A Year Abroad: The Sequel

A lot can change in a year, can’t it?

Two years ago, I went from being a complacent (it’s true) university student who enjoyed life but needed an extra challenge to a more focused (and hopefully less complacent, but no promises) individual with a set of goals and a passion for travel. That year in Leeds was a game-changer, as they say: an experience that opened up the world to me in every possible way. I made friends, travel plans, academic progress, and crucially, mistakes. I also made various things from raw materials, such as Nanaimo bars and giant foam breadsticks. But that’s less important (unless you’re Bryan).

And now, I’m back! A year or so later, after finishing my degree in MIT and English Lit at Western in April 2009, I’ve arrived back in beautiful Yorkshire to complete a Master of Arts degree in Film & Literature at the University of York. York, as its millions of visitors can attest, is an Olde Englande-type of place: full of ghosts and history and pubs and tea. You half-expect the spectre of Chaucer to stroll around the corner discussing legends of yore with Lord Byron, it’s so completely British. But its untouched architecture and mixed Viking-and-Roman past give York a personality that’s hard to match in the increasingly sped-up and sophisticated United Kingdom. It’s also the perfect place to come if you want to study English Literature and British film, as I do.

The trip from Toronto was a long one, if not exactly arduous. I had to postpone my flight last week due to a wicked bout of the flu, so I was extremely excited to finally get on the plane on Thursday night. After arriving at Gatwick, it took a couple of trains to get to York, but I made it about halfway through Friday, whereupon I collapsed on my bed for some much-needed sleep. However, that didn’t last for long, as I soon met a few of my flatmates (there are six of us who share a kitchen) and their friends, who are all super-friendly and excited to be here studying. My residence is entirely postgraduate, so it’s nice that we’re all in the same boat, so to speak. My flatmates even gave me some dinner when they realized I hadn’t had a chance to buy food yet!

So I’ve spent the majority of my time since then exploring the city centre and the campus, figuring out how things work, meeting new people, and organizing my room. Here’s a picture of my dorm room, semi-clean:

Our residence looks out over the university’s own personal lake (yep, it’s the largest plastic-bottomed lake in Europe. That means one thing: bragging rights) and backs onto acres of farmland. We’re surrounded by waterfowl and cows. Here’s the view from out our front door (that's Wentworth College's main building on the left):

And, to the right, nothing but peaceful nature:

A fair warning:

Cow pasture, I name thee "Walmgate Stray":

It’s wonderful being in such a quiet place (except for the early-morning quacking). It’s definitely going to make the coming months of studying and reading that much easier.

I do intend to update my blog quite often this year! Feel free to comment on posts, because I’d love to hear what everyone is up to, wherever they happen to be in the world. As I write this, of my family alone, four of us are living far from home (in England, St. Lucia and BC. Oh, and Guelph too! ;)). Where are you, and what have you been up to?

Oh, and by the way: it's great to be back :).

xx