My New Home

Well, first and foremost, I have arrived in the UK to stay (for the next year, at least). I thought I would be shocked at all the differences (like last time but not quite as intense), but I was surprised to find I felt very comfortable from the start.

The beginning of this week was devoted to finding a house in Bristol (where I will be getting my MA in Philosophy). I knew I would like Bristol, but I didn't know how much! I was expecting an Oxford-type town and was (pleasantly) surprised when I saw tall buildings and a new shopping mall! It has a mix of these urban pieces, plus neo-Gothic style university buildings, PLUS lots of funky little shops and organic eateries. I'm so excited to do more exploring! There were definitely snags in our house search here and there, but I was thankful for the sunny days to guide our way. (Apparently it typically rains a lot in Bristol so this is a big deal.) We finally found a place. It's actually still being built and will be ready to move into by the Thursday of our first week, but it's worth it. Pros: brand new place, third floor, two bathrooms (with showers) for four people, new furniture, relatively good location. Cons: not much character (yet), a bit of a walk from campus. All in all, this will be a great place. Also, our landlord Bojang is my new BFF.

My housemates are worth noting as well. Nell is an English girl getting a PhD in Chemistry, Jim (James) is an English guy doing Law, and Michael is a German guy doing Commerce Law. All three are very nice and very different, so we will make quite an interesting bunch!

Now I'm back in Witney (near Oxford) at Jonty's house for the next few weeks. Today we're going into Oxford (I miss it soooo much so I'm excited to be going back!!) and we may be going punting!!!

<3