of people, I think ...). I’d have kept going if there had been time and money; I wasn’t finished, not by a long shot. But that’s the way of things, and I’m still so glad (what an unerstatement) to have done what I did. I wonder where I’ll go travelling after my PhD ... do you see a trend starting here? :)
Okay, I’ll stop here. I’ve decided to take a stab at blogging, so I’ve posted this note, as well as all the previous ones (for people who didn’t start from the beginning with me), on my blog. I’ll start populating it with photos soon, and will see how blogging appeals. Read if you like, don’t if you don’t.
I hope you’re all well, and look forward to hearing from and seeing some of you soon! Remember, there’s room in my flat for visitors; just bring an umbrella (I’ve been in Bristol for 14 days, and it’s rained, you guessed it, for 14 days). We’ll drink cider and do what the locals do (whatever that is) – and get down with DJ Derek. :)
Oh, and to my mates back at Cambridge UCB - I hope you're all well, and I'm thinking of you. Hang in there.
Best,
Dina
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