Take Two

Sunday mornings in Leicester have to be my favourite. I have a bit of a lie in, make myself some breakfast (breakfast of the moment is two vegetarian sausages and two soft boiled eggs with a cup of tea), and then I walk to CrossFit. My walk is usually one of the best moments of the week. Leicester on a Sunday morning is very quiet. Little to no traffic and only a few people out and about. I must say though that today’s walk was even better probably because I was leaving from my new house.

I’d been living in a very nice studio flat since I arrived in Leicester eight months ago. There wasn’t anything wrong with it and in time I got used to the walk to and from the department and the box. It was pretty close to the town centre and I had it all to myself. That last part was sort of the problem. I work from home (I find it nice to be able to grab a cup of tea and watch a quick episode of QI on YouTube during my breaks) and on days that I didn’t go to CrossFit or didn’t have a meeting at the department, I just wouldn’t see another human being. As an introvert, this arrangement was pretty nice…until it wasn’t. Until I was feeling very cut off from people and was missing the whole social aspect of, well, being a human. So when a room became available in Ceciel’s house, I decided to go ahead and sign the housing agreement. It was a difficult decision. I had become quite complacent in my studio and had grown used to my routine. But that was the problem! I knew I needed a bit of shaking up and this was going to be it.

The fact that the house came with a feline housemate may have made the prospect even more appealing.

So on 30 August with the help of my lovely friend Eamon from CrossFit and his car (you don’t realise how much you miss having wheels until you need to move all of your things across town) most of my belongings made it to the house. There were only a few things for Jeremy (who was kind enough to come up to Leicester to offer moral support as well as unpacking support) and I to bring over the next morning after we picked up the keys.

It took three trips to get it all across town. The last trip only had three small boxes though.

This felt like a re-do. There had been nothing wrong with my first eight months here, really, but I had often found myself feeling in a rut. Though my work was exemplary, I just didn’t feel right. I had gotten out of some of my favourite habits: blogging, walking, and just generally socialising. Everything felt off. This move was me hitting the reset button on things. It definitely helped that it came at the beginning of autumn; a time I always feel is ripe for new beginnings.

Fall is my most favourite season. The air feels crisp and cool and just lends itself brilliantly to curling up with a hot apple cider. The leaves don their very best colours before bidding this world adieu and then there are the pumpkins and mums (chrysanthemums, not English mothers, though they are nice, too). Perhaps it’s because fall always signified the start of a new school year that I always feel my most optimistic, my most excited, and my most ready for new beginnings. It’s like I’ve never lost that love of freshly sharpened pencils, chalk, and the feel of a brand new start-of-the-school-year dress. It felt like everything was full of potential. That the year was pregnant with possibilities just waiting to be discovered. That’s exactly how I feel now, sitting here at my desk in my tiny but deliciously cosy room. I just feel ready to give Leicester and this PhD another go. Everything is fresh and I have a brand new perspective. I just hope these feelings last.

My new neighbourhood on a beautiful Sunday September morning

Alright Postcards from Leicester. Take two. And……ACTION!